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In this work, uranium(VI) sorption from aqueous sulphate medium using tri-n-octylamine impregnated Siplite LX-16 resin has been investigated using batch experiments. The sorption parameters includi...

Impregnation of tri-n-octylamine (TOA) into Siplite LX-16 resin, by two commonly used methods namely; wet and dry impregnation method, was studied and applied for uranium extraction from sulfate medium. The resin beads were characterized using FT-IR and FE-SEM analysis. The influence of different parameters such as effect of TOA concentration, pH, aqueous sample and eluant flow rates were investigated. Maximum sorption of U(VI) was obtained using 30% TOA/Siplite LX-16 prepared by the dry method at a pH range of 1.4–1.6. Flow rate of 1.0 mL/min for the pregnant sample was favorable for quantitative sorption of uranium during the extraction step while the flow rate of 0.5 mL/min for eluant solution was effective for the elution step. TOA-impregnated Siplite LX-16 resin has been properly prepared and applied for U(VI) extraction from sulfuric acid medium.

Currently, robots can be used for additional purposes, people trying to perform difficult tasks. These robots also have the potential to become more powerful and use sensors not available to humans, giving supernatural abilities to guards that they may not have. Robotic arms are widely used for industry, hospitals, and education. The main function of the robotic arm is to control movement. The robotic arm is operated manually by humans. Since being attacked by this covid 19 epidemic, robotic learning has been difficult to implement where students are forced to go through online learning. Therefore, the research is allowing the students to implement robotic arms through online learning. The purpose of this study is to implement a robotic arm using the Internet of Things (IoT). The robotic arm has been developed with four Degrees of Freedom (DOF). The robotic arm can operate and be controlled by Blynk applications. By using the esp8266 Wi-Fi module, the robot arm can directly connect to the internet. In this study, the most important is to determine to move robotic arms using IoT. Thus, experiments for robotic arms using IoT were carried out.

In present study, uranium (VI) extraction from different acidic media (e.g. H2SO4, HCl and HNO3 aqueous solutions) using tri-n-octylamine (TOA) impregnated into Siplite LX-16 polymeric resin has been investigated using batch experiments. The extraction parameters including aqueous pH, free acidity, salting-out agent addition, initial uranium concentration, volume of aqueous solution to weight of the impregnated resin (v/w) ratio and the phases contact time have been studied. Batch adsorption studies reveal that the prepared TOA/Siplite LX-16 has a significant capacity for the adsorption of U(VI) from aqueous solutions. The maximum sorption capacity of U(VI) from sulfate solution onto the working resin was 92.74 mg/g at an optimum pH range from 1.4 to 1.6. Quantitative desorption of the extracted uranium has successfully been achieved using 0.75 M NaCl acidified with 0.15 M HCl solution. Finally, a complete precipitation of uranium from the eluate solution was attained by hydrogen peroxide precipitation at pH 2.

Pendidikan Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan (PPKn) merupakan bentuk pendidikan yang mengembangkan sikap dan kemampuan warga negara baik dari aspek pengetahuan, sikap, keterampilan, dan karakter. Menghadapi arus globalisasi saat ini tentu membutuhkan persiapan secara maksimal untuk menyiapkan para generasi muda menjadi pemimpin masa depan yang profesional. Pemimpin di era global haruslah dapat malakukan perubahan secara terencana, memiliki suatu visi dan misi, memiliki pengaruh yang kuat guna mencapai tujuan bersama hingga mampu memotivasi rekan kerja di Organisasi. Untuk menjalankan roda kepemimpinan seorang pemimpin memerlukan suatu upaya yang strategis, sistematis dan efektif dalam melaksananan suatu aktifitas untuk mencapai perubahan yang berkemajuan. Melalui pengembangan nilai-nilai kepemimpinan yang terdapat dalam materi Pendidikan Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan dapat digunakan sebagai acuan bagi generasi muda penerus estafet kepemimpinan untuk menyiapkan diri menjadi pemimpinan masa depan yang handal, berkualitas dan berjiwa nasionalisme

