The Use of Autologous Serum in Dermatology

Autologous serum is a component taken from patient's blood after centrifugation to be used for the same patient. Lately, growth factors (GF) found in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been widely used as an alternative therapeutic modality in various medical fields. The benefits of using autologous serum effectively include reduced risk of hypersensitivity or allergic reactions as well as the reduced risk of transmission of infectious diseases; however, in practice, the availability of products with GF is still limited. This study aimed to review the latest evidences of using autologous serum therapy in dermatology. We searched and screened the study papers of past 5 years (2015 - 2020) through Pubmed Medline for the following topic: "Risks and benefits of autologous serum in the field of dermatology." The initial search obtained 333 papers, of which only 14 met the inclusion criteria: these included five papers on dermatology, seven on ophthalmology, and one paper each on plastic surgery and orthopedics. PRP serum contains GF, vitamins, hormones, and other components. GF contained in PRP is an effective therapeutic modality to be used in dermatology for wound healing, skin rejuvenation, acne scar, and androgenic alopecia. (SKINmed. 2022;20:97-104).

Prediction of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer using mRNA MSH2 quantitative and the correlation with nonmodifiable factor

BACKGROUND

Hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer is a dominantly inherited syndrome of colorectal cancer (CRC), with heightened risk for younger population. Previous studies link its susceptibility to the DNA sequence polymorphism along with Amsterdam and Bethesda criteria. However, those fail in term of applicability.

AIM

To determine a clear cut-off of MSH2 gene expression for CRC heredity grouping factor. Further, the study also aims to examine the association of risk factors to the CRC heredity.

METHODS

The cross-sectional study observed 71 respondents from May 2018 to December 2019 in determining the CRC hereditary status through MSH2 mRNA expression using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and the disease’s risk factors. Data were analyzed through Chi-Square, Fischer exact, t-test, Mann-Whitney, and multiple logistics.

RESULTS

There are significant differences of MSH2 within CRC group among tissue and blood; yet, negative for significance between groups. Through the blood gene expression fifth percentile, the hereditary CRC cut-off is 11059 fc, dividing the 40 CRC respondents to 32.5% with hereditary CRC. Significant risk factors include age, family history, and staging. Nonetheless, after multivariate control, age is just a confounder. Further, the study develops a probability equation with area under the curve 82.2%.

CONCLUSION

Numerous factors have significant relations to heredity of CRC patients. However, true important factors are staging and family history, while age and others are confounders. The study also established a definite cut-off point for heredity CRC based on mRNA MSH2 expression, 11059 fc. These findings shall act as concrete foundations on further risk factors and/or genetical CRC future studies.

Prediction of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer using mRNA MSH2 quantitative and the correlation with nonmodifiable factor

BACKGROUND

Hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer is a dominantly inherited syndrome of colorectal cancer (CRC), with heightened risk for younger population. Previous studies link its susceptibility to the DNA sequence polymorphism along with Amsterdam and Bethesda criteria. However, those fail in term of applicability.

AIM

To determine a clear cut-off of MSH2 gene expression for CRC heredity grouping factor. Further, the study also aims to examine the association of risk factors to the CRC heredity.

METHODS

The cross-sectional study observed 71 respondents from May 2018 to December 2019 in determining the CRC hereditary status through MSH2 mRNA expression using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and the disease’s risk factors. Data were analyzed through Chi-Square, Fischer exact, t-test, Mann-Whitney, and multiple logistics.

RESULTS

There are significant differences of MSH2 within CRC group among tissue and blood; yet, negative for significance between groups. Through the blood gene expression fifth percentile, the hereditary CRC cut-off is 11059 fc, dividing the 40 CRC respondents to 32.5% with hereditary CRC. Significant risk factors include age, family history, and staging. Nonetheless, after multivariate control, age is just a confounder. Further, the study develops a probability equation with area under the curve 82.2%.

CONCLUSION

Numerous factors have significant relations to heredity of CRC patients. However, true important factors are staging and family history, while age and others are confounders. The study also established a definite cut-off point for heredity CRC based on mRNA MSH2 expression, 11059 fc. These findings shall act as concrete foundations on further risk factors and/or genetical CRC future studies.

The many faces of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis in Makassar, Indonesia - A case series

OBJECTIVE

Tuberculosis verrucous cutis (TBVC) is a skin infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, characterized by the presence of a solitaire verrucous plaque, commonly seen on the hands and or feet and could present as a varies of different clinical morphologies.

CASE REPORT

We presented three case report of TBVC. Case 1. A 34-year-old woman, presented with a thickened spot in the right index finger since eight months ago. The first lesion appears as small red spots then progressively bigger until oval-shaped. Case 2. A 48-year-old man came with thickened plaques on the calves for 30 years. The lesion starting as a small red patch on the calves. The edge of the lesion was irregular. Case 3. An 11-year-old boy complained of purple and white plaque-like wounds on the left side of his left hand which had been experienced for approximately 9 years ago. Initially, it started as small reddish nodule appears in the area and expand with time to form purplish and white wide plaques on the border.

