Association of brain-derived neurotrophic factors and tau protein blood levels with delirium patients in intensive care unit

Background: Delirium, an acute and fluctuating disturbance of consciousness and cognition, frequently occurs in critically ill patients, occurring up to 80% of the critically ill. It is hence associated with several disease severity and infection. As critically ill patients are subjected to numerous risk factors for delirium such as sedative, analgesic agents and pre-existing systemic illness, some of these may be modified to reduce the risk factors for delirium. The aim of the study was to determine the association between serum concentration of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Tau protein levels with delirium in mechanically ventilated ICU patients. Methodology: This was a prospective cross-sectional study from June 2013 until November 2013 done in ICU HUSM. 45 ICU patients with or without delirium were included. Within 12 hours of ICU admission, blood was obtained for baseline biomarker analysis and subsequently 48 hours later, another blood sample was obtained. Delirium was diagnosed by using the Confusion-Assessment Method in ICU (CAM-ICU). ELISA assay for the plasma Tau protein and BDNF were performed to obtain the blood level for these biomarkers. To determine the associations between the blood levels of biomarkers which are Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factors and Tau protein withdelirious patients who are mechanically ventilated in ICU (HUSM), non-parametric analysis were performed. Results: 45 patients were included into this study but 5 were dropped out due to inability to perform CAM-ICU as a result of deep sedation with RASS score ranging from -4 to -5. Until the end of their stay, all drop outs died in ICU. Demographically, patients from the age 18 to 65 years old were included. We found that the median BDNF levels were significantly lower in the delirium patients when compared to the non-delirium patients within the first day of admission, (71.22ng/mL, IqR 33.78 vs 103.76ng/mL IqR 41.91) with p-value of 0.001. There was no significant difference in the median BDNF levels after 48 hours (day 3) from ICU admission between the delirious and non-delirious group, (8.69ng/mL, IqR 10.70 vs 12.16, IqR 10.79), respectively, with a p-value of 0.573.However, for the median of Tau protein on day 1 and day 3, the levels were not statistically significant for either the delirious and the non-delirious group, with day 1 ICU admission having Tau protein levels of 0.18ng/mL, IqR 0.12 vs 0.16ng/mL, IqR 0.10, and with day 3 ICU admission having delirum Tau protein levels of 84.66ng/mL, IqR 122.23 vs non-delirium Tau protein levels 55.48 ng/mL, IqR 30.95, with p-value > 0.005. Median age of patients in ICU was 45 years old accounting 7.5% of all patients. Subsequent division of age range into three groups were done, with younger age from 18 to 35 years old, median age from 36 to 55 years old and older age from 56 to 65 years old. Out of 40 patients, 30%(n=12) were at the younger age group, 32.5% (n=13) were at median age group and 37.5% (n=15) were at the older age group. Among them, it was found that 57.5% (n=23) were delirious and 42.5% (n=17) were non-delirious. 34.78% (n=8) from the delirious group were at younger age, 26.1% (n=6) were at median age and 39.1% (n=9) were at older age. Further results show that among 17 non-delirious patients, 23.5% (n=4) were at younger age, 41.8% (n=7) were at median age and 35.3% (n=6) were at older age. The results show that there were significant differences in the median length of stay between delirium and non-delirium groups, 11(7) and 5(6) respectively, with p-value of 0.003.The length of delirium patients requiring mechanical ventilator (in days) were significantly longer compared to the non-delirium patients, 9(7) and 3(5) respectively, with a p-value of 0.002. In total, it was found that there were more ventilated patients in ICU having delirium at 57.5% (n=23) compared to 42.5% (n=17) for non-delirium patients. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that there was an association between ICU admission levels of BDNF and the occurrence of delirium in ICU patients, in the pathophysiology of ICU delirium, suggesting a role for neuronal death occurring in the pre-ICU delirium setting or soon after admission of within 12 hours, and not during the ICU stay. However, Tau protein levels do not correlate with the occurrence of delirium in ICU