Persyaratan menjadi Sub Penyalur BBM yang diatur oleh kebijakan Pemerintah Pusat melalui Badan Pengatur Kegiatan Hilir Minyak dan Gas Bumi (BPH Migas) melalu Peraturan BPH Migas Nomor 6 Tahun 2015 belum didukung kebijakan Daerah dalam kebijakan perijinan usaha bidang minyak dan gas yang menjadi kewenangannya.Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis penerapan Peraturan BPH Migas Nomor 6 Tahun 2015 terhadap pelaku usaha Pertamini/Pom Mini di Kabupaten Karawang. Metode penelitian menggunakan metode deskriptif dengan analisis data kualitatif. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan studi dokumentasi, wawancara dan observasi. Informan Kunci adalah Kepala Bidang Metrologi Dinas Perindustrian dan Perdagangan Kabupaten Karawang dan Ketua DPW Hiswara Migas Indonesia Karawang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kewenangan BPH Migas membangun kemitraan hanya sampai SPBU dan belum mencapai Sub penyalur, yang disebabkan minimnya sosialisasi pemenuhan persyaratan normatif sub penyalur. Kurang tertibnya penyesuaian aturan persyaratan menjadi Sub Penyalur kepada pelaku usaha pertamini/POM Mini menyebabkan legalitasnya tidak diakui. Kewenangan Pemerintah Kabupaten Karawang hanya mengawasi dan tera terhadap akuratisasi mesin SPBU sesuai Nota Kesepahaman Direktorat Jenderal Perlindungan Konsumen dan Tertib Niaga Kementrian Perdagangan dan tidak mengakui keberadaan para pelaku usaha Pertamini/POM Mini. Kedua, Pilar intepretasi. Penguatan kewenangan yang dimiliki oleh BPH Migas dan Dinas Perindustrian dan Perdagangan Kabupaten Karawang dalam pengaturan penyaluran BBM tertentu maupun penugasan khusus, berpatokan kepada MoU (Nota Kesepahaman) antara Dirjen Perlindungan Konsumen dan Tertib Niaga dengan BPH Migas, yang bertolakbelakang dengan pemahaman pihak pelaku usaha pertamini/POM Mini yang memiliki kesepakatan dengan pihak pemerintah desa/kecamatan setempat. Ketiga, pilar penerapan. Penerimaan masyarakat terhadap pelaku usaha pertamini/POM Mini di Kabupaten Karawang cukup baik dan merasa terbantu serta menjadi peluang usaha yang cukup menjanjikan keuntungan bagi masyarakat dan pengawasan dilapangan oleh Pemerintah Kabupaten Karawang terhambat oleh belum adanya pedoman operasional (SOP) yang dikeluarkan oleh instansi berwenang.Kata Kunci : Penerapan Kebijakan, Kewenangan, Sub Penyalur

Wacana pengembangan potensi dari berbagai daerah di Indonesia mengalamipeningkatan seiring dengan adanya pola pengembangan budaya lokal. Salah satu diantaranya adalah pengembangan batik karawang. Batik Karawang merupakan salah satu batik yang memiliki sejarah dalam perkembangan batik Indonesia. Motif batik ini merupakan salah satu motif batik yang dicatat oleh penjajah Belanda. Motif batik ini memiliki nama motif Batik Tarawang (Batik Tarum Karawang) dan merupakan salah satu kain batik yang ikut dalampameran batik Jawa yang dilakukan di negara Belanda pada tahun 1892. Batik Tarawang (Batik Tarum Karawang) ini adalah motif batik yang dibuat oleh seniman batik yang berasal dari keturunan bangsa Cina yang menetap di Indonesia. Dalam perkembangannya, ternyata harus diimbangi dengan adanya peran pemerintah dalam membuat strategi pengembangan batik karawang agar tetap eksis dan di kenal di dunia luar.Oleh karenanya peneliti ingin menegetahuibagaimana strategi Dinas kebudayaan dan pariwisata dalam pengembangan batik di kabupaten Karawang. Adapun metode penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian deskriptif kualitatif, dengan teknik pengumpulan data di lakukan secara triangulasi (gabungan). Teknik pengumpulan data dengan menggunakan teknik observasi, wawancara, dokumen dan visual. Hasil penelitian dilapangan diketahui bahwa strategi Dinas kebudayaan dan pariwisata dalam pengembangan batik Karawang di kabupaten Karawang pada Fase Identifikasi masih belum maksimal, Fase Pengembangan sudah cukup baik, Fase Penyelesaian masih belum maksimal dan pada Fase Implementasi dan Evaluasi sudah cukup baik.Kata Kunci: Strategi, Batik Karawang, Budaya Lokal.

