Comparison of Selenium Sulfide 1% and Zinc Pyrithione 1% and Combination of Them in Overcoming Malassezia Globosa in Vitro

Dandruff is a scalp disorder that is affected by three factors, namely the fungus Malassezia globosa, sebaceous gland activity, and individual susceptibility. Selenium sulfide (SeS2) and Zinc Pyrithion (ZPTO) is used as an antidandruff shampoo active ingredient because it has anti-fungal properties. The study was conducted to determine the potentiality of shampoo with active ingredient SeS2 1% and ZPTO 1% to M.globosa in vitro. The colonies of M.globosa (CBS 7966 ATCC 96 807) were exposed to a non-antifungal base shampoo, shampoo containing 1% SeS2, shampoo containing 1% ZPTO and shampoo containing combination of 1% SeS2 and 1% ZPTO. Fungal contact time with shampoo is 3 and 5 minutes. Fungal colonies are grown on Sabourraud Dextrose agar (SDA) medium coated with olive oil. Incubation was carried out at 37° C for 5 days. After fiveday, assessment was performed to observe whether the fungal culture was grown, and then the colony growth is calculated. The research was conducted at Clinical Parasitology Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia from November 2011 until April 2012. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and LSD Fisher test. Shampoo containing 1% SeS2 inhibited fungal growth in 5 min contact time (p = 0,000 <0.05), whereas 1% ZPTO shampoo fungal growth was inhibited either in 3 min or 5 min contact time (p = 0,000 <0,05), and combination of 1% SeS2 and 1% ZPTO shampoo in both contact times (p = 0,000 <0.05). In conclusion, combination of 1% SeS2 and 1% ZPTO shampoo has the most potency in inhibiting the growth of M.globosa colonies in vitro

Whole-cell cancer vaccination: from autologous to allogeneic tumor- and dendritic cell-based vaccines

The field of tumor vaccination is currently undergoing a shift in focus, from individualized tailor-made vaccines to more generally applicable vaccine formulations. Although primarily predicated by financial and logistic considerations, stemming from a growing awareness that clinical development for wide-scale application can only be achieved through backing from major pharmaceutical companies, these new approaches are also supported by a growing knowledge of the intricacies and minutiae of antigen presentation and effector T-cell activation. Here, the development of whole-cell tumor and dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines from an individualized autologous set-up to a more widely applicable allogeneic approach will be discussed as reflected by translational studies carried out over the past two decades at our laboratories and clinics in the vrije universiteit medical center (VUmc) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Serious fungal disease incidence and prevalence in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Indonesia is a tropical country, warm and humid, with numerous environmental fungi. Data on fungal disease burden help policymakers and clinicians.OBJECTIVES: We have estimated the incidence and prevalence of serious fungal diseases.METHODS: We found all published and unpublished data and estimated the incidence and prevalence of fungal diseases based on populations at risk. HIV data were derived from UNAIDS (2017), pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) data from 2013-2019, data on chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) were used to estimate CPA prevalence and likely deaths, COPD data from Hammond (2020), lung cancer incidence was from Globocan 2018, and fungal rhinosinusitis was estimated using community data from India.RESULTS: Overall ~7.7 million Indonesians (2.89%) have a serious fungal infection each year. The annual incidence of cryptococcosis in AIDS was 7,540. Pneumocystis pneumonia incidence was estimated at 15,400 in HIV and an equal number in non-HIV patients. An estimated 1% and 0.2% of new AIDS patients have disseminated histoplasmosis or Talaromyces marneffei infection. The incidence of candidaemia is 26,710. The annual incidence of invasive aspergillosis was estimated at 49,500 and the prevalence of CPA is at 378,700 cases. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis prevalence in adults is estimated at 336,200, severe asthma with fungal sensitisation at 443,800, and fungal rhinosinusitis at 294,000. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis is estimated at 5 million/year (15-50 years old). The incidence of fungal keratitis around 40,050. Tinea capitis prevalence in schoolchildren about 729,000.CONCLUSIONS: Indonesia has a high burden of fungal infections.</p