Underage and Unrecorded: Alcohol Consumption and its Health Risk for the Youth Case Study in Bandung, West Java

Underage consumption of unrecorded alcohol is a major threat to the youth in Bandung City. In this study, 48% of all students who confirmed that they drink alcohol reported that they started drinking when they were in senior high school (15 – 17 years old). Alarmingly, 12% started drinking while they were primary school age (6 – 12 years old), and 20% began while in junior high school (13 – 15 years old). Ministry of Trade Regulation (MOT) 20/2014, MOT 06/2015, and Bandung City Regional Regulation (BCRR) 11/2010 all fail to curb underage drinking. The volume of alcohol that Indonesians consume is not the problem as they drink much less than citizens of other countries. In 2015, Euromonitor International stated that annual sales volume per capita of recorded alcohol in Indonesia was only 2.26 liters. This number is much lower than in Thailand and Turkey that reached 47.63 liters and 15.88 liters respectively. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Indonesians only consume 0.6 liters of pure alcohol annually per capita, lower than the South-East Asian average (3.4 liters) and also lower than in the Arab World (0.7 liters). The problem is, instead, what people consume. The most vital threat to Indonesian youth is oplosan, a type of unrecorded alcohol that can contain non-food ingredients, such as mosquito repellant, headache pills, and battery fluids. When methyl alcohol (methanol) is added, consuming oplosan can lead to seizures, organ failure, and death. 32% of all alcohol-consuming students surveyed for this study have consumed oplosan. Bandung and the surrounding area appear to be a hot spot for oplosan-related deaths. In the Greater Bandung area there were 40 reported deaths attributed to oplosan between January 2008 and December 2013. From January 2014 to April 10, 2018, however, the reported deaths more than doubled and reached 90 cases. On average, there is one death per 615,000 people every year in this region. This is nearly five times higher than the national average of one death per 3 million people per year

Fighting Unrecorded Alcohol : A Policy Priority for Bandung, West Java

In April 2018 a hundred Indonesians died from drinking unrecorded alcohol, most of them in the Greater Bandung area in West Java province. This confirmed findings of the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) that the death rate from unrecorded alcohol in Greater Bandung area during the last 10 years was almost five times higher than in the rest of the country. From 2008 through 10 April 2018, 16.3 deaths from unrecorded alcohol per 1 million people were reported in the Greater Bandung area, compared to 3.4 deaths per 1 million people nationwide. The government controls the distribution of alcohol with heavy import and excise duties. All vendors need licenses and cannot sell to customers under the age of 21. Ministry of Trade Regulation 06/2015 also prohibits the sale of alcoholic drinks in local minimarkets and convenience stores. Over 150 local government regulations restrict the distribution and consumption of alcohol. The Bandung City Regional Regulation 11/2010 (BCRR 11/2010) prohibits traders from operating near places of worship, schools and hospitals. Unfortunately, government regulations do not effectively protect Indonesian consumers and must be seen as a factor causing black markets. A CIPS survey was conducted among alcohol consumers in Bandung in early 2018. It showed that 45% obtained their alcohol from unlicensed kiosks. Underage drinking also remains a problem as 21% of the respondents were between 14 and 20 years old. Indonesia’s consumption of alcohol does not pose a public policy concern because according to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO) it remains low at 0.6 liter per head per year. The problem lies, instead, with unrecorded alcohol, which accounts for 80% of the national alcohol consumption (WHO, 2014). The CIPS survey found that 41% of the alcohol consumers in Bandung drank unrecorded alcohol of the “oplosan” type, which is a dangerous mix of potentially lethal ingredients. 54% bought their oplosan in kiosks. Stricter law enforcement is necessary to fight unrecorded alcohol, to control the licenses of liquor vendors, and to prevent underage drinking. However, law enforcement alone will not succeed and black markets for unrecorded alcohol will prevail, if the government continues to restrict accessibility and affordability of recorded alcohol. CIPS, therefore, recommends lower excise and import duties to make recorded alcohol more affordable. The national government should revoke the current ban on alcohol sales in minimarkets and local governments, including Bandung, should also review their local restrictions. Improving accessibility and affordability of recorded alcohol will not just replace one type of alcohol with another. Recorded alcohol only poses a risk when consumed in large quantities, which is not common in Indonesia. Meanwhile, unrecorded alcohol, even when consumed in small quantities, carries a tremendous risk caused by its potentially lethal ingredients. A shift to recorded alcohol saves lives

