FOLFIRINOX as First-line Chemotherapy in Japanese Patients Suffering from Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer (KOBE FOLFIRINOX Study)

Background/Aim: FOLFIRINOX (oxaliplatin, irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin) combination chemotherapy is the gold-standard therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. In this study, FOLFIRINOX dosages for Japanese patients were established enabling FOLFIRINOX therapy optimization for efficient use. Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were treated with varying doses of FOLFIRINOX to determine the optimum dosage for highest remission outcomes with the least post-chemotherapy toxicities. Results: Patients given 180 mg of irinotecan and a 400 mg bolus of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) showed a marked difference in outcome when compared to irinotecan 180 mg given without the 5-FU bolus, with the overall response rate being 28%, a survival time of 6.4 months and progression-free survival time of 4.5 months. Conclusion: The optimum dose of FOLFIRINOX was a dosage combination of oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, irinotecan 180 mg/m2, l-leucovorin 400 mg/m2 and 5-FU 2,400 mg/m2, administered as a continuous 46-h infusion.

Pengaruh pemupukan N terhadap serapan dan efisiensi penggunaan N, serta hasil padi hibrida

Pemupukan N pada padi hibrida menjadi krusial mengingat varietas padi hibrida sangat responsif, sehingga harus diketahui dosis yang tepat untuk menghasilkan produksi yang tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh dosis N terhadap serapan N, efisiensi penggunaan N, dan hasil padi hibrida. Penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok yang diulang tiga kali. Faktor pertama adalah varietas padi hibrida yang terdiri dari Varietas Mapan P05, Varietas SL-8 SHS Sterling, dan Varietas Intani 602. Faktor kedua adalah dosis pemupukan N yang terdiri dari kontrol tanpa pemupukan N, dosis N 100 kg ha-1, dan dosis N 200 kg ha-1. Terdapat respon yang beragam antar varietas padi hibrida terhadap taraf pemupukan N, Serapan N, efisiensi penggunaan N tertinggi yang dihasilkan oleh varietas Intani 602 masing-masing sebesar 138,57 %, dan 36,13%. Serapan N tanaman padi tertinggi dicapai pada dosis N 100 kg ha-1, dan efisiensi penggunaan N tertinggi pada dosis N 200 kg ha-1. Hasil gabah tertinggi dicapai pada varietas Mapan P05 sebesar 7,42 t ha-1, dan dosis pemupukan N 100 kg ha-1 memberikan hasil tertinggi sebesar 7,47 t ha-1. Implikasi dari penelitian ini bahwa dosis nitrogen 100 kg ha-1 dapat menjadi acuan sebagai dosis pemupukan N varietas padi hibrida di Indonesia. Hybrid rice is responsive to nitrogen, so it’s necessary to find the optimum dose to optimize the production. The aim of this research was to examine the effect of nitrogen on N uptake, N use efficiency, and yield of hybrid rice. This study used a randomized block design with three replications. The first factor consisted of the Mapan P05 variety, the SL-8 SHS Sterling variety, and Intani 602 variety. The second factor was Nitrogen dosage consisted of control, 100 kg ha-1, and 200 kg ha-1. There were various responses among hybrid rice varieties to the level of fertilization. The highest N uptake and N use efficiency was achieved in the Intani 602 variety at 138.57% and 36.13%, respectively. The highest N uptake was achieved at 100 kg ha-1 of N, and the highest N use efficiency was at 200 kg ha-1. The highest yield was achieved in the Mapan P05 variety (7.42 t ha-1), and the dose of N at 100 kg ha-1 gave the highest yield (7.47 t ha-1). The implication of this research is that the nitrogen dose of 100 kg ha-1 can be used as a reference for hybrid rice varieties fertilizer in Indonesia.

Carbon-Ion Beam Radiosensitivity Study and Biological Responses of High-Yielding Rice Line, MR219-PL-5

The carbon ion-beam has emerged as a novel physical mutagen for creating genetic variability and crop improvement. In this study, seeds of a high-yielding pyramided rice line MR219-PL-5 were exposed to carbon ion beam irradiation at 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 Gy. The radiosensitivity test was conducted to determine the optimum dose of carbon ion beam irradiation based on the lethal dose 50% (LD50) using Sandwich Blotter Technique. The biological responses of carbon-ion beam irradiation were also observed in other characteristics such as germination rate (GeR), survival rate (SR), growth rate (GRoR), shoot length (SL), root length (RL), seedling height (SH), days to flowering (DTF), fertility rate (FR) and thousand-grains weight (TGW). Based on the polynomial curve of SR graph, the lethal dose 50% (LD50) value was 86.12 Gy. However, the optimum dose range of carbon ion-beam irradiation was between 40 and 60 Gy as these two doses recorded the highest SR, 63 and 67%, respectively. Furthermore, the shoulder dose in this study was 60 Gy since SR decreased significantly at higher doses. M1 individuals irradiated at 40 and 60 Gy had the best biological responses where significant differences were found for SR, SL, RL, GRoR, SH, DTF and FR at these two doses compared to the other doses. Further studies on M2 and M3 populations could help to identify potential individuals as well as to understand the inheritance of each trait of interest from one generation to the next.

