Helicobacter Pylori (Hp) Infection Among Healthy Blood Donors And Endoscoped Patients In Northern Peninsular Malaysia.

Over a 9-month period, sera from 5370 healthy blood donors were investigated for anti-HP IgG and anti-HP IgA antibodies. Seroprevalence for HP infection was 14.2%. There was no significant difference between the prevalence rate across all races and both sexes

PENGARUH PEMBERLAKUAN POINT PELANGGARAN TERHADAP KEDISIPLINAN SISWA DALAM BELAJAR DI MADRASAH TSANAWIYAH MUHAMMADIYAH 02 PEKANBARU

Point pelanggaran yang dimaksud adalah point yang dikenakan kepada siswa atas pelanggaran yang dilakukan siswa terhadap tata tertib yang ditetapkan oleh sekolah. Tujuannya agar siswa di Madrasah Tsanawiyah Muhammadiyah 02 Pekanbaru menjadi disiplin dalam belajar, sehingga kegiatan belajar mengajar disekolah dapat terlaksana dengan baik. Penelitian ini terdiri atas dua variabel, yaitu: Pemberlakuan point pelanggaran (variabel independent/bebas atau variabel X) terhadap kedisiplinan siswa dalam belajar (variabel dependent/terikat atau variabel Y). Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui apakah ada pengaruh yang signifikan antara pemberlakuan point pelanggaran terhadap kedisiplinan siswa di Madrasah Tsanawiyah Muhammadiyah 02 Pekanbaru. Sedangkan rumusan masalahnya adalah apakah ada pengaruh yang signifikan antara pemberlakuan point pelanggaran terhadap kedisiplinan siswa dalam belajar di Madrasah Tsanawiyah Muhammadyah 02 Pekanbaru. Subjek penelitian ini adalah siswa Madrasah Tsanawiyah Muhammadiyah 02 Pekanbaru sedangkan objek penelitian ini adalah pengaruh pemberlakuan point pelanggaran terhadap kedisiplinan siswa dalam belajar. Populasi penelitian ini adalah semua siswa kelas VIII Madrasah Tsanawiyah Muhammadiyah 02 Pekanbaru yang berjumlah 65 orang siswa. Karena populasinya kurang dari 100 maka penulis tidak mengambil sampel oleh karena itu penelitian ini dinamakan penelitian populasi. Pengumpulan data diambil melalui angket,wawancara dan dokumentasi. Data yang terkumpul sesuai dengan jenis penelitian ini korelasi yang bersifat ordinal yang diubah menjadi interval, maka data di analisis dengan menggunakan Teknik Analisa Regresi Linier dengan bantuan SPSS versi 16.0 for windows. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa adanya pengaruh yang signifikan antara pemberlakuan point pelanggaran terhadap kedisiplinan siswa dalam belajar yaitu sebesar 36,3%. Hal ini diketahui dengan diterimanya Ha

Penggunaan Metode Point System Berbasis Job Value dalam Perancangan Sistem Kompensasi Ideal pada UKM XYZ

Sistem kompensasi yang optimal merupakan salah satu faktor yang berdampak pada kepuasan dan kinerja karyawan. Di Kota Bogor, salah satu Usaha Kecil Menengah (UKM) bernama XYZ belum mengadopsi sistem kompensasi khusus dalam membayar gaji karyawannya. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan struktur kompensasi ideal yang dapat meningkatkan kepuasan kerja karyawan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi kondisi sistem kompensasi, menganalisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya, dan menyusun struktur kompensasi ideal untuk UKM XYZ. Penelitian ini bersifat kuantitatif, dengan analisis data menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif dan metode Point System berbasis Job Value. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa UKM XYZ belum mengimplementasikan sistem kompensasi yang ideal bagi karyawan mereka. Faktor-faktor kompensasi yang diperhitungkan melibatkan Pendidikan, Pengetahuan dan Pelatihan, Pengalaman Kerja, Kemampuan Fisik, Komunikasi, Kerja Sama, Perencanaan-Koordinasi, Orientasi Pelayanan Pelanggan, Analisis dan Pemecahan Masalah, serta Tanggung Jawab Finansial dan Aset Fisik. Sebagai solusi, direkomendasikan agar UKM XYZ menerapkan sistem kompensasi tumpang tindih (overlapping) untuk mencapai tingkat upah yang kompetitif dengan UKM sejenis sesuai tingkat kenaikan inflasi dan UMP

Factors Contributing to Students’ Attainment in Design and Technology Project Work

