Background: To date, the CD34+ cell enumeration has relied predominantly on flow cytometry technique. However, flow cytometry is time consuming and operator dependent. The application of the hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) channel in Sysmex XE-2100, a fully automated hematology analyzer offers an alternative approach, which is with minimal sample manipulation and less operator dependent. This study evaluates the utility of HPC counts as a predictive of CD34+ enumeration prior to peripheral blood stem cells harvesting. Materials and methods: HPC, CD34+, white blood cell (WBC), reticulocytes (retic), immature platelet fraction (IPF) and immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF) were determined in 61 samples from 19 patients with hematological malignancies (15 lymphoma and 4 multiple myeloma patients) at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (Hospital USM) who had received granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and planned for autologous transplantation. Results: CD34+ count showed strong and significant correlation with HPC. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis revealed that HPC count > 21.5 x 106 / L can predicts a pre harvest CD34+ count of >20 x 106 / L with sensitivity of 77%, specificity of 64% and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.802. Conclusion: We concluded that HPC count can be a useful potential parameter in optimizing timing for CD34+ enumeration prior to leukapheresis.

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Background: Liver function tests (LFTs) are group of tests that help in diagnosis, monitoring therapy, and assessing prognosis of liver disease. To estimate liver function tests in diabetic patients attending OPD of Central Referral Hospital, Sikkim, India. Methods: This study was conducted in Central Referral Hospital, Gangtok, Sikkim, India between October 2007 to April 2008. A total of 150 diabetic patients and 50 controls were taken to assess the liver function tests (LFTs) by measuring Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) & total bilirubin (TB). Results: Total Bilirubin (TB) was found to be elevated in maximum number of patients, 84 (56%) out of 150 patients and followed by both AST and ALT, 39 (26%) each out of 150 patients. Conclusion: LFTs in type-2 diabetic patients are found to be statistically significant when compared with normal healthy controls

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Background: caffeine, a methylxanthine derivate, appears to inhibit phosphodiesterase, thereby inhibiting the break down of cAMP and increasing its concentration inside cell. This study aims to assess the effect of caffeine addition in Earles’s Balanced Salt Solution (EBSS) on the increase in membrane integrity and acrosome reaction of spermatozoa using swim up method. Methods: This study was carried out at the Clinic of Sexology and Andrology, Sanglah Public Hospital at Denpasar Bali-Indonesia. This study was an experimental study using the design of pre and post test paired control group design. The samples were sperm specimens of eighteen infertile couple male or volunteers who were infertile with age ranged between 20-40 years old. The samples   were divided into two groups: treatment group (caffeine + EBSS) and control group (EBSS). The data were analysed statistically by normality test (Kolmogorov - Smirnov Goodness of Fit Test), Homogeneity test, and Paired Student’s t test.  Results: The results showed that the caffeine addition in EBSS medium could increase significantly (p<0.05).  The integrity of the sperm membrane obtained were from 81.30 % to 86.60 % and acrosomal reaction from 82.60% to 89.60% evaluated by hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOS). The conclusion of this study is that addition of caffeine in EBSS medium increases significantly membrane integrity and acrosomal reaction of the human sperm.

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Background: Indonesia have many different geographic areas which could be various on the variant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The gyrB gene codes GyrB protein as sub unit compound of Gyrase enzyme that functioning in multiplication of bacteria. Detection of gyrB gene could be a marker of active multiplication of viable bacteria in the specimen from patients; and some of the DNA sequence regions were conserved and specific in the strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that would be a marker for identification. This research aims to analyze the sequence of gyrB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from sputum of pulmonary TB patients in Indonesia, and determine the specific region. Method: Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates have been collected from sputum of the patients with pulmonary TB that live in some area in Indonesia. Isolation and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates using standard culture method; sequence analysis using PCR-direct sequencing of the part bases region of gyrB. Results: this study revealed that nucleotide sequence on a fragment 764 bases of gyrB gene Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains among clinical isolates almost identically to a wild type strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and subspecies member of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), with a little difference of SNPs; there are many difference nucleotide sequence with MOTT and Gram positive or negative bacteria, except Corynebacterium diphtheriae identically with MTBC. Conclusion: the gyrB sequence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains among these clinical isolates from sputum of pulmonary TB patients in Indonesia have the conserved specific DNA region that almost identically with wild type strain H37Rv and MTBC.

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Background: Until recently, data applied for reference of Balinese workers in their work stations and processes, including anthropometric data still applying secondary data source from literature review. This was probably inappropriate due to different size, since the literature data generally on the basis of western size of anthropometry. The objective of this research, therefore, was to establish community empowerment through ergonomics training with local wisdom oriented to improve the sculptor health care quality and productivity. Ergonomics training through workshops conducted with a systemic, holistic, interdisciplinary, and participatory (SHIP) approach. The training is done to make people aware of the work as a sculptor that is very important to apply ergonomics in the workplace. The results showed that ( a) participants judge that ergonomics workshop can open their insights about the importance of the application of ergonomics in the workplace, (b) work equipment is not in accordance with sculptor anthropometric, (c) inadequate working conditions, because the workers were exposed to noise working tool more than 80 decibel and the room temperature exceeds 34OC and work a lot of cockroaches and rats roam, and (d) the data of sculptor health quality is very poor, increase the workload at about13.5 %, musculoskeletal complaints at about 41.3 % , and fatigue at about 46.8 % ( p < 0.05 ) between before and after working. That means the work is very necessary sculptor redesigned in order to achieve comfort, safe, healthy, effective, and efficient of working conditions. It can be concluded that the ergonomics training with local wisdom oriented is required in an effort to implement the principles of ergonomics to achieve adequate health care quality sculptors and maximum productivity.

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