Assessment of Moringa oleifera Seeds as a Natural Coagulant in Treating Low Turbid Water

This research examined the coagulating potential of Moringa oleifera seeds in treating low turbid water. The active ingredient of the seeds was extracted using Soxhlet Apparatus with hexane as the solvent, after which the coagulant was dosed from 0.03g/L to 0.4g/L and used to treat a water sample with a low Turbidity of 18.4NTU, yielding an optimum value of 4.90NTU, an optimum dose of 0.03g/L and a turbidity reduction of 100% when compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) standard which is 5NTU. The study affirms Moringa oleifera as an effective natural coagulant in low turbid water treatment and it is recommended for household water treatments. Keywords— Hexane, Low turbid water, Moringa oleifera, Natural coagulant, Soxhlet apparatus

OVARY DEVELOPMENT, FSH AND LH GENES EXPRESSION OF INDONESIAN LEAFFISH, Pristolepis grootii (Bleeker, 1852), INJECTED WITH LUTEINIZING HORMONE-RELEASING HORMONE ANALOG

Indonesian leaffish, Pristolepis grootii (Bleeker, 1852), is an undomesticated freshwater fish species native to the rivers, flooded swamps, and tributaries of Indonesia. The fish is mainly captured for consumption. In order to prevent its extinction and supply its growing demands, the artificial breeding of the fish should be developed. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum dose of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog (LHRHa) for stimulating the female P. grootii gonadal development at a dosage of 0, 1, 10, and 50 µg kg-1 of fish. Female fish (20.0 ± 0.6 g) were adapted for 30 days in the rearing environment and then separated into 12 aquariums with six fish per aquarium. Fish were then reared for another 21 days and fed with Tubifex sp. The LHRHa injection was conducted twice on day-7 and 14. Fish bodyweight, gonadosomatic index, gonad histology, blood estradiol-17â, and FSH-â and LH-â gene expression were evaluated at day 0, 7, 14, and 21. The results showed that the injection of the LHRHa hormone stimulated the development of fish gonads and was better achieved with a higher concentration of LHRHa. The best treatment was observed by the administration of 50 µg kg-1 of LHRHa that produced the fastest development among all treatments. This study demonstrated that the LHRHa induction could potentially stimulate the gonadal development of the newly domesticated fish. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reported the success of the induction of female gonad development in the Indonesian leaffish P. grooti.KEYWORDS:

Novel helical or coiled flocculator for turbidity reduction in drinking water treatment: a performance study

Helical or spiral coiled flocculator have not been applied in drinking water treatment yet in Indonesia. There were only a few articles discussed it with different themes like hydrodynamic, floc characteristic, and performance. This study was done to know the efficiency (performance) of helical flocculator with parameters velocity gradient, pipe and helical diameter, flowrate, detention time, coagulant dose. The study was divided into two steps: Jar test to determine the optimum dose of coagulant and flocculation experiments to evaluate the helical flocculator efficiency. Efficiencies were in the range of medium to high. On flowrate 13 ml/second was obtained good results for two pipe sizes but different in helical diameters. In 0.5 inch pipe with 0.8 m helical diameter the turbidity reduction efficiencies were 72.4% and 73.9% and sediment volume were 18.3 ml and 20.0 ml. In 0.625 inch pipe with 0.4 m helical diameter the turbidity reduction efficiencies were 76.7% and 78.5% and sediment volume were 14.3 ml and 19.7 ml. The optimum velocity gradient about 64.9–69.6 persecond and detention time about 438–649 seconds. The results showed that helical flocculator was effective for floc formation. Flowrate, pipe diameter, helical diameter were three key parameters to perform helical flocculator.

