Determinant factors behind changes in health-seeking behaviour before and after implementation of universal health coverage in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: The health insurance system in Indonesia was transformed in 2014 to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). The effective implementation of essential primary health services through UHC has resulted in efficient healthcare utilisation, which is reflected in the health-seeking behaviour of the community. Our study aimed to examine the changes in health-seeking behaviour before and after the implementation of UHC in Indonesia and to identify what factors determine these changes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the recall method and data collected through questionnaire-based interviews in Bandung, Indonesia. We used a two-step sampling technique-randomised sampling and purposive sampling, and a total of 579 respondents with acute or chronic episodes were recruited. [Formula: see text] tests were used to identify the association between factors. Difference in difference model and a logistic regression model for binary outcomes were used to estimate the effect of the implementation of UHC on the health-seeking behaviour. RESULTS: Utilisation of public health facilities increased significantly after implementation of UHC, from 34.9% to 65.4% among the respondents with acute episodes and 33.7% to 65.8% among those with chronic episodes. The odds of respondents going to health facilities when they developed an acute episode increased after the implementation of UHC (OR = 1.22, p = 0.05; AOR = 1.42, p < 0.001). For respondents experiencing chronic episodes, the implementation of UHC increased the odds ratio (OR = 1.74, p < 0.001; AOR = 1.64, p < 0.001) that they would use health facilities. Five years after the implementation of UHC, we still found respondents who did not have health insurance (26 and 19 respondents among those with acute episode and chronic episode, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of the implementation of UHC seemed greater for those experiencing chronic episodes than for those with an acute episode. Although the implementation of UHC has improved utilisation of public health facilities, the presence of people who are not covered by health insurance is a potential problem that could threaten future improvements in healthcare access and utilisation.

How Worries about Interpersonal Relationships, Academic Performance, Family Support, and Classmate Social Capital Influence Suicidal Ideation among Adolescents in Japan.

Suicide is an important public health issue for adolescents. To investigate the risk and protective factors for adolescent suicide, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted at a junior high school (n = 379) in Japan in 2018. After obtaining survey data, we conducted univariate and logistic regression analyses to test for associations between suicidal ideation and several factors, including worries (i.e., about school life, interpersonal relationships at school, family life, interpersonal relationships at home, and academic performance), perceived support from school staff and family members, and social capital. In this context, the existence of trustful relationships between classmates was used as indicators of social capital. The results showed that the prevalence of suicidal ideation was 10.5%. The risk of suicidal ideation was increased by worries about 1) interpersonal relationships at school, 2) interpersonal relationships at home, and 3) academic performance, but was decreased by social support from family members and trusting relationships. Further, the rate of suicidal ideation was higher among students who expressed all these three worries when compared to those who expressed two or fewer worries. In addition, looking at students who expressed all these three worries simultaneously, the rate of suicidal ideation was higher among those with lower levels of support from family members and fewer trustful relationships. Our results suggest that the prevention of adolescent suicide should include strategies for reducing worries about interpersonal relationships at school/home and academic performance while finding ways to enhance family support and classmate social capital.

Childhood Tuberculosis in Mongolia: Trends and Estimates, 2010-2030.

Mongolia was listed among the 30 countries with a high tuberculosis burden in 2021. Approximately 10-11% of the tuberculosis cases are of children, which is higher than the global average (6.0%). As children are a vulnerable population, it is important to understand the current situation and prioritize the development of tuberculosis prevention strategies. However, only few studies have addressed childhood tuberculosis in Mongolia. Therefore, we aimed to describe the characteristics of childhood tuberculosis and to show its trends and estimates in Mongolia. We performed descriptive and trend analyses on secondary data from the National Center for Communicable Diseases from 2010 to 2020. A total of 4,242 childhood tuberculosis cases, compiled from nine districts of the capital city and 21 provinces, were analyzed. We found that tuberculosis occurred more frequently in school-age children, and 71.8% of the all cases were an extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Trend analysis revealed that childhood tuberculosis continuously increased with fluctuations from 2018 onwards. The central region, including the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, is the most tuberculosis-burdened. Childhood tuberculosis is estimated to increase in the central region and decrease in the others from 2021 to 2030. Our findings showed that the national childhood tuberculosis trend is increasing, although there are differences in the pattern between regions. Further studies are needed to identify the determinant factors of regional differences, and age-specific public health interventions, such as scale-up screening and preventive treatment, are in demand in high-prevalence areas.