Research on the characterization of gold ore from Babakan Loa sub-district and studies of leaching in cyanide solution has been carried out. This research was conducted to determine the characteristics of gold ore from Babakan Loa and the leaching behavior in cyanide solution. The preparations carried out were crushing and grinding to obtain several size fractions. The ore characterization was carried out through XRD, XRF, SEM-EDX, and wet chemical analysis. XRD analysis results show that the main mineral phases are quartz, hematite, goethite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, and berlinite. The main constituents of the ore were Si (60.96%), Fe (10.71%), K (5.47%), and Al (19.53%). The Au content was 7.8 ppm, and the results of SEM-EDX analysis show that the gold grain size is smaller than 10µm. The leaching process showed that the highest percent gold extraction data of 92.7% was obtained in experiments with 1000 ppm sodium cyanide concentration, 10% solids percent, and 104-149µm grain size. Increasing the percentage of solids and the reduction in grain size led to a decrease in the percentage of gold extraction. The clay content was suspected to be the cause of the ineffectiveness of the leaching process in this study.

Colorectal cancer may be maintained by cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) that express the cell surface marker CD133. CSCs (CD133+cells) exhibits greater resistance to the chemotherapy and this resistance may be mediated in part by an autocrine response to IL4. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of anti-IL4 antibody alone or in combination with chemotherapy on the CD133 expression andthe tumor growth. We used Caco cell line in our experiments and the samples were as the following; untreated colorectal cell line, cells treated by chemotherapy, cells treated by anti-IL4 antibody in 3doses (2.5, 5, 10μg/ml), cells treatedby combination of chemotherapy and anti-IL4 antibody in 3 doses. Results of our in vitro studies demonstrated that anti-IL4 inhibited growth of Caco cell line in a dose-dependent manner revealing a 32.11% inhibition at the highest concentration (10µg/ml). There was further significant inhibition by combination of anti IL4 and chemotherapy in a dose response manner when compared to group treated by chemotherapy only. These effects were associated with decreased expression of CD133 in tumor cells also. Lastly, anti-IL4 antibody stimulated apoptosis. Our study suggested that neutralizing of IL4 by anti IL4 antibody affect the CD133+ cells may be by increasing their apoptosis. The effects of anti IL4 antibody either, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, inhibited the tumor growth and decreased the viable tumor cells. Furthermore, neutralizing of IL4 increased the efficacy of chemotherapy treatment.