RESULTS

Case 1 showed regression of the lesion and so the verrucosity after one month of therapy, while case 2 showed improvement after the first-month of therapy and case 3 showed improvement in 3 weeks after therapy.

CONCLUSION

Tuberculosis verrucous cutis is a disease that should be taken as a health concern in developing countries and remains an issue to the dermatologist as a result of the varieties in its clinical, histopathological, and immunological appearances as well as response to treatment.

The effectiveness of Salvadora persica stick on the colonization of oral pathogens in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU): A pilot study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of antibacterial Salvadora persica stick on the colonization of oral pathogens in patients with mechanical ventilation.

METHOD

This research is quasi-experimental research with pre-test-post-test design. Oral care was administered every 12h on patients who required mechanical ventilation for less than 24h. The colonization of oral pathogen assessment was conducted with swab oral treatment before and 48h after mechanical ventilation. The data obtained were analyzed with a paired t-test.

RESULTS

The results of this research showed that the antibacterial effect of S. persica stick was significant in preventing the increase in the amount of oral pathogen colonization in mechanically ventilated patients (p<0.05). The colonization of oral pathogens decreased from 48×10⁶CFU/ml to 14×10⁶CFU/ml.

CONCLUSION

Oral care with S. persica can serve as a complementary therapy for patients with mechanical ventilation.

Relationship between expression mRNA gene Treg, Treg, CD4+, and CD8+ protein levels with TST in tuberculosis children: A nested case-control

Background

The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to survive intracellularly, provides a cellular adaptive immune response played by specific T cells to defend against tuberculosis. The adaptive immune response to Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin (BCG) immunization is responded to by B cells, T Follicular B helper, T regulatory, restriction CD1, CD8⁺, CD4⁺, Th1, Th2, and Th17. BCG immunization can cause a tuberculin test reaction to being positive. The tuberculin test is a method for diagnosing TB infection and for screening individuals for latent infection and assessing the rate of TB infection in a given population.

Methods

a nested case-control survey was conducted on patients with a diagnosis of TB and parents 0–18 years of age from 3 hospitals in Indonesia during September–November 2019 with a total sample of 69 people undergoing clinical examinations, supporting and diagnosing subjects, blood sampling 1–2 cc for examination mRNA gene Treg, Treg, CD 4+, and CD 8+, then centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min to support blood cells and serum.

Results

There was a significant relationship between expression of mRNA gene Treg with TST (p = 0,000), Treg with TST (p = 0,000), and CD4⁺ with TST (p = 0,000). Meanwhile, CD8 + was not significantly associated with TST (p = 0.118).

Conclusions

It is necessary to check the expression of mRNA gene Treg, Treg, CD4⁺, and CD8⁺ with more samples to find the mean value that shows the protective value of further TB.

•

The Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) is one of the criteria to determine whether a person is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is often used to screen individuals for latent infection and assess rates of TB infection in a given population. tuberculin test results with induration diameter> 10 mm were positive regardless of the cause. Patients in this study were children who had been vaccinated against BCG and diagnosed with TB in their early toddler years. It was necessary to see the adaptive immune response that existed when the child was infected with TB.

•

The main immune response that acts as protection against TB is played by cellular immunity, namely CD4 and CD8 T cells. We thought that if we could find between TST and adaptive immune response, TST could be a prior test to determine prognosis or disease progression.

•

We found a strong correlation between immune activation and Treg cell frequency in TST positive persons. A higher Treg consentration was found in TST positive subjects. Nevertheless, local immune responses may differ from those in peripheral blood and exploring this interaction in the site of active infection will give important clues about their involvement in protection or pathogenesis . According to our studies the increased Treg cell frequency observed in the blood of people with active tuberculosis is likely a response to inflammation and bacterial burden.

The correlation of Foxp3 + gene and regulatory T cells with scar BCG formation among children with Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis infection causes a complex immunological response, where interactions between the pathogen and the host are unique, making it difficult to treat and control this disease. According to WHO, an estimated 1 million children became ill with TB, and 233,000 children died of TB in 2017. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccines continue to be the only vaccines to prevent Tuberculosis (TB). Studies suggesting the association of BCG scar with decreased childhood mortality in developing countries have rekindled the interest in BCG scar. However, the direct effect of the BCG scar remains unknown. We examined 76 cases in this study. All Subjects were diagnosed with Tuberculosis. BCG scars were examined directly when physical examination at the BCG vaccination site was performed. Tuberculin Skin Test was performed with 0.1 ml purified protein derivative (PPD) solution (5TU PPD/0.1 ml) injected intradermally. We examined the FOXP3 gene by real-time PCR and the level of Treg byELISA. The comparison of the mean Treg gene expression and the Treg protein content was higher in the positive scar group than in the negative scar group. It shows that Treg plays a role in the Tuberculosis during its active phase development. Treg protein levels were higher in the combination of positive TST and scar. It shows that BCG scarring is an essential marker of a well-functioning immune system. Cheap and straightforward initiatives like early BCG vaccinations, monitoring BCG scarring, and revaccinating scar-negative children could have an enormous immediate impact on global child survival.