Determinants of life expectancy and clustering of provinces to improve life expectancy: an ecological study in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy acts as a population measure of the performance of healthcare systems. Regional disparities on life expectancy in Indonesia has been persisted and become a public health policy challenge. A systematic clustering of provinces can be a valuable alternative for organizing cooperation that aimed to increase life expectancy and reduce disparities. This study aimed to identify determinants of life expectancy and designate clusters of Indonesian provinces with similar characteristics. This approach can be useful in generating alternative cooperation strategies to improve life expectancy. METHODS: We carefully selected variables that have been shown to impact life expectancy and gathered 2015 data from Indonesia's Ministry of Health. All 34 Indonesian provinces were included as analysis units. We performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to select domains that needed to work on from theoretical models. Based on SEM results, we performed cluster analysis to arrange cooperation groups. RESULTS: Life expectancy showed correlations with mean years of schooling, expenditure per capita, health workforce, healthcare facilities, and environment. Expenditure per capita also was the strongest of all constructs. Based on SEM results, we performed cluster analysis to arrange cooperation groups of total 34 provinces and generated five clusters of provinces. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing the economy is the most effective approach for improving life expectancy and other constructs. These clusters can build cooperation that is new, within, and across clusters. These results may be useful in formulating cooperation strategies aimed at increasing life expectancy.

Association between Depressive State and Lifestyle Factors among Residents in a Rural Area in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

For the prevention of suicides, the early detection of depression symptoms and the implementation of suicide prevention measures based on the local community's conditions are critical. In rural or remote communities with poor access to urban areas, the medical care is often insufficient. We conducted the present study to investigate the relationship between depressive state and social-environmental factors in a depopulated inland rural area in central Japan, where the suicide rate is high and specialized psychiatric care is not available. Using a correspondence analysis, logistic regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM), we examined the questionnaire responses of 912 residents (average 60.5 years old). Total Health Index-Depression (THI-D) scale scores were used to measure depressive state. The lifestyle-related factor with the strongest link to depressive state was 'concerns about interpersonal relationships' (OR = 2.7, 95% CI: 2.06-3.53, p < 0.0001), whereas financial concerns, number of friends, exercise habits, and perceived amount of sleep were also useful for predicting depressive state. The SEM showed that one's job and private life, particularly concerns about interpersonal relationships, are correlated with higher THI-D scores. Thus, social and lifestyle factors (e.g., concerns about interpersonal relationships and financial situation) can be used to predict depressive state in a depopulated rural area, and the newly revealed order in which depressive symptoms manifest is important. Our findings can be used to advance assessments of depressive symptoms and will be useful for mental health and suicide prevention.

Mongolian Health Sector Strategic Master Plan (2006-2015): A foundation for achieving universal health coverage.

Nearly half of the countries in the world are in the process of reforming and strengthening their health care systems. More recently, even low-income and middle-income countries such as Mongolia have focused increasing attention on achieving universal health coverage (UHC). At this critical point, it is necessary to track recent progress and adjust health care strategies and planning. Therefore, this study analyzed changes in the health sector toward achieving UHC based on relevant literature, government documents, and framework analysis. We also investigated how basic principles of UHC were incorporated and reflected in Mongolia's Health Sector Strategic Master Plan. This study clarified the achievements of and challenges facing the health sector that remain or emerged during the plan's implementation over the last decade. Furthermore, all of the reviewed Master Plan strategies were underpinned by basic principles of UHC. However, strategies set out in the next Master Plan will require adjustments and innovative measures to respond to current challenges. This study may be used as a reference for other developing countries to track UHC achievements and serve as a guide to establishing a nation-wide strategic plan.

Distribution trends of Indonesia's health care resources in the decentralization era.

Indonesia has been decentralized since 2001, and we evaluated the distribution trends of physicians, puskesmas (community health centers), hospitals, and hospital beds in 34 provinces in Indonesia for 2000 to 2014. Inequality index of Gini showed improvement of the distribution of physicians and decreased from 0.38 to 0.29. The indices in distributions of hospitals and hospital beds also decreased from 0.26 to 0.17 and from 0.25 to 0.18, respectively. However, the index in the distribution of puskesmas increased from 0.19 to 0.28. We also investigated the legislative transitions of the laws concerning health resources and found the strong affects of compulsory work laws for physicians and the increment of health budget. In the decentralization era, the local governments have some political autonomy for the development of health resources; however, the national government should monitor the nationwide distribution of health resources and advice necessary recommendations to the local governments.

Distribution of health care resources in Mongolia using the Gini coefficient.