Design and Technology (Reka Bentuk dan Teknologi) or known as RBT, is a new subject introduced as part of the Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM) in 2017. The content of this new subject focuses on the daily application of technology, specifically through the implementation of RBT project work. There is a need to assess whether this subject has a positive impact on students’ achievement, especially in project work. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing the performance of lower secondary school students in Johor Bahru district in their RBT project work. A total of 374 form three students were selected as a sample using descriptive approach and utilising quantitative research design. A questionnaire was used as the research instrument. A pilot study was conducted, and the result was analysed using the Rasch Measurement Model to determine the validity and reliability of the instruments used. Furthermore, the study’s data were analysed using the SPSS 25.0 software. The study found that students’ interest (m), attitude (s), knowledge (p), and skills (k) in RBT is at a moderate level with the mean value for each variable for (m) = 2.61, (s) = 2.79, (p) = 2.75, and (k) = 2.73. The Pearson coefficient found a significant relationship between interest, attitude, knowledge skills, and students' academic achievement, where r = 0.543 (p <0.05) for interest, r = 0.568 (p <0.05) for attitude, r = 0.526 (p <0.05) for knowledge, and r = 0.515 (p <0.05) for skills. The results of this study prove the need for a more interactive and effective teaching approach to increase students’ interests, attitudes, knowledge, and skills to improve their performance in RBT project work

Screening and characterisation of two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from aquaculture and water environment

Aims: Pseudomonas has been associated with diseases occurring in people with weakened or compromised immune system after exposure to contaminated water. The diseases are commonly treated with antibiotics. However, the bacteria had developed resistances to commonly used antibiotics making treatment a difficult task. Therefore, the continuous surveillance of susceptibility of Pseudomonas especially for the human pathogen P. aeruginosa to commonly clinical and aquaculture farming used antibiotics is important to ensure that serious infections remain susceptible to those antibiotics. Methodology and results: In this study, the bacteria were screened from water, sediment and fish from rivers and aquaculture farms around Kuching, Sarawak. A total number of 38 presumptive P. aeruginosa were isolated using CHROMagarTM Pseudomonas and subjected to a series of biochemical tests. Out of all the isolates tested, only two isolates designated as AS-R10(S) and BK2-OLT2(S) fulfilled the biochemical characteristics of P. aeruginosa. 16S rRNA gene sequencing further confirmed these two isolates as P. aeruginosa based on their 100% similarity with P. aeruginosa strain GD1 and P. aeruginosa strain PA1201 in NCBI database. These two isolates were tested for their susceptibilities against nine common antibiotics used in both clinical and aquaculture farming nowadays: imipenem, piperacillin, meropenem, amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, tobramycin and norfloxacin according to CLSI standard using disk diffusion method. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The two isolates exhibited total susceptibility to all the antibiotics analysed, suggesting the effectiveness of the antimicrobial agents towards P. aeruginosa isolated from aquaculture and water environment in the study area

Factors contributing to students’ attainment in design and technology project work

Design and Technology (Reka Bentuk dan Teknologi) or known as RBT, is a new subject introduced as part of the Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM) in 2017. The content of this new subject focuses on the daily application of technology, specifically through the implementation of RBT project work. There is a need to assess whether this subject has a positive impact on students’ achievement, especially in project work. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing the performance of lower secondary school students in Johor Bahru district in their RBT project work. A total of 374 form three students were selected as a sample using descriptive approach and utilising quantitative research design. A questionnaire was used as the research instrument. A pilot study was conducted, and the result was analysed using the Rasch Measurement Model to determine the validity and reliability of the instruments used. Furthermore, the study’s data were analysed using the SPSS 25.0 software. The study found that students’ interest (m), attitude (s), knowledge (p), and skills (k) in RBT is at a moderate level with the mean value for each variable for (m) = 2.61, (s) = 2.79, (p) = 2.75, and (k) = 2.73. The Pearson coefficient found a significant relationship between interest, attitude, knowledge skills, and students' academic achievement, where r = 0.543 (p <0.05) for interest, r = 0.568 (p <0.05) for attitude, r = 0.526 (p <0.05) for knowledge, and r = 0.515 (p <0.05) for skills. The results of this study prove the need for a more interactive and effective teaching approach to increase students’ interests, attitudes, knowledge, and skills to improve their performance in RBT project work

In Vitro Pro-apoptotic and Anti-migratory Effects of Ficus deltoidea L. Plant Extracts on the Human Prostate Cancer Cell Lines PC3.

