Factors associated with successful outcome of infertility threatment at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after a year of regular unprotected intercourse. Different treatment modalities are available to treat infertility ranging from simple, non-invasive oral agent such as clomiphene citrate to invasive procedure such as assisted reproductive technology (ART). The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the factors associated with the successful outcome of infertility treatment at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II. Out of 429 cases, only 117 cases that fulfilled the inclusion creiteria were included. A retrospective record review was done using a checklist proforma consisting of sociodemography (age, ethnicity, education level and employment status), female variables (menstrual history, infertility history, sexual history, medical and surgical history, investigations, causes and treatment), male variables (smoking status, medical and surgical history, seminal fluid analysis, the last treatment method and its outcome ( success or failure). The successful outcome of treatment was categorised into intrauterine pregnancy, abortion or extrauterine pregnancy. The end outcome for intrauterine pregnancy was assessed in terms of mode of delivery (SVD or LSCS) and the fetal outcome (singleton or multiple births and gestational age). The descriptive methods and multiple logistic regression were applied to answer the objectives and hypotheses of this study. The overall successful rate post infertility treatment was 20.5% (95% CI: 16.8%, 24.2%) which resulted in thirteen intrauterine pregnancies, ten abortions and one extrauterine pregnancy. All thirteen pregnancies resulted in singleton babies, seven were delivered via SVD and six delivered via LSCS for precious pregnancy (two cases), fetal distress (2 cases) and one case of placenta praevia. Two of the babies were prematured, and the rest were delivered at term. Analysis from logistic regression showed that age of menarche (adj OR= 1.59,95% CI: 1.05, 2.42, p-value= 0.030) was the only significant factor affecting the successful outcome of infertility treatment when adjusted for age of men and women, BMI, duration of infertility, smoking, sperm characteristics (sperm count, percentage of progressive motility and normal morphology) and treatment options. The proportion of women with successful outcome post infertility treatment was almost similar to other studies and the odds of having a successful outcome are much higher in women with late age of menarche. Keywords: Infertility, intrauterine pregnancy, extrauterine pregnancy, abortion, age of menarche

PELATIHAN MANAJEMEN KEUANGAN RUMAH TANGGA DENGAN BUDGETING PADA IBU RUMAH TANGGA DI RW 05 KELURAHAN KALIBARU, KECAMATAN CILINCING JAKARTA UTARA

Meningkatnya kebutuhan pokok tidak sejalan dengan meningkatnya pendapatan dari rumah tangga yang terbilang rendah/terbatas sehingga memaksa individu untuk dapat hidup hemat dan lebih bijak  mengelola keuangan di dalam keluarga. Hal ini sering menjadi permasalahan karena banyak keluarga yang masih menganggap, bahwa pengelolaan keuangan bukanlah suatu hal yang penting. Tujuan pelaksanaan program pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini adalah untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan dalam pengelolaan keuangan keluarga di RW 05, Kelurahan Kalibaru, khususnya mengenai perencanaan keuangan keluarga, membuat anggaran yang ideal sehingga alokasi keuangan tepat sasaran. Metode yang digunakan dalam pelaksanaan program adalah metode ceramah dan tanya jawab Kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini melibatkan mahasiswa Kuliah Kerja Nyata (KKN) sebagai tim pengabdi.. Evaluasi keberhasilan program ini dengan menyebarkan pre-test dan post test untuk mengukur tingkat pemahaman peserta sosialisasi. Hasil yang diperoleh yaitu adanya peningkatan pemahaman  sebanyak 75% mengenai pentingnya pengelolaan keuangan rumah tangga dengan budgeting, Sebanyak 65% menganggap sangat bermanfaat dengan adanya manajemen keuangan rumah tangga, dan setelah pelatihan keinginan peserta untuk mencoba membuat anggaran belanja untuk rumah tangga sebanyak 80% dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, sebagai bentuk untuk mewujudkan keluarga Sejahtera di wilayah RW 05, Kelurahan Kalibaru

ARCADIA-Kit with augmented reality application / Roslaili Anuar [et al.]

