Background: Indoor air pollution has globally known as the risk factor of acute respiratory infection in young children.  The exposure to indoor particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at house or school can be a potential risk to children’s health. This study aimed to examine the association between indoor PM2.5 and NO2 with oxidative stress markers in junior high school students.Design and Method: This study was conducted using a cross sectional study with 75 students collected randomly from four junior high schools in Jakarta.  PM2.5 and NO2 were measured in classrooms and school yards. The schools were categorized based on the exposure level of PM2.5 and NO2 in classrooms. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were examined from the blood sample. All students were interviewed with questionnaires to determine upper respiratory tract infection, smoking family members, mosquito repellent usage, and dietary supplement consumption.Results: Mean concentration of indoor PM2.5 and NO2 were 0.125±0.036 mg m-3 and 36.37±22.33 µg m-3, respectively. The schools which located near to highway showed lower PM2.5 and higher NO2 level indicated the emission of traffic activity. Mean activity of SOD was 96.36±50.94 U mL-1 and mean concentration of GSH was of 0.62±0.09 µg mL-1. Most of the students reported upper respiratory tract infection history, smoking family member, use mosquito repellent at home, and do not consume dietary supplement.Conclusion: The level of oxidative stress markers and the exposure categories of classroom PM2.5 and NO2 was not significantly different, however there were significant correlation with cigarette smoke and mosquito repellent at home. Nevertheless, the exposure of indoor PM2.5 and NO2 increased the risk of the exposure to cigarette smoke and mosquito repellent at home. Further study on the air pollution at school and home is needed to affirm association towards student’s health and to design strategic control efforts.

No abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic affects mental health globally. Reports showed the increase of mental illness as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the correlation between the COVID-19 and mental illness is not fully understood yet. Methodology: We reported a brief psychotic disorder in a COVID-19 patient with no history of mental illness who was hospitalized in Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. Results: Psychotic symptoms appeared five days after COVID-19 onset and laboratory tests showed elevated levels of d-dimer and fibrinogen. Conclusions: Elevated levels of d-dimer and fibrinogen suggest an ongoing COVID-19-associated coagulopathy that might cause a microdamage in the central nervous system. It might contribute to the manifestation of psychotic symptoms. The correlation between brief psychotic disorder and COVID-19 requires further investigation.

Background:Cotinine is a major metabolite of nicotine, and its urinary level is an indicator of exposure to cigarette smoke. The present study was aimed at identifying the urinary cotinine level in Indonesian children who were exposed and not exposed to domestic cigarette smoke.Methods:The study was a cross-sectional study in elementary school-aged children who had not smoked. The subjects were categorized into an exposed group and unexposed group based on their exposure status. Data were obtained from a questionnaire and random urinary samples measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:There were a total of 128 subjects, including 64 children in the exposed group and 64 children in the unexposed group. The median level of cotinine in all subjects was 17.95 ng/ml (with a range of 0.1–158.3 ng/ml). The urinary cotinine level in the exposed group was higher than the unexposed group (median: 30.1 ng/ml vs. 8.45 ng/ml; P < 0.000). There was a correlation between urinary cotinine levels in children exposed to cigarette smoke and the number of cigarettes smoked by the smokers at home (P < 0.05). The optimal cut-off points of urinary cotinine levels in children, which was utilized to evaluate cigarette smoke exposure, was 17.95 ng/ml (81% sensitivity; 81% specificity; P < 0.000).Conclusion:The urinary cotinine level in children exposed to cigarette smoke is higher than children who are not exposed to domestic cigarette smoke. The urinary cotinine level can be used as a noninvasive marker to evaluate cigarette smoke exposure in children.

No abstract