PENINGKATAN MINAT BACA SISWA DI SMAN 4 MATARAM

The development of information technology has an influence on students' reading interest. On the one hand IT provides access to abundant reading so that students can easily find information through the reading they need. On the other hand IT has an influence on students' lack of interest in reading because they are more interested in menus or features provided such as social media and games. Therefore, it is important for the library to increase reading interest, especially in the Library of SMA Negeri 4 Mataram. So it is necessary to carry out active participation in the field as a form of community service carried out in the school library. The purpose of this service is to provide an understanding of the importance of increasing students' interest in reading. The method used in this service is to design activity plans, socialize the importance of reading interest, socialize reading service programs in libraries, information retrieval training through OPAC, and conduct coaching or mentoring of students' reading interest. The results carried out in this service are First, the socialization of the importance of interest in reading and the reading service program in the library received a positive response as seen from the high enthusiasm of students. Second, training in searching for information or library materials through OPAC has an effect on student independence in obtaining the required reading material so that students can search for themselves in OPAC. Third, fostering or assisting students' reading interest through one hour of reading at school accompanied by lecturers, librarians and class teachers has a significant influence on students' reading interest at SMAN 4 Mataram. The assisted students are increasingly diligent in reading and are attracted to the library during free hours

Sensory preference and bloom stability of chocolate containing cocoa butter substitute from coconut oil

Coconut oil (CNO) is a main source of cocoa butter substitute (CBS). CBS is proposed to improve the appearance, taste of chocolate and increase the stability of chocolate against bloom formation.Therefore, the objective of the research was to determine the effects of CNO substituted at different levels (0%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5%) on physicochemical, sensory acceptance and bloom stability of the chocolate.The TAG composition differed among the chocolate produced. Substitution of CNO in chocolate formulations reduced the melting profile, Tonset (30.72–28.98 �C), Tpeak (36.64–34.39 �C), and Tendset (40.31–36.36 �C). The rheological behavior, Casson yield and Casson viscosity of the chocolate also decreased. The Casson yield and Casson viscosity decreased as amount of CNO substituted increased.In sensory profiling, the scores for the color of chocolate did not differ significantly with control chocolate. However, the glossiness, taste and overall acceptability of chocolate C was more preferred by consumers with the highest amount of CNO (4.5%) substitution. The chocolate containing CNO shows slower rate of bloom formation during storage compared to control chocolate. Chocolate C had the highest stability against bloom formation. This study suggested that CNO substitution at 4.5% has the potential to improve appearance and taste of the chocolate with less effects on the melting profile and rheological behavior. In addition, application of CNO as CBS able to increase the stability of chocolate against bloom formation

Factors Influencing Inclination towards Agro-food Entrepreneurship among Kelantan Youth

The National Agro-food Policy is an opportunity for agro-entrepreneurs to increase their revenue and it also provides job opportunities for unemployed youth. However, the agricultural sector is not attractive to convince the youth and young generations to engage in the agro-food sector because of the perception. This study was aimed at identifying the factors influencing inclination towards agro-food entrepreneurship among Kelantan youth. The study used a non-probability sampling technique and 100 questionnaires were distributed to youth in Kelantan. In order to achieve the aim of study, a descriptive analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings demonstrated that attitude was the most significant factor influencing the inclination of youth towards agro-food entrepreneurship. Future research should focus on respondents who have a background in agriculture, such as agricultural students or people who are involved in the agro-food sector in order to acquire a greater understanding of factors that influence the inclination towards agro-food entrepreneurship

Youths Participation on Development of Entrepreneurship Agricultural Fresh Produce Preservation Skill Training Module

Agriculture product preservation can prevent the dumping of waste of fresh produce and also can increase the agriculture entrepreneurship for country development. Most of youth have unemployment problems especially after completing their studies because lack of skills and experience. Through this skill training module, it helps youth to build another career that can help them in future which is involving in agriculture entrepreneurship. This study was developed skill training module to attract youth that want to venture into agriculture product preservation business. A total of 30 respondents in University Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus were joined the training where a developed questionnaire was used to gain the data at the end of the training. For analysis, the descriptive analysis was employed by using SPSS software. Based on the results, all of the respondents gave positive feedback towards this training and many of them interested to join this field of business to improve the quality of life in the future.

Improvement model framework of urban agriculture program in Malaysia: PLS-SEM analysis

The Malaysian government has introduced the Urban Agriculture Program to improve the performance of urban and rural agriculture in Malaysia. The Urban Agriculture Program was implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Malaysia in 2010. Such agricultural extension programs may significantly affect the effectiveness of adopting urban agriculture practices, which eventually help the participants with better living standards and productivity. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of urban agriculture programs. Primary data was collected from 230 urban agriculture program participants registered under the DOA Malaysia. The data was analysed using the PLS-SEM analysis method with the help of SMART-PLS software version 3.0. Findings revealed a positive association between all CIPP factors and Effectiveness. These findings showed that the DOA should prioritise process and product as the agriculture extension provider (stakeholders). This study suggests that policymakers should improve the implementation of urban agriculture programs in context, input, process, and product at a community level to improve food security and nutrition by 2030