Use of 2n pollen in generating interspecific derivatives of groundnut

A cytological analysis was conducted for interspecific hybrids obtained from the cross between Arachis hypogaea and A. hoehnei, A, cardenasii, A. chiquitana, A. kretschmeri and A. glabrata, and from A. diogoi × A. glabrata and A. duranensis × A. glabrata. Dyads, triads and tetrads were observed in the F1 hybrids. Detailed cytological analysis revealed the restitution of second division, which indicated that the first meiotic division was normal, but the cytokinesis in the second division was impaired, resulting in the formation of dyads and triads. The formation of 2n pollen in F1 hybrids from A. hypogaea × A. chiquitana, A. hypogaea × A. kretschmeri and A. duranensis × A. glabrata was observed. The 2n pollen from A. hypogaea × A. chiquitana or A. hypogaea × A. kretschmeri was used to develop tetraploid hybrids with A. hypogaea without going through the backcrossing of hexaploids. Crosses using triploid pollen (A. hypogaea × A. cardenasii) gave rise to a few pegs and pods, further confirming that some of the triploid pollen were fertile. Reciprocal crosses using the triploid (A. hypogaea × A. cardenasii) as the female parent and A. hypogaea as the pollen donor resulted in 6% peg formation and 7 pods. Tetraploid hybrids were obtained from A. hypogaea × A. cardenasii as the female parent and A. hypogaea as the pollen donor

Memerangi Alkohol Ilegal : Prioritas Kebijakan di Bandung, Jawa Barat

Pada April 2018, seratus penduduk Indonesia tewas karena mengonsumsi alkohol ilegal. Mayoritas korban merupakan penduduk Bandung Raya, Jawa Barat. Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) menemukan bahwa dalam 10 tahun terakhir, korban jiwa akibat konsumsi alkohol ilegal di Bandung Raya hampir 5 kali lebih tinggi daripada wilayah lainnya di Indonesia. Dari tahun 2008 hingga 10 April 2018, jika dirata-rata, ada 16,3 kasus kematian akibat alkohol ilegal dalam setiap 1 juta penduduk di Bandung Raya, sementara “hanya” ada 3,40 kasus kematian dalam setiap 1 juta penduduk di seluruh wilayah Indonesia. Pemerintah mengendalikan distribusi minuman beralkohol melalui bea impor dan cukai yang tinggi. Semua penjualnya harus memilki izin dan dilarang menjual kepada orang di bawah usia 21 tahun. Peraturan Menteri Perdagangan (Permendag) 06/2015 juga melarang penjualan minuman beralkohol di toko kelontong modern/minimarket maupun toko serba ada/convenience store. Terdapat lebih dari 150 peraturan daerah yang membatasi distribusi dan konsumsi alkohol, termasuk Peraturan Daerah (Perda) Kota Bandung 11/2010 yang melarang penjualan alkohol di sekitar lingkungan tempat ibadah, sekolah dan rumah sakit. Sayangnya, peraturan pemerintah tidak efektif dalam melindungi konsumen Indonesia dan justru harus dilihat sebagai faktor yang menyebabkan munculnya pasar gelap. Survei CIPS di awal tahun 2018 menunjukkan bahwa 45% dari responden mendapatkan alkohol mereka melalui warung-warung yang tidak memiliki izin. Peminum di bawah umur juga menjadi masalah, sebagaimana ditunjukkan oleh 21% responden survei yang berusia 14 – 20 tahun. Jumlah konsumsi alkohol di Indonesia bukanlah masalah utama. Badan Kesehatan Dunia (WHO) mengestimasi tingkat konsumsi alkohol di Indonesia tergolong rendah, yaitu 0,6 liter per orang per tahun. Permasalahannya justru terletak pada alkohol ilegal yang proporsinya mencapai 80% dari total konsumsi alkohol nasional (WHO, 2014). Survei CIPS menemukan bahwa 41% peminum alkohol di Bandung mengonsumsi alkohol ilegal berjenis “oplosan”, yang merupakan campuran berbahaya dari bahan-bahan yang berpotensi mematikan. Penegakan hukum yang lebih tegas diperlukan guna memerangi alkohol ilegal dan mencegah peminum di bawah umur. Namun, penegakan hukum saja tidaklah cukup. Pasar gelap alkohol ilegal akan terus ada jika pemerintah terus menutup akses dan keterjangkauan alkohol legal. Oleh karena itu, pemerintah sebaiknya menurunkan cukai dan bea impor sehingga harga alkohol legal lebih terjangkau. Pemerintah pusat seyogyanya juga mencabut larangan penjualan alkohol di minimarket maupun toko serba ada. Selain itu, pemerintah daerah, termasuk Bandung, juga sebaiknya mengkaji kembali larangan alkohol di daerah mereka masing-masing. Meningkatkan aksesibilitas dan keterjangkauan alkohol legal tidak hanya akan menggantikan satu jenis alkohol dengan jenis lainnya. Alkohol legal hanya berisiko tinggi jika dikonsumsi dalam jumlah yang banyak, yang mana bukan merupakan sesuatu yang umum di Indonesia. Sebaliknya, alkohol ilegal, walaupun hanya dikonsumsi dalam jumlah yang sedikit, menyimpan risiko besar akibat bahan-bahan yang berpotensi mematikan yang terkandung di dalamnya. Pergeseran ke alkohol legal justru dapat menyelamatkan banyak nyawa