International audience; Short telomere length (TL) is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) and other age-related diseases. It is unclear whether these associations originate from having inherently short TL or a faster TL attrition before or during disease development. We proposed the blood-and-muscle model to assess TL dynamics throughout life course. Our objective was to measure TL in leukocytes (LTL) and in skeletal muscle (MTL), which served as a proxy of TL at birth. The delta (MTL-LTL) represented life-long telomere attrition. Blood draws and skeletal muscle biopsies were performed on 35 Lebanese individuals undergoing surgery. Following DNA extraction, LTL and MTL were measured by Southern blot. In every individual aged between 30 and 85 years, MTL was longer than LTL. With age, MTL and LTL decreased, but the delta (MTL-LTL) increased by 14 bp/year. We validated the blood-and-muscle model that allowed us to identify TL, TL at birth, and lifelong TL attrition in a cross-sectional study. This model can be used in larger cross-sectional studies to evaluate the association of telomere dynamics with age-related diseases onset and progression.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Ca soap of palm oil fatty acids (CSFA), as a protected fat, on milk composition and the performance of both ewes and lambs. Thirty-three crossbred ewes aged 2-3 years and weighed 41-44 kg were allocated in three unequal groups for A, B &C (10, 12 &11 ewes, respectively). Group A was fed a diet free from protected fat and kept as a control. Group B was fed a diet containing 4 % fat and group C was given a diet containing 8 % fat. The ewes were in the last month of pregnancy and the experiment extended till the end of late lactation (4.5 months). Milk composition was tested, and body change in ewes and nursing lambs was traced. Moreover, the effect of fat addition on dry matter intake of ewes was analyzed. Results revealed a decrease in dry matter intake in the late gestation and an increase in early lactation, with no significant differences in the late lactation. The effect followed the amount of fat added. There was no effect on ewe’s body weight change or lamb’s growth rate from birth to weaning. On milk composition, there was an increase in fat %, higher in group B and total solids%, while percentage of protein was decreased. Concerning fat supplementation, no effect on lactose, urea milk nitrogen, and somatic cell counts was detected. There was a decreased level of solids-not-fat in group B, while group C showed no detectable alterations. In conclusion CSFA supplementation was effective to increase the fat % and yield in milk of sheep especially at the rate of 4% of addition.

to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of HAV infection during three successive outbreaks occurring between 2007 and 2010 in the governorate of Sfax. epidemiological and clinical characteristics were retrospectively analyzed from the outbreak investigations. The diagnosis of acute hepatitis A was confirmed by ELISA detection of immunoglobulin M serum antibodies to HAV. 443 patients were identified and 159 of them investigated. Their mean age was 12.2 years and the M/F ratio was 0.9. The most affected age groups were 6-10 years (35%) and 11-15 years (33%). The most likely sources of contamination were drinking water from wells or tanks and direct transmission. The most frequent symptoms included asthenia, digestive disorders, and jaundice. Two cases of fulminant hepatitis were reported, one lethal. our results show that HAV endemicity in the governorate of Sfax has dropped from high to intermediate as demonstrated by the increasing age at primary HAV infection. Strengthening health education and improving access to drinking water would reduce the transmission risk of HAV in our regions.

Passive Non-Destructive Assay (PNDA) gamma-spectroscopic method is employed for nuclear material verification. The investigated materials are natural (NU) and low enriched uranium (LEU) in the form of uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) pellets and powder, respectively. A high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer based on HPGe detector and associated electronics is used for the measurement. The spectrometer efficiency was measured experimentally using the intrinsic self-calibration method taking into account the necessary correction factors. Sample isotopic fractions were obtained using two methods; that based on the measurement of the count rate of 185.7 keV gamma line of 235 U and 1001 keV gamma line of 234m Pa ( 238 U) employing the intrinsic self-calibration technique to calculate the activity ratio of 235 U/ 238 U. The other method is based on uranium activity ratio measurements without efficiency corrections by choosing two gamma-rays close enough in energy, one related to 235 U (84.2 keV gamma line of 231 Th) and the other to 238 U (63.3 keV gamma line of 234 Th). Samples were characterized by calculating uranium isotopic mass, uranium isotopic activity ratio, total uranium content and enrichment. Special attention was given at calculating absolute error of the measured quantities, as well as the statistical behavior of the measured data in terms of the well known statistical quantities. The experimental results showed good agreement with calculated data.

