Pengetahuan Apoteker Tentang Handrub dan Desinfektan Saat Pandemi Covid 19 di Kabupaten Banyumas

Latar Belakang : Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) ditemukan pada Desember 2019, dilakukan penanganan covid-19 dengan mencuci tangan menggunakan handrub, dan sterilisasi dengan desinfektan. Apoteker berperan memberikan edukasi terkait covid-19. Dengan itu pengetahuan apoteker merupakan faktor penting dalam keberhasilan pemberian edukasi. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui perbedaan antara kelompok karakteristik apoteker (usia, jenis kelamin, dan lama pengalaman kerja) dengan tingkat pengetahuan apoteker tentang handrub dan desinfektan saat pandemi covid-19. Metodologi : Penelitian ini dilakukan secara cross sectional kepada 136 responden yaitu Apoteker yang berpraktik selama pandemi covid-19 di fasilitas kesehatan di Kabupaten Banyumas dengan teknik accidental sampling menggunakan kuesioner secara online dan offline. Data skor pengetahuan responden dianalisis secara deskriptif, sedangkan uji korelasi mann whitney dan kruskal wallis digunakan untuk mengetahui adanya perbedaan yang signifikan antara kelompok karakteristik usia, jenis kelamin, dan lama pengalaman kerja dengan tingkat pengetahuan apoteker tentang handrub dan desinfektan pada masa pandemi covid-19. Hasil Penelitian : Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa tingkat pengetahuan apoteker termasuk dalam kategori pengetahuan baik (76,921%). Pada uji analisis perbedaan, terdapat perbedaan pengetahuan yang signifikan dengan nilai p-value ≤0,001 antara apoteker yang memiliki lama pengalaman kerja ≤ 5 tahun dengan > 5 tahun. Tidak terdapat perbedaan pengetahuan yang signifikan antara karakteristik berupa usia dengan p-value 0,072 (dewasa awal, dewasa, lansia awal dan lansia), dan jenis kelamin dengan p-value 0,252 (laki-laki dan perempuan) tentang handrub dan desinfektan saat pandemi covid-19 di Kabupaten Banyumas. Kesimpulan : Pengetahuan apoteker tentang handrub dan desinfektan saat pandemi covid-19 sudah baik, akan tetapi perlu dilakukan peningkatan pengetahuan tentang kadar zat aktif yang optimal pada kandungan desinfektan, serta tata cara penggunaan desinfektan yang baik dan efektif

Culture density of menstrual blood-derived stromal/stem cells determines the quality of T cell responses: An experimental study

Background: Menstrual blood-derived stromal/stem cells (MenSCs) are a new population of refreshing and highly proliferative stem cells. Immunomodulatory effects of MenSCs profoundly depend on their relative density. Objective: To find whether MenSCs cultured at varying numbers would differentially affect the allogenic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) key features. Materials and Methods: PBMCs were co-cultured with various MenSCs numbers. PBMCs proliferation was investigated via 3H-thymidine incorporation. Flow cytometry was used to assess human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR, HLA-ABC, HLA-G, and costimulatory markers on MenSCs and the percentage of regulatory T cells (Tregs) among PBMCs. The concentration of cytokines was determined in supernatant of co-cultures. Results: The support of PBMCs proliferation at low MenSCs densities correlated with higher levels of pro-inflammatory interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in MenSCs/PBMCs co-culture and increased expression of HLA-DR by MenSCs. On the other hand, the suppressive property of MenSCs at higher densities was independent of Treg frequency, but correlated with a high concentration of Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 in the co-cultures. Conclusion: Totally, at different seeding densities, MenSCs could differentially interact with PBMCs leading to significant changes in the level of anti- and/or pro-inflammatory factors. These preliminary in vitro results are suggested to be taken into consideration in experimental models of MenSC-based immunomodulation. Nonetheless, for efficient utilization of MenSCs anti-inflammatory features in pre-clinical disease models, we still need to broaden our knowledge on MenSC-immune system cross-talk; this could play a part in designing more optimized MenSCs injection modalities in the case of future pre-clinical and subsequently clinical settings. Key words: Menstrual, Stromal cells, T cell response, Interferon

