Side Effects after mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine as a Booster in Health Workers.

Background: In Indonesia, around 400 health workers died due to Covid-19 between June-July 2021, therefore the health workers need to be given further immunity. Health workers were among the first to get a booster shoot. However, they may experience side effects after vaccination. We aimed to describe side effects of Moderna vaccine as a booster in health workers. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on health workers who received mRNA Covid-19 vaccine booster (Moderna) at Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Indonesia and had filled the questionnaire assessing side effects form. We associated the form of the questionnaire assessing side effects from the originating source of hospital immunization unit in September 2021. Results: A total of 101 health workers who received mRNA Covid-19 vaccine booster in Jul-Aug 2021 were included. Most of health worker experienced more than 3 side effects. The side effects were sore arm (100%); chills (72%); fatigue (57%); headache (53%) and fever (51%), other symptoms (28%). The side effects mostly happened a day of receiving a booster shot (61.4%). There was no association between age, gender, comorbid to amount of side effects (P>0.05). Conclusion: Since the public must fulfil the immunization program during pandemic, it is the responsibility of the healthcare provider to inform about the potential side effects and benefits of a new Covid-19 vaccine.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells as critical COVID-19 adjuvant therapy: A randomized controlled trial.

One of the main causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is cytokine storm, although the exact cause is still unknown. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) influence proinflammatory T-helper 2 (Th2 ) cells to shift to an anti-inflammatory agent. To investigate efficacy of UC-MSC administration as adjuvant therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19, we conducted a double-blind, multicentered, randomized controlled trial at four COVID-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study included 40 randomly allocated critically ill patients with COVID-19; 20 patients received an intravenous infusion of 1 × 106 /kg body weight UC-MSCs in 100 ml saline (0.9%) solution (SS) and 20 patients received 100 ml 0.9% SS as the control group. All patients received standard therapy. The primary outcome was measured by survival rate and/or length of ventilator usage. The secondary outcome was measured by clinical and laboratory improvement, with serious adverse events. Our study showed the survival rate in the UC-MSCs group was 2.5 times higher than that in the control group (P = .047), which is 10 patients and 4 patients in the UC-MSCs and control groups, respectively. In patients with comorbidities, UC-MSC administration increased the survival rate by 4.5 times compared with controls. The length of stay in the intensive care unit and ventilator usage were not statistically significant, and no adverse events were reported. The application of infusion UC-MSCs significantly decreased interleukin 6 in the recovered patients (P = .023). Therefore, application of intravenous UC-MSCs as adjuvant treatment for critically ill patients with COVID-19 increases the survival rate by modulating the immune system toward an anti-inflammatory state.

Early Initiation of ARV Therapy Among TB-HIV Patients in Indonesia Prolongs Survival Rates!

BACKGROUND: The HIV epidemic remains a public health problem with rising tuberculosis (TB) numbers around the world. Antiretroviral (ARV) therapy (ART) is essential to increase the survival of patients with TB-HIV coinfection. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of ARV treatment initiation within TB treatment duration for the survival of patients with TB-HIV coinfection. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with TB-HIV coinfection and who were ARV naive from Prof. Dr. Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital between January 2011 and May 2014 (N = 275). The Kaplan-Meier method, bivariate with the log rank test, and multivariate with the Cox regression were applied in this study. RESULTS: Cumulative survival probability of the patients with TB-HIV coinfection receiving ARV in a year was 81.5%. The death rate in patients with TB-HIV coinfection who received late ART initiation during TB treatment is higher by 2.4 times [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 2.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.3-4.5, p = 0.006] compared with the patients who were in early ART initiation and were thereafter adjusted by the location of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. CONCLUSION: The effect of ART initiation is essential in the intensive phase (2-8 weeks) of anti-TB medication to increase the survival among TB-HIV coinfection group.

The burden and costs of sepsis and reimbursement of its treatment in a developing country: An observational study on focal infections in Indonesia.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the burden of sepsis with focal infections in the resource-limited context of Indonesia and to propose national prices for sepsis reimbursement. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted from 2013-2016 on cost of surviving and non-surviving sepsis patients from a payer perspective using inpatient billing records in four hospitals. The national burden of sepsis was calculated and proposed national prices for reimbursement were developed. RESULTS: Of the 14,076 sepsis patients, 5,876 (41.7%) survived and 8,200 (58.3%) died. The mean hospital costs incurred per surviving and deceased sepsis patient were US$1,011 (SE ± 23.4) and US$1,406 (SE ± 27.8), respectively. The national burden of sepsis in 100,000 patients was estimated to be US$130 million. Sepsis patients with multifocal infections and a single focal lower-respiratory tract infection (LRTI) were estimated as being the two with the highest economic burden (US$48 million and US$33 million, respectively, within 100,000 sepsis patients). Sepsis with cardiovascular infection was estimated to warrant the highest proposed national price for reimbursement (US$4,256). CONCLUSIONS: Multifocal infections and LRTIs are the major focal infections with the highest burden of sepsis. This study showed varying cost estimates for sepsis, necessitating a new reimbursement system with adjustment of the national prices taking the particular foci into account.

Efavirenz Plasma Concentrations and HIV Viral Load in HIV/AIDS-tuberculosis Infection Patients Treated with Rifampicin.

AIM: to determine the effect of a rifampicin-containing tuberculosis regimen on efavirenz plasma concentrations and viral load in HIV/AIDS-Tuberculosis infection patients who received efavirenz-based antiretroviral therapy. METHODS: plasma efavirenz concentrations and HIV viral load were measured in HIV/AIDS patients treated with 600 mg efavirenz-based antiretroviral for 3 to 6 months and in HIV/AIDS-Tuberculosis infection patients treated with similar antiretroviral regimen plus rifampicin-containing antituberculosis in Sulianti Saroso Infectious disease Hospital, Jakarta. Plasma efavirenz concentration in both groups were compared using Mann-Whitney test, while proportion of patients with viral load >40 copy/mL were analyzed with chi-square test. RESULTS: forty five patients (27 with HIV/AIDS and 18 with HIV/AIDS-Tuberculosis infections) were recruited during the period of February to May 2015. The median efavirenz plasma concentration obtained from HIV/AIDS group was 0,680 mg/L(range 0,24 to 5,67 mg/L and that obtained from HIV/AIDS-Tuberculosis group was 0.685 mg/L (0.12 -2.23 mg/L) which was not significantly different statistically. The proportion of patients with viral load 40 copies/mL after 3-6 months of ARV treatment in the HIV/AIDS group was 51.9%, and in the HIV/AIDS-Tuberculosis group was 72.2%, which was not significantly different statistically (Chi Square test, p=0.291). CONCLUSION: plasma efavirenz concentration in HIV/AIDS-tuberculosis patients receiving antiretroviral and rifampicin is not significantly different from that on HIV/AIDS patients without tuberculosis. Proportion of patients with viral load of >40 copy/mL is higher in HIV/AIDS-tuberculosis patients receiving rifampicin compared to HIV/AIDS patients that not receive rifampicin. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Confirmatory studies with bigger sample size are needed to clarify the influence of rifampicin on plasma level of efavirenzand and on viral load.