Little is known about viral and atypical bacteria pathogen spectra of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infection in children in Tunisia. Thus, a prospective study was carried out between January 2009 and March 2010 in Sfax. Nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from 368 patients (78 with pneumonia and 290 with acute bronchiolitis) were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence assay and PCR to detect influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus, human enterovirus, adenovirus, coronavirus,Le profil étiologique microbien des infections respiratoires basses (IRB) communautaires de l'enfant a été peu étudié en Tunisie. Une étude prospective a été menée à Sfax entre janvier 2009 et mars 2010 sur 368 enfants hospitalisés pour pneumonie (

Character education is an education-focused in implementing moral values, ethics and citizenship education. This is an approach to developing good character and developing the school as a caring community. The youngest generation nowadays, which primarily targeted by character education was born facing already-advanced ICT (Information and Communication Technology), so it recommended using an ICT's benefit like AR. An AR (Augmented Reality is a system that supplements the real world with virtual objects that appear to coexist in the same space as the real world. Augmented Reality offers an immersive virtual learning experience; as a result, an education that was giving more than standard audio-visual material. In this research, the developing an ICT based application for character education using Augmented Reality as the main feature, and will be discussed explicitly about an augmented reality that running on the mobile device that will be using specifically for the character education. The program will be developed throughout the following methodology: Literature Review, to provide information and knowledge how to build and to apply an AR-based application and finding the right sampling method, Building the Apps, using Unity integrated with Vuforia Engine. Unity is a game engine capable of developing computer, console or mobile game. Vuforia is a platform for developing Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality, Application Testing, test the AR system in the real world environment. The Result is an android app that could capture the "marker" and make the AR appearing in the smartphone device. This result used to help teachers to educate the young students that still need a character education to build their good character stronger.

In this paper, we propose a quadratic programming model to determine the optimal decision for integrated supplier selection and inventory control. The corresponding optimization is solved by using constrained quadratic optimization method i.e. Karush-Kuhn-Tucker Method performed in LINGO 17.0 to determine the optimal joint decisions which are the optimal supplier and the optimal inventory. A numerical experiment was performed to analyze the model with a multi-product, multi-supplier, multi-carrier and multi-period inventory system. From the results we have found, we can find the optimal supplier for each product and each period.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an unusual head and neck cancer because of its unequal geographical distribution and its consistent association with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This malignant tumor poses a serious public health problem in many countries, especially in Southeast Asia and North Africa where the recorded incidence are highest. During the past decade, a growing number of studies were undertaken to define the molecular basis of NPC. However, the analysis of several clinical and biological parameters of North African and Southeast Asian NPCs has shown notable differences, suggesting that they could result from a distinct combination of etiological factors. One intriguing characteristic of North African NPC, concerns its bimodal age distribution with a secondary peak of incidence in the range of 15-25 years, not observed in Asian NPC. In this juvenile form of NPC, immuno-histochemistry assay has shown that the two key proteins controlling the apoptotic-survival balance p53 and Bcl-2 are less frequently expressed whereas the transmembrane tyrosine-kinase receptor c-kit and the main EBV oncoprotein LMP1 were more abundant. In addition, the EBV serological alterations are less informative for the diagnosis of the juvenile compared to the adult form. In addition, most North African NPCs contain EBV strains with genetic polymorphisms distinct from those described in the Southeast Asia series (predominance of F, D, H1-H2, XhoI+ and f, C, H, XhoI- respectively). In contrast, studies relating on tumor chromosomal alterations or aberrant promoter methylation result in data very similar to those obtained from the Southeast Asia series, supporting the concept of a common molecular basis for all NPC regardless of patient geographic origin.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Some New 1-Actylaminonaphthalene-4-Sulphonyl-Amino Acid and Dipeptide Derivatives