This study aims to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic and anti-migratory effects of Ficus deltoidea L. on prostate cancer cells, identify the active compound/s and characterize their mechanism of actions. Two farmed varieties were studied, var. angustifolia (FD1) and var. deltoidea (FD2). Their crude methanolic extracts were partitioned into n-hexane (FD1h, FD2h) chloroform (FD1c, FD2c) and aqueous extracts (FD1a, FD2a). Antiproliferative fractions (IC50 < 30 μg/mL, SRB staining of PC3 cells) were further fractionated. Active compound/s were dereplicated using spectroscopic methods. In vitro mechanistic studies on PC3 and/or LNCaP cells included: annexin V-FITC staining, MMP depolarization measurements, activity of caspases 3 and 7, nuclear DNA fragmentation and cell cycle analysis, modulation of Bax, Bcl-2, Smac/Diablo, and Alox-5 mRNA gene expression by RT-PCR. Effects of cytotoxic fractions on 2D migration and 3D invasion were tested by exclusion assays and modified Boyden chamber, respectively. Their mechanisms of action on these tests were further studied by measuring the expression VEGF-A, CXCR4, and CXCL12 in PC3 cells by RT-PCR. FD1c and FD2c extracts induced cell death (P < 0.05) via apoptosis as evidenced by nuclear DNA fragmentation. This was accompanied by an increase in MMP depolarization (P < 0.05), activation of caspases 3 and 7 (P < 0.05) in both PC3 and LNCaP cell lines. All active plant extracts up-regulated Bax and Smac/DIABLO, down-regulated Bcl-2 (P < 0.05). Both FD1c and FD2c were not cytotoxic against normal human fibroblast cells (HDFa) at the tested concentrations. Both plant extracts inhibited both migration and invasion of PC3 cells (P < 0.05). These effects were accompanied by down-regulation of both VEGF-A and CXCL-12 gene expressions (P < 0.001). LC-MS dereplication using taxonomy filters and molecular networking databases identified isovitexin in FD1c; and oleanolic acid, moretenol, betulin, lupenone, and lupeol in FD2c. In conclusion, FD1c and FD2c were able to overcome three main hallmarks of cancer in PC3 cells: (1) apoptosis by activating of the intrinsic pathway, (2) inhibition of both migration and invasion by modulating the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis, and (3) inhibiting angiogenesis by modulating VEGF-A expression. Moreover, isovitexin is here reported for the first time as an antiproliferative principle (IC50 = 43 μg/mL, SRB staining of PC3 cells)

Pharmacological Mechanisms Underlying Gastroprotective Activities of the Fractions Obtained from Polygonum minus in Sprague Dawley Rats

The leaves of Polygonum minus were fractionated using an eluting solvent to evaluate the pharmacological mechanisms underlying the anti-ulcerogenic activity of P. minus. Different P. minus fractions were obtained and evaluated for their ulcer preventing capabilities using the ethanol induction method. In this study, Sprague Dawley rats weighing 150–200 g were used. Different parameters were estimated to identify the active fraction underlying the mechanism of the gastroprotective action of P. minus: the gastric mucus barrier, as well as superoxide dismutase, total hexosamine, and prostaglandin synthesis. Amongst the five fractions from the ethanolic extract of P. minus, the ethyl acetate:methanol 1:1 v/v fraction (F2) significantly (p < 0.005) exhibited better inhibition of ulcer lesions in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, rats pre-treated with F2 showed a significant elevation in superoxide dismutase (SOD), hexosamine and PGE2 levels in the stomach wall mucosa in a dose-dependent matter. Based on these results, the ethyl acetate:methanol 1:1 v/v fraction was considered to be the best fraction for mucous protection in the ethanol induction model. The mechanisms underlying this protection were attributed to the synthesis of antioxidants and PGE2

Non-invasive diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori infection

