Publications by authors named "Safarina G Malik"

Article Synopsis
  • Alternative splicing (AS) is a key regulatory mechanism that influences gene functions, particularly relating to human health and disease, but it’s not well understood across different populations.
  • This study analyzes 115 Indonesian samples from various island populations to explore the differences in AS events and their functional impacts, identifying over 1,500 significant AS events.
  • The research uncovers more than 6,000 genetic variants linked to splicing changes, with some variants uniquely associated with Papuan-like ancestry, highlighting the complex interplay between genetics and gene regulation in diverse human populations.
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Indonesia has the third highest number of tuberculosis (TB) patients infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Lineage 1 (L1). Most of these MTB L1 cases can be found in Indonesia's remote easternmost province of Papua, one of Indonesia's most underdeveloped provinces with a particularly high burden for TB. In this study, we sequenced and described 42 MTB L1 isolates from a well-characterized cohort of patients.

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Background: The incidence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women remains high and is associated with vitamin D deficiency in infants. In normally breastfed infants, Bifidobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae are known to help in maintaining immunotolerance and prevent infection. Vitamin D in the gastrointestinal tract plays a role in determining the composition and function of intestinal bacteria.

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Article Synopsis
  • Breast cancer is a significant health issue in Indonesia, prompting a study to explore potential biomarkers, specifically mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and relative telomere length (RTL), which are linked to oxidative stress.
  • Researchers conducted a case-control study comparing blood samples from 175 breast cancer patients to 181 healthy individuals, utilizing quantitative real-time PCR for analysis.
  • Results showed that younger breast cancer patients (under 48) had higher mtDNA-CN and RTL compared to healthy individuals, indicating these biomarkers might be useful for early breast cancer risk assessment.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on tracking the variants and mutations of SARS-CoV-2 in Indonesia from January to October 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the emergence of different lineages over time.
  • Initially, lineages B.1.466.2 and B.1.470 were prevalent, but the Delta variant (AY.23) outcompeted them by May 2021, followed by a rise in Omicron variants in late 2021.
  • Key mutations were identified across the samples, emphasizing the need for ongoing genomic surveillance to manage and understand the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants effectively.
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Background: Vaccine plays an important role in breaking SARS-CoV-2 transmission and accelerating the path to pandemic recovery. Currently, there is still limited data on heterologous COVID-19 booster vaccination efficacy and effectiveness in Indonesia.

Methods: Antibody response was retrospectively analyzed from 156 serum collected from healthcare workers that have received mRNA-1273 vaccine as the booster against SARS-CoV-2.

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Objectives: Occupational pesticide exposure, chlorpyrifos (CPF) in particular, may adversely affect the thyroid. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the determinants of thyroid function as indicated by the serum concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) among Indonesian vegetable farmers with primary exposure to CPF.

Methods: A total of 151 vegetable farmers participated in this study.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide and genetic mutation plays a vital role in CRC development. A previous study has suggested that genetic alterations among Indonesian patients with CRC might differ from those known in developed countries. This study aimed to describe the genomic profiles of Indonesian patients with CRC.

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Background: Our objectives were to investigate the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and IGF-1 levels in healthy Minangkabau pregnant mothers and their impact on newborn anthropometry outcomes and to examine whether this relationship was modified by dietary intake using a nutrigenetic approach.

Methods: Healthy singleton pregnant mother and infant pairs (n = 183) were recruited. We created three genetic risk scores (GRSs): a six-SNP GRS based on six vitamin D-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in the synthesis of vitamin D (vitamin D-GRS), a two-SNP GRS using SNPs in VDR genes (VDR-GRS) and a four-SNP GRS using SNPs from DHCR7, GC, CYP24A1 and CYP2R1 genes (non-VDR GRS).

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Background: Pre-pregnancy BMI (PP BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) are prominent anthropometric indicators for maternal nutritional status and are related to an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting total GWG, PP BMI and pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Methods: This observational analysis was conducted among healthy women in the Vitamin D Pregnant Mother (VDPM) cohort study.

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Objectives: One of the most widely used pesticides today is chlorpyrifos (CPF). Cytochrome P450 (CYP)2B6, the most prominent catalyst in CPF bioactivation, is highly polymorphic. The objective of our study was to evaluate the role of CYP2B6*6, which contains both 516G>T and 785A>G polymorphisms, in CPF toxicity, as represented by the concentration of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy), among vegetable farmers in Central Java, Indonesia, where CPF has been commonly used.