The density of Aedes sp in a region has critical influence on the high incidence of dengue. This aims of study was to determine the effect of modification of ovitrap and attractant substances on the density of Aedes sp mosquitoes in endemic areas of Makassar. The research type was experimental with pretest-posttest Randomized Control Design. Samples are eggs and larvae present in the household who was arrested with ovitrap and attractants. The results of the study reported that mosquito density using ovitrap index in highly endemic areas in the water immersion straw 10% 131 eggs per ovitrap, shrimp soaking water 103 eggs per ovitrap and rainwater result 23 eggs per ovitrap, whereas in endemic areas of low density of Aedes sp trapped using straw soaking water 10% 81 eggs per ovitrap, shrimp soaking water 10% 67 eggs per ovitrap and rainwater 18 eggs per ovitrap. Bivariate analysis results indicated that there were significant difference in reduction of larvae density before the intervention and after intervention using water immersion hay 10% and 10% water shrimp marinade. Where in highly endemic areas the average number of larvae pretest = 17 and postest =7 whereas the low endemic areas the average number of larvae pretest = 6 and postest = 2 with significant value for both sites, namely p = 0.000. The use of lethal ovitrap containing hay immersion water 10% and water shrimp marinade 10% could be applied for controlling the Aedes mosquito.

The incidence and mortality rate from cervical cancer ranks to top second only to breast cancer in the world. Meanwhile, in developing countries it still tops the list as a cause of cancer deaths in the reproductive age. Every day in Indonesia, there are 40 women diagnosed and 20 women die from cervical cancer. This study aims to identify the most dominant factors influence the incidence of cervical cancer and its impact on patient???s quality life. The study was a cross-sectional study with 97 respondents in Fatimah and Labuang Baji Hospitals, Makassar. Laboratory method used is a pap smear. Results then tested using a logistic regression. Of the 12 independent variables it was found that the most dominant factor in influencing the occurrence of cervical cancer is early sex (married at age ??? 20 years), whereas the unpaired t test found that the quality of life in patients with cervical cancer is lower than those non-sufferers of cervical cancer. This study concludes that there is an effect of age on the incidence of cervical cancer, which ???35 years of age is a risk factor of cancer. Then, effect of age of first marriage / early sex on the incidence of cervical cancer, which ??? 20 years of age is a risk factor for cervical cancer. It is suggested that needs more information to socialize on the maturation age of marriage in society, fertile couples (EFA)> 35 years and evaluation of hormonal contraception.

Importance The Mobius sequence is a rare condition defined by the combination of congenital non-progressive facial and abducens nerve palsies. The etiology of the sequence is still unknown, but likely encompasses a group of heterogenous disorders involving genetic maldevelopment of the brainstem, a fetal vascular insult and/or teratogen exposure. The clinical phenotype reported has expanded over the years, and may be associated with more extensive cranial nerve and oropharyngeal involvement, as well as limb defects. Observations We describe two cases of children presenting with unilateral Mobius syndrome associated with ipsilateral unilateral palatal weakness. Investigations failed to identified a clear underlying etiology, but both cases shared phenotypic features of other more common cranial facial disorders such as craniofacial microsomia and the velocardiofacial syndrome. Conclusion and relevance These two cases highlight the clinical heterogeneity of the Mobius sequence. Although asymmetries are not uncommon, cases with strictly unilateral features are extremely rare, and as such these may represent a distinct subgroup that may pertain to a specific etiology. Although in many cases, evidence of an intrauterine vascular insult may be identified, a contributing genetic etiology should be considered, even in cases with strictly unilateral features. As such genes expressed in the developing rhombencephalon and its vasculature represent good candidates for future investigation.

In liquefied natural gas (LNG) process production, one of the important units is heavy hydrocarbon removal unit to prevent freezing during liquefaction. For small scale of LNG plant, this unit is usually integrated with main heat exchanger. Feed is obtained from main heat exchanger then flows to separator to separate liquid from gas. The separator operating condition is called as Midpoint condition. Selecting Midpoint conditions have impact to light hydrocarbon losses, Specific Brake Horse Power (SBHP) process, and heating value of LNG. Hence understanding of selecting this condition and its effect to light hydrocarbon losses, SBHP process, and HHV of LNG will help to design more efficient LNG plant. According to study, the lower of Mid-Point temperature will result in lower SBHP, lower of light hydrocarbon losses, and increase LNG of HHV value. Meanwhile, the higher Mid-Point pressure will result in lower SBHP, higher light hydrocarbon losses, and lower LNG of HHV value. The change of Mid-Point pressures have more impact to light hydrocarbon losses than SBHP process.

