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Extended reality (XR) has become one of the most promising tools for supporting learning and practice in medicine, especially in countries with limited resources such as Indonesia. This study assessed medical lecturers' and students' awareness, perceptions, and readiness to implement XR in Indonesian medical education. A cross-sectional study of multiple medical schools across Indonesia was conducted from April to May 2021. The respondents were lecturers and students from the undergraduate and postgraduate stages of medical faculty. Respondents were asked to complete a self-constructed questionnaire with 40 questions for lecturers and 31 for students. A total of 415 respondents, comprising 246 undergraduates, 96 postgraduates, and 73 medical lecturers from 34 medical faculties and 28 provinces in Indonesia, participated in the survey. Most medical lecturers and students were aware of the XR system, with virtual reality (VR) being the most common type of XR reported (72%-76%). However, most students and lecturers had no experience utilising XR technology (58%-65%). The use of VR was the highest among all types of XR technology (29%-37%), while mixed reality (MR) was the lowest (2%-3%). Most respondents reported an interest in medical training using XR facilities (89%-97%). However, they also expressed concerns about potential adverse effects and a lack of confidence that the Indonesian medical faculty was ready for XR implementation. The results showed positive awareness and perceptions of XR in Indonesian medical education. Further studies are required to fully assess the need for the XR system across different stages of medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reduced evoked theta activity in the deaf. • Reduced theta-gamma and alpha-gamma cross-frequency couplings in the deaf. • Stronger delta-alpha coupling in the deaf. Neurons within a neuronal network can be grouped by bottom-up and top-down influences using synchrony in neuronal oscillations. This creates the representation of perceptual objects from sensory features. Oscillatory activity can be differentiated into stimulus-phase-locked (evoked) and non-phase-locked (induced). The former is mainly determined by sensory input, the latter by higher-level (cortical) processing. Effects of auditory deprivation on cortical oscillations have been studied in congenitally deaf cats (CDCs) using cochlear implant (CI) stimulation. CI-induced alpha, beta, and gamma activity were compromised in the auditory cortex of CDCs. Furthermore, top-down information flow between secondary and primary auditory areas in hearing cats, conveyed by induced alpha oscillations, was lost in CDCs. Here we used the matching pursuit algorithm to assess components of such oscillatory activity in local field potentials recorded in primary field A1. Additionally to the loss of induced alpha oscillations, we also found a loss of evoked theta activity in CDCs. The loss of theta and alpha activity in CDCs can be directly related to reduced high-frequency (gamma-band) activity due to cross-frequency coupling. Here we quantified such cross-frequency coupling in adult 1) hearing-experienced, acoustically stimulated cats (aHCs), 2) hearing-experienced cats following acute pharmacological deafening and subsequent CIs, thus in electrically stimulated cats (eHCs), and 3) electrically stimulated CDCs. We found significant cross-frequency coupling in all animal groups in > 70% of auditory-responsive sites. The predominant coupling in aHCs and eHCs was between theta/alpha phase and gamma power. In CDCs such coupling was lost and replaced by alpha oscillations coupling to delta/theta phase. Thus, alpha/theta oscillations synchronize high-frequency gamma activity only in hearing-experienced cats. The absence of induced alpha and theta oscillations contributes to the loss of induced gamma power in CDCs, thereby signifying impaired local network activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the diagnosis of leptospirosis requires live cultures and is serovar-specific, while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) requires expensive equipment and sample preparation. The rLipL32 protein is conserved and can be used for the production of immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-rLipL32 antibody, which can be used as a biomarker for leptospirosis diagnosis. This study aimed to produce and characterize an IgG anti-rLipL32 antibody as a biomarker for leptospirosis diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Escherichia coli rLipL32 was cultured and analyzed by PCR and sequencing. Cultures were used for rLipL32 protein expression and purification and the rLipL32 protein was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The rLipL32 protein was used to produce anti-rLipL32 serum and was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum was purified to obtain IgG anti-rLipL32 antibody and characterized by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. Results: PCR was able to amplify the LipL32 gene from E. coli rLipL32, and sequencing analysis showed 99.19% similarity with pathogenic Leptospira. SDS-PAGE analysis showed a 32-kDa band. ELISA results showed an increase in OD in antirLipL32 serum compared to preimmune serum. Western blotting results showed that the IgG anti-rLipL32 antibody was able to bind and cross-reacts with pathogenic Leptospira serovar but not with E. coli or Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: IgG anti-rLipL32 antibody has high specificity and sensitivity against Leptospira pathogens. These findings suggest that IgG anti-rLipL32 antibody is a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of leptospirosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]