Estimating the Potential of Changes in Oil Price in IPCC Climate Scenarios: A System Dynamics Approach

This paper uses the system dynamics approach to model the changes in oil price prospects in the framework of the shared socio-economic pathways (SSP) climate scenarios proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) until 2100. This theoretical structure connects the primary feedback mechanisms: supply, demand, and price. The determining factors of most tremendous significance in the supply sector are the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC production levels. The production targets set by OPEC are indicative of its market management policies and are significantly influenced by the actions of its key members. The oil price indicates a cyclical relationship with the oil supply of significant players. The determination of global oil demand in the demand section is based on various climate scenarios presented in the IPCC report. The fluctuation of Brent oil prices over time can be linked to the disparity between supply and demand. According to the model outcomes, the price of oil will be projected to decline to $20 per barrel by the year 2100 if the sustainability policies outlined in the SSP1 framework are implemented. However, in the alternative scenarios of SSP3, characterized by regional competition, and SSP4, characterized by heightened inequality and competition, oil prices are anticipated to rise to$100 per barrel. In the context of the SSP5 scenario, which posits a path of economic and social development reliant on the consumption of fossil fuels, the price of oil displays a declining pattern after a period of relatively higher prices. The peak oil prices within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios exhibit significant variation based on their Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)

Prevalence of depression among Iranian patients with rheumatoid arthritis : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are prone to depression due to several factors related to their RA, including chronic and persistent pain, functional disability, economic constraints, and the side effects of RA medication. Previous Iranian studies showed conflicting and inconclusive findings regarding the prevalence of depression among RA patients. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the true prevalence of depression in Iranian patients with RA. Search for eligible articles was performed using the keywords of depression, depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, RA, and Iran, and their possible combinations in the following databases: Scientific Information Database, MagIran, Web of Science/ISI, PubMed, and Scopus. The search was restricted to articles published in Persian and English languages. The meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model, and the data were analyzed using the STATA software version 12. Overall, six articles were selected; the overall prevalence of depression among the Iranian patients with RA was 65.58% (95% CI: 56.53%-74.62%). There were no significant relationships between the prevalence of depression and articles' methodological quality and year of publication, participants' age, sample size, and duration of disease. More than half of RA patients suffer from depression. The overlap between the physical symptoms of RA and depression in this group of patients makes it difficult to correctly diagnose depression; therefore, initiative and efforts are required to improve the identification of early depression symptoms in RA patients in order to effectively manage their depression

Inhibition of Aldose Reductase Prevents Experimental Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice

The bronchial asthma, a clinical complication of persistent inflammation of the airway and subsequent airway hyper-responsiveness, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Several studies have shown that oxidative stress plays a key role in initiation as well as amplification of inflammation in airways. However, still there are no good anti-oxidant strategies available for therapeutic intervention in asthma pathogenesis. Most recent studies suggest that polyol pathway enzyme, aldose reductase (AR), contributes to the pathogenesis of oxidative stress-induced inflammation by affecting the NF-kappaB-dependent expression of cytokines and chemokines and therefore inhibitors of AR could be anti-inflammatory. Since inhibitors of AR have already gone through phase-III clinical studies for diabetic complications and found to be safe, our hypothesis is that AR inhibitors could be novel therapeutic drugs for the prevention and treatment of asthma. Hence, we investigated the efficacy of AR inhibition in the prevention of allergic responses to a common natural airborne allergen, ragweed pollen that leads to airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness in a murine model of asthma.Primary Human Small Airway Epithelial Cells (SAEC) were used to investigate the in vitro effects of AR inhibition on ragweed pollen extract (RWE)-induced cytotoxic and inflammatory signals. Our results indicate that inhibition of AR prevents RWE -induced apoptotic cell death as measured by annexin-v staining, increase in the activation of NF-kappaB and expression of inflammatory markers such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cycloxygenase (COX)-2, Prostaglandin (PG) E(2), IL-6 and IL-8. Further, BALB/c mice were sensitized with endotoxin-free RWE in the absence and presence of AR inhibitor and followed by evaluation of perivascular and peribronchial inflammation, mucin production, eosinophils infiltration and airway hyperresponsiveness. Our results indicate that inhibition of AR prevents airway inflammation and production of inflammatory cytokines, accumulation of eosinophils in airways and sub-epithelial regions, mucin production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and airway hyperresponsiveness in mice.These results suggest that airway inflammation due to allergic response to RWE, which subsequently activates oxidative stress-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines via NF-kappaB-dependent mechanism, could be prevented by AR inhibitors. Therefore, inhibition of AR could have clinical implications, especially for the treatment of airway inflammation, a major cause of asthma pathogenesis

