EFFECTS OF LATIHAN PASRAH DIRI ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS A study on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients at RSUP Dr. Sardjito, Yogyakarta

Background. Depression is more prevalent in persons with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, epilepsy and infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Depression can make HIV even. Antidepressant may be needed, interaction and side effect may occur when using Antiretroviral (ARV) and antidepressant in combination. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) include Latihan Pasrah Diri(LPD) may seem safe to treat depression in HIV patients. Methods. This is a quasi experimental study, participant include outpatient dan inpatient at RSUP Dr. Sardjito, Yogyakarta. They were aged >18 years. After scoring with Zung Self Rating Scale for depression, participants allocated into two groups, with dan without Latihan Pasrah Diri program. Zung Self Rating Scale for depression was evaluated after 1 cycle of program. Result. The means of Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale score before and after LPD were 42,21 ± 9,3 and 35 ± 10,73 (p 0,003). While in control group (without LPD / brief psychotherapy) the means of Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale score before and 3 weeks after brief psychotherapy were 42,93 ± 7.45 and 39,36 ± 7,69 (p 0,019). Statistically there was no significancy in the means of delta Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in LPD group and control group. Conclusion. It was concluded from this study that there is an influence on the improvement of depressive symptoms post- Latihan Pasrah Diri program to people with HIV / AIDS

Hubungan Hiperurisemia, Obesitas Dan Riwayat Merokok Dengan Kejadian Hipertensi

Hypertension is a common clinical problem. Hyperuricemia, obesity, and smoking history are assumed to have a relationship with hypertension in adult. This study was conducted to figure out the association between hyperuricemia, obesity and smoking history with hypertension. Observational method with cross-sectional approach was used in this study. The study was conducted in Laboratorium Klinik Prodia Kendari. Sixty-two samples consist of men and women aged 18-65 years were taken by quota sampling. Blood pressure, body mass index, and blood chemistry result were collected during medical check-up. Smoking history data was collected with direct interview. Chi-square and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data (α=0,05). There were 50% hypertensive subjects and 50% non-hypertensive subjects. Hyperuricemia had a moderate association with hypertension (p=0,000; r=0,455). Obesity had a weak association with hypertension (p=0,020 ; r=0,248). Smoking history also had a weak association with hypertension (p=0,022 ; r=0,279). In multivariate analysis with confounding factors, only hyperuricemia that had an independent influence to hypertension (p= 0,00 ; OR 25,4 ; 95% CI 4,1-156,1), followed by HDL abnormality (p=0,04 ; OR=14,15 ; 95% CI=2,3-84,2) and total cholesterol (p=0,02 ; OR=22,4 ; 95% CI=3,2-153,8). Hyperuricemia, obesity, and smoking history, were associated with hypertension. Only hyperuricemia had the independent influence to hypertension

Sterile Testis Complementation with Spermatogonial Lines Restores Fertility to DAZL-Deficient Rats and Maximizes Donor Germline Transmission

Despite remarkable advances in assisted reproductive capabilities ∼4% of all couples remain involuntarily infertile. In almost half of these cases, a lack of conception can in some measure be attributed to the male partner, wherein de novo Y-chromosomal deletions of sperm-specific Deleted-in-Azoospermia (DAZ) genes are particularly prevalent. In the current study, long-term cultures of rat spermatogonial stem cells were evaluated after cryo-storage for their potential to restore fertility to rats deficient in the DAZ-like (DAZL) gene. Detailed histological analysis of DAZL-deficient rat testes revealed an apparently intact spermatogonial stem cell compartment, but clear failure to produce mature haploid gametes resulting in infertility. After proliferating >1 million-fold in cell number during culture post-thaw, as few as 50,000 donor spermatogonia transplanted into only a single testis/recipient effectively restored fecundity to DAZL-deficient rats, yielding 100% germline transmission to progeny by natural mating. Based on these results, the potency and efficacy of this donor stem cell line for restoring fertility to azoospermic rodents is currently unprecedented. Prospectively, similar successes in humans could be directly linked to the feasibility of obtaining enough fully functional spermatogonial stem cells from minimal testis biopsies to be therapeutically effective. Thus, regeneration of sperm production in this sterile recipient provides an advanced pre-clinical model for optimizing the efficacy of stem cell therapies to cure a paradoxically increasing number of azoospermic men. This includes males that are rendered infertile by cancer therapies, specific types of endocrine or developmental defects, and germline-specific de novo mutations; all of whom may harbor healthy sources of their own spermatogonial stem cells for treatment

Phenol dissociation on pristine and defective graphene

Phenol (C6H5O‒H) dissociation on both pristine and defective graphene sheets in terms of associated enthalpic requirements of the reaction channels was investigated. Here, we considered three common types of defective graphene, namely, Stone-Wales, monovacancy and divacancy configurations. Theoretical results demonstrate that, graphene with monovacancy creates C atoms with dangling bond (unpaired valence electron), which remains particularly useful for spontaneous dissociation of phenol into phenoxy (C6H5O) and hydrogen (H) atom. The reactions studied herein appear barrierless with reaction exothermicity as high as 2.2 eV. Our study offers fundamental insights into another potential application of defective graphene sheets

Outdoor Particulate Matter Exposure and Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Particulate matter (PM) in outdoor air pollution was recently designated a Group I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). This determination was based on the evidence regarding the relationship of PM2.5 and PM10 to lung cancer risk; however, the IARC evaluation did not include a quantitative summary of the evidence. Objective: Our goal was to provide a systematic review and quantitative summary of the evidence regarding the relationship between PM and lung cancer. Methods: We conducted meta-analyses of studies examining the relationship of exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 with lung cancer incidence and mortality. In total, 18 studies met our inclusion criteria and provided the information necessary to estimate the change in lung cancer risk per 10-μg/m3 increase in exposure to PM. We used random-effects analyses to allow between-study variability to contribute to meta-estimates. Results: The meta-relative risk for lung cancer associated with PM2.5 was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.14). The meta-relative risk of lung cancer associated with PM10 was similar, but less precise: 1.08 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.17). Estimates were robust to restriction to studies that considered potential confounders, as well as subanalyses by exposure assessment method. Analyses by smoking status showed that lung cancer risk associated with PM2.5 was greatest for former smokers [1.44 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.22)], followed by never-smokers [1.18 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.39)], and then current smokers [1.06 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.15)]. In addition, meta-estimates for adenocarcinoma associated with PM2.5 and PM10 were 1.40 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.83) and 1.29 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.63), respectively. Conclusion: The results of these analyses, and the decision of the IARC Working Group to classify PM and outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic (Group 1), further justify efforts to reduce exposures to air pollutants that can arise from many sources. Citation: Hamra GB, Guha N, Cohen A, Laden F, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Samet JM, Vineis P, Forastiere F, Saldiva P, Yorifuji T, Loomis D. 2014. Outdoor particulate matter exposure and lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Health Perspect 122:906–911; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.140809

Enhanced enforcement of the foreign corrupt practices act: Improving the ethics of U.S. business practices abroad

Empirical research demonstrates that bribery has a detrimental impact on investment, economic growth, trade, and democratic governments. In response to rising bribery activity and the additional burdens placed on corporate officials by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 has reached an all-time high. Although many managers, financial officers, entrepreneurs, and auditors are aware of the FCPA\u27s objectives and mandates, many do not do an adequate job of protecting their firms, employees, and/or clients from fines and prison sentences. The purposes of this paper are to (1) analyze and describe bribery and FCPA case filings, sanctions, payments (bribes), and value of business to be obtained; (2) describe and analyze the important provisions of the FCPA; (3) discuss vicarious liability or the liability of U.S. firms and others for the acts of third parties; and (4) make recommendations to help firms improve their compliance with the FCPA. © 2012 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Dominant lethal pathologies in male mice engineered to contain an X-linked DUX4 transgene

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an enigmatic disease associated with epigenetic alterations in the subtelomeric heterochromatin of the D4Z4 macrosatellite repeat. Each repeat unit encodes DUX4, a gene that is normally silent in most tissues. Besides muscular loss, most patients suffer retinal vascular telangiectasias. To generate an animal model, we introduced a doxycycline-inducible transgene encoding DUX4 and 3' genomic DNA into a euchromatic region of the mouse X chromosome. Without induction, DUX4 RNA was expressed at low levels in many tissues and animals displayed a variety of unexpected dominant leaky phenotypes, including male-specific lethality. Remarkably, rare live-born males expressed DUX4 RNA in the retina and presented a retinal vascular telangiectasia. By using doxycycline to induce DUX4 expression in satellite cells, we observed impaired myogenesis in vitro and in vivo. This mouse model, which shows pathologies due to FSHD-related D4Z4 sequences, is likely to be useful for testing anti-DUX4 therapies in FSHD

Microwave exfoliated graphene-based materials for flexible solid-state supercapacitor

Herein, we report the simultaneous exfoliation and reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) by rapid microwave irradiation, to overcome the hurdles of their low electrical conductivity and tendency to restack, and realize their full potential as supercapacitor electrode materials. After microwave treatment, the ID/IG value of the microwaved GO (MW-GO) increased by 0.11, whereas the I2D/IG value of the microwaved GNPs (MW-GNPs) decreased by 0.48, revealing that the graphene-based materials were reduced and exfoliated as observed in the Raman spectra. Morphological studies revealed a porous structure of MW-GO and loose stacked layers of MW-GNPs, which showed the exfoliation of the graphene-based materials. A supercapacitor device was constructed using a mixture of MW-GO, MW-GNPs, and polypyrrole and yielded a specific capacitance value of 137.2 F g−1 with a cycling stability of 89.8% after 1000 charge/discharge cycles. The electrochemical performance of the device remains unchanged when bent continuously at 180° because the cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge curves remained the same after 50 bending repetitions. Therefore, the simultaneous reduction and exfoliation of these graphene-based materials by rapid microwaves provides a promising route for the scalable and cost-effective preparation of supercapacitor electrode materials