First steps of laparoscopic surgery in Lubumbashi: problems encountered and preliminary results

For many reasons, laparoscopic surgery has been performed worldwide. Due to logistical constraints its first steps occurred in Lubumbashi only in 2008. The aim of this presentation was to report authors' ten-month experience of laparoscopic surgery at Lubumbashi Don Bosco Missionary Hospital (LDBMH): problems encountered and preliminary results. The study was a transsectional descriptive work with a convenient sampling. It only took in account patients with abdominal surgical condition who consented to undergo laparoscopic surgery and when logistical constraints of the procedure were found. Independent variables were patients' demographic parameters, staff, equipments and consumable. Dependent parameters included surgical abdominal diseases, intra-operative circumstances and postoperative short term mortality and morbidity. Between 1st April 2009 and 28th February 2010, 75 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery at the LDBMH making 1.5% of all abdominal surgical activities performed at this institution. The most performed procedure was appendicectomy for acute appendicitis (64%) followed by exploratory laparoscopy for various abdominal chronic pain (9.3%), adhesiolysis for repeated periods of subacute intestinal obstruction in previously laparotomised patients (9.3%), laparoscopic cholecystectomy for post acute cholecystitis on gall stone (5.3%) and partial colectomy for symptomatic redundant sigmoid colon (2.7%). There were 4% of conversion to laparotomy. Laparoscopic surgery consumed more time than laparotomy, mostly when dealing with appendicitis. However, postoperatively, patients did quite well. There was no death in this series. Nursing care was minimal with early discharge. These results are encouraging to pursue laparoscopic surgery with DRC Government and NGO's supports

Determination of Antioxidant and Anti-Melanogenesis Activities of Indonesian Lai, Durio kutejensis [Bombacaceae (Hassk) Becc] Fruit Extract

Purpose: To investigate the antioxidant and anti-melanogenesis activities of Durio kutejensis [Bombacaceae (Hassk.) Becc] fruit extract.Methods: The fruit flesh of D. kutejensis was extracted successively with n-hexane, ethyl acetate/EtOAc, and ethanol/EtOH at room temperature repeatedly. The extracts were concentrated in vacuo to yield their residues. Antioxidant properties were analyzed by 2,2'-azino-bis(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS, superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) while anti-melanogensis activity was evaluated by tyrosinase enzyme activity and B16 melanoma cell assays (melanin inhibition and cytotoxicity).Results: The extract (200 μg/mL) showed melanin inhibition by inhibiting melanin formation in B16 melanoma cell by 47 % without cytotoxicity but did not inhibit tyrosinase enzyme activity. The extract (1 - 1000 μg/mL) also exhibited some level of antioxidant activity including ORAC (0.04 ± 0.00 μmol TE/mg at 950 μg/mL), ABTS (1.0 ± 0.2 % at 100.8 μg/mL), SOD (IC50, 76.00 ± 14.6 μg/mL, and DPPH (21.5 ± 0.7 % at 97.39 μg/mL extract concentration).Conclusion: The fruit extract of Durio kutejensis has antioxidant properties with a potential for treating hyperpigmentation and for use as a skin-lightening agent.Keywords: Durio kutejensis, Antioxidant, Anti-melanogenesis, B16 Melanoma cell Hyperpigmentation, Skin-lightening agen

Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Selekop (Lepisanthes Amoena) Fruit

Selekop (Lepisanthes amoena (Hassk.) Leenh.) plant leaves are used by the Dayak tribe of East Kalimantan as traditional cosmetics. Selekop fruit is also edible, but not well known. This study was conducted to obtain the phytochemical content and antioxidant assay in flesh, seed and pericarp extracts from the fruit of Selekop. Phytochemical analysis was conducted on ethanol extract for identification of flavonoid, alkaloid, tannin, saponin, triterpenoid and steroid. The antioxidant activity was done by DPPH assay with ascorbic acid as positive control. The flesh contained flavonoid, saponin, and tannin; the seed contained flavonoid, alkaloid, saponin, triterpenoid, and tannin; and the pericarp contained flavonoid, alkaloid, saponin, triterpenoid, and tannin. Analysis of antioxidant activity revealed the following Inhibitory Concentration (IC50 values): 122.51 ppm of flesh, 63.30 ppm of seed, 53.21 ppm of pericarp and 3.06 ppm of ascorbic acid. Based on these results, the ethanol extract of the seed and the flesh had a phytochemical content and antioxidant activity which was better than the flesh extract from Selekop fuit

Aktivitas antioksidan dan antibakteri dari ekstrak bee pollen lebah kelulut (Tetragonula sarawaknensis)

Pemanfaatan produk propolis dan bee pollen madu tanpa sengat atau Kelulut masih sangat terbatas, demikian juga penelitiannya belum banyak dilakukan bahkan bisa dikatakan masih sangat terbatas termasuk kandungan zat ekstraktif pada bee pollen tersebut. Oleh karena itu tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk skirining manfaat bee pollen sebagai produk kecantikan dan produk yang mengandung bahan yang dapat menangkal radikal bebas. Kemajuan teknologi dan gaya hidup manusia dimasa sekarang cenderung mudah menimbulkan banyak penyakit baru. Hal ini menimbulkan rasa penasaran akan bee pollen sebagai produk dari alam yang memiliki kemampuan sebagai antioksidan dan menghambat pertumbuhan Propionibacterium acnes. Metode ekstraksi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah ekstraksi dingin etanol 98% selama 3 x 24 jam, dilanjutkan dengan uji fitokimia, dan analisis antioksidan dengan uji DPPH dan penghambatan Propionibacterium acnes dengan metode difusi agar. Ekstrak bee pollen T. sarawakensis mengandung senyawa alkaloid, flavonoid, kumarin dan tanin. Ekstrak T. sarawakensis memiliki aktivitas antioksidan dengan nilai konsentrasi hambatan 39% pada 100 mg/mL. Ekstrak memiliki penghambatan terkuat dari Propionibacterium acnes (42% pada 500 µg/well). Hasil ini menunjukkan adanya potensi ekstrak etanol T. sarawakensis untuk dikembangkan sebagai bahan kosmetik dan jamu, namun diperlukan percobaan lebih lanjut untuk membuktikan fungsinya