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Biomedical subjects

T Sadjimin

Publications and source records attributed to T Sadjimin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Vitamin A supplementation fails to reduce incidence of acute respiratory illness and diarrhea in preschool-age Indonesian children.

Vitamin A supplementation of populations of vitamin A-deficient preschool-age children has been shown to reduce childhood mortality, but the primary preventive effects of such supplements on childhood infectious diseases have not been carefully evaluated. We conducted an individually randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial among 1,407 Indonesian preschool-age children, to measure the effects of high dose vitamin A on acute respiratory and diarrheal illnesses. Signs and symptoms of morbidity were monitored using every other day home surveillance by trained interviewers. High dose vitamin A supplements increased the incidence of acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) by 8%, and acute lower respiratory illnesses (ALRI) by 39%. These detrimental effects on acute lower respiratory illnesses were most marked in children with adequate nutritional status (rate ratio 1.83, 95% confidence interval 1.257-2.669). In contrast, vitamin A tended to be protective of ALRI in chronically malnourished children (rate ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.375-1.331). There was no overall effect of high-dose vitamin A supplements on the incidence of diarrheal disease (rate ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 0.920-1.225). However, we found a significant interaction between supplementation and age: vitamin A increased the incidence of diarrhea in children < 30 mo of age, but tended to reduce the incidence in older children. The finding of a significant adverse effect of vitamin A supplements in adequately nourished children highlights the need to review the criteria for selecting populations of preschool-age children for vitamin A supplementation.

Acute Disease

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea in children less than five years of age in central Java.

A community-based prospective study was performed from December 1993 through March 31, 1994 in Indonesia in children less than five years of age. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was identified in diarrheic stool by colony hybridization assay, using toxin probes, and this bacterium was isolated from 19% of 340 episodes of diarrhea. Sixty-one percent of ETEC produced heat-labile toxin (LT) only, 325 LT and heat-stable toxin (ST), and 75 ST only. The age-specific incidence rates of diarrhea among children 0-1 and 2-3 years of age were 77% and 61%, respectively, during the study period; ETEC was isolated from 26% of children 0-1 years of age versus 53% for children 2-3 years of age. As many as seven episodes of diarrhea were repeatedly experienced by a single child during the four-month study period; however, only two children had more than one episode of known ETEC-associated diarrheal disease during the period of observation.

Age Factors

Serum retinol levels among preschool children in Central Java: demographic and socioeconomic determinants.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A deficiency is a significant problem in many countries in the developing world. Reports have noted demographic and socioeconomic risk factors for vitamin A deficiency. 'Deficiency' has usually been defined by clinical signs and symptoms which represent only a small proportion of those children at increased risk for vitamin A preventable morbidity and mortality. METHODS: As part of a population-based trial of vitamin A to prevent childhood morbidity, we collected census data (n = 666), baseline socioeconomic data (n = 636) and sera (n = 666) from children aged 6-48 months in 25 adjacent villages in a rural area in Central Java, Indonesia; there was more than 95% participation. We used t tests, ANOVA, and a multiple variable linear regression model in our analyses. RESULTS: Differences in mean retinol level were detected for the following variables: village (P < 0.001), child's age (P = 0.03), size of sibship (P < 0.001), mother's occupation (P < 0.01), mother's education (P = 0.05), father's education (P = 0.03), monthly household earnings (P = 0.02), land ownership (P = 0.03), possession of ducks (P = 0.06), radio or tape player (P = 0.02), or a watch or clock (P = 0.07), and presence of a natural well (P = 0.09). Our regression model verified the predictive value of village, age, sibship, land ownership and earnings. CONCLUSIONS: We found that owning land and that the highest and lowest categories of reported household income were associated with higher serum retinol levels. We also noted clustering of serum retinol levels by village and discovered that children from larger sibships and infants had significantly lower serum retinol levels. Vitamin A supplementation of lactating mothers, particularly of high parity, and/or their infants should be considered.

Analysis of Variance

Comparison of the efficacy between flunarizine and nifedipine in the prophylaxis of migraine.

BACKGROUND: Several calcium channel blockers have been evaluated in controlled clinical studies and some hold considerable promise for future. Efficacy in migraine prophylaxis has been claimed for drugs belonging to all three classes of calcium channel blockers (nifedipine-like, verapamil-like, and flunarizine-like), but the extent and quality of the evidence varies, and a comparison of efficacy between different calcium channel blockers has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to assess the comparison of efficacy and safety of flunarizine and nifedipine in migraine prophylaxis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, parallel group design. 78 patients were studied for a 1-month period during which all patients received placebo followed by a 3-month experimental period. Headache response to medication was measured monthly by compilation of migraine-scores derived from quantitative data recorded by patients in a daily diary. Student's t-test was used to compare results from the flunarizine (10 mg) and nifedipine (20 mg) group for each month. RESULTS: Both groups showed a significant reduction in the migraine-scores after 3-months. No significant differences were detected between groups, but there was a clinical significantly different reduction of migraine-scores between the groups in the first month after the run-in period (58% vs 38%). It shows that the beneficial effect of flunarizine was more rapidly manifest than that of flunarizine. Tachycardia more frequently occurred in the nifedipine group than in the flunarizine treatment group. CONCLUSION: It concluded that flunarizine is a potentially more useful agent in the prophylaxis of migraine headache.