The algorithmic second law of thermodynamics

G\'acs' coarse-grained algorithmic entropy leverages universal computation to quantify the information content of any given state. Unlike the Boltzmann and Shannon-Gibbs entropies, it requires no prior commitment to a partition of phase space or to probabilistic ensembles. Whereas earlier work had made loose connections between the entropy of thermodynamic systems and information-processing systems, the algorithmic entropy formally unifies them both. For a close variant of G\'acs' definition, we prove a very general second law of thermodynamics, and discuss its advantages over previous formulations. Our law is a general property of Markov processes, which can be derived as coarse-grainings of certain time-reversible dynamical systems. Finally, taking inspiration from Maxwell's demon, we model an information engine powered by compressible data.Comment: 19 page

DEFENCE MECHANISMS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

The close relationship between the immune system and the central nervous system (CNS) has been well-studied. The CNS regulates almost all the functions of the immune system; however, the effect and/or the control of the immune system on the CNS has not been well-studied yet. Recent reports suggest that the CNS has its own defence mechanism(s). In this review, attempts have been made to discuss some of the controversial issues in order to approach a clear conclusion

Reasons, and emotional and physical health complications related to induced abortion of Kurdish women in Sanandaj, Iran

Abortion is illegal in Iran, yet women go through the risks for various reasons. A qualitative study was conducted with the purpose of exploring the reasons,emotional and physical health complications of Kurdish women who had an illegal, induced abortion one year before the interview. Twenty women were recruited through purposive sampling method from the maternity and family planning units in health-care centers in Sanandaj, Iran. The participants were interviewed in-depth for their abortion stories either at the health center or in their homes. A generic qualitative research approach was used to analyze the data. Trustworthiness was ensured through member checks, peer examination, and a documentation of an audit trail of the research activities. Three themes evolved from the women‟s response regarding the reasons why they decided to go in for the abortion; deciding to abort due to unintended pregnancy, deciding to abort due to self-pity, and deciding to abort due to family and social pressure. Nine themes related to women‟s emotional complications also emerged. Two themes sadness and ambivalence were identified prior to abortion. During the abortion, three themes loneliness, feeling of frustration and worry emerged and four themes that reflected women‟s emotions after abortion were fear, guilt, ambivalent emotions and regret. However, two themes, early-abortion complications and late-abortion complications, emerged from the data analysis regarding the women‟s physical health complications. A conceptual model also emerged from the findings. Through this qualitative study, an insight into Kurdish women‟s experiences of induced abortion was gained. Findings from this study can be used by Iran‟s Health Ministry to review and revise its policy to include pre-abortion and post abortion counseling. Midwives must take responsibility of effectively counseling couples before and after induced abortion, which may be performed for a variety of reasons. Post-abortion care for women with physical and emotional needs is also crucial. Recommendations for further researches are included