Нанохайку и нанохайга, или как нанотехнологиите се срещат с изкуството

The present work combines science and arts in an innovative and intriguing way. Using Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) and Directed Self-Assembly (DSA) of Block Co-Polymers (BCP) in conjunction with the shortest poetic form, haiku, the paper attractively demonstrate the capabilities of these nanofabrication techniques and explores the interaction between the top-down EBL process and the bottom-up DSA approach. Silicon (Si) substrates and EBL with the hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) negative tone resist were used for capturing examples of the tiniest haiku poems written and translated into six languages having four different character styles. Subsequently, the haiku nanostructures (“nanohaiku”) were used as guiding features between which the poly(styrene)-blockpoly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) diblock copolymer is spin coated to create self-organised nanopatterns. The annealing was done in toluene solvent vapours at 50°C for 1.5 hours and then the samples were immersed in ethanol for 15 hours at 40°C to dissolve the PEO copolymer. In areas within and in-between the individual characters and syllables of the poems, unusual patterns were observed. We interpret them as self-assembled “nanohaiga” directed by the morphology and the linguistic geometry of the nanohaiku. Moreover, we demonstrate how the BCP pattern changes when interacting with the same verse translated into different languages. Thus we add to the haiku poem's own nanostructure and meaning a new visual identity, nanohaiga, combining for the first time poetry, visual art and advanced nanofabrication technologies

The advent of system toxicology: aims and aspect of toxicogenomics

Last fifty years a significant advancement has been established in biological science. It happened due to the discovery of gene, genome and genetic code, function of genes and mutation of genes. Through this, the scientists have discovered that genetic code is the building block and fundamental of all molecular activity in biological system. According to this, several molecular techniques have been established to prove molecular events, effects of chemical exposure within individuals and environment. For this evaluation, the necessary of toxicogenomics is crucial, that deals with the effects of chemical in changing the genetic pattern along with mutation into gene. Toxicogenomics also deals with transcription of proteins and metabolite profiling to investigate the interaction of genes and environment stress in disease. Toxicogenomics also described the altered expression of genes caused by mutation and chemical exposure that cause several disease and show toxicant functions in cell. The main objective of toxicogenomics is to remove this exposure and provide remedy of these toxical diseases. The use, application, correlation, combination and collaboration of different significant, major, modern biological fields like proteomics, transcriptomics, bioinformatics, microarray and several other molecular process is carried out by toxicogenomics that gradually evolving in systems toxicology. This review recovered the evolution and significant application of the different fields of toxicogenomics

