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Anemia decreases quality of life of the elderly in Jakarta Meiyanti, Meiyanti; Kalumpiu, Joice Viladelvia; Mulia, Julius I
Universa Medicina Vol 28, No 3 (2009)
Publisher : Faculty of Medicine, Trisakti University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.18051/UnivMed.2009.v28.152-160

Abstract

Anemia is a very common disorder both in clinical practice and in the community. The recent rise in the population of the elderly has become the focus of attention in developing countries, because of the increasing longevity of the elderly, whilst the prevalence of anemia increases with age. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of anemia and its association with the quality of life in the elderly. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2008, located in the Mampang Prapatan district, South Jakarta. A total of 298 elderly persons participated in this study, comprising 109 (36.6%) males and 189 (63.4%) females. Anemia was measured by the parameters of hemoglobin and quality of life was assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF instrument, a short version of the WHOQOL-100 instrument. The results of the study showed the prevalence of anemia to be 26.2%, with a higher prevalence rate in females compared with males. The quality of life in the physical, psychological, social and environmental domains differed significantly with decreasing hemoglobin levels, whereas the physical and mental quality of life declined significantly with age. Anemia is thus indicative of a reduction in the quality of life of the elderly.
Vaccines for prostate cancer : a new era? Mulia, Julius I
Universa Medicina Vol 28, No 3 (2009)
Publisher : Faculty of Medicine, Trisakti University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.18051/UnivMed.2009.v28.i-iii

Abstract

Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent type of noncutaneous cancer in the Western world, with an estimated 218,890 new cases and 27,050 deaths in the United States in 2007. Currently prostate cancer is detected by measurement of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a serine protease synthesized by the prostatic epithelium. PSA is an organ-specific and tumor-associated antigen (TAA) but it is not tumor-specific.(1) Partly because of increased cancer screening with PSA, prostatic cancer may now be diagnosed when it is still localized. Localized tumors of the prostate are generally treated with radical prostatectomy, external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy, or watchful waiting. Unfortunately, up to 30%-40% of patients fail local therapy. The standard treatment of recurrent or metastatic disease is androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), but this is only a temporary measure as in the majority of cases the cancer ultimately becomes hormone refractory, the condition being termed androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) or hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), which then progresses rapidly. The only available nonpalliative therapy for androgen-independent prostate cancer is docetaxel in combination with prednisone. However, ADT given prior to the onset of clinical symptoms results in rising PSA levels with castrate levels of testosterone, often with a relatively low tumor burden. This systemic treatment earlier in the disease course combined with effective palliative chemotherapy is implicated in the improvement in median survival time of patients with AIPC from an average of about 12 months to about 17-18 months.