HAND BOOK ON PRACTICAL MICROBIOLOGY

Hand book of Practical Microbiology, is a performance based text designed for use by students of microbiology, biotechnology, medicine, laboratory technology, allied sciences; by microbiologists and by others who are interested in practical microbiology. The intent of the book is to provide recent information and explain in detail the routine microbiological methods performed in a Microbiology laboratory. Hand book of Practical Microbiology consists of 12 chapters. Each chapter contains practical exercises. Each exercise contains theoretical aspects of the practical, principle, and experimental procedure in detail.

Pemanfaatan Limbah Minyak Jelantah Menjadi Sabun Padat

Used cooking oil contains compounds that are carcinogenic which pose a risk to human health. Waste cooking oil is also at risk for areas where used cooking oil is disposed, for example into sewers or into the ground. This can contaminate soil and water, thereby endangering humans or the surrounding environment. Therefore, serious action is needed on the use of used cooking oil waste so that it can be utilized optimally as a staple in the soap processing process. Through community service activities which are one of the implementations of the Tridharma of Politeknik Kesehatan Muhammadiyah Makassar Study Program of Medical Laboratory Technology, then education is carried out in the form of counseling to the taklim assembly team at the Al-Hidayah Perumnas Antang Makassar Mosque regarding the use of used cooking oil into solid laundry soap. From this community service activity, it can be concluded that the knowledge of the taklim team at the Al-Hidayah Mosque in Manggala Village, Manggala District, Makassar City regarding the dangers of used cooking oil waste for health and how to process used cooking oil into solid soap.

ADVANTAGES AND OBSTACLES OF APPLYING PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPUTING IN REAL WORLD: LESSONS LEARNED FROM SIMULATOR BASED MARITIME TRAINING

While simulator based maritime training is widely implemented under international maritime organization (IMO) convention and model courses, troublesome issues such as objective evaluation of training effectiveness remain unsolved. Physiological computing system (PhyCS) refers to an innovative bidirectional human computer interaction which is achieved by monitoring, analysing, and responding to operators’ psychophysiological activities in real-time. With the development of wearable devices, it becomes promising to apply PhyCS, which was considered as a laboratory technology, in real-world scenarios. In our experience utilizing view tracker, portable heart beat sensor, electroencephalogram device, and web-cameras in simulator based maritime training, PhyCS shows potential for advanced applications in operator performance assessment, usability tests, and adaptive training. However, ambulatory working environment, body movement artefact, and model verification are intricate obstacles that constrain its applications in the real world. By examining the advantages and obstacles, this paper aims to develop guidelines to apply PhyCS in the real-world.

Platelets and D-dimer as the Biomarkers for COVID-19

COVID-19, a highly contagious and rapidly spreading viral infection caused by the new corona virus SARS-COV-2, was first identified in China. On March11th, 2020 World Health Organization announced it a pandemic. The novel infection which is still being studied has a wide range of severity, ranging from no symptoms to severe pneumonia that can lead to death Objective: To find correlation between D-Dimer and platelets count with the severity of the disease Methods: It was a cross sectional study. The duration of the study was 6 months from November, 2020 to May 2021. The study was conducted in University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology (UIMLT), University of Lahore. Data of 101 COVID-19 positive patients was taken from Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Farooq Hospital & University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (UOL), Lahore. Hematological and biochemical parameters such as Complete blood count (CBC), D-Dimer, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Platelet count (PLT) and Ferritin levels were observed. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21.0. P-value less than and equal to 0.05 was taken as significant Results: Platelet count was decreased in severe patients of COVID-19 and was statisticallysignificant (P-value = 0.004) LDH, D-dimer, and Ferritin were increased with severity of disease and they were also statistically significant (P-value 0.005, 0.000. 0.027) respectively Conclusions:The platelet count, D-Dimer, LDH and Ferritin levels could act as the biomarker to determine the severity in COVID-19 infection

Preclinical Models and Resources to Facilitate Basic Science Research on Malignant Mesothelioma – A Review

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis, predominantly caused by human occupational exposure to asbestos. The global incidence of mesothelioma is predicted to increase as a consequence of continued exposure to asbestos from a variety of sources, including construction material produced in the past in developed countries, as well as those currently being produced in developing countries. Mesothelioma typically develops after a long latency period and consequently it is often diagnosed in the clinic at an advanced stage, at which point standard care of treatment, such as chemo- and radio-therapy, are largely ineffective. Much of our current understanding of mesothelioma biology, particularly in relation to disease pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment, can be attributed to decades of preclinical basic science research. Given the postulated rising incidence in mesothelioma cases and the limitations of current diagnostic and treatment options, continued preclinical research into mesothelioma is urgently needed. The ever-evolving landscape of preclinical models and laboratory technology available to researchers have made it possible to study human disease with greater precision and at an accelerated rate. In this review article we provide an overview of the various resources that can be exploited to facilitate an enhanced understanding of mesothelioma biology and their applications to research aimed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. These resources include cell lines, animal models, mesothelioma-specific biobanks and modern laboratory techniques/technologies. Given that different preclinical models and laboratory technologies have varying limitations and applications, they must be selected carefully with respect to the intended objectives of the experiments. This review therefore aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the various preclinical models and technologies with respect to their advantages and limitations. Finally, we will detail about a highly valuable preclinical laboratory resource to