Fertilization of purple coneflower (Echinacea Purpúrea L.) in the conditions of the Central chernozem region

The modern pharmaceutical industry uses Echinacea purpurea plants in the production of about 30% of all medicines. Many studies have been conducted to assess the effects of biological and immune activity of Echinacea purpurea on animals and humans (Sharayevskaya et al., 2010). Due to the small distribution area of this valuable crop, research aimed at its use as a double yielding crop is relevant. Plants are deficient in readily available forms of mineral elements after mowing. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of «AgroMaster» fertilizer grade 13-14-13 on the growth and development of Echinacea plants. We studied single and double application of the fertilizer at a dose of 2,0 and 4,0 kg per hectare. Growth and development processes of Echinacea purpurea plants were characterized by different intensity before and after cutting in experimental variants. The fertilizer had a significant impact on the biometric parameters of plants. In particular, the dynamics of plant growth in height had a positive trend in all variants with the use of fertilizer. At the same time, the optimum dose of fertilizer (2,0 kg per hectare) with double treatment of crops was revealed. Single treatment of crops with the minimum (2,0 kg per hectare) and maximum (4,0 kg per hectare) had no prolonging effect on Echinacea purpurea plants. Thus, the use of AgroMaster fertilizer of 13-14-13 grade in the crops of Echinacea purpurea is justified, with the advantage of double treatment of crops at a dose of 2,0 kg per hectare.

Stem Cutting Growth of Red Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) due to Aplication of Cow Manure and KCl in Andosol

This study aims to obtain the optimum dose of manure for red dragon fruit plant growth on Andosol, optimum K fertilizer dose for red dragon fruit plant growth on Andosol, and the interaction of manure and K fertilizer for red dragon fruit plant growth on Andosol. This research was conducted from August 2018 to November 2018 at the Horticulture Seed Center, Kepahiang Regency, Bengkulu Province. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of two factors with three replications. The first factor is cow manure, which is 0 g/polybag, 20 g/polybag, 40 g/ polybag, and 60 g/polybag. The second factor is K fertilizer, which is 0 g/polybag, 1.38 g/polybag, 2.76 g/polybag, and 5.52 g/polybag. The results showed that the application of cow manure with a dose of 60 g/polybag resulted in the best shoot growth time and shoot fresh weight

Growth and Yield of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merill) at Various Doses of Bokashi Fertilizer on Ultisol

Soybean is a type of secondary crop that is widely cultivated and used as raw material for tofu, tempe, milk, and so on by the people of Indonesia. Soybean consumption is always increasing but soybean production has decreased. This study aims to obtain the optimum dose of Bokashi fertilizer on plant growth and yield in Ultisol. The study was carried out in Medan Baru, Kandang Limun Village, Muara Bangkahulu District, Bengkulu City from December 2018 to April 2019. This study used a Completely Randomized Block Design (RCBD) with one factor, namely the dose of Bokashi fertilizer with five levels, namely 0 tons ha-1, 25 tons ha-1, 35 tons ha-1, 45 tons ha-1, and 55 tons ha-1. The results showed that the optimum dose of Bokashi fertilizer was not found in the growth component or yield component. The dose of Bokashi fertilizer had a significant effect (p<0.05) on the growth of Bokashi and the number of leaves.

Pilot-Scale Microsand-Ballasted Flocculation of Wastewater: Turbidity Removal, Parameters Optimization, and Mechanism Analysis

The flocs formed during microsand-ballasted flocculation (MBF) have attracted much attention. However, few studies have reported on comprehensive process parameters of MBF and its mechanism is still not well understood. Jar test and pilot-scale continuous experiments were here conducted on two kinds of simulated wastewater, labeled S1 (21.6-25.9 NTU) and S2 (96-105 NTU). Results revealed the hydraulic retention time ratio in the coagulation cell, injection & maturation cell, lamella settler of pilot-scale MBF equipment was 1: 3: 7.3. The optimum poly aluminum chloride doses for Samples S1 and S2 were 0.875 g/L and 1.0 g/L. Besides, the optimum size of microsand was 49-106 µm and the optimum dose was 1.0 g/L. Under aforementioned conditions, the effluent turbidity of S1 was below 0.47 NTU, lower than the Chinese drinking water standard; that of S2 was below 1.7 NTU, meeting the Chinese recycled water standard. Turbidity removal ranged from 98.0% to 98.8% for S1 and 98.5% to 99.5% for S2 when microsand was added. Therefore, microsand addition enhances MBF performance, where microsand serves as an initial core particle. Some microsand core particles bond together to form a dense core structure of micro-flocs by the adsorption bridging of inorganic polymeric flocculant. Moreover, the size of the largest micro-flocs may be controllable as long as the effective energy dissipation ɛ0 is adjusted appropriately through specific stirring speeds. This work provides comprehensive pilot-scale process parameters for using MBF to effectively treat wastewater and offers a clearer explanation of the formation mechanism of microsand-ballasted flocs.