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We determined the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Jakarta and neighboring areas, Indonesia from March 2020 to February 2021, based on nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swab specimens that were tested at the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta. NP/OP swab specimens were collected from COVID-19 suspects or individuals in contact tracing programs from primary healthcare centers (PHC) and hospitals. The specimens were screened for the SARS-CoV-2 by qRT-PCR.

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Background: Dyslipidemia is one of the major risks for the development of cardiovascular diseases which has been the leading cause of death in developing countries. Previously, common polymorphisms of the transcription factor 7-like 2 () gene have been associated with altered lipid profiles. In this study, we investigated the associations of SNPs, rs290487 and rs290481, with dyslipidemia and altered lipid profile in the Balinese.

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Background: Thus far, Indonesia has recorded over 4,000,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 144,000 fatalities; 12.8% of cases have been in children under 18 years. Whole-genome viral sequencing (WGS) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been demonstrated to help differentiate hospital-acquired infection from community-acquired coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.

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Objective: COVID-19 in children poses a significant challenge due to the atypical/asymptomatic presentations. The study is aimed to help understand clinical characteristics in Indonesian children for better management and control of transmission.

Methods: clinical characteristics of children with confirmed COVID-19 were retrospectively analysed from the database dating from March to November 2020.

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Theories of early cooperation in human society often draw from a small sample of ethnographic studies of surviving populations of hunter-gatherers, most of which are now sedentary. Borneo hunter-gatherers (Punan, Penan) have seldom figured in comparative research because of a decades-old controversy about whether they are the descendants of farmers who adopted a hunting and gathering way of life. In 2018 we began an ethnographic study of a group of still-nomadic hunter-gatherers who call themselves Punan Batu (Cave Punan).

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Background: The COVID-19 disease has overwhelmed and disrupted healthcare services worldwide, particularly healthcare workers (HCW). HCW are essential workers performing any job in a healthcare setting who are potentially directly or indirectly exposed to infectious materials. Our retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infections among HCW in Jakarta and neighbouring areas during the first three months of the pandemic.

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Objective: Recent studies showed that genetic polymorphisms in the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) were associated with obesity and dietary intake. In this study of 71 adults in Jakarta, Indonesia, we investigated FTO rs1421085 association with body mass index (BMI), macronutrient intake, and fatty acid intake. The association was evaluated using linear regression analyses assuming co-dominant, dominant, recessive, over-dominant, and additive genetic models.

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An important public health question is understanding how changes in human environments can drive changes in the gut microbiota that influence risks associated with human health and wellbeing. It is well-documented that the modernization of societies is strongly correlated with intergenerational change in the frequency of nutrition-related chronic diseases in which microbial dysbiosis is implicated. The population of Bali, Indonesia, is well-positioned to study the interconnection between a changing food environment and microbiome patterns in its early stages, because of a recent history of modernization.

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Background: Agriculture is a major economic sector in Indonesia. Chemical pesticides are widely being used in agriculture for controlling pest. There is a growing concern that pesticide exposure, particularly chlorpyrifos (CPF) exposure, combined with other occupational characteristics that determine the level of exposure, can lead to further health impacts for farmers.

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Background: Studies had shown the benefit of PRFM and PRP in wound healing but their use in skin graft healing was rarely studied. This study aims to compare the use of PRP and PRFM in accelerating wound healing process of skin full-thickness skin graft (FTSG).

Materials And Methods: Five pigs were used to look at the wound healing effect of PRP and PRFM usage prior to FTSG implantation.

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The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) appears to be increasing. VDD during pregnancy has been associated with several adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association between VDD and fetal anthropometric measurement.

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Several candidate genes in vitamin D synthesis and metabolism have been reported to have a significant association with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in Caucasians and African Americans. Few studies have indicated this relationship among Asians, especially in pregnant Minangkabau women, Indonesia. This study was conducted among 180 singleton pregnant women of West Sumatran Vitamin D Pregnant Mother (VDPM) cohort study.

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Anemia affects people worldwide and results in increased morbidity and mortality, particularly in children and reproductive-age women. Anemia is caused by an imbalance between red blood cell (RBC) loss and production (erythropoiesis), which can be caused by not only nutritional factors but also non-nutritional factors, such as inflammation and genetics. Understanding the complex and varied etiology of anemia is crucial for developing effective interventions and monitoring anemia control programs.

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