ANALISIS TIMBAL (II) DALAM AIR MENGGUNAKAN TEKNIK LIBS DENGAN BANTUAN ADSORBEN POLIURETAN-SELULOSA ASETAT

Teknik Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) tengah marak dikembangkan aplikasinya untuk dapat menganalisis polutan logam berat dalam air. Ini dikarenakan kelebihan yang dimiliki teknik LIBS, seperti proses yang cepat, cara pengoperasian yang mudah, dan tidak memerlukan pre-treatment yang rumit. Namun demikian, ketika laser ditembakkan ke permukaan cairan, plasma yang dihasilkan cenderung kecil dan adanya percikan air yang membuat signal yang terbaca menjadi tidak stabil. Untuk itu, ion logam yang terlarut dalam air terlebih dahulu dikonversi menjadi bentuk solid melalui adsorpsi. Membran poliuretan-selulosa asetat dapat digunakan sebagai adsorben terhadap berbagai macam ion logam, yang mana pada penelitian ini menggunakan Pb2+ sebagai model ion logam berat. Membran poliuretan-selulosa asetat telah dikarakterisasi menggunakan spektroskopi inframerah dan Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), menunjukkan adanya modifikasi secara kimia dan morfologi permukaan. Selain itu, penambahan rantai poliuretan pada selulosa asetat juga mempengaruhi sifat fisik dan termalnya. Dalam analisis LIBS, delay time dan energi optimum yang digunakan masing-masing adalah 3000 ns dan 54 mJ. Pengaruh waktu kontak, pH dan konsentrasi awal pada adsorpsi Pb2+ telah diamati dengan teknik LIBS. Kurva kalibrasi yang dihasilkan pada penelitian ini memiliki bentuk kuadratik dengan persamaan y = 0.0036x2 - 0.0035x + 2.4386 dan R2 = 0,996. LOD yang didapatkan relatif lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan penelitian-penelitian sebelumnya. Dengan demikian dapat disimpulkan bahwa membran PUSA dapat diaplikasikan pada analisis kualitatif dan kuantitatif Pb2+ dalam air menggunakan teknik LIBS, dengan keunggulan metode yang lebih praktis dan dapat digunakan secara in-situ

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

SINTESIS BUSA POLIURETAN TERMODIFIKASI KITOSAN UNTUK ADSORPSI LOGAM MERKURI

Sintesis busa poliuretan termodifikasi kitosan (Chi-PUF) telah dilakukan dan diaplikasikan untuk mengadsorpsi logam merkuri dalam air. Sintesis busa poliuretan memanfaatkan minyak jarak sebagai poliol karena sifatnya yang biodegradable dan harganya yang murah. Untuk meningkatkan sifat fisik busa poliuretan, gliserol ditambahkan dalam bahan poliol sebanyak 20 %. Chi-PUF disintesis dengan variasi komposisi campuran A (minyak jarak dan gliserol), toluen diisosianat (TDI), akuades dan kitosan dengan variasi suhu pre-heating. Sifat fisik dan morfologi Chi-PUF diuji menggunakan spektroskopi fourier transform infra-red FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) dan differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Komposisi campuran A : TDI : akuades optimum yang diperoleh adalah 1 : 0,5 : 0,5. Hasil uji adsorpsi pada kondisi optimum ditunjukkan oleh uji adsorpsi pada pH 7 dengan waktu kontak 60 menit. Adsorpsi ion logam Hg (II) oleh Chi-PUF mengikuti model isoterm Fruendlih (R2 = 0,9417). Uji adsorpsi pada tiga sampel air sumur yang mengandung merkuri menunjukkan persen removal tersebar sebanyak 83,049%.Banda Ace

Distribution of Mercury in Soil, Water, and Vegetable Fern in a Former Gold Mining Area – Evidence from Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia

The mercury contamination associated with the former intense illegal gold mining activities is suspected in the watershed of Krueng Cot Satu, Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mercury contamination residue in the water, soil, and vegetable fern (Pityrogramma calometanos (L)) The samples were collected from locations in the already closed artisanal gold mining sites. The sampling locations were purposively determined by considering their closeness to the previous gold mining activities sites. The content of mercury was analyzed using flow injection for atomic spectroscopy – atomic absorption spectroscopy. The method used was validated by linearity, Limit of Detection (LoD), Limit of Quantification (LoQ), Relative Standard Deviation (RSD), and recovery. The validation test showed that this method is well linear, sensitive, accurate, and precise with a correlation coefficient, LoD, LoQ, RSD and recovery of 0.9999, 0.0477 μg/L, 0.1447 μg/L, 2.96% and 95–105%, respectively. Herein, it was found that the concentrations of mercury contents in the water samples were below the detectable range. However, a high range of mercury concentration of 0.236 – 0.328 μg/g was found in soil, with the highest concentration obtained in the sample collected from the riverbank. The fern sample collected near the riverbank contained mercury in all its parts and concentrated in the root (0.408 μg/g in the leaves, 0.276 μg/g – stalks, and 9.994 μg/g – roots). Meanwhile, the absence of mercury contamination was obtained in the leaves and stalks of the fern samples collected far from the riverbank. The roots, however, were detected with mercury contamination with the highest concentration reaching 27.660 μg/g. Despite its disappearance in the water, mercury contamination residue from the former artisanal gold mining activities still could be traced in the soil and heavy metal accumulating plant – P. calometanos (L)

Heavy Metals in the Water, Sediment, and Fish Harvested from the Krueng Sabee River Aceh Province, Indonesia

The pollution of rivers from human activities such as housing, markets, workshops, transportation, land cultivation, and industry has become an issue. The increasing contribution of heavy metals to pollution in rivers has a direct effect on the metal bioaccumulation in fish. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Pb in the waters, sediment, and fish harvested from the Krueng Sabee River, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Furthermore, the water, sediment, and fish samples were collected from six locations representing the upstream and downstream regions of the river. Cd, Cu, and Pb were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The results showed that Cd, Cu, and Pb were not detected in the water, while the concentration of Cd in the sediments ranges between 0.0544 to 0.2683 mg kg-1, Cu ranges between 4.4149 to 14.8160 mg kg-1, and Pb ranges between 0.9186–15.4954 mg kg-1. Therefore, Cd, Cu, and Pb in the water and sediment were below the quality standard, but these heavy metals in the fish sample met the threshold limit. The highest Cd concentration was reported in Tor soro (5.5591 mg kg-1), and the highest concentration of Cu was reported in Mugil cephalus (6.7021 mg kg-1), while the higher Pb concentration was reported in Cyclocheilichthys Apogon (0.0279 mg kg-1)

Extracts from Phyllanthus emblica L stem barks ameliorate blood glucose level and pancreatic and hepatic injuries in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Phyllanthus emblica L is a promising medicinal plant for antidiabetic therapy but current research has not explored its stem bark potential as an antidiabetic agent despite the fact that the stem bark contains rich antioxidants. Herein, we aimed to investigate the antidiabetic potential of P. emblica stem barks in vivo. The dried simplicial powder of the stem barks was macerated sequentially using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The extracts were administered orally to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, where the blood glucose levels were monitored every week. Histopathological analyses were performed for the pancreas and liver. The results revealed that ethyl acetate extract from P. emblica stem barks could lower the fasting blood glucose levels three weeks post-STZ injection (140.3 ± 38.99 versus 270.0 ± 50.51; p = 0.0375). Significant improvement on pancreas and liver histopathology at p < 0.05 was found in the group receiving P. emblica extracts. The IC50 of the ethyl acetate extract against DPPH free radical was 4.67 ± 1.2 mg/g, with total flavonoids, phenolics, and tannins content of 65.54 ± 0.11 QE mg/g, 35.72 ± 0.5 mg GAE/g, and 134.69 ± 0.7 mg TAE/g, respectively. Taken altogether, the ethyl acetate extract from P. emblica stem barks is potential as an antidiabetic drug candidate

