Modified Spin Column-Based RNA Extraction Methods of Staphylococcus aureus using PureLink® RNA Mini Kit and Basic Laboratory Instrument

RNA extraction is an important process before gene expression assessment at the transcriptomic level. RNA is a sensitive material to environmental factors such as temperature and contaminants, so the RNA extraction process generally requires sophisticated and expensive laboratory instruments. In this study, we extract RNA from Staphylococcus aureus bacteria using the PureLink® RNA Mini Kit. The instruments used in this study are basic instruments such as a hand homogenizer and non-thermal centrifuge. The results of RNA extraction were visualized using agarose gel electrophoresis. These results indicate that bacterial RNA extraction can be performed using the PureLink® RNA Mini Kit even with inexpensive basic laboratory instruments.

Differences of Spermatozoa Concentration Analysis Between Manual and Automatic Methods

The examination of sperm concentration in the laboratory is the calculation of the number and motility using a microscope or using a device. There are still some clinicians who doubt the accuracy of the sperm count results using a semen analyzer rather than using the manual method. This study aims is to determine the differences of the sperm concentration examination between the manual method and the automatic method. Subjects in this study were patients who carried out semen analysis tests at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of RSIA "Restu Ibu" Sragen from June to August 2020. The object of this research is the examination of sperm concentration, using a manual method using a hemocytometer and an automatic method using the LensHooke ™ SQA X1 Pro. The results of statistical tests using the Mann Whitney methods show that the significance value (p) was 0.960, which means that there was no difference in the results of the sperm concentration examination between the manual method and the automatic method. Result of this research shows that there is no weakness or significant difference if compared between manual and automatic methods.

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) Water as Alternative Growth Medium for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Laboratory with Minimum Infrastructure

The availability of non-synthetic media from natural ingredients is needed to answer the needs in laboratories where the price of nutrient media is quite expensive and there are limited supplies of material ware houses. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) are the local foods of people of NTT (East Nusa Tenggara) which have a high enough nutritional content which has the potential to be developed into cheap, easy and simple non-synthetic media in making. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the agar media contained nutrient from cowpea and pigeonpea water can be used as a alternative for nutrient agar for the growth of Escherchia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This research is a true experiment with posttest-only control design. The growth rate of S. aureus bacteria on pigeonpea medium, cowpea medium, nutrient agar medium, were 164 CFU/mL (SD=3,13), 161 CFU/mL (SD=3,02) and 164 CFU/mL (SD=3,21), respectively. The average growth of E. coli on cowpea medium, pigeonpea medium, and nutrient agar control medium were 163 CFU/mL (SD=2,79), 167 CFU/mL (SD-2,63) and 164 CFU/mL (SD=2,75) respectively. Test results ANOVA between pigeonpea medium, cowpea medium and nutrient medium in order to obtain p value = 0.145 (p> 0.05) for the growth of E. coli bacteria and p value = 0.393 (p> 0.05) for growth S. aureus. It was concluded that there was no difference between the number of bacterial colonies of E. coli and S. aureus on three medium. The pigeonpea medium and cowpea can be used to grow and alternative nutrient agar in order to grow bacteria E. coli and S. aureus.

Factors Related to Soil Transmitted Helminth Infection in Vegetable Farmers

Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infection can occur at all ages, from children to the elderly. Farmers are at risk of contracting STH infection because of their daily work which is in direct contact with the soil. The risk of STH infection is due to poor personal hygiene and environmental sanitation. The study aims to determine observe the factors associated with STH infection in vegetable farmers, using a cross-sectional approach. The research subjects were vegetable farmers in Batur Wetan Hamlet, Getasan, Semarang Regency. Data were collected using a questionnaire to determine the personal hygiene and sanitation hygiene of farmers when working in the garden. Worm identification used (reference,) based on the worm performance using the floating method. Worm identification were done by examining the stool using the floating method. The results of the study were processed using SPSS version 20. Data analysis using Chi-Square (α = 5%), found 3 positive study subjects infected with STH, consisting of 1 egg of Ascaris lubricoides and 2 eggs of Trichuris trichiura. Positive STH respondents, have a washing by water and soap habits before eating and defecating, without wearing gloves. There was a relationship between hand washing by water and soap habits before eating to worm infection, but no relationship between this habit after defecating and no wearing gloves to worm infection. Vegetable farmers are advised to change the daily habits and maintain personal hygiene after working. use personal protective equipment when working and maintain personal hygiene.

Assessment of Platelet Indices Profile of Pregnant Women Attending University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Platelets initiate hemostasis by aggregating at the site of injury and participate in ensuring endothelial integrity. A defect in this process could lead to intravascular blood loss. This case-control study sought to determine the platelet counts and indices among pregnant women in the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria. A total of 120 pregnant women as case and 60 non-pregnant women as control were enrolled for this study. Blood samples were collected in EDTA tubes, and complete platelet count and indices were carried out using an automated five-part haematology analyzer. The mean ± standard deviation of the platelets count among the pregnant women, 226.54 ± 69.76 109 cells/L was not significantly different from that of the non-pregnant women, 214.95 ± 52.22x 109 cells/L (p=0.295). There was a significant differences in mean platelets volume (MPV) of the case and control groups (p=0.036). After post-hoc test, the significant difference was between the pregnant women in 3rd trimester and the control group (p=0.014). However, there was no diffences in the mena platelets larger cell ratio and platelet distribution width in the case and control groups. Fifteen (11.0%) and 7 (12.1%) of the case and control control groups, respectively had mild thrombocytopenia. However, there was no significant association between pregnant status and thrombocytopenia (p=0.836). Based on these findngs, it can be infered that platelet count and MPV decreases while PDW increase with the progression of gestation age compared to the non-pregnant women.