The aim of the study was to assess hepatitis A virus (HAV) seroprevalence in blood donors from South Tunisia in two periods 2000 and 2007. Serum samples collected from 376 blood donors in each period aged 18 to 30 years from different regions of South Tunisia were analysed for anti-HAV IgG. The global seroprevalence of HAV infection was 85.9% in 2007 as compared with 94.9% in 2000. The seroprevalence in the 18-20 years age group was 91.9% in 2000 vs 80.6% in 2007, and increased to 99% in 2000 and 92% in 2007 in the subjects over 26. Taking account of geographic area, the HAV seroprevalence in Sfax city decreased from 88.9% in 2000 to 62.7% in 2007 (p0.001), but it is still approximatively the same in rural areas (98.4% and 96%) and in the governorates of South Tunisia (97.6% and 99.2%). In conclusion, the number of adults in the city of Sfax which are not immunized against HAV is increasing. Thus, adolescents and young adults are at risk to develop symptomatic and potentially severe hepatitis A.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic value for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of chromosomes 4 and 14q in early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: A total of 70, largely microsatellite stable, tumours and their corresponding normal mucosa were subjected to microdissection and analysed for LOH at chromosomes 4 and 14q by using 13 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers. LOH was correlated with the survival of the patients, using univariate, multivariate and Kaplan–Meier’s survival curves. Result: LOH at D4S2935, D4S1579 and D4S1595 on chromosome 4 was significantly associated with metastatic recurrence of early-stage CRC. For chromosome arm 14q, two minimal regions of deletion were associated with metastatic recurrence and mapped to neighbouring markers D14S275/D14S49 at 14q12–13 and D14S65/D14S250 at 14q32. High-level loss (loss of five to eight of the informative microsatellite markers) on both chromosomes 4 and 14q, to be an independent prognostic indicator in early-stage CRC was shown by multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Determining the LOH of chromosomes 4 and 14q and their extent in primary tumours of patients with early-stage CRC may constitute a molecular signature of metastatic recurrence. This may be achieved if new finding sheds light on the treatment of this subgroup of patients that have been largely ignored.

The "anti-HBc alone" serological profile is a frequent finding in hepatitis B virus infections, but little is known about its clinical significance. The aim of this study was to explore the 'anti-HBc alone' serological profile obtained by immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 284 patients suspicious of being infected with hepatitis B virus. Sera were screened for following serological markers: HBs Ag, anti-HBc and anti-HBs antibodies using immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) and for HBV DNA using polymerase chain reaction. Among 284 studied sera with 'anti-HBc alone' serological profile, 124 were positives for anti-HBs antibodies by IRMA and corresponding to a recovered form of hepatitis B. Nineteen sera were negatives for anti-HBc antibodies, suggesting false positive results by ELISA. Two sera were found positives for HBs Ag by IRMA, which are related to authentic hepatitis B. HBV DNA was positive in 4 sera, suggesting occult hepatitis B. This study indicates that "anti-HBc alone" serological profile is most often correlates with recovered hepatitis B infection, but it can mask an occult hepatitis B.

Objective To document the response of two patients with severe recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis following treatment with intralesional cidofovir in conjunction with carbon-dioxide laser evaporation. Setting Tertiary referral centre. Methods Retrospective review of treatment of two patients followed up over a 12-month period. Intervention Microlaryngoscopy and carbon-dioxide laser evaporation of lesions followed by intralesional injection of cidofovir. Outcome measures Photodocumentation and descriptive statistical representation of intervals between endoscopic treatment. The disease was staged according to severity on endoscopy. Results Initially, both patients showed a marked improvement of disease. However, the disease relapsed to a significant extent. Overall, there was no demonstrable change in the frequency of required endoscopies despite subjective improvement of the airway. Conclusion Cidofovir may be of some benefit in the management of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, but further studies are still required.

