Peran Baitul Mal wat Tamwil (BMT) Al-Istiqamah dalam Pengembangan Usaha Mikro di Kabupaten Enrekang: The Role of Baitul Mal wat Tamwil (BMT) Al-Istiqamah in the Development of Micro Enterprises in Enrekang Regency

This study examines the strategic role of Baitul Mal wat Tamwil (BMT) Al-Istiqamah in efforts to improve the micro-economy in Enrekang Regency and the supporting and inhibiting factors encountered in this effort. This type of research is qualitative, with managerial and Islamic economic approaches. Primary data sources are informants consisting of founders, administrators, members, and customers of BMT Al-Istiqamah, as well as the government of Enrekang Regency. Documents related to research as secondary data. Data collection techniques using observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques use the stages of reduction, presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results showed that BMT Al-Istiqamah contributed to improving microeconomics in Enrekang. The roles played by BMT Al-Istiqamah are the empowerment of human resources and entrepreneurial spirit; improving microeconomic welfare; and preventing the public from practicing usury. Various factors supporting the success of BMT Al-Istiqamah are: strategic locations; the commitment of the founders, administrators, and members; high member savings participation; the high demand for microbusiness actors for BMT Al-Istiqamah; ease of obtaining capital assistance; and government support. The obstacles are the lack of human resources at BMT Al-Istiqamah, the lack of financial capital, the lack of technology utilization, and the number of customers who neglect to make deposit payments

The Role of BMT Al-Istiqamah Sharia Cooperative in Improving Micro-Economy

This study examines BMT  (Baitul Mal WaTamwil) Al-Istiqamah in improving micro-economy in Enrekang. The purpose of this study was to determine the strategic role of BMT Al-Istiqamah in improving micro-economy.  This type of research is qualitative with a managerial approach and Islamic economics; the research paradigm is direct involvement and intense interaction with informants; data sources are empirical data obtained in the field through the Founding Board, Manager, Members and BMT Al-Istiqamah customers' and Enrekang district government as primary sources, as well as the documents and books relating to research as secondary data . The result of this study indicated that BMT Al-Istiqamah took part in improving micro-economy in Enrekang. The role played by BMT Al-Istiqamah was the role of empowering human resources and an entrepreneurial spirit, the role of improving the welfare of the micro economy, and the role of alienating people from usury practices. The result of this study also indicated that the factors supporting the success of BMT Al-Istiqamah. The internal support to the microeconomics were strategic location, commitment of the board of directors, management and members, and high participation of members' savings, while the external support were the high demand of micro entrepreneurs to BMT al-Istiqamah, the ease of getting venture capital assistance felt by micro businesses, and government support

The effect of sleep duration on systolic pressure and nitric oxide concentration in hypertensive patients

Background: Poor blood pressure control of hypertensive patients is caused partially by bad lifestyle management, which increases the risk of a cardiovascular event by stimulating the defective endothelial function. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of night sleep duration on systolic blood pressure and nitric oxide concentration in hypertensive patients. Methods: 60 hypertensive patients age >40 years based on the medical record participated in this study. The sleep duration and sleep quality were performed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire. The 40 participants thus selected randomly for the nitric oxide concentration assay using Nitric Oxide Salivary Elisa Kit ab65238. Results: 53 participants experienced night sleep duration ≤6 hours, and 44 (73.7%) participants had poor sleep quality. Night sleep duration was associated significantly with hypertensive patients’ systolic blood pressure (p = 0.000 < 0.05; Odds ratio = 0.008). Conclusion: A 1 % increase in night sleep duration can reduce systolic pressure by 0.11 % in hypertensive patients. There was no correlation between night sleep duration on nitric oxide concentration (p > 0.05). These findings provide evidence that night sleep duration is associated strongly with the increased systolic blood pressure but not directly caused by the alteration of endothelial function

Serum IL-6/IL-10 ratio as a biomarker for the diagnosis and severity assessment of primary-open angle glaucoma

Objective: To assess the performance of serum cytokine IL-6 and IL-6/IL-10 ratio as biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and for determining its progression. Methods: In this study, 20 POAG patients and 21 healthy individuals from the Indonesian population were enrolled. The serum concentration of IL-6 and IL-10 were quantified. Comparative analysis was performed in addition to assessment of the diagnostic performance of cytokines using receiver-operating-curve (ROC) analysis. Results: POAG patients had a higher IL-6 (p < 0.0001) and IL-6/IL-10 ratio (p < 0.0001) than controls. Among the POAG subjects, advanced-stage patients exhibited a higher IL-6/IL-10 ratio than those in the early-moderate stage (p = 0.001; p = 0.006). The ROC curve analysis showed that both IL-6 level and IL-6/IL-10 ratio exhibited an excellent capability of diagnosing POAG (cut-off of 20.5 pg/mL (100% sensitivity and 94% specificity) and 4.4 (88% sensitivity and 94% specificity), respectively). Serum IL-6/IL-10 ratio displayed a better performance than IL-6 in discriminating POAG severity with cut-off of at least 6.6 (sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 90%) and 9.1 (sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 78%) classified according to C/D ratio and MD of VF, respectively. Conclusion: The balance between IL-6 and IL-10 serum levels is potentially useful in discriminating POAG severity

The relation between distant metastasis and genetic change type in stage IV lung adenocarcinoma patients at diagnosis

Introduction Brain metastasis prevalence is higher in patients with positive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and C-ROS oncogene 1 (ROS-1) fusion change in lung adenocarcinoma. Objectives The purpose of our study is to investigate the relation between the genetic change type and the initial distant metastasis in stage IV lung adenocarcinoma patients with genetic changes. Methods The study was conducted between January 2007 and December 2018 in a retrospective fashion with patients who had lung cancer diagnosed as stage IV adenocarcinoma. The relation between genetic mutation change (EGFR, ALK or ROS-1) and distant metastasis was analysed. Results A total of 845 patients were included in the study. The median age was 62 (28-88). It was determined that lung and pleura metastases were more frequent at a significant level in patients with positive EGFR mutation (P = 0.032,P = 0.004, respectively). In patients with positive ALK fusion change, pleura metastasis was determined to be more frequent (P = 0.001). Multiple metastases were determined to be significantly more in patients with positive ALK fusion change than single metastasis (P = 0.02). Conclusion In patients with EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinoma, lung and pleura metastasis is more frequent and pleura metastasis is more frequent in ALK positive adenocarcinoma. Additionally, multiple organ metastases are higher in ALK positive lung adenocarcinoma