BACKGROUND: Attaining the perfect balance of health care resources is probably impracticable; however, it is possible to achieve improvements in the distribution of these resources. In terms of the distribution of health resources, equal access to these resources would make health services available to all people. The aim of this study was to compare the distributions of health care resources in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Mongolia. METHODS: We compared urban and rural areas using the Mann-Whitney U test and further investigated the distribution equality of physicians, nurses, and hospital beds throughout Mongolia using the Gini coefficient-a common measure of distribution derived from the Lorenz curve. Two indicators were calculated: the distribution per 10 000 population and the distribution per 1000 km2 area. RESULTS: Urban and rural areas were significantly different only in the distribution of physicians per population. However, in terms of the distribution per area, there were statistical differences in physicians, nurses, and hospital beds. We also found that distributions per population unit were equal, with Gini coefficients for physicians, nurses, and hospital beds of 0.18, 0.07, and 0.06, respectively. Distributions per area unit were highly unequal, with Gini coefficients for physicians, nurses, and hospital beds of 0.74, 0.67, and 0.69, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the distributions of health care resources per population were adequate for the population size, a striking difference was found in terms of the distributions per geographical area. Because of the nomadic lifestyle of rural and remote populations in Mongolia, geographical imbalances need to be taken into consideration when formulating policy, rather than simply increasing the number of health care resources.

Factors influencing mother's participation in Posyandu for improving nutritional status of children under-five in Aceh Utara district, Aceh province, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Posyandu, or pos pelayanan terpadu (integrated service post), is a community-based activity for health services in Indonesia. According to the Indonesian Basic Health Survey, the prevalence of children under five in Indonesia who suffered from being underweight was 19.6 %. The wasting was 12.1 % and the stunting was 37.2 % in 2013, and these values have not changed greatly from 2007; much greater than the WHO targets of, less than 10 % underweight, 5 % wasting, and 20 % stunting. In Aceh were 26.6, 16.8, and 43.3 %, respectively. Also, the participation percentages of mothers to Posyandu was about 45 %, far below the national target of 100 %. In Aceh Province, the percentage was even lower (34 % in 2013). This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing participation of mothers in Posyandu. METHODS: This research used a cross-sectional design with sample of mothers who had children under five. They were chosen by multistage random sampling. Sample size was determined by the WHO formula. Face-to-face interviews were carried out using a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of items about socio-demographic characteristics, satisfaction with Posyandu services, attitude towards Posyandu benefits, and intention to attend Posyandu. The collected data were analyzed by using EZR (version 1.21). Fisher's exact test was performed to examine the associations between the socio-demographic factors, attitude, satisfaction, and intention covariates with participation. Logistic regression was used to describe the strength of the relationship between the predictor variables and participation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, marital status, education level, occupation, family size, and distance to Posyandu between low participation group except for the monthly household income. Among the socio-demographic factors, only monthly household income had a significant association with the frequency of mothers' participation. Satisfaction, attitude, and intention were associated with participation. The logistic regression showed that monitoring the nutritional status of children under five was the main reason that mothers participated in Posyandu. Mothers who were satisfied with the Posyandu services were more likely to attend than those who were dissatisfied. Respondents with intention to participate in Posyandu every month were more likely to attend than those who did not intend to attend every month. Households with low income were more likely to participate in Posyandu than households with high income. CONCLUSION: Household income, mothers' satisfaction with Posyandu services, attitude towards Posyandu benefits and intention to attend Posyandu affect the participation frequency of the mother. In addition, monitoring the nutritional status of children under five was the main reason respondents attend Posyandu. Improving the quality of Posyandu services and providing qualified resources are needed to promote mothers' participation.

A STUDY OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELENIUM AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN LAMPUNG, INDONESIA.

Selenium deficient areas have been associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in some countries. In this study, we investigated the correlation between cardiovascular disease prevalence and selenium concentration in paddy soil and rice grains, the main staple food in Lampung, Indonesia. Paddy soil and rice samples (n(s) = 35) from eight regencies (n(d) = 8) in Lampung were analyzed for selenium content. The prevalences of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension in those regencies were obtained from the Ministry of Health of Indonesia. The Shapiro-Wilk's test was used to examine the data distribution. The Pearson's correlation was used to examine the correlation between cardiovascular disease prevalence and selenium concentration in the paddy soil and rice grains. Heart disease prevalence was negatively correlated with the selenium concentration in the paddy soil (r = -0.77, p = 0.02) and rice grain (r = -0.71, p = 0.05). A negative correlation was seen for stroke prevalence and selenium concentration in paddy soil (r = -0.76, p = 0.02). Hypertension prevalence was negatively correlated with the selenium concentration in the rice grains (r = -0.83, p = 0.01). These findings suggest that the selenium concentration in paddy soil and rice grains in the Lampung area may play a role in the fact the area has the lowest cardiovascular disease prevalence in Indonesia. Keywords: selenium, cardiovascular diseases, paddy soil, rice grain, Indonesia

CD36 is indispensable for thermogenesis under conditions of fasting and cold stress.