Adolescent

Polio and lameness in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

This survey for residual paralysis among rural and urban children in Central Java shows an overall rate for polio lameness of 9/10 000 children. A recent rise in reported cases of acute poliomyelitis is reflected in paralysis rate among preschool children of 22/10 000. Three quarters of cases occur before the third birthday. A majority of children below age 3 are lacking antibody titres to one or more types of polio virus, demonstrating the need for mass immunisation. A simple questionnaire detected polio cases with a sensitivity of 84%.

Adolescent

Elementary-school pupils as health educators: role of school health programmes in primary health-care.

The high proportion of children attending primary schools in rural parts of Indonesia and the low health-care cover in these areas prompted a plan to involve schoolchildren in a health-education programme. Action-oriented health lessons aimed at modifying community-health-related behaviour were designed to suit the teaching format familiar to rural teachers. The lessons involved pupils in health activities in their own homes and neighbourhoods. Evaluation of the teaching module on diarrhoea showed a substantial improvement in knowledge, skills, and attitudes of rural families regarding this illness, and indicated how a vastly increased outreach of primary health-care activities is possible through a well-designed school-health programme.

Child

Teaching epidemiology in developing countries: a field exercise.

A field exercise demonstrating the principles of a sample survey is described which, in 9 steps carried out over 3-4 days, provides reliable data on selected infectious diseases, vital rates, causes of mortality and other health indicators. Survey design, implementation, analysis and interpretation are applied in a practical and visible way during the exercise. Frequent outbreaks of common childhood infectious diseases in developing countries makes an epidemic tracing and characterisation exercise usually possible during the course of this exercise as well. The resulting data appear to be quite reliable, in contrast to existing data gathered passively through the health services system, and provide a useful indicator of present priorities and needed action in the control of infectious diseases.

Developing Countries

Salmonellosis in Indonesia: phage type distribution of Salmonella typhi.

The distribution of phage types was studied among 577 strains of Salmonella typhi from Indonesia. Chemotype, colicinogeny, and tetrathionate reductase activity were also studied for most of these strains. The current phage type formula for Java was determined to be: A, D2, D6, E1a, E2, M1, and 46, but two other large groups of strains were also found, I + IV and degraded Vi+ strains. Significant differences in S. typhi strain distributions were noted between two localities on Java with respect to phage type and tetrathionate reductase activity. Comparisons were made with past phage typing studies in Jakarta as well as with more recent studies in other parts of south-east Asia. Phage types A, D1, D2, and E1 persisted at a rather steady level in Jakarta for 28 years. Evidence was found for epidemiological links to European and Asian areas. Antibiotic resistance among these Indonesian S. typhi strains was rare.

Bacteriophage Typing

Salmonellosis in Indonesia: phage type distribution of Salmonella paratyphi A.

The distribution of phage types among 221 human strains of Salmonella paratyphi A in Indonesia was studied. Approximately 50% were phage type 5, a rare type elsewhere in the world. Most other isolates were the cosmopolitan phage type 1. The ratio of phage type 1-5 was compared for two cities on Java, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The ratios were significantly different, phage type 5 predominating in Jakarta. The ratio of phage types among 10 S. paratyphi A strains isolated from Jakarta river water was similar to that found in Jakarta patients.

Bacteriophage Typing

Familial insulin resistance and acanthosis nigricans.

Insulin resistance exists in 0.1% of diabetics having insulin treatment. In addition to diabetics, insulin resistance can also be seen in association with acanthosis nigricans. Both conditions become a syndrome that may happen in a family. This is a report of two siblings, a brother and a sister, 14 and 10 years of age, whose parents are cousins, who suffered from diabetes mellitus, acanthosis nigricans, and growth retardation. The insulin therapy until 54 units per day given to the boy and 174 units per day to the girl, did not give response to the plasma glucose level. Plasma C-peptide and prolactin values of the girl were normal. The plasma fasting insulin level of both was high. Measurement of insulin binding to erythrocytes and monocytes was not performed. The GTT observations of their parents did not represent glucose intolerance.

Acanthosis Nigricans