The Growth Performance of Pineapple Seedlings Planted with Mycorrhizae and Different Rates of Phosphorus Fertiliser

Pineapple stands as a promising crop with potential for widespread cultivation across Malaysia. Nevertheless, factors like the elevated cost of fertilisers and certain environmental challenges have acted as obstacles to pineapple production within the country. The application of mycorrhiza presents an opportunity to curtail fertilisers usage and thereby mitigate environmental strain. This study seeks to assess the impact of mycorrhiza on pineapple growth and determine an optimal Phosphorus (P) fertilisers rate that complements mycorrhizal activity, all while enhancing pineapple growth. A randomised block design with six replications was employed. The study maintained a consistent mycorrhiza application rate of 5 g/plant but varied the Phosphorus fertilisers rate. Data on leaf length, plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight were collected and subjected to analysis. The study, conducted over a four-month period at UiTM Jengka, Pahang, culminated in results analysed through Microsoft Excel and MINITAB. Notably, Treatment 3 displayed the most robust growth performance across leaf length, plant height, and fresh weight. However, Treatment 5 emerged as the optimal choice for enhancing dry plant weight

Effect of bean sprout on in vitro multiplication of Musa acuminata

Musa acuminata or Pisang Berangan is popular in Kelantan, but due to a lack of knowledge on modern farming technologies, many Musa acuminata are affected by diseases and are of low quality. Plant tissue culture has numerous advantages, including a rapid rate of multiplication, and the prevention of disease. Plant growth regulator such as Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) is commonly used in media to grow banana explants, however, Murashige and Skoog (MS) media production with BAP hormone is expensive for low-income farmers. Therefore, this research had been done by substituting the BAP hormone by using bean sprout extract as an organic supplement for banana culture. The additives that were used in this project were non-centrifuged and centrifuged bean sprout extracts at different concentrations, which were 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% applied in the MS media. Data were collected based on number of leaves, length of leaves and length of roots. In this study, the positive control treatment with MS + 5 mg/L BAP media recorded the highest mean value in the number of leaves, length of leaves, and length of roots with values of 12.5 ± 0.59, 5.69 ± 0.13cm, and 6.45 ± 0.36cm respectively followed by MS media with centrifuged bean sprout extract. From the observation, the bean sprout has the potential to use as an additive for Musa acuminata media to substitute synthetic hormones such as BAP

Phytochemical Screening and Chemical Analysis of Freeze-dried Lawsonia inermis Leaves Extract

Lawsonia inermis or Henna is proven to give a natural dye to skin and hair. However, there is still a lack of studies evaluating the properties of Henna in terms of its phytochemical composition. Thus, this study aims to extract henna leaves using the freeze-dried method before testing the phytochemicals in the extract. This study also seeks to analyze the presence of chemicals in the plant extract. The Thin Layer Chromatography, TLC method was used to test the extract's antioxidant, phenolic and polyphenol compounds. Gas Chromatography was applied to analyze the presence of chemicals in the plant extract. This study found that the extract of henna leaves contained antioxidants, phenolic, and polyphenol compounds. There are four chemicals found in the plant sample that show antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. This study proves that Henna leaves are composed of dye and other valuable compounds that could benefit the body. Hence, the application for this leave could be extended not only for dye purposes but also for others

Effect of bean sprout on i

Musa acuminata or Pisang Berangan is popular in Kelantan, but due to a lack of knowledge on modern farming technologies, many Musa acuminata are affected by diseases and are of low quality. Plant tissue culture has numerous advantages, including a rapid rate of multiplication, and the prevention of disease. Plant growth regulator such as Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) is commonly used in media to grow banana explants, however, Murashige and Skoog (MS) media production with BAP hormone is expensive for low-income farmers. Therefore, this research had been done by substituting the BAP hormone by using bean sprout extract as an organic supplement for banana culture. The additives that were used in this project were non-centrifuged and centrifuged bean sprout extracts at different concentrations, which were 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% applied in the MS media. Data were collected based on number of leaves, length of leaves and length of roots. In this study, the positive control treatment with MS + 5 mg/L BAP media recorded the highest mean value in the number of leaves, length of leaves, and length of roots with values of 12.5 ± 0.59, 5.69 ± 0.13cm, and 6.45 ± 0.36cm respectively followed by MS media with centrifuged bean sprout extract. From the observation, the bean sprout has the potential to use as an additive for Musa acuminata media to substitute synthetic hormones such as BAP