BLACK CUMIN (NIGELLA SATIVA) EFFECT ON EXPRESSION OF TNF-α, IL-2, AND sFlt-1IN PREECLAMPTIC MODEL RATS

Objective: To prove the effect of giving black cumin seed extract (Nigella sativa) to decrease levels of TNF-α, IL-2, sFlt-1, and in PE model mice. Methods: This study is an analytical study with true experimental research design in laboratory mice (Rattus norvegicus) pregnant female has given black cumin seed extract (Nigella sativa) at a dose of 500 mg/kg/day and 2000 mg/kg/day. The treatment of all samples was carried out simultaneously and during the treatment was observed using the type of Postest Only Control Group Design. To assess whether the sample is normally distributed or not the Shapiro-Wilk test was carried out because the sample was ≤50. To assess the comparison of parameters (differences in expression of IL-2, sFlt-1, and TNF-α) between groups, the ANOVA test was used if the data were normally distributed and the Kruskal Wallis test if the data were not normally distributed. Results: From these results, it can be seen that there are significant differences in the administration of black cumin extract on TNF-α, IL-2, andsFlt-1 expression (p<0.001); the administration of black cumin extract can reduce TNF-α, IL-2, and sFlt-1 expression in preeclampsia mice. The administration of 2000 mg black cumin extract can reduce TNF-α and IL-2 expression more significantly. Conclusion: Black cumin can reduce levels of TNF-α, IL-2, sFlt-1 in models mice with preeclampsia (p<0.001)

BLACK CUMIN (NIGELLA SATIVA) EFFECT ON BLOOD PRESSURE, MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE, PROTEINURIA IN PREECLAMPTIC MODEL RATS

Objective: This research aimed to show effect of black cumin (nigella sativa) on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), proteinuria in preeclamptic model rats. Methods: This is analytical research with true experimental design in laboratory pregnant female rats (Rattus norvegicus), which get black cumin seed extract (Nigella sativa) at a dose of 500 mg/kg/day and 2000 mg/kg/day. Treatment of all samples was performed simultaneously and during the treatment was observed using Postest Only Control Group Design. The research was conducted at Biology Laboratory in July 2019. To assess the comparison of parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and proteinuria) between groups the ANOVA test was used if the data were normally distributed and Kruskal Wallis test was used if the data were abnormally distributed. Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and MAP decreased in preeclampsia models rats by administering 500 mg (P1) and 2000 mg (cumin) black cumin extract (P2). However, a dose of 2000 mg black cumin extract had a more significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and MAP. The results of this research indicate that all treatment groups showed improvement after day 9 of the administration of nigella that no treatment group showed proteinuria. Conclusion: Black cumin is proven to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, Mean Arterial Pressure and proteinuria

Pelapisan Alloy FeNiAl Menggunakan Metode Detonation Gun (D-Gun)

Pelapisan material alloy Fe38Ni10Al dilakukan dengan metode D-Gun untuk meningkatkan kekerasan material Stainless Steel AISI 316 L. Analisis parameter proses dilakukan dengan perangkat statistik ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) – Taguchi untuk memperoleh ukuran kristal, ketebalan dan tingkat kekerasan yang optimum. Lapisan paling tebal dimiliki oleh sampel SS03 sebesar 280 mikron, sedangkan sampel SS02 memiliki ketebalan paling rendah, 97 mikron. Ketebalan lapisan sangat dipengaruhi oleh laju aliran gas pembawa serbuk dengan rasio kontribusi sebesar 82, 7%. Kekerasan optimum diperoleh sampel SS08 dengan tingkat kekerasan sebesar 281,6 HV yang jauh lebih besar dari tingkat kekerasan Stainless Steel tanpa lapisan (195,0 HV). Analisis struktur dan ukuran kristal dilakukan dengan menggunakan XRD dan Metode Scherrer yang menghasilkan struktur kristal Taenite (γ-(Fe,Ni)) dengan ukuran kristal pada orde nanometer (nanokristal) pada kisaran 27,5 hingga 37,7 nm. Ukuran kristal sangat dipengaruhi oleh parameter rasio gas asetilene – oksigen dengan rasio kontribusi 60,4 %

Controlled Clinical Trial Effect of Noni Fruit Extract (Morinda citrifolia) Toward Overactive Bladder Women through Observation of High-Sensitivity C-reactive Protein in Urine Levels

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) appears to increase with age (aging), and free radicals most contribute to an increase in the aging process. But now, some researchers have found the efficacy of Morinda citrifolia in inhibiting the oxidative stress process so that it is expected to be beneficial for the treatment of OAB. AIM: The aim of this study was to find out the effect of M. citrifolia extract on overactive women bladder (OAB) through observation of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) urine level. METHODS: This research is an experimental study using double-blind randomized controlled trial design conducted at General Hospital H. Adam Malik Medan, USU Pharmacy Laboratory for extraction of noni fruit (M. citrifolia) and the Integrated Laboratory of Biochemical-Biomolecular USU Faculty of Medicine for the examination of hs-CRP urine levels. A t-dependent test is performed if data distribution is normally distributed or if not normally distributed, the median values are compared with the Mann–Whitney U-test. The effect of noni in hs-CRP levels performed by wilcoxon signed-Ranks Test. The statistical significance test with CI 95% and significant difference value p<0,05. RESULTS: These results indicate that the noni fruit extract has weak antioxidant activity (IC50 >150 ppm). From the statistical analysis, a significant difference (p < 0.05) was obtained in hs-CRP urine level after compared to before treatment. These results indicate that after treatment, there was an improvement in the degree of OAB symptom scores in Group A and Group B. CONCLUSIONS: Noni fruit extract (M. citrifolia) is proven to be able to inhibit oxidative stress in urothelium through observation of hs-CRP urine levels in overactive women bladder (OAB). &nbsp

Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater

Signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the ampulla of Vater is a very rare case and only 28 cases have beed reported in the English literature. Herein, we report a 59-year-old woman with SRCC of the ampulla of Vater. She developed symptoms of obstructive jaundice at early stage of disease and underwent pylorus-preserving Whipple procedure as definitive treatment. Histopathology examination showed numerous tumor cells with intracytoplasmic mucin and eccentric nuclei. Her tumor has already invaded the serosa of duodenum, but no infiltration to the stomach, pancreas, and lymphovascular structure. Her surgical margins and regional lymph nodes were free of tumor. She was diagnosed with T2N0M0 SRCC of the ampulla of Vater. No adjuvant treatment was given and she has been doing well for five months after surgery

Fluid moment hierarchy equations derived from quantum kinetic theory

A set of quantum hydrodynamic equations are derived from the moments of the electrostatic mean-field Wigner kinetic equation. No assumptions are made on the particular local equilibrium or on the statistical ensemble wave functions. Quantum diffraction effects appear explicitly only in the transport equation for the heat flux triad, which is the third-order moment of the Wigner pseudo-distribution. The general linear dispersion relation is derived, from which a quantum modified Bohm-Gross relation is recovered in the long wave-length limit. Nonlinear, traveling wave solutions are numerically found in the one-dimensional case. The results shed light on the relation between quantum kinetic theory, the Bohm-de Broglie-Madelung eikonal approach, and quantum fluid transport around given equilibrium distribution functions.Comment: 5 pages, three figures, uses elsarticle.cl

Complexity within an oil palm monoculture : The effects of habitat variability and rainfall on adult dragonfly (Odonata) communities

Recent expansion of oil palm agriculture has resulted in loss of forest habitat and forest‐dependent species. However, large numbers of species—particularly insects—can persist within plantations. This study focuses on Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies): a charismatic indicator taxon and a potentially valuable pest control agent. We surveyed adult Odonata populations biannually over three years within an industrial oil palm plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. We assessed the effects of rainfall (including an El Niño Southern Oscillation‐associated drought), the role of roadside ditches, and the importance of understory vegetation on Odonata populations. To assess the impacts of vegetation, we took advantage of a long‐term vegetation management experiment that is part of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture (BEFTA) Programme. We found 41 Odonata species, and communities varied between plantation core and roadside edge microhabitats, and between seasons. Abundance was significantly related to rainfall levels four months before surveys, probably indicating the importance of high water levels in roadside ditches for successful larval development. We found no significant effect of the BEFTA understory vegetation treatments on Odonata abundance, and only limited effects on community composition, suggesting that local understory vegetation structure plays a relatively unimportant role in determining communities. Our findings highlight that there are large numbers of Odonata species present within oil palm plantations and suggest that their abundance could potentially be increased by maintaining or establishing waterbodies. As Odonata are predators, this could bring pest control benefits, in addition to enhancing biodiversity within intensive agricultural landscapes.publishedVersionPaid Open Acces

Target Site Recognition by a Diversity-Generating Retroelement

Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are in vivo sequence diversification machines that are widely distributed in bacterial, phage, and plasmid genomes. They function to introduce vast amounts of targeted diversity into protein-encoding DNA sequences via mutagenic homing. Adenine residues are converted to random nucleotides in a retrotransposition process from a donor template repeat (TR) to a recipient variable repeat (VR). Using the Bordetella bacteriophage BPP-1 element as a prototype, we have characterized requirements for DGR target site function. Although sequences upstream of VR are dispensable, a 24 bp sequence immediately downstream of VR, which contains short inverted repeats, is required for efficient retrohoming. The inverted repeats form a hairpin or cruciform structure and mutational analysis demonstrated that, while the structure of the stem is important, its sequence can vary. In contrast, the loop has a sequence-dependent function. Structure-specific nuclease digestion confirmed the existence of a DNA hairpin/cruciform, and marker coconversion assays demonstrated that it influences the efficiency, but not the site of cDNA integration. Comparisons with other phage DGRs suggested that similar structures are a conserved feature of target sequences. Using a kanamycin resistance determinant as a reporter, we found that transplantation of the IMH and hairpin/cruciform-forming region was sufficient to target the DGR diversification machinery to a heterologous gene. In addition to furthering our understanding of DGR retrohoming, our results suggest that DGRs may provide unique tools for directed protein evolution via in vivo DNA diversification

Oil palm monoculture induces drastic erosion of an Amazonian forest mammal fauna

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers