Density of tobacco advertising around schools.

BACKGROUND: Indonesia has the second highest smoking prevalence among adult males in the world, with over 61.4 million current smokers. However, there is no national regulation on outdoor tobacco advertising.OBJECTIVE: >To assess the density of outdoor tobacco advertising around schools in Semarang City, Indonesia.METHODS: We conducted geospatial analyses using buffer and hotspot analyses based on advertising and school data in ArcMap 10.6. We statistically tested the significance of different densities, including between 100 m and 100-300-m buffers from schools using Stata 15.1.RESULTS: We found a total of 3453 tobacco advertisements, of which 3026 (87%) were at least medium in size (1.3 m x l.9 m), and 2556 (74%) were within 300 m of schools. We also found hotspots with a 45% higher density of adverts within 100 m of schools (compared to within 100-300 m). A total of 378 schools (39%) were in these advertising hotspots.CONCLUSION: There was high density of outdoor tobacco advertising, with significant clusters in close proximity to schools in Semarang City. The policy implications of this are discussed.

Zerumbone induced apoptosis in liver cancer cells via modulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.

BACKGROUND: Zerumbone is a cytotoxic component isolated from Zingiber zerumbet Smith, a herbal plant which is also known as lempoyang. This new anticancer bioactive compound from Z. zerumbet was investigated for its activity and mechanism in human liver cancer cell lines. RESULTS: Zerumbone significantly showed an antiproliferative activity upon HepG2 cells with an IC50 of 3.45 +/- 0.026 microg/ml. Zerumbone was also found to inhibit the proliferation of non-malignant Chang Liver and MDBK cell lines. However the IC50 obtained was higher compared to the IC50 for HepG2 cells (> 10 microg/ml). The extent of DNA fragmentation was evaluated by the Tdt-mediated dUTP nick end labelling assay which showed that, zerumbone significantly increased apoptosis in HepG2 cells in a time-course manner. In detail, the apoptotic process triggered by zerumbone involved the up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax protein and the suppression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein expression. The changes that occurred in the levels of this antagonistic proteins Bax/Bcl-2, was independent of p53 since zerumbone did not affect the levels of p53 although this protein exists in a functional form. Western blotting analysis for Bax protein was further confirmed qualitatively with an immunoassay that showed the distribution of Bax protein in zerumbone-treated cells. CONCLUSION: Therefore, zerumbone was found to induce the apoptotic process in HepG2 cells through the up and down regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 protein independently of functional p53 activity.

Iron status and oxidative stress in beta-thalassemia patients in Jakarta.

A study on thalassemia intermedia and major patients in Jakarta was initiated to obtain a comprehensive picture of metabolic dysregulation, iron overload, oxidative stress, and cell damage. Data are presented from a group of 14 transfusion-dependent patients in an age range of 11-25 years (T) and another group of 9 frequently transfused (for at least 15 years) patients aged 17-30 years (L). A third group comprised 6 patients (aged 7 to 14 years) who had not yet obtained transfusions (N). The 21 controls (C) were voluntary students without diagnosis or clinical signs of thalassemia up to 30 years of age. The study was approved by the Ethical Clearance Board of the Medical Faculty and all blood samples from controls and patients were obtained on fully informed consent. Levels of antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene) and reactive thiols are considerably decreased in transfused patients, whereas signs of iron overload and cell damage are increased (serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, SGOT, SGPT, gamma-GT, bilirubin). Results can be summarized that non-transfused thalassemia intermedia patients exert slight signs of oxidative stress, and increased hemoglobin degradation but no significant indication of tissue or cell damage. This picture differs considerably from transfusion-dependent thalassemia major patients: highly significant decrease in antioxidants and thiols and tremendous iron overload and cell damage. The picture is even worsened in long-term transfused patients. Iron chelation after transfusion is not sufficient in Indonesia, because it is normally (with few exceptions) applied only once together with transfusion. Hence, one major reason of the bad condition of transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients in Indonesia appears to be frequent transfusions (on the average one per month) and insufficient chelation of one treatment per month together with transfusion.

Effects of energy supplementation on lamb production of Javanese thin-tail ewes.

A 3-yr study was conducted in North Sumatra, Indonesia, as part of an evaluation of the feasibility of integrating sheep and rubber production. The objective was to evaluate the effects of increasing energy supplementation on reproduction and other performance criteria of Javanese Thin-Tail sheep grazing volunteer forages under 8- and 14-yr-old rubber trees. The control group was unsupplemented. The medium group was supplemented with high-energy feeds at 1% of the flock body weight, with the low and high groups receiving 60% or 140% of the daily energy provided by the medium group diet. Supplements provided 1.2 g protein per kilogram BW. There were 158 lambs born to the 152 ewes in the 1st year of the study. Preweaning mortality rates of lambs were reduced (P less than .01) with supplementation (45 vs 12, 3 and 12% for the control, low, medium and high groups, respectively). During the 3 yr, litter size was higher (P less than .01) in the high group (1.33, 1.31 and 1.34 vs 1.71 for ewes on the four respective diets). Observed repeatability of litter size of individual ewes in all treatment groups for the first three parities was higher (P less than .01) than would be expected if litter size were a random event. Of the lambs born in the 1st yr, kilograms of lamb weaned per ewe joined were 3.1, 7.8, 7.3 and 9.8. At prevailing prices, only the high supplement level was profitable compared to the control. For the high group, the added return from the sale of lambs born the 1st yr was 120% of the added cost of supplementing the ewes until all the lambs were weaned (15 mo). Response of sheep to the high level of energy supplementation, especially with regard to litter size, indicates that supplementing sheep grazing in rubber plantations at a high level can be profitable.

Effects of management system, legume feeding and anthelmintic treatment on the performance of lambs in north Sumatra.

Sixty-four lambs in North Sumatra were used in a factorial experiment comprising two systems of management (grazing and stall-feeding), four levels of legume supplementation (0, 250, 500 and 1,000 g/d Pueraria javanica) and two anthelmintic treatments (none and albendazole every four weeks). The experiment lasted five months. The mortality rate for lambs not given anthelmintic was 28%, significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than for animals given anthelmintic which had zero mortality. Anthelmintic treatment increased growth rate from only 2 g/d to 29 g/d (P less than 0.05) and reduced faecal egg count from 1,700 epg to 270 epg. When not given anthelmintic grazing lambs had a higher mortality rate (38%) than stall-fed lambs (19%) but this difference was not significant. When given anthelmintic grazing lambs has a slightly higher growth rate (32 g/d) than stall-fed lambs (26 g/d). System of management had no apparent effect on egg count. Legume supplementation reduced the egg count of lambs not given anthelmintic but had no significant effect on mortality or growth rate.