Jurnal Ilmiah Medicamento

Analytical Methods for Revealing the Composition of Fruit Flavor E-Cigarette E-Liquid: A Review

Aghnia Nabila — 2025-03-23

The use of e-cigarettes is increasing, one of which is due to fruit-flavored e-liquids. The chemical compounds that make up these flavors play a role in providing flavor characteristics, but if inhaled, they can potentially negatively affect health. Understanding what chemical compounds are found in e-liquid flavors is very important to determine the toxicity effects of e-cigarettes. This article aimed to review the analytical methods that had been carried out by previous studies in identifying e-liquid flavor compounds. Literature was collected through searches in reputable scientific databases, including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar, using relevant keywords. From the initial search, 35 relevant articles were found and then selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in 10 articles for further analysis. The selected literature consisted of research focusing on chromatographic methods, specifically Gas Chromatography (GC) and Liquid Chromatography (LC). Further developments, such as the combination of GC with Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS), as well as LC with MS/MS and Electrospray Ionization (ESI), were shown to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the analysis. These findings emphasize the importance of choosing the right analytical method for the compounds to be identified. The results also discuss the advantages and challenges, which can guide in choosing the right analytical method to promote the development of better safety standards.

The Nature of Opioids Used as Pain Management in A Public Hospital in Bali

Desak Ketut Ernawati — 2025-03-23

Opioids are the mainstay of pain management, particularly in chronic pain-related and nonrelated cancer. Studies have shown that the number of opioids used globally varies. It was used excessively in some parts, while in others, it was underused. Little study is known on how opioids are used in Indonesia. This study aimed to identify indications of opioids prescribed and types of opioids used, as well as assess the nature of opioid therapy as pain management for chronic and non-related cancer. This retrospective study was conducted in a public hospital in Bali, Indonesia. Data was collected from all inpatients who received opioids in the hospital from 2018 to 2020. Patients’ age, gender, as well as opioid information such as types of opioids and used for treatment for cancer or non-cancer patients, were pooled and analyzed descriptively. This study found that fentanyl injection was the most opioid prescribed by anesthesiologists as preoperative medications. Opioids were prescribed mostly for non-cancer patients, and limited opioids were prescribed for cancer patients. Future research is required to evaluate factors that influence opioid prescriptions in hospitals.

Carrageenan from Balinese Red Seaweed (Gracilaria sp). as Antibacterial against Eight Pathogenic Bacteria

Maria Malida Vernandes Sasadara — 2025-03-23

The increase in infection cases every year, coupled with the rise in resistance cases, increases the urgency of exploring antimicrobial agents. Gracilaria sp. is a red seaweed that is widely known as one of the potential producers of active metabolites, sulfated polysaccharides. Carrageenan is one form of sulfated polysaccharide that has antimicrobial activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity of carrageenan derived from Gracilaria sp. against several pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Salmonella typhi. Carrageenan was extracted from Gracilaria sp. samples obtained from the South Denpasar area (Bali) using KOH. An antibacterial activity assay of carrageenan was carried out using an agar well diffusion method with nutrient agar media. Tests were conducted at concentrations of 1 and 5 mg/mL (E. coli and S. epidermidis), 20, 30, 40 mg/mL (S. aureus, S. pyrogenes, E. faecalis, and S. typhi), 50, 75, and 100 mg/mL (P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae). Incubation was carried out for 24 hours at ± 37 °C. Data were analyzed statistically by one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis with a 95% confidence level. The results showed that carrageenan extracted from Gracilaria sp. exhibited significant antibacterial activity against several pathogenic bacteria, especially gram-negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity produced in this study was proportional to the increase in concentration, where the inhibitory activity produced increased as the concentration of carrageenan increased. It can be concluded that carrageenan has the potential to be an antibacterial.