Hypothermia can occur during fasting when thermoregulatory mechanisms, involving fatty acid (FA) utilization, are disturbed. CD36/FA translocase is a membrane protein which facilitates membrane transport of long-chain FA in the FA consuming heart, skeletal muscle (SkM) and adipose tissues. It also accelerates uptake of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein by brown adipose tissue (BAT) in a cold environment. In mice deficient for CD36 (CD36(-/-) mice), FA uptake is markedly reduced with a compensatory increase in glucose uptake in the heart and SkM, resulting in lower levels of blood glucose especially during fasting. However, the role of CD36 in thermogenic activity during fasting remains to be determined. In fasted CD36(-/-) mice, body temperature drastically decreased shortly after cold exposure. The hypothermia was accompanied by a marked reduction in blood glucose and in stores of triacylglycerols in BAT and of glycogen in glycolytic SkM. Biodistribution analysis using the FA analogue (125)I-BMIPP and the glucose analogue (18)F-FDG revealed that uptake of FA and glucose was severely impaired in BAT and glycolytic SkM in cold-exposed CD36(-/-) mice. Further, induction of the genes of thermogenesis in BAT was blunted in fasted CD36(-/-) mice after cold exposure. These findings strongly suggest that CD36(-/-) mice exhibit pronounced hypothermia after fasting due to depletion of energy storage in BAT and glycolytic SkM and to reduced supply of energy substrates to these tissues. Our study underscores the importance of CD36 for nutrient homeostasis to survive potentially life-threatening challenges, such as cold and starvation.

Neutral aminoaciduria in cystathionine ß-synthase-deficient mice; an animal model of homocystinuria.

The kidney is one of the major loci for the expression of cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CTH). While CBS-deficient (Cbs(-/-)) mice display homocysteinemia/methioninemia and severe growth retardation, and rarely survive beyond the first 4 wk, CTH-deficient (Cth(-/-)) mice show homocysteinemia/cystathioninemia but develop with no apparent abnormality. This study examined renal amino acid reabsorption in those mice. Although both 2-wk-old Cbs(-/-) and Cth(-/-) mice had normal renal architecture, their serum/urinary amino acid profiles largely differed from wild-type mice. The most striking feature was marked accumulation of Met and cystathionine in serum/urine/kidney samples of Cbs(-/-) and Cth(-/-) mice, respectively. Levels of some neutral amino acids (Val, Leu, Ile, and Tyr) that were not elevated in Cbs(-/-) serum were highly elevated in Cbs(-/-) urine, and urinary excretion of other neutral amino acids (except Met) was much higher than expected from their serum levels, demonstrating neutral aminoaciduria in Cbs(-/-) (not Cth(-/-)) mice. Because the bulk of neutral amino acids is absorbed via a B(0)AT1 transporter and Met has the highest substrate affinity for B(0)AT1 than other neutral amino acids, hypermethioninemia may cause hyperexcretion of neutral amino acids.

Selenium-induced apoptosis-like cell death in Plasmodium falciparum.

Plasmodium falciparum has for some time been developing resistance against known anti-malarial drugs, and therefore a new drug is urgently needed. Selenium (Se), an essential trace element, in the form of inorganic Se, selenite (SeO32-), has been reported to have an anti-plasmodial effect, but its mechanism is still unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-plasmodial effect of several Se compounds against P. falciparum in vitro. The anti-plasmodial effect of several Se compounds was analysed and their apoptosis-inducing activity was evaluated by morphological observation, DNA fragmentation assay and mitochondrial function analysis. SeO32-, methylseleninic acid, selenomethionine and selenocystine have anti-plasmodial effects with 50% inhibition concentration at 9, 10, 45, and 65 µm, respectively, while selenate and methylselenocysteine up to 100 µm have no effect on parasite growth. The effective Se compounds caused the parasites to become shrunken and pyknotic and significantly increased mitochondrial damage against P. falciparum compared to the untreated control. In conclusion, SeO32-, methylseleninic acid, selenomethionine and selenocystine have anti-plasmodial activities that induce apoptosis-like cell death in P. falciparum, and the anti-plasmodial effects of Se seem to be based on its chemical forms. The apoptosis-like cell-death mechanism in P. falciparum can be beneficial to respond to the growing problem of drug resistance.