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection has been implicated in a number of malignancies and non-malignant conditions including peptic ulcers, non-ulcer dyspepsia, recurrent peptic ulcer bleeding, unexplained iron deficiency anaemia, idiopathic thrombocytopaenia purpura, and colorectal adenomas. The confirmatory diagnosis of H pylori is by endoscopic biopsy, followed by histopathological examination using haemotoxylin and eosin (H & E) stain or special stains such as Giemsa stain and Warthin-Starry stain. Special stains are more accurate than H & E stain. There is significant uncertainty about the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive tests for diagnosis of H pylori. OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of urea breath test, serology, and stool antigen test, used alone or in combination, for diagnosis of H pylori infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic people, so that eradication therapy for H pylori can be started. SEARCH METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Science Citation Index and the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Database on 4 March 2016. We screened references in the included studies to identify additional studies. We also conducted citation searches of relevant studies, most recently on 4 December 2016. We did not restrict studies by language or publication status, or whether data were collected prospectively or retrospectively. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included diagnostic accuracy studies that evaluated at least one of the index tests (urea breath test using isotopes such as13C or14C, serology and stool antigen test) against the reference standard (histopathological examination using H & E stain, special stains or immunohistochemical stain) in people suspected of having H pylori infection. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened the references to identify relevant studies and independently extracted data. We assessed the methodological quality of studies using the QUADAS-2 tool. We performed meta-analysis by using the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model to estimate and compare SROC curves. Where appropriate, we used bivariate or univariate logistic regression models to estimate summary sensitivities and specificities. MAIN RESULTS: We included 101 studies involving 11,003 participants, of which 5839 participants (53.1%) had H pylori infection. The prevalence of H pylori infection in the studies ranged from 15.2% to 94.7%, with a median prevalence of 53.7% (interquartile range 42.0% to 66.5%). Most of the studies (57%) included participants with dyspepsia and 53 studies excluded participants who recently had proton pump inhibitors or antibiotics.There was at least an unclear risk of bias or unclear applicability concern for each study.Of the 101 studies, 15 compared the accuracy of two index tests and two studies compared the accuracy of three index tests. Thirty-four studies (4242 participants) evaluated serology; 29 studies (2988 participants) evaluated stool antigen test; 34 studies (3139 participants) evaluated urea breath test-13C; 21 studies (1810 participants) evaluated urea breath test-14C; and two studies (127 participants) evaluated urea breath test but did not report the isotope used. The thresholds used to define test positivity and the staining techniques used for histopathological examination (reference standard) varied between studies. Due to sparse data for each threshold reported, it was not possible to identify the best threshold for each test.Using data from 99 studies in an indirect test comparison, there was statistical evidence of a difference in diagnostic accuracy between urea breath test-13C, urea breath test-14C, serology and stool antigen test (P = 0.024). The diagnostic odds ratios for urea breath test-13C, urea breath test-14C, serology, and stool antigen test were 153 (95% confidence interval (CI) 73.7 to 316), 105 (95% CI 74.0 to 150), 47.4 (95% CI 25.5 to 88.1) and 45.1 (95% CI 24.2 to 84.1). The sensitivity (95% CI) estimated at a fixed specificity of 0.90 (median from studies across the four tests), was 0.94 (95% CI 0.89 to 0.97) for urea breath test-13C, 0.92 (95% CI 0.89 to 0.94) for urea breath test-14C, 0.84 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.91) for serology, and 0.83 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.90) for stool antigen test. This implies that on average, given a specificity of 0.90 and prevalence of 53.7% (median specificity and prevalence in the studies), out of 1000 people tested for H pylori infection, there will be 46 false positives (people without H pylori infection who will be diagnosed as having H pylori infection). In this hypothetical cohort, urea breath test-13C, urea breath test-14C, serology, and stool antigen test will give 30 (95% CI 15 to 58), 42 (95% CI 30 to 58), 86 (95% CI 50 to 140), and 89 (95% CI 52 to 146) false negatives respectively (people with H pylori infection for whom the diagnosis of H pylori will be missed).Direct comparisons were based on few head-to-head studies. The ratios of diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) were 0.68 (95% CI 0.12 to 3.70; P = 0.56) for urea breath test-13C versus serology (seven studies), and 0.88 (95% CI 0.14 to 5.56; P = 0.84) for urea breath test-13C versus stool antigen test (seven studies). The 95% CIs of these estimates overlap with those of the ratios of DORs from the indirect comparison. Data were limited or unavailable for meta-analysis of other direct comparisons. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In people without a history of gastrectomy and those who have not recently had antibiotics or proton ,pump inhibitors, urea breath tests had high diagnostic accuracy while serology and stool antigen tests were less accurate for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.This is based on an indirect test comparison (with potential for bias due to confounding), as evidence from direct comparisons was limited or unavailable. The thresholds used for these tests were highly variable and we were unable to identify specific thresholds that might be useful in clinical practice.We need further comparative studies of high methodological quality to obtain more reliable evidence of relative accuracy between the tests. Such studies should be conducted prospectively in a representative spectrum of participants and clearly reported to ensure low risk of bias. Most importantly, studies should prespecify and clearly report thresholds used, and should avoid inappropriate exclusions