Once-Weekly Somapacitan as an Alternative Management of Growth Hormone Deficiency in Prepubertal Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial

Growth hormone treatment has effectively restored normal growth in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD); however, it poses challenges in compliance with a daily growth hormone injection regimen, leading to low adherence and persistence rates. Once-weekly Somapacitan is a potential alternative for treating children with GHD. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and adherence of once-weekly subcutaneous Somapacitan compared to daily growth hormone injection in prepubertal children with GHD. A search for the published records was carried out on 17 October 2023 utilizing the searching feature available on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Primary study outcomes included (1) efficacy, measured by height velocity (HV), standard deviation score (SDs), height SDs, insulin-like growth factor-SDs (IGF-I SDs), and bone age vs. chronological age ratio (BA vs. CA); (2) safety, assessed through adverse events and injection site reactions; and (3) adherence, determined by the percentage of the sample completing treatments. Secondary outcomes evaluated disease burden scores, divided into three subgroup domains: emotional well-being, physical functional, and social well-being scores. We retrieved 6 studies that were eligible for the systematic review (417 versus 186 for intervention and control, respectively). Only 2 of the total included studies were eligible for pooled analysis (175 versus 82 for intervention and control, respectively). The efficacy profile of Somapacitan was similar to daily growth hormones, indicated by HV (mean difference (MD = 0.04; p = 0.96), HV SDs (MD = −0.71; p = 0.09), height SDs (MD = 0.11; p = 0.69), IGF-I SDs (MD = 0.06; p = 0.70), and CA vs. BA (MD = 0.67; p = 0.70)), demonstrated similar and non-inferior outcomes. Treatment adherence is 3 times higher in the Somapacitan group as compared to control (OR = 3.02; p = 0.03) with adherence rates reaching 95% and 88% for Somapacitan and Norditropin®, respectively. The disease burden measurement is similar in Somapacitan and daily growth hormones (MD = −0.62; p = 0.83), as indicated by the Growth Hormone Deficiency–Child Impact Measure. In almost all outcomes, the level of confidence is strong. The confidence level in the data is generally strong, but for CA vs. BA and the subgroup of severe adverse events with heterogeneity >50%, the confidence level is moderate. Although the efficacy and safety profiles of Somapacitan were found to be similar to those of daily growth hormones, a reduced frequency of once-weekly Somapacitan injections led to increased adherence. PROSPERO registration: CRD42023473209

Antiproliferative Activity of Triterpenoid and Steroid Compounds from Ethyl Acetate Extract of Calotropis gigantea Root Bark against P388 Murine Leukemia Cell Lines

Calotropis gigantea has been known to produce bioactive secondary metabolites with antiproliferative activities against cancer cells. Herein, we extracted the secondary metabolites using ethyl acetate from its root bark and further tested its antiproliferative activities against P388 murine leukemia cell lines. The subfractions from the ethyl acetate extract was obtained from Vacuum Liquid Column Chromatography (VLCC), and followed by Gravity Column Chromatography (GCC). The subfraction C2 and D1 were identified to contain triterpenoids and steroids with the most potent cytotoxicity against Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT). A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2-5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay suggested that ethyl acetate extract has the highest antiproliferative activities against P388 murine leukemia cell lines (IC50 = 21.79 μg/mL), as opposed to subfraction C2 (IC50 = 50.64 µg/mL) and subfraction D1 (IC50 = 49.33 µg/mL). The compound identified in subfraction C2 and D1 are taraxerol acetate and calotropone, respectively. Though taraxerol acetate and calotropone were active in inhibiting the leukemic cell lines, their IC50s were lower than the ethyl acetate extract, which is probably due to the synergism of the secondary metabolites