Pattern of cytokine (IL-6 and IL-10) level as inflammation and anti-inflammation mediator of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in polytrauma

Massive injury remains the most common cause of death for productive age group globally. The current immune, inflammatory paradigm, based on an incomplete understanding of the functional integration of the complex host response, remains a major impediment to the development of effective innovative diagnostic and therapeutic effort. This study attempt to investigate the pattern of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and 10 (IL-6 and IL-10) and their interaction in severe injury condition with its major complication as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and failure (MOF) after polytrauma. This is multicenter study held at 4 academic Level-1 Trauma center included 54 polytrauma participants. Inclusion criteria were age between 16-60 years old, had new acute episode of polytrauma which defined as injury in ≥2 body region with Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16, and the presence of Systemic Inflammation Response Syndrome (SIRS). Serum level of IL-6 and IL-10 were taken on day 2, 3, and 5 after trauma. During hospitalization, samples were observed for the occurrence of MODS or MOF using Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and mortality rate were also noted. Participant were mostly male with mean of age of 35, 9 years old, endured polytrauma caused by traffic accident. Elevation of cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, and IL-6/IL-10 ratio) had directly proportional with MODS and mortality. Threshold level of compensation for severe trauma is IL-6 of 50 pg/mL and trauma load of ISS ≥30. Inflammation reaction greater than this threshold level would result in downhill level of IL-6, IL-10, or IL-6/IL-10 ratio which associated with poor outcome (MODS and death). The elevation of these cytokines level were represent as compensation/adaptive immune system and its fall represent decompensating/failure of immune system after severe trauma. The pattern of IL-6 and IL-10 after polytrauma represent immune system effort to restore homeostasis. Besides cytokines interaction, there must be other factors that contribute to mortality and poor outcome after major trauma. Further study is needed to investigate genomic variant or polymorphism related to trauma.

Drug resistance among tuberculosis patients attending diagnostic and treatment centres in Makassar, Indonesia

SETTING

Government tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic and treatment centres, Makassar, Indonesia.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the proportions and patterns of resistance to commonly used TB drugs (isoniazid [INH], rifampicin, ethambutol and streptomycin) among pulmonary TB patients and assess potential risk factors for drug resistance.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

RESULTS

Of 657 recruited patients, 234 were culture-positive. Drug susceptibility testing (DST) results were available for 216 patients. Among these, 197 were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (145 new and 52 previously treated). Isolates from 89 new (61.4%) and 31 previously treated (59.6%) patients were susceptible to all four drugs. Resistance to INH was high among both patient groups (28.3% of new vs. 34.6% of previously treated). Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases accounted for respectively 4.1% and 19.2% of these patients. Resistance to >2 drugs was high among previously treated patients (19.2%). MDR-TB cases were more likely to have a history of excess alcohol use (adjusted OR 4.01, 95%CI 1.28-12.53) and previous TB treatment (adjusted OR 6.28, 95%CI 2.01-19.64).

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of previous treatment history, many culture-positive TB patients were infected with INH-resistant isolates, and a significant proportion of previously treated patients were infected with MDR-TB. Treating culture-positive TB patients, especially previously treated patients, based on DST results should therefore be considered.

SCCmec typing and detection of VISA-related genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical strains from Kobe University Hospital, Japan

A total of 50 clinical strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were collected from Kobe University Hospital in 2003. Molecular typing of SCCmec was performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the presence of six genes (vraR, vraG, vraA, vraF, fruA, and fruB) associated with vancomycin (VCM) resistance was examined by simple PCR analysis. Out of 50 MRSA strains isolated 47 strains contained Type II SCCmec and the remaining contained Type IV SCCmec. Thirty seven strains contained pUB110 plasmid. VraA was present in 69% of the strains, vraF in 10%, vraG in 53%, and vraR in 16%. Noteworthy, strains without pUB110 contained vraR in relatively higher frequency (31%) compared with strains with pUB110 (11%).

Polymorphism of the interleukin-4, interleukin-13, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 genes in Indonesian children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) in children is frequently associated with allergy and immunoglobulin E (IgE) production. T-helper subtype 2 cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, have been implicated in the regulation of IgE production. We investigated the associations of gene polymorphisms of IL-4, IL-13, and signal transducer and activator 6 (STAT6) in Indonesian children with MCNS (n = 84) and controls with neither allergic nor renal disease (n = 61).

METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the IL-4 promoter gene polymorphism (-590C/T) and IL-13 gene polymorphism (4257G/A), and direct sequencing was used for the STAT6 3S untranslated region (2964G/A) polymorphism.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference between the MCNS group and the controls in the genotypic distribution of IL-4 and IL-13 gene polymorphism. In the case of the IL-4 promoter gene, the frequency of the CC homozygote was significantly lower in the MCNS group than in the controls, while, in the case of IL-13, the frequency of the GG homozygote was significantly lower in the MCNS group. However, there was no difference between the MCNS group and the controls in the STAT6 gene polymorphism.

CONCLUSION

The genetic variations in the IL-4 and IL-13 genes may be associated with predisposition to MCNS.