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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a case that can be used as a biochemistry learning resource in relation to the topic of viruses. Learning to use cases will be effective if students are assigned to produce reports, articles, or other scientific papers. Self-assessment can be used to assess the competencies that have been learnt in the writing process. This study aims to analyze the scientific papers and self-assessment of students using the COVID-19 pandemic case. It includes qualitative research with scientific paper and self-assessment questionnaire analyses. The research sample was chemistry education study program students (N = 57) following biochemistry course, out of a population of 87 students. The results show that the students have a good understanding of explaining COVID-19. Self-assessment analysis shows that 80% of the students responded positively to eight statements; those who gave positive responses to each questionnaire statement were able to produce scientific papers. Good self-assessment is in line with the ability of students to compile good scientific papers., (© 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

The implementation of KKNI curriculum in Indonesia requires meaningful learning--so does the biochemistry learning. In the mean time, biochemistry learning is constrained by the fact that its implementation and assessment have yet to be integrated with classroom learning and laboratory works. The Orientation/Decision/Do/Discuss/Reflect (OD3R) method seeks to integrate the elements and makes biochemistry learning meaningful. The implementation of the OD3R method in 4 universities in Indonesia (N = 216) shows that this method can help students to integrate information obtained from lectures by writing good laboratory reports, improve practical skills, and improving students' scientific attitudes. Each stage in the OD3R method meets cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains in the biochemistry learning. More details on the OD3R method and its assessment are described in this paper.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) states that adolescents are at risk of developing anemia. The initial step in identifying iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is through screening. In addition, the WHO framework aims to accelerate the reduction of anemia worldwide by achieving specific goals, including an increase in anemia screening. Objectives: This study aims to determine the use of biochemical indicators in screening for the identification of IDA status in Indonesia. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Garuda databases following the PRISMA guidelines. Articles from journals indexed in Scopus Q1 to Q4 or Sinta 1 to Sinta 3 with an experimental or observational research design in Indonesia were reviewed. Discussion: Anemia screening was performed to determine IDA status, which was measured by the following parameters: hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Hb is an indicator of IDA in populations with a high prevalence of IDA. MCV is calculated by dividing hematocrit by red blood cell count. MCH refers to the average absolute hemoglobin content of the red blood cells, while MCHC refers to the concentration of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Serum ferritin (SF) is a highly reliable and sensitive indicator for assessing iron stores and clinical status in the field. In addition, serum transferrin receptor (STfR) is a more stable indicator than serum transferrin (ST). SF can differentiate between IDA caused by anemia or chronic diseases. Conclusions: Combining hemoglobin and SF improves sensitivity and specificity in detecting the severity of IDA. STfR can also be used as an indicator for IDA. The use of the STfR and SF indicators is the best biochemical approach to IDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although patients with diabetes have common problems, their educational needs may differ, and they have the right to participate in planning and implementing individual or group healthcare programs. Because there are no proper care interventions for diabetic patients in Indonesia, this study evaluated the efficacy of a tailored care intervention program on some blood biochemical outcomes among Indonesian patients with diabetes. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a pre-test-post-test design. We recruited 163 diabetic patients referred to Moyo Hilir and Moyo Hulu primary healthcare facilities in Sumbawa City, Indonesia, from January to April 2021. The subjects were randomly assigned to either intervention (n=80) or control (n=83) groups. The intervention group received a tailored care intervention program with 7 elements implemented through four stages: 1) brief deductive teaching, 2) self-management assessment, 3) brainstorming and support group, and 4) Follow-up. The control group received routine education. The study data were collected at baseline and three months after the intervention. The outcome measures were blood glucose levels, cholesterol, triglyceride, and triglyceride glucose index. IBM SPSS software, version 20 was used for statistical analysis. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive (frequency distributions, percentages, Mean±SD) and inferential statistics (Chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test). The significance level was set at P<0.05. Results: According to the independent t-test, there were no significant differences in blood glucose levels of the groups before and after the intervention. There were also no significant differences in the groups' cholesterol, triglyceride, and triglyceride glucose index before the intervention, but significant differences were seen after the intervention (P=0.000). However, the significance moved in a negative direction. According to paired t-test, blood glucose level, triglyceride, and triglyceride glucose index increased in the control group but decreased in the intervention group, although it was not significant. On the other hand, cholesterol levels increased in both intervention and control groups, which was not significant. Conclusion: Although no significant findings were obtained, the glucose level, triglyceride, and glucose triglyceride index values of the intervention group were better than the control group, but not in terms of cholesterol level. Tailored care intervention programs can improve biochemical indicators, especially for blood glucose levels, triglycerides, and triglyceride glucose index; however, it seems that a follow-up study beyond three months is needed to be performed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow in Indonesia. This phenomenon motivates researchers to find alternative drugs that function for prevention or treatment. Due to the rich biodiversity of Indonesian medicinal plants, one alternative is to examine the potential of herbal medicines to support COVID therapy. This study aims to identify potential compound candidates in Indonesian herbal using a machine learning and pharmacophore modeling approaches. Methods: We used three classification methods that had different decision-making processes: support vector machine (SVM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and random forest (RF). For the pharmacophore modeling approach, we performed a structure-based analysis on the 3D structure of the main protease SARS-CoV-2 (3CLPro) and repurposed SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2 drugs identified from the literature as datasets in the ligand-based method. Lastly, we used molecular docking to analyze the interactions between the 3CLpro and 14 hit compounds from the Indonesian Herbal Database (HerbalDB), with lopinavir as a positive control. Results: From the molecular docking analysis, we found six potential compounds that may act as the main proteases of the SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor: hesperidin, kaempferol-3,4'-di-O-methyl ether (Ermanin); myricetin-3-glucoside, peonidin 3-(4'-arabinosylglucoside); quercetin 3-(2G-rhamnosylrutinoside); and rhamnetin 3-mannosyl-(1-2)-alloside. Conclusions: Our layered virtual screening with machine learning and pharmacophore modeling approaches provided a more objective and optimal virtual screening and avoided subjective decision making of the results. Herbal compounds from the screening, i.e. hesperidin, kaempferol-3,4'-di-O-methyl ether (Ermanin); myricetin-3-glucoside, peonidin 3-(4'-arabinosylglucoside); quercetin 3-(2G-rhamnosylrutinoside); and rhamnetin 3-mannosyl-(1-2)-alloside are potential antiviral candidates for SARS-CoV-2. Moringa oleifera and Psidium guajava that consist of those compounds, could be an alternative option as COVID-19 herbal preventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium cosmeticum is a nontuberculous Mycobacterium recovered from different water sources including household potable water and water collected at nail salon. Individual cases of this bacterium have been reported to be associated with gastrointestinal tract infections. Here we present the first whole-genome study and comparative analysis of two new clinically-derived Mycobacterium sp. UM_RHS (referred as UM_RHS after this) and Mycobacterium sp. UM_NYF (referred as UM_NYF after this) isolated from patients in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively to have a better understanding of the biological characteristic of these isolates. Both strains are likely Mycobacterium cosmeticum as supported by the evidence from molecular phylogenetic, comparative genomic and Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) analyses. We found the presence of a considerably large number of putative virulence genes in the genomes of UM_RHS and UM_NYF. Interestingly, we also found a horizontally transferred genomic island carrying a putative dsz operon proposing that they may have potential to perform biodesulfization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) that may be effective in cost reduction and air pollution during fuel combustion. This comparative study may provide new insights into M. cosmeticum and serve as an important reference for future functional studies of this bacterial species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes education has been found to impact positively on self-management by people with diabetes although little is known about the process by which they assimilate information. The aim of this study was to generate a theory explaining the process by which people with diabetes learn about their disease in Indonesia. Methods: This study employed a grounded theory methodology influenced by constructivism and symbolic interactionism. A total of twenty-eight face-to-face or telephone interviews with participants from Indonesia that included people with diabetes, healthcare professionals, health service providers and families of people with diabetes were conducted in both Indonesia and Australia. Results: This study discloses a core category of Learning, choosing, and acting: self-management of diabetes in Indonesia as the basic social process of how people learn about their diabetes. The process includes five distinctive major categories. People with diabetes acted after they had received recommendations that they considered to be trustworthy. Factors that influenced their choice of recommendations to adopt are also identified. Conclusions: Awareness of the complexity involved in their decision making will assist healthcare professionals to engage effectively with people living with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies continues to pose a significant threat to human and animal health in regions of Indonesia. Indonesia has an extensive network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories and the 8 National laboratories are equipped to undertake diagnostic testing for rabies using the commercially-procured direct fluorescent antibody test (FAT), which is considered the reference (gold standard) test. However, many of the Indonesian Provincial diagnostic laboratories do not have a fluorescence microscope required to undertake the FAT. Instead, certain Provincial laboratories continue to screen samples using a chemical stain-based test (Seller’s stain test, SST). This test has low diagnostic sensitivity, with negative SST-tested samples being forwarded to the nearest National laboratory resulting in significant delays for completion of testing and considerable additional costs. This study sought to develop a cost-effective and diagnostically-accurate immunoperoxidase antigen detection (RIAD) test for rabies that can be readily and quickly performed by the resource-constrained Provincial laboratories. This would reduce the burden on the National laboratories and allow more rapid diagnoses and implementation of post-exposure prophylaxis. The RIAD test was evaluated using brain smears fixed with acetone or formalin and its performance was validated by comparison with established rabies diagnostic tests used in Indonesia, including the SST and FAT. A proficiency testing panel was distributed between Provincial laboratories to assess the reproducibility of the test. The performance of the RIAD test was improved by using acetone fixation of brain smears rather than formalin fixation such that it was of equivalent accuracy to that of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)-recommended FAT, with both tests returning median diagnostic sensitivity and specificity values of 0.989 and 0.993, respectively. The RIAD test and FAT had higher diagnostic sensitivity than the SST (median = 0.562). Proficiency testing using a panel of 6 coded samples distributed to 16 laboratories showed that the RIAD test had good reproducibility with an overall agreement of 97%. This study describes the successful development, characterisation and use of a novel RIAD test and its fitness for purpose as a screening test for use in provincial Indonesian veterinary laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue has emerged as one of the most important infectious diseases in the last five decades. Evidence indicates the expansion of dengue virus endemic areas and consequently the exponential increase of dengue virus infections across the subtropics. The clinical manifestations of dengue virus infection include sudden fever, rash, headache, myalgia and in more serious cases, spontaneous bleeding. These manifestations occur in children as well as in adults. Defining the epidemiology of dengue in a given area is critical to understanding the disease and devising effective public health strategies. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we report the results from a prospective cohort study of 4380 adults in West Java, Indonesia, from 2000–2004 and 2006–2009. A total of 2167 febrile episodes were documented and dengue virus infections were confirmed by RT-PCR or serology in 268 cases (12.4%). The proportion ranged from 7.6 to 41.8% each year. The overall incidence rate of symptomatic dengue virus infections was 17.3 cases/1,000 person years and between September 2006 and April 2008 asymptomatic infections were 2.6 times more frequent than symptomatic infections. According to the 1997 WHO classification guidelines, there were 210 dengue fever cases, 53 dengue hemorrhagic fever cases (including one dengue shock syndrome case) and five unclassified cases. Evidence for sequential dengue virus infections was seen in six subjects. All four dengue virus serotypes circulated most years. Inapparent dengue virus infections were predominantly associated with DENV-4 infections. Conclusions/Significance: Dengue virus was responsible for a significant percentage of febrile illnesses in an adult population in West Java, Indonesia, and this percentage varied from year to year. The observed incidence rate during the study period was 43 times higher than the reported national or provincial rates during the same time period. A wide range of clinical severity was observed with most infections resulting in asymptomatic disease. The circulation of all four serotypes of dengue virus was observed in most years of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]