Arachis hoehnei the probable B genome donor of Arachis hypogaea based on crossability, cytogenetical and molecular studies

Results are presented of a study investigating the crossability relationship between Arachis hypogaea and six B genome species. Cultivated groundnut was crossed with Arachis hoehnei, A. benensis, A. valida, A. magna, A. batizocoi and A. ipaensis. A. hoehnei when crossed with A. hypogaea set bold seeds without the application of growth regulators. Based on crossability between A. duranensis and A. hoehnei, cytogenetical data and molecular analysis of the hybrid between A. duranensis and A. hoehnei, it is proposed that A. hoehnei is the probable B genome donor of cultivated groundnut

Effects of pentoxifylline and metformin combination therapy compared to metformin alone in infertile women with symptomatic endometrioma

Background: Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, significantly affects reproductive health and fertility in women. This study compares the efficacy of pentoxifylline plus metformin versus metformin alone in treating symptomatic endometrioma in infertile women. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the department of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, BSMMU, Dhaka, from July 2022 to June 2023, involving 51 women. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups: pentoxifylline plus metformin (n=25) and metformin alone (n=26). Baseline and post-treatment evaluations included the size of endometrioma, pain scores using the visual analogue scale (VAS), and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Data analysis focused on comparing treatment outcomes between the two groups. Result: At baseline, both groups were comparable in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, BMI, and type and duration of infertility. Post-treatment, the pentoxifylline plus metformin group showed significant reductions in endometrioma size (2.23±0.97 cm), VAS score (2.73±1.21), and IL-6 levels, all with p<0.001s. In contrast, the metformin alone group exhibited a significant reduction in endometrioma size (3.12±1.42 cm, p=0.003s) and VAS score (3.48±1.89, p<0.001s), but not in IL-6 levels (p=0.505ns). Pregnancy rates were 8.0% in the pentoxifylline plus metformin group and 3.85% in the metformin alone group (p=0.610ns). Side effects were minimal and comparable between the two groups. Conclusions: Pentoxifylline plus metformin demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing endometrioma size, pain scores, and IL-6 levels compared to metformin alone. However, no significant differences were observed in pregnancy rates or side effects. These findings indicate that the combination therapy could offer greater benefits in managing endometrioma size and pain, although further research is required to evaluate its impact on fertility outcomes in endometriosis patients

Effects of levo-carnitine in infertile men with asthenozoospermia: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

Background: Infertility is defined as the inability of a sexually active couple to conceive within one year of regular unprotected coitus. Worldwide, it is estimated that 15% of couples are infertile; among them, the male factor is responsible for 50% of cases. This may be the sole underlying cause or a contributory factor to infertility. We aimed to assess the effects of a complementary treatment with a strong antioxidant (levo-carnitine) on sperm function and fertility of infertile men. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial study and was conducted in the department of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib medical university (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. during the period from July 2022 to June 2023. In our study, we included 72 infertile men presenting with asthenozoospermia. There were two groups-group A (Participants who received tab levo-carnitine 330 mg twice daily orally for three months) and group B (Tab placebo twice daily orally for three months) Result: The majority of patients in both groups, 51% in group A and 49% in group B, were aged 30-40 years, with no significant difference in mean age (35.36±5.50 vs 34.50±5.50, p>0.05). Overall, 62.5% of patients reported primary sub-fertility. Levo-carnitine administration leads to significant improvements in sperm motility (15±2.68 vs. 36.58±5.16, p<0.05). In the case of placebo treatment, there were no significant improvements in sperm motility (13.91±5.53 vs. 16.36±1.19, p>0.05). We found that the comparison of TMC of both groups reflected statistically significant differences (p<0.05) before treatment and after treatment with levo-carnitine and placebo (6.40±2.87 vs 22.91±14.88) 5.64±3.96 vs 7.71±4.91).  Conclusions: Levo-carnitine treatment can lead to significant improvements in semen parameters, particularly in motility