Social cohesion and quality of life in Bandung: A cross sectional study.

In Bandung, Indonesia, urban expansion, rapid economic growth, and population increase present enormous challenges to the maintenance of a high quality of life (QOL) for its citizens. Moreover, income distribution in the city has become more unequal, thereby threatening social cohesion. Such situations led us to investigate the states and correlation of social cohesion and QOL in Bandung. In 2018, we conducted a questionnaire survey of social cohesion and QOL using 13 and 18 question items, respectively. We employed the Rasch model analysis to analyze the logit measures of 752 responses. The results revealed that the population of Bandung has high social cohesion and decent QOL. Our findings suggest that in Bandung QOL is significantly correlated with social cohesion, therefore strategies that seek to enhance social cohesion may be beneficial to improve the QOL.

Distribution of midwives in Mongolia: A secondary data analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Midwives are at the core of strengthening the health system, especially in the crucial period around pregnancy, childbirth, and the early weeks of life. In 2016, the national-level maternal mortality ratio in Mongolia was 48.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, but this was much higher (up to 212.9 deaths/100,000) in some rural provinces of the country. The wide variation in maternal mortality between urban and rural areas of Mongolia might be related to the distribution of midwives and equity of access to maternity care. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we aimed to determine the distribution of midwives in each province of Mongolia and to examine inequality in the distribution of midwives nationwide. DESIGN: A secondary data analysis. METHODS: Data from the Centre of Health Development and the National Statistical Office of Mongolia were obtained and analysed. First, we assessed the distribution of midwives at provincial and regional levels, along with the association between these distributions and the maternal mortality ratio in 2016. We then calculated the inequality of these distributions using the Gini coefficient and examined trends for the years 2010-2016. We compared results for urban, suburban, and rural provinces. Rural areas are sparsely populated and enormous in size, so it may be difficult access to basic healthcare services. It was considered important, therefore, to assess the number of midwives per 1000 km2 as well as the commonly used indicator of per 10,000 population. RESULTS: When the land area in each province was taken into consideration rather than only the population, wider variations between urban, suburban, and rural provinces became apparent. Provinces varied according to the number of midwives per 10,000 population by a factor of three (range 2.0-6.2/midwives); while provinces varied according to the number of midwives per 1000 km2 by a factor of approximately 300 (range 0.2-61.2/midwives). The Gini coefficient for the number of midwives per 10,000 population in 2016, R = 0.201, revealed "relative" equality. This was slightly reduced from R = 0.305 in 2010 and indicated a shift toward equality. However, the Gini coefficient for the number of midwives per 1000 km2 area indicated "severe" inequality of R = 0.524 in 2016. This was increased from R = 0.466 in 2010, indicating that no improvement has been seen over these years. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that two different measures of midwifery distribution should be used as indicators: number of midwives "per 10,000 population" and "per 1000 km2 area". In rural areas such as parts of Mongolia, geographical features and population density are important features of the local context. To deliver healthcare services in a timely manner and within a reasonable distance for pregnant women who need care, the indicator of per 1000 km2 area would be more suitable for rural and sparsely populated areas than the indicator of per 10,000 population, which is commonly used for urban and settled areas. Based on our findings, to reduce the wide gap in MMR between rural and urban areas, we recommend at least one midwife per 1000 km2 area in rural regions of Mongolia.

Recent advances in clinical studies of selenium supplementation in radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is one of the most important and common therapies for cancer patients. Selenium has been shown to be capable of reducing the side effects of radiotherapy because selenoproteins have anti-oxidative functions against reactive oxygen species that are induced by the radiation. They also function in DNA-repair and cytokine control. PURPOSE: We explored the benefits and risks of selenium supplementation in radiotherapy in our previous review to establish guidelines. In the current study, we expanded the search to cover recent advances in clinical studies of selenium supplementation in radiotherapy. METHODS: We conducted an initial screening in the PubMed using the MeSH terms and keywords "selenium", "radiation", "therapy", and "radiotherapy" using the same methodology applied in our previous review. We identified 121 articles published between January 2013 and December 2019. We then identified eight articles (six studies) on selenium and radiotherapy by excluding 113 articles. RESULTS: In selenium supplementation studies, selenium doses of 300-500 µg/day with duration of 10 days to 6 months were used. Selenium supplementation improved the selenium nutritional conditions of the patients and reduced the side effects of radiotherapy. Selenium supplementation did not reduce the effectiveness of radiotherapy, and no toxicities were reported. CONCLUSION: The results of our previous and current reviews showed that selenium supplementation offers specific benefits for several cancer types treated with radiotherapy. Here, we suggest a new guideline for selenium supplementation in radiotherapy. We recommend determining the selenium status of the patients before radiotherapy, and in cases of deficiency (<100 µg/L serum selenium level), selenium supplement can be beneficial.

