Medicina
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Background and Objectives: Health-seeking behavior is a critical determinant of health outcomes, particularly in countries like Indonesia. Given the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases, understanding the factors that influence health-seeking behavior in this context is essential for developing more accessible and effective public health strategies. This study aimed to identify various factors associated with health-seeking behavior among patients with chronic diseases across Indonesia, especially in formal facilities. ⋯ Results: The results revealed that 80.7% (n = 1993) of the 2471 respondents sought treatment in formal facilities, whereas 19.3% (n = 478) opted for informal facilities. Respondents who were Bugis (OR 9.187, 95% CI 2.182-38.683; p = 0.002), retired (OR 2.966, 95% CI 1.233-7.135; p = 0.015), did not smoke (OR 1.604, 95% CI 1.126-2.285; p = 0.009), made less than IDR 1,500,000 a month (OR 1.466, 95% CI 1.174-1.831; p = 0.000), had to travel more than 3 km to reach a treatment facility (OR 1.847, 95% CI 1.41-2.42; p = 0.000), or had more than one comorbidity (OR 1.396, 95% CI; p = 0.01) were more likely to seek treatment at formal facilities. Conclusions: These findings are expected to provide recommendations for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers to contribute to the development of targeted interventions that can improve healthcare access and utilization, ultimately enhancing health outcomes and equity in Indonesia.
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Background and Objectives: Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by muscle mass loss, is prevalent in up to 68% of rectal cancer patients and has been described as a negative prognostic factor, impacting overall survival and tumor response. While there are extensive data on rectal cancer globally, only a handful of studies have evaluated the role of sarcopenia in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between sarcopenia, overall response rate, and toxicity in patients who underwent total neoadjuvant treatment (TNT) for LARC. ⋯ Cystitis and thrombocytopenia were significantly associated with post-treatment sarcopenia (p = 0.05 and p = 0.049). Conclusions: Sarcopenia and loss of psoas muscle during neoadjuvant therapy were negatively associated with tumor response in locally advanced rectal cancer. Thrombocytopenia and cystitis are more frequent in sarcopenic than non-sarcopenic patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer.
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Background and Objectives: Polydeoxyribonucleotides (PDRN), composed of DNA fragments derived from salmon DNA, is widely recognized for its regenerative properties. It has been extensively used in medical applications, such as dermatology and wound healing, due to its ability to enhance cellular metabolic activity, stimulate angiogenesis, and promote tissue regeneration. In the field of dentistry, PDRN has shown potential in promoting periodontal healing and bone regeneration. ⋯ RNA sequencing further confirmed the upregulation of genes involved in osteogenic differentiation, with enhanced expression of RUNX2 and COL1A1 in PDRN-treated gingiva-derived stem cell spheroids. Conclusions: In summary, PDRN did not significantly affect the viability or morphology of gingiva-derived stem cell spheroids but influenced their osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that PDRN may play a role in promoting osteogenic processes in tissue engineering and regenerative dentistry applications, with specific effects observed at different concentrations.
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Background and Objectives: Alopecia areata (AA) is a tissue-specific immune-mediated disorder that affects hair follicles and the nail apparatus. Due to the collapse of hair follicle immune privilege in AA, hair loss ranges in severity from small, localized patches on the scalp to the loss of entire body hair. Although AA is of uncertain etiology, the disease has a common genetic basis with a number of other autoimmune diseases. ⋯ The strongest associations were for the codominant and recessive forms of rs4304840 (p = 0.023 and p = 0.0061, respectively). Conclusions: These findings suggest that CLEC4D gene variants may contribute to AA pathogenesis among Jordanians. Further advanced genetic analysis and functional investigations are required to elucidate the genetic basis of the disease.
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Background and Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as a gastrointestinal disorder, presents with abdomen pain and alterations in the bowel habits. Its pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we examined mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN) in IBS and its clinical value. ⋯ The severity of IBS symptoms tended to positively correlate with mtCN (r = 0.279, p = 0.070). Conclusions: Overall, we demonstrated a potential association between mtCN and the clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with IBS. Further studies considering genetic and clinical factors are required.