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BACKGROUND: Piper betle (P. betle) is widely used as a traditional medicine in Indonesia, with anti-quorum sensing and anti-biofilm activity. We investigated the impact of methanolic leaf extract of P. betle against Pseudomonas aeruginosa’s (P. aeruginosa) virulence factor, which associated with rhamnolipid (rhl) genes, METHODS: Minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration of the extract was determined at a concentration of 0.4% by agar dilution assay. The expression of rhlA and rhlC gene was assessed by using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: All P. aeruginosa isolates contained rhlA, rhlB, and rhlC genes, which associated with rhl production. The expression of the rhlC gene decreased after administration of P. betle leaf extract at concentration of 0.4%, with beta coefficient was 0.662 (p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: The methanolic leaf extract of P. betle shows inhibition of rhlC gene expression, indicating the anti-rhl properties of P. betle against P. aeruginosa infection.

Background/aim: Telomerase activity is influenced by hTERT transcriptional regulation, shelterin, and posttranscriptional alternative splicing. Telomerase shelterin such as POT1 is highly correlated with various cancers. However, the profile of POT1 in cervical cancer has not been clearly identified. Therefore, it is important to identify its profile in cervical cancer biopsy tissue and normal cervical smears.Materials and methods: Biopsy tissue of cervical cancer patients and normal cervical smears were characterized using SDS-PAGE and western blot. Sixteen biopsy tissues of cervical cancer patients and 15 normal cervical smears were measured for POT1 level using ELISA. Results:The inline band at 70 kDa indicated that all samples had protein that was identified as POT1. Western blot showed that telomerase antibody only recognized POT1 in biopsy tissue of cervical cancer patients. There was a significant difference (P = 0.01) in POT1 level between biopsy tissue of cervical cancer patients and normal cervical smears. Conclusion:POT1 was identified at 70 kDa in biopsy tissue of cervical cancer patients and its level was higher than that in normal cervical smears. The high level of POT1 in the biopsy tissue of cervical cancer patients showed the influence of this shelterin component in cervical carcinogenesis and also cell immortalization.

Oxidative stress in β-TM (beta-thalassemia major) patients is associated with increased of malondialdehyde (MDA) level and also decreased of superoxide dismutase (SOD) level. Deferiprone and deferasirox, which are used for the treatment of iron overload, exhibit antioxidant potential. However, various clinical studies have shown an increase in creatinine levels in pediatric patients receiving oral iron chelator. There was limited study assessed oxidative stress and impact of β-TM on the renal function, especially in children that growing up with β-TM and receiving iron chelator. Therefore, the aim of the study is to investigate renal function and oxidative stress between β-TM patients at Ulin Hospital Banjarmasin who received deferasirox and deferiprone. Ninety β-TM patients (aged 2-≤18 years) with regular iron chelators (deferiprone or deferasirox) use at Ulin Hospital between October-December 2020, were included in this cross-sectional study. Laboratory examinations included complete peripheral blood count, serum ferritin, urea, creatinine, MDA and SOD. Statistical analysis was used to compare all parameters between two groups.There was no significant difference in the levels of MDA (p= 0.663), SOD (p= 0.102), urea (p= 0.597), creatinine (p= 0.067) and glomerular filtration rate (p= 0.792) between the two groups. In this study, 9 patients had decreased GFR, of which 3 patients (33.3%) were taking DFX. Thus, 13.6% of DFX users (3 of 22 patients) and 8.8% of DFP users (6 of 68 patients) had decreased renal function. In general, the mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of the patients in this study ranged from 126.74± 32.71ml/kg/min/1.73m2. For conclusion, deferiprone and deferasirox had no significant difference in terms of protection against oxidative stress. However, the decline in renal function occurred slightly higher in deferasirox users. Early recognition will be an important key to prevent renal complication