The purpose of this study is to identify the efficient use of a developed product namely ARCADIA-KIT among Visual Arts Education (VAE) teachers. The study used the ADDIE model as a guideline to develop the product. Virtual Reality (VR) Application has been added to enhance the kit with the technology development to embrace the 21st Century classroom. The VR is the latest trend in teaching and learning in the classroom and is believed to be growing rapidly as is it more robust due to the virtual information embedded with the learning environment to create a realtime performance in the teaching and learning processes. With the growth of the Android and Smartphone among the users, the VR provided such an interesting platform for teaching as it can be accessed anywhere and anytime to ensure the teaching process to be delivered effectively. Quantitative method with questionnaire as a research instrument was used with selected respondents. The samples involved 60 Visual Art Education (VAE) teachers from selected schools in Shah Alam. Correlation analyses were carried out to determine the relationship between the variables studied. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to obtain percentage and frequency. The findings indicate that the ARCADIAKit is efficient and useful for the teachers to use when teaching the Landscape topi

Effect of methanol extract of Dicranopteris linearis leaves against paracetamol- and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver toxicity in rats

The present study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective activity of methanol extract of Dicranopteris linearis leaves (MEDL) using two models of liver injury in r ats. Rats (n = 6) received 10% DMSO(negative control), 200 mg/kg silymarin (positive control) or MEDL (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg) orally once daily for 7 days and 3 hours after the last adminis tration of the test solutions, they were subjected to the hepatotoxic induction either using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or paracetamol (PCM). The bloods and livers were collected and subjected to biochemical and microscopical analysis. From the data obtained, all doses of MEDL significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in CCl4-induced hepatotoxic rats while only the 500 mg/kg MEDL caused significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the level of both enzymes in the PCM-induced liver toxicity model. The histological results obtained were in line with the biochemical analysis. In conclusion, the MEDL-induced hepatoprotective activity is attributed partly to its free radicals scavenging and antioxidant activities and high flav onoids content

Statistical optimisation of phenol degradation and pathway identification through whole genome sequencing of the cold-adapted Antarctic bacterium, Rhodococcus sp. strain AQ5-07

Study of the potential of Antarctic microorganisms for use in bioremediation is of increasing interest due to their adaptations to harsh environmental conditions and their metabolic potential in removing a wide variety of organic pollutants at low temperature. In this study, the psychrotolerant bacterium Rhodococcus sp. strain AQ5-07, originally isolated from soil from King George Island (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctic), was found to be capable of utilizing phenol as sole carbon and energy source. The bacterium achieved 92.91% degradation of 0.5 g/L phenol under conditions predicted by response surface methodology (RSM) within 84 h at 14.8 °C, pH 7.05, and 0.41 g/L ammonium sulphate. The assembled draft genome sequence (6.75 Mbp) of strain AQ5-07 was obtained through whole genome sequencing (WGS) using the Illumina Hiseq platform. The genome analysis identified a complete gene cluster containing catA, catB, catC, catR, pheR, pheA2, and pheA1. The genome harbours the complete enzyme systems required for phenol and catechol degradation while suggesting phenol degradation occurs via the β-ketoadipate pathway. Enzymatic assay using cell-free crude extract revealed catechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity while no catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity was detected, supporting this suggestion. The genomic sequence data provide information on gene candidates responsible for phenol and catechol degradation by indigenous Antarctic bacteria and contribute to knowledge of microbial aromatic metabolism and genetic biodiversity in Antarctica

Exploring the Effects of Alternate Auditory Attention Tasks on Electromotility of Cochlear Outer Hair Cells in Healthy Normal Hearing Adults

Background and Aim: There is limited study on the role of rostral efferent auditory pathway on Outer Hair Cell (OHC) activity. We investigated the effect of integrating alternate auditory attention (ALAUDIN©) tasks with White Noise (WN) and its reliability using contralateral suppression of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission (TEOAE). Methods: This study was conducted at the Audiology Clinic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, with fifty normal-hearing adults. All subjects underwent standard audiological testing to ensure normal hearing, middle ear, and cochlear function. Contralateral suppressors with and without attention tasks were delivered randomly to the non-test ear while simultaneously measuring TEOAE amplitude in the test ear to investigate the effect of auditory attention on OHC electromotility. Suppressors with and without attention refer to the combination of a 1000 Hz tone and speech stimulus embedded in WN and WN alone, respectively. Subsequently, the difference in TEOAE amplitude during the presence and absence of suppressors was calculated, and thus suppression magnitude was determined. Results: Intraclass correlation revealed that 4 suppressors produced high reliability. In paired sample t-tests, the tasks significantly reduced the amplitude of the TEOAE in the right ear compared to the left ear (p0.05). Descriptively, females showed greater TEOAE suppression. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that directing ALAUDIN© tasks to one ear can affect OHC electromotility, as evidenced by TEOAE amplitude changes, but it did not impact the overall suppression magnitude. Additionally, it hinted at potential gender differences in TEOAE suppression, warranting further investigation

