Publications by authors named "Ernawati A Giri-Rachman"

Background And Purpose: Massive vaccine distribution is a crucial step to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV2 as the causative agent of COVID-19. This research aimed to design the multi-epitope self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) vaccine from the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV2.

Experimental Approach: Commonly distributed constructions class I and II alleles of the Indonesian population were used to determine peptide sequences that trigger this population's high specificity T-cell response.

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Article Synopsis
  • The primary challenge in chronic hepatitis B is the immune system's inability to eliminate the cccDNA associated with the virus.
  • Researchers are working on a new therapeutic vaccine utilizing a multi-epitope approach based on HBc and HBx proteins to target various HBV genotypes.
  • This vaccine candidate shows potential for strong immune responses, global effectiveness, and stability, indicating significant progress in combating chronic hepatitis B.
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Chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) remains a global health concern, with currently available antiviral therapies demonstrating limited effectiveness in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Two primary challenges in CHB treatment include the persistence of the minichromosome, covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the failure of the host immune response to eliminate cccDNA. Recent findings indicate several host and HBV proteins involved in the epigenetic regulation of cccDNA, including HBV core protein (HBc) and HBV x protein (HBx).

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One of the deadliest malignant cancer in women globally is cervical cancer. Specifically, cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Indonesia. The main infectious agent of cervical cancer is the human papilloma virus (HPV).

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The COVID-19 endemic remains a global concern. The search for effective antiviral candidates is still needed to reduce disease risk. However, the availability of high biosafety level laboratory facilities for drug screening is limited in number.

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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 -related global COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting millions of people since its outbreak in 2020. COVID-19 vaccination has proven highly efficient in reducing illness severity and preventing infection-related fatalities. The World Health Organization has granted emergency use approval to multiple, including protein subunit technology-based, COVID-19 vaccines.

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Even entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, only a small number of COVID-19 antiviral drugs are approved. Curcumin has previously shown antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid, but its poor bioavailability limits its clinical uses. Utilizing nanotechnology structures, curcumin-derived carbon-dots (cur-CDs) were synthesized to increase low bioavailability of curcumin.

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Background: Since effective antiviral drugs for COVID-19 are still limited in number, the exploration of compounds that have antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 is in high demand. Porphyrin is potentially developed as a COVID-19 antiviral drug. However, its low solubility in water restricts its clinical application.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on a novel mucosal vaccine candidate for Hepatitis B, using a chimeric particle made from HBV (Hepatitis B Virus) and the human norovirus (HuNoV) P particle to target both viruses.
  • Experiments showed that the vaccine generated strong immune responses in gnotobiotic pigs and did not exhibit toxicity in mice after multiple doses.
  • Future research will explore structural and dosage modifications to improve the vaccine's effectiveness in generating balanced immune responses.
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Covid-19 pandemic has struck worldwide by end of 2019 and the use of various vaccine platforms was one of the main strategies to end this. To meet the needs for vaccine technology equality among many countries, we developed adenovirus-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate in Indonesia. SARS-CoV-2 Spike gene (S) was constructed into pAdEasy vector.

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When it comes to understanding the spread of COVID-19, recent studies have shown that pathogens can be transmitted in two ways: direct contact and airborne pathogens. While the former is strongly related to the distancing behavior of people in society, the latter are associated with the length of the period in which the airborne pathogens remain active. Considering those facts, we constructed a compartmental model with a time-dependent transmission rate that incorporates the two sources of infection.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare gene expression and bacterial coinfection profiles in asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients using RNA sequencing of nasal swabs.* -
  • Results showed that asymptomatic patients experienced changes in macroautophagy and cell cycle processes, while mildly symptomatic patients had modifications in RNA transport and upregulation of certain genes, though no link between the severity of disease and viral variants was established.* -
  • The findings suggest that issues in autophagy and RNA processing could affect disease progression, highlighting the importance of considering bacterial coinfections like Streptococcus pneumoniae in symptomatic patients.*
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  • Hepatitis B is a major infectious disease in Indonesia, with cases increasing significantly despite a reduction in chronic disease conversion rates and improvements in immunization programs post-1997.
  • This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Indonesians towards hepatitis B prevention and their willingness to undergo screening, using data from over 400 respondents across four provinces.
  • Findings reveal high levels of knowledge and positive attitudes among respondents, but a negative correlation between knowledge and actual behaviors related to screening, suggesting a need for better health promotion strategies that consider socio-economic factors.
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Guanine-quadruplex-based CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (G4 CpG ODNs) have been developed as potent immunostimulatory agents with reduced sensitivity to nucleases. We designed new monomeric G4 ODNs with an antiparallel topology using antiparallel type duplex/G4 ODNs as robust scaffolds, and we characterized their topology and effects on cytokine secretion. Based on circular dichroism analysis and quantification of mRNA levels of immunostimulatory cytokines, it was found that monomeric antiparallel G4 CpG ODNs containing two CpG motifs in the first functional loop, named G2.

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In this study, the prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage and the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of were investigated in children and adults with HIV infection in Jakarta, Indonesia. Thirty-four isolates were identified in the children (=16/90; 18%) and adults (=18/200; 9%) infected with HIV. All isolates were nontypeable and were less susceptible to ampicillin (62%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (41%).

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We designed a sensitive and reliable method to distinguish serogroup 6 using PCR followed by enzymatic restriction digest. We discovered that this serotyping method was able to distinguish serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D based on the recognition site of BsmAI in the wciP region.

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PT Bio Farma, the sole World Health Organization-approved Indonesian vaccine producer, manufactures a whole-cell whooping cough vaccine (wP) that, as part of a pentavalent diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis/hepatitis B/ b (DTP/HB/Hib) vaccine, is used in Indonesia and many other countries. We report here the whole-genome sequence for Pelita III, PT Bio Farma's wP production strain.

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MDCK and Vero cell lines have been used as substrates for influenza virus replication. However, Vero cells produced lower influenza virus titer yield compared to MDCK. Influenza virus needs molecules for internalisation of the virus into the host cell, such as influenza virus receptor and clathrin.

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