Peranan Ultraviolet B Sinar Matahari terhadap Status Vitamin D dan Tekanan Darah pada Wanita Usia Subur

Sinar ultraviolet B adalah sumber utama vitamin D, tetapi wanita usia subur yang bekerja di dalam ruangan mempunyai vitamin D yang rendah meskipun Indonesia negara tropis. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengevaluasi peranan paparan sinar matahari pada wanita usia subur terhadap status vitamin D dan tekanan darah. Desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah eksperimen tanpa kelompok kontrol pada 21 wanita sehat. Penelitian ini membandingkan status vitamin D dan tekanan darah sebelum dan setelah mendapat paparan sinar matahari pada wajah dan lengan tiga kali seminggu selama 12 minggu. Analisis data menggunakan uji t-berpasangan. Paparan sinar matahari dapat meningkatkan vitamin D. Serum 25(OH)D meningkat 15,9% dari 15.7 ng/dL menjadi 18,2 ng/dL. Paparan sinar matahari menurunkan tekanan darah sistolik (nilai p = 0,004) dan diastolik (nilai p = 0,011). Ultraviolet B dari sinar matahari 30 menit tiga kali seminggu selama 12 minggu dapat memperbaiki status vitamin D dan tekanan darah.Ultraviolet B sunlight exposure is a primary source of vitamin D, but women of childbearing age who worked in room every day had low serum vitamin D despite Indonesia is a tropical country. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of sun exposure in women of childbearing age on vitamin D status, and blood pressure. An intervention before-after study without group control was conducted on 21 healthy women. This study compared vitamin D status, and blood pressure before and after receiving ultraviolet B (UVB) from sun exposure on the face and both arms three times a week for 12 weeks. Anthropometric parameter and blood pressure were measured, were determined at baseline and after 12 weeks of sun exposure. The effect of sun exposure can improve vitamin D. Serum 25 (OH)D increase 15.9% from 15.7 ng/dL to 18.2 ng/dL. Sun exposure significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (p value = 0.004), and diastolic blood pressure (p value = 0.011). Ultraviolet B from sun exposure for 30 minutes, 3 times a week for 12 weeks improves the vitamin D status, and blood pressure

Engineering highly functional thermostable proteins using ancestral sequence reconstruction

Commercial biocatalysis requires robust enzymes that can withstand elevated temperatures and long incubations. Ancestral reconstruction has shown that pre-Cambrian enzymes were often much more thermostable than extant forms. Here, we resurrect ancestral enzymes that withstand similar to 30 degrees C higher temperatures and >= 100 times longer incubations than their extant forms. This is demonstrated on animal cytochromes P450 that stereo- and regioselectively functionalize unactivated C-H bonds for the synthesis of valuable chemicals, and bacterial ketol-acid reductoisomerases that are used to make butanol-based biofuels. The vertebrate CYP3 P450 ancestor showed a T-60(50) of 66 degrees C and enhanced solvent tolerance compared with the human drug-metabolizing CYP3A4, yet comparable activity towards a similarly broad range of substrates. The ancestral ketol-acid reductoisomerase showed an eight-fold higher specific activity than the cognate Escherichia coli form at 25 degrees C, which increased 3.5-fold at 50 degrees C. Thus, thermostable proteins can be devised using sequence data alone from even recent ancestors

The frequency and clinicopathological significance of NRAS

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is a lethal skin malignancy with a high risk of metastasis, which prompts a need for research on treatment targets and prognostic factors. Recent studies show that the presence of neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS) mutation can influence cell growth in melanomas. The NRAS mutation, which stimulates the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, is associated with a lower survival rate. However, evidence from Indonesia population is still very rare. Further understanding of the role of NRAS mutations in Indonesian melanoma cases will be crucial in developing new management strategies for melanoma patients with NRAS mutations. AIMS: To explore the frequency of NRAS mutations and their clinicopathological associations in patients with primary nodular cutaneous melanoma in Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty‐one paraffin‐embedded tissue samples were collected from primary nodular skin melanoma cases between 2011 and 2019 from the two largest referral hospitals in Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. The NRAS mutation status was evaluated using qualitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). The association of NRAS mutation was analyzed with the following: age, gender, location, lymph node metastasis, ulceration, mitotic index, tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), necrosis, tumor thickness, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and tumor size. NRAS mutations were detected in 10 (19.6%) samples and predominantly observed (60%) in exon 2 (G12). These mutations were significantly correlated with lymph node metastases (p = .000); however, they were not associated with other variables analyzed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of NRAS mutations in primary nodular cutaneous melanoma cases from Indonesia is consistent with previous studies and is significantly associated with increased lymph node metastases. However, the predominant mutation detected in exon 2 (G12) is different from previous studies conducted in other countries. This suggests that melanoma cases in Javanese people have different characteristics from other ethnicities