Development of Palang Pintu As an Edutainment in Venetië van Java (Batavia)

In the midst of the proliferation of Betawi cultural creations, one that is considered to be an intangible cultural heritage is (Open) the Palang Pintu or otherwise known as the Palang Pintu (Doorstop/Door Cross). Palang Pintu is one of the events in the Betawi wedding ceremony. The meaning and philosophy or character of the Betawi people is reflected in the Palang Pintu. This qualitative research was produced using various sources of contemporaries in the form of staatsblad, magazines, newspapers, manuscripts, and photographs with the aim of producing data as Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie, Bijdragen Koninklijk Instituut voor Indische Taal, Land en Volkenkunde, De Indische Courant, het Dagblad, Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad, Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, Inter Ocean, Sluyters Monthly, Bintang Hindia, and Radja Timoer. Palang Pintu is an educational part of the cultural values of the Betawi people. Palang Pintu currently is no longer only held in traditional Betawi wedding ceremonies but at various other events such as circumcision or welcoming guests.     Keywords: Palang Pintu, marriage ceremony, Betawi, cultur

Activation of the Epstein-Barr virus DNA polymerase promoter by the BRLF1 immediate-early protein is mediated through USF and E2F.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA polymerase (pol) is essential for the replication of viral genomes during productive EBV infection. We have previously reported that the EBV DNA pol promoter, which is TATA-less and constitutively inactive, is activated by a genomic clone expressing both immediate-early viral transactivators, BZLF1Z and BRLF1 (R), in EBV-infected lymphoid cells. Here we demonstrate that R alone is sufficient to activate the pol promoter in EBV-negative B cells. Unlike other early promoters to which the R protein binds directly, its effect on the pol promoter does not appear to involve a direct DNA-binding mechanism. Instead, we found that two cellular transcription factors, an upstream stimulatory factor USF, and a member of the E2F family of proteins, bind directly to the pol promoter at positions -795 to -786 and -186 to -170, respectively, regions previously identified as important for activation of the pol promoter. These two sites contribute to or are essential for transactivation of the pol promoter by R in EBV-noninfected B cells. These data suggest that the R immediate-early protein may activate a key early EBV promoter (pol) through both USF and E2F

CT Angiography in The Detection of Carotid Body Enlargement in Patients with Hypertension and Heart Failure

Introduction: The carotid body (CB) has previously been found to be enlarged and hyperactive in various disease states such as heart failure (HF), hypertension (HTN), and respiratory disease. Evaluation of CB size in these disease states using imaging has not been performed. The purpose of this case–control study was to compare CB sizes in patients with HF and HTN with those of controls using CT angiography. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 323 consecutive patients who had neck computed tomography angiography (CTA) exams in 2011. Following extensive review, 17 HF and HTN patients and 14 controls were identified. Two radiologists blinded to the patient disease status made consensus bilateral carotid body (CB) measurements on the CTA exams using a previously described standardized protocol. CB axial cross-sectional areas were compared between HF and HTN cases and controls using a paired t test. Results: The right CB demonstrated a mean cross-sectional area of 2.79 mm2 in HF and HTN patients vs. 1.40 mm2 in controls (p = 0.02). The left CB demonstrated a mean cross-sectional area of 3.13 mm2 in HF and HTN patients vs. 1.53 mm in controls (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Our results provide imaging evidence that the carotid bodies are enlarged in patients with HF and HTN. Our case–control series suggests that this enlargement can be detected on neck CTA

Identification and functional characterization of Epstein-Barr virus DNA polymerase by in vitro transcription-translation of a cloned gene.

In order to identify the gene encoding the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA polymerase, a portion of the BamHI-A fragment containing the fifth leftward open reading frame (BALF5) of the EBV genome was cloned into SP6 and T7 promoter-containing vectors for in vitro transcription-translation. The RNA synthesized in vitro was used to program rabbit reticulocyte lysates, which were analyzed for the synthesis of the putative polymerase polypeptide (110 kDa) and assayed directly for EBV DNA polymerase activity. The polypeptide synthesized by the full-length BALF5 genomic fragment had a molecular mass of 110 kDa. 5'-truncated BALF5 with the first and second ATGs deleted produced 95- and 83-kDa polypeptides, respectively. All three translation products were enzymatically active and displayed resistance to high salt concentrations. The identity of the largest polypeptide as the viral polymerase was established by (i) immunoprecipitation with EBV-positive sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and by a rabbit polyclonal antiserum prepared with a synthetic peptide derived from the DNA sequence of BALF5; (ii) identification of a polypeptide of identical size (110 kDa) immunoprecipitated from superinfected Raji cell extracts by these antibodies; and (iii) salt-resistant enzymatic activity which was neutralized by the rabbit EBV antiserum. Thus, BALF5 encodes a functional polymerase identical to that induced in superinfected Raji cells