Background: Neonatal sepsis remains worldwide one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in both term and preterm infants. Lower mortality rates are related to timely diagnostic evaluation and prompt initiation of empiric antibiotic therapy. Blood culture, as gold standard examination for sepsis, has several limitations for early diagnosis, so that sepsis biomarkers could play an important role in this regard. This study was aimed to compare the value of the two biomarkers presepsin and procalcitonin in early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study performed in Saiful Anwar General Hospital Malang, Indonesia, in 51 neonates that fulfill the criteria of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with blood culture as diagnostic gold standard for sepsis. Results: At reviewer operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, using a presepsin cutoff of 706.5 pg/mL, the obtained area under the curve (AUCs) were sensitivity = 85.7%, specificity = 68.8%, positive predictive value = 85.7%, negative predictive value = 68.8%, positive likelihood ratio = 2.75, negative likelihood ratio = 0.21, and accuracy = 80.4%. On the other hand, with a procalcitonin cutoff value of 161.33 pg/mL the obtained AUCs showed: sensitivity = 68.6%, specificity = 62.5%, positive predictive value = 80%, negative predictive value = 47.6%, positive likelihood ratio = 1.83, the odds ratio negative = 0.5, and accuracy = 66.7%. Conclusions: In early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis, compared with procalcitonin, presepsin seems to provide better early diagnostic value with consequent possible faster therapeutical decision making and possible positive impact on outcome of neonates.

The prevalence of inactive lifestyles has increased, leading to detrimental effects on health. Sedentary behavior refers to any action that involves extended periods of sitting, reclining, or lying down and requires minimal energy expenditure. Insufficient physical activity is prevalent among one-third of the global population aged 15 years and older, leading to adverse health effects. Nevertheless, there is a lack of awareness regarding the health hazards associated with sedentary behaviors. The prevalence of sedentary lifestyles is expanding globally due to limited opportunities for physical activity, the rise in sedentary work environments including office jobs, and the growing prevalence of television and video devices. As a result, the related health issues are increasing. Sedentary behaviors have a broad range of negative effects on the human body, including an increased risk of death from any cause, death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. They also increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders like arthralgia and osteoporosis, as well as depression and cognitive impairment. Therefore, minimizing sedentary behaviors and boosting physical exercise are both vital to promote public health.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the molecular heterogeneity of prolactin (PRL) and anti-doublestranded deoxyribonucleic acid (anti-dsDNA), anti-C1q, and complement 3 (C3) levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients and methods: This study included 30 premenopausal females with SLE from the Rheumatology Clinic of Doctor Saiful Anwar General Hospital in Malang, Indonesia and 30 healthy females as the control group. Prolactin heterogeneity (small and large) was determined using the ultra filtration method and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, while the total PRL, anti-dsDNA, anti-C1q, and C3 serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The mean total PRL and small PRL serum levels for the SLE patients were 13.83±8.78 ng/mL and 4.45±1.88 ng/mL, respectively, whereas they were 9.14±3.85 ng/mL and 2.49±0.29 ng/mL, respectively for the healthy controls, indicating a significant difference between the groups (p=0.01 and p=0.00, respectively). Significant correlations were found between the small PRL serum levels and the anti-dsDNA (r=0.978; p=0.00) and C3 (r= -0.970; p=0.00) levels. Conclusion: The activity disease of SLE patients was correlated with the level of small PRL but not with total PRL.

In COVID-19 patients, abnormal blood clotting is common, characterized by elevated D-dimer and fibrinogen levels, reduced platelets, and prolonged clotting times. The second week of infection can trigger a cytokine storm, marked by heightened proinflammatory Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and organ failure. This study compared hematological biomarkers, D-dimer, and IL-6 in moderate and severe COVID-19 cases. In a cross-sectional study, 81 patients meeting inclusion criteria were examined at a leading private COVID-19 referral hospital in Malang Regency. Data from clinical records and lab results encompassing blood counts, D-dimer, and IL-6 levels were collected. D-dimer was assessed through immunoturbidimetry (STA-Procoag-PPL, Diagnostica Stago S.A.S.), while IL-6 was measured using a chemiluminescent immunoassay (Cobas e411 Elecsys, Roche). Data distribution normality was assessed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Non-normally distributed data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test for numerical data and the Fisher exact test for comorbidity-severity correlation. Moderate COVID-19 cases disproportionately affected females, while severe cases had an even gender distribution. The median age was comparable, but mild cases were typically younger. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocyte, neutrophil, platelet, and procalcitonin levels were normal in both groups, with lowered lymphocyte counts. Severe cases displayed a higher Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR). D-dimer and IL-6 were significantly elevated in extreme cases. This study underscores potential gender and age-related discrepancies in COVID-19 severity, emphasizing the significance of monitoring specific blood parameters for disease progression indicators. Further investigation is vital to unveil underlying mechanisms and clinical implications, aiding the management of COVID-19 patients.

Background and Objectives: Identifying tuberculosis (TB) in pediatric cases is a major challenge in developing countries, as children have problems with expelling sputum, making specific diagnostics crucial. The objective of the study was to develop a rapid test using polyclonal antibodies to detect antigen 38kDa from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the saliva of TB patients. Materials and Methods: The recombinant protein Ag38 was purified using the Ni-NTA purification kit. Polyclonal antibodies were generated in BALB-c mice using 50 µg/ml of purified Ag38 recombinant protein. A Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) was constructed, employing 5 mg/mL colloidal gold-labelled polyclonal antibody anti-Ag38 in the test line to capture the conjugates, while goat anti-mouse IgG was used in the control line. The LFA was tested in 5 TB patients and 7 healthy person served as negative control . Results: The recombinant protein achieved 95% purity. The rapid test kit, with a detection limit of 5.3 µg/mL, successfully identified Ag38 protein in TB patient saliva (positive control) and not in healthy human serum (negative control). While reproducibility was confirmed for TB patients, results were inconsistent for healthy individuals. Conclusion: The Lateral Flow Assay using polyclonal antibody Ag38 displays promise in detecting M tuberculosis antigen in the saliva of TB patients. Further validation with more TB patient saliva samples is needed to determine LFA sensitivity and specificity.

Sepsis leads to local and systemic activation of different response systems, including coagulation and fibrinolysis. An overwhelming inflammatory response may lead to organ failure, and the coagulation and fibrinolysis involvement may lead to Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). Special regard is given to the diagnosis of DIC by the use of scoring systems, which are, APACHE II, SAPS II, International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH), and Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare (JMHW). A large variety of fibrin compounds can be detected in plasma from septic patients with intravascular coagulation activation. Coagulation activation is indicated by elevated plasma levels of D-dimer, prothrombin fragments, and Thrombin-Antithrombin (TAT) complexes. Fibrin-Related Markers (FRMs) identified in sepsis are D-dimer, fibrinogen, Soluble Fibrin Monomer (SFM), and Fibrin Degradation Products (FDP). Hemostatic molecular markers, such as TAT, Plasmin-Plasmin Inhibitor Complex (PPIC), D-dimer, and SFM are better for the diagnosis of pre-DIC. No single biomarker of sepsis may be ideal, but many are helpful in terms of at least identifying critically ill patients who need more careful monitoring. As each biomarker has limited sensitivity and specificity, it may be interesting to combine several biomarkers. The purpose of this literature review was to increase knowledge about laboratory tests of FRMs and provide current knowledge and insight into these biomarkers related to DIC-sepsis. The method used in this literature review was a traditional review. Search, identify, and select relevant literature on PubMed–CBI and Google Scholar based on keywords, 30 journals were obtained from the two search engines.