Hepatoprotective activity of methanol extract of Melastoma malabathricum leaf in rats

The present study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective activity of a methanol extract of Melastoma malabathricum leaves (MEMM) using two established rat models. Ten groups of rats (n = 6) were given a once-daily administration of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (negative control), 200 mg/kg silymarin (positive control), or MEMM (50, 250, or 500 mg/kg) for 7 days followed by induction of hepatotoxicity either using paracetamol or carbon tetrachloride. Blood samples and livers were collected for biochemical and microscopic analysis. Based on the results obtained, MEMM exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) hepatoprotective activity against both inducers, as indicated by an improvement in the liver function test. These observations were supported by the histologic findings. In conclusion, M. malabathricum leaves possessed hepatoprotective activity, which could be linked to their phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity; this therefore requires further in-depth studies

Strategi Pengembangan Usaha Tanaman Obat Keluarga melalui Digital Marketing Guna Mewujudkan Produk Unggul Desa yang Berdaya Saing

Kelompok Usaha Peningkatan Pendapatan Keluarga Sejahtera (UPPKS) Desa Ngunut merupakan kelompok yang bergerak di bidang budidaya dan pengolahan tanaman obat keluarga (toga). Kelompok ini beranggotakan para kader penggerak Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga berjumlah 20 orang. Kelompok UPPKS Desa Ngunut telah melakukan produksi olahan toga sejak tahun 2016, tetapi value proposition produk masih rendah karena belum ada usaha pengembangan lebih lanjut sehingga keberjalanan usaha selama ini masih berlangsung bergantung pada ketua kelompok. Kegiatan pemberdayaan ini bertujuan untuk merumuskan strategi pengembangan usaha tanaman obat keluarga melalui digital marketing sehingga jangkauan pemasaran produk dapat lebih luas. Metode pemberdayaan yang digunakan yaitu participatory rural appraisal dengan tahapan (1) identifikasi potensi masalah dan kebutuhan masyarakat, (2) penyelarasan dengan program Desa Ngunut, (3) penyusunan program bersama masyarakat (4) pelaksanaan program, dan (5) monitoring dan evaluasi program. Hasil pengabdian masyarakat untuk pengembangan usaha tanaman obat keluarga meliputi kegiatan diversifikasi produk, perbaikan kemasan, pendaftaran merek dan P-IRT, pelatihan digital marketing, penggunaan sosial media dan marketplace untuk pemasaran, dan scale up kelembagaan. Berbagai strategi ini digunakan untuk mewujudkan produk unggulan desa yang memiliki daya saing. Kegiatan pengembangan ini memberikan dampak terhadap (1) volume penjualan mengalami kenaikan dari 15 kg setiap minggu menjadi 30 kg setiap minggu, dan (2) peningkatan pendapatan masyarakat menjadi 2 kali lipat setiap minggu

Effect of aqueous extract of Dicranopteris linearis leaves against paracetamol and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver toxicity in rats

The present study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective activity of Dicranopteris linearis L. (family Gleicheniaceae) leaf aqueous extract (DLAE) using two models of liver injury in rats. Rats were divided into ten groups (n=6) and received dH2O (negative control), 200 mg/kg silymarin (positive control) or DLAE (50, 250 and 500 mg/kg) orally once daily for 7 consecutive days and on the 8th day subjected to the hepatotoxic induction either using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or paracetamol (PCM). The bloods and livers were collected and subjected to biochemical and microscopical analysis. From the data obtained, only the highest dose of DLAE significantly (p<0.05) reduced the ALP, ALT and AST levels in CCl4-and PCM-induced hepatotoxic rats while the other doses caused significant (p<0.05) reduction only in the levels of ALT and AST. The histological results obtained were in line with the biochemical analysis wherein reduction in the CCl4- and PCM-induced tissue formation of necrosis, steatosis and inflammation occurred in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the DLAE possesses hepatoprotective activity, which could be attributed to its free radicals scavenging and antioxidant activities, and high flavonoids content. Thus, in-depth studies regarding the hepatoprotective activity of DLAE are warranted