Effects of Ethanol Extract of Rosa damascene on HbA1c Level and NF-κB Expression in Diabetic Rats

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic hyperglycemic that can cause complications in several organs. It could lead glycosylated hemoglobin or HbA1c formation which has ability undergo further changes into Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and stimulate activation of transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Some studies showed that anthocyanin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and it has been found Rosa damascene contain high level of anthocyanin. Total anthocyanin content was 0.459 ± 0.003 mg/L. The aim of this study was to investigate inhibitory effect of R. damascena extract on HbA1c levels and NF-κB activation in diabetic rats. Male wistar rats (n=24) were divided into 6 groups as normal control (KN), streptozotocin-induced diabetic control (KP), diabetic treated with R. damascene (P1, P2, P3; 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg/d respectively) and diabetic treated with metformin (KM; 500 mg/kg/d). This was carried out for 28 days. The inhibition mode of R. damascene extract was examined by measuring HbA1c levels and expression of NFκB by immunohistochemistry. The results showed p values ​​> 0.05 for HbA1c and p < 0.05 for NFκB. From immunohistochemical staining, it seen the expression of NFκB was low in treated group (P1, P2, P3 and KM) compared with KP. Thus, oral administration of R. damascene extract for 28 days could not reduce HbA1c levels, but can supress NFκB expression.

Electrolytes Levels (Na, K, Cl) in Serum Stored at 4°C Temperature

The samples used for serum electrolyte measurement should be analyzed immediately after being received in the laboratory within 1-2 hours to avoid an increase in the error of the results. Serum should be stored at 4°C for a period to prevent damage. The analyst should consider maximum delay time in the examination to maintain the serum's quality. This study compared the 2-hour and 3-hour delays in sodium (Na), potassium (K), and chlorine (Cl) tests. The method used in this study is an observational analysis with a cross-sectional study design. The samples in this study used 35 patient serum residues. The study was conducted in November 2020 with a continuous sampling technique. Electrolyte levels in the sample were measured by AVL 9180 Electrolyte Analyzer using Ion-Selective Electrode (ISE) method. The differences in electrolyte (Na, K, Cl) levels were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis Statistical test at a 95% confidence level. The results showed that the content of sodium, potassium, and chlorine were 0.719; 0.976; and 0.772. This study showed that there was no significant difference in the electrolyte content of sodium (Na), potassium (K), and chlorine (Cl) in the serum directly detected from the serum stored at 4°C for 2 hours and 3 hours. In conclusion, it is acceptable to postpone the serum test for 3 hours with various considerations.

The Relationship Between Leukocytes Numbers and Consciousness Level of Craniotomy Patients at The Jemursari Islamic Hospital Surabaya in 2018-2019

This study investigates the correlation between leukocyte number and the patient's awareness level after craniotomy surgery, both high (leukocytosis) and low (leukopenia). Several studies reveal that an increase in leukocytes affects mortality rates due to the high level of leukocytes affecting our body's functionalities, including awareness. Previous studies revealed that a leukocyte count exceeding 17.5x106/L was associated with a lower GCS score, a longer hospital stay, and worsening CT scan results, regardless of the type of focal lesion that occurred. This study uses observational methods in the form of retrospective case studies. The data was collected from the medical records of the Operation room at Jemursari Islamic Hospital in 2018-2019 with a sample size of 89. The research was conducted at Jemursari Islamic Hospital Surabaya from May 2018 to August 2019. Data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test with p <0.05. Results showed no significant relationship between the leukocyte count and the consciousness level of post-craniotomy patients. Future research could estimate the specific effects on the morphology of specific leukocyte cells that are elevated in post-craniotomy patients. This research is expected to provide insight into the effect of leukocytes on consciousness to reduce patient mortality after craniotomy.

Comparation Between Mac conkey and Coconut Water Medium as a Growth Medium for Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli is the bacteria that can cause diarrhea in humans and often used as a parameter of stool environmental pollution. Culture of E. coli from the sample often requires Mac Conkey as commercial media which is able to distinguish it from other bacteria in the Enterobacteriaceae group. Commercial media such as Mac Conkey certainly has a price that is quite expensive because of its ability as a growth medium for Enterobacteriaceae. Therefore, in the study tested natural ingredients that can be used for growth media, such as coconut water. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of Mac Conkey media and coconut water to support the growth of E. coli. This research is an experimental study with a completely randomized design. The concentration of coconut water tested was 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. The results showed that at the concentration of coconut water 20% to 60% the number of E. coli colonies on coconut water media was slightly below the Mac Conkey Agar media, while in coconut water a concentration of 80% showed a greater number of colonies than Mac Conkey. The Mann Whitney test showed a significant difference between the number of colonies on 80% coconut water media and Mac Conkey Agar, which was equal to 0.004 (p < 0.05). Based on these results, coconut water has the potential to be used as a growth medium for E. coli.

The Antibacterial Activity of Thermoactinomyces sp. (H24) Extract Against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Bacteria of the genus Thermoactinomyces have the ability to produce antibacterial bioactive compounds. This bioactive compound can be used for combating diarrheal agents such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This study aims to determine the antibacterial activity of the metabolite extract from Thermoactinomyces sp. (H24) against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Methanol was used as a solvent for the extraction of bacterial bioactive compounds. Antibacterial activity was analyzed by the diffusion method with several extract concentrations (0.75 mL, 1.5 mL, 2.25 mL, and 3 mL), 10% DMSO as the negative control, and ciprofloxacin as the positive control. Our result shows that Termoactinomyces sp. (H24) extract has an inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli and S. aureus with an effective concentration of 2.25 mL (inhibition strength: very strong).