Isolated primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the frontal sinus is rare. We describe the case of a middle-aged man who came to us with signs of orbital cellulitis complicating an acute infected frontal mucocele. His condition was initially controlled with medical therapy and subsequent endoscopic sinus surgery, but his symptoms eventually returned. We were able to diagnose the lymphoma only by approaching the sinus externally to obtain a biopsy. This case highlights the importance of making a full visual inspection of the involved sinus in order to avoid missing an unexpected, albeit a rarely encountered, pathology.

A compact digital 3D imaging system based on laser triangulation was designed for applications requiring a rapid response on remote sites. Heritage, forensic and industrial applications are among the best fields to benefit from this new technology. This paper focuses on such aspects as the acquisition, calibration, verification, and model creation. These aspects were all optimized to create a versatile system that is compact, i.e. hand portable to a remote site. Emphasis is placed on accuracy verification and monitoring which are critical factors for obtaining high-quality reconstruction of 3D models from multiple range images. A summary of the experimental results acquired in 1997 and 1998 at a number of sites in Italy is presented in this paper., Second International Conference on 3-D Digital Imaging and Modeling, 4-8 Oct. 1999, Ottawa, Ont., Canada

Proceedings of SIGGRAPH '99 Conference, August 8-13, 1999., Los Angeles, California, USA

In the last fifteen years, the frequency of Streptococcus pneumoniae resistance to penicillin has been regularly increasing with various degrees in different geographical zones. In order to determine the epidemiological situation in our region, we studied penicillin G susceptibility of S. pneumoniae strains isolated in our laboratory for 2 years 1994 and 1995. The S. pneumoniae strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin G (PSDP) were detected by oxacillin screen test (using 1 microgram oxacillin disk) and completed with the determination of penicillin G MIC. We isolated 107 S. pneumoniae strains (41 in 1994 and 66 in 1995); 12 of them had reduced susceptibility to penicillin (11.2%). The study showed a difference in the percentage of penicillin susceptibility between invasive (5.1%) and non invasive strains (28.6%). The rate of strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin increased from 7.3% in 1994 to 13.6% in 1995 with a higher degree of resistance in 1995. We concluded that our region is not spared from the problem of the decreased susceptibility to penicillin G of S. pneumoniae. These results should prompt us to survey the evolution of such resistance.

Two hundred and seventy schizophrenia patients were interviewed using the Present State Examination to elicit the phenomenological symptoms of the illness. Cultural factors and ethnicity were found to be significant variables associated with the symptoms. Higher prevalence of religious and other subculturally related delusions were common in Kelantan patients. Our general belief that Malaysian culture influences symptomatology of mental illness seems to be proven.

Two hundred and seventy patients with schizophrenia (104 patients in Kelantan and 166 patients in Penang) were interviewed using the Present State Examination to elicit the differences in the phenomenology of their hallucinations. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the phenomenology of hallucinations between the Malays of Penang and Kelantan and also among some Chinese patients. These findings indicate that culture does affect the phenomenology of schizophrenia, even among people of the same race but of different regions.

This work was carried out on 150 subjects. They were classified into four groups: group I: Bronchogenic pulmonary T. B. (n = 96); group II: Haematogenous T. B. (n = 15); group III: Healed T. B. (n = 16), group IV: Healthy control (n = 23). Insulin tolerance test was done for each subject to assess the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis. Glucose, ACTH, cortisol, GH, and PRL levels were estimated during fasting and over three hours after insulin administration. In group I and II the patients exhibited higher fasting levels of anti-insulin hormones and they respond greater than normals to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. This might indicate early affection of the pituitary gland by TB infection, yet insulin-induced hypoglycaemia assured efficient function of the gland. In healed TB patients, no significant changes were obtained in the different hormonal behaviour, whether in the fasting state or after stimulation. This might be explained by improvement of the health condition of the patients, and relief of the stress induced by TB infection.