Body mass index and mortality among middle-aged Japanese individuals with diagnosed diabetes: The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study (JPHC study).

AIM: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality among middle-aged people with diabetes in Japan. METHODS: A total of 3032 men and 1615 women, aged 40-69 years, with diabetes were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for potential confounding factors, were used to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) across BMI categories at the baseline. RESULTS: There were 1761 deaths during a mean follow-up period of 18.5 years. Increased all-cause mortality was observed at both ends of the BMI distribution; compared with the reference BMI category (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), the HRs were 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9997-1.56) in the lowest (14.0-18.9 kg/m2) and 1.36 (95% CI, 1.06-1.74) in the highest (30.0-39.9 kg/m2) categories (P = 0.001). Similar all-cause mortality trends were observed after excluding deaths within 3 years of follow-up, as well as for men and men who had ever smoked. While a similar non-linear pattern was observed for cancer-specific mortality, heart disease-specific mortality was only increased in the highest BMI category (HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.06-3.25). CONCLUSION: This population-based prospective study demonstrated increased all-cause mortality at both ends of the BMI distribution among Japanese people with diabetes.

Selenium enrichment of broccoli sprout extract increases chemosensitivity and apoptosis of LNCaP prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Broccoli is a Brassica vegetable that is believed to possess chemopreventive properties. Selenium also shows promise as an anticancer agent. Thus, selenium enrichment of broccoli has the potential to enhance the anticancer properties of broccoli sprouts. METHOD: Selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts were prepared using a sodium selenite solution. Their anticancer properties were evaluated in human prostate cancer cell lines and compared with those of a control broccoli sprout extract. RESULTS: Selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts were superior to normal broccoli sprouts in inhibiting cell proliferation, decreasing prostate-specific antigen secretion, and inducing apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts but, not normal broccoli sprouts, induced a downregulation of the survival Akt/mTOR pathway. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts could potentially be used as an alternative selenium source for prostate cancer prevention and therapy.

Correction to: Reduced Serum Selenium Concentration in Miscarriage Incidence of Indonesian Subjects.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The name of "Herlambang herlambang" is now corrected in the author group of this article.

Effects of Selenium Supplementation on the Diabetic Condition Depend on the Baseline Selenium Status in KKAy Mice.

Oxidative stress in obesity leads to insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Some selenoproteins possess antioxidant properties, suggesting that selenium (Se) may protect against type 2 diabetes; however, evidence from epidemiological studies is contradictory. We hypothesized that Se status before supplementation (baseline) contributes to the supplementation outcome. This study aimed to clarify the influence of baseline Se status on the effect of Se supplementation on the diabetic condition. Six-week-old KKAy mice were fed a diet without supplemental Se or with 0.1 ppm Se in the form of L-selenomethionine (SeM) for 2 weeks to create low-Se and sufficient-Se baseline statuses, respectively. For the next 4 weeks, low-Se mice were given a SeM (0.5 ppm Se)-supplemented diet, and sufficient-Se mice were given either a SeM (0.5 ppm Se)- or sodium selenite (0.5 ppm Se)-supplemented diet; control groups continued on baseline diets. Serum Se concentrations, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, adiponectin levels, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity were analyzed. All mice became diabetic during the 2-week baseline induction period. At the end of the supplementation period, Se-receiving groups demonstrated significantly higher Se concentrations and GPx activities than their respective controls. Sufficient-Se mice receiving SeM had lower blood glucose levels and better insulin sensitivity than control and sodium selenite-receiving mice, whereas low-Se mice receiving SeM showed no such improvements compared with their controls. Our results suggest that Se supplementation in the form of SeM may help prevent type 2 diabetes aggravation in people taking the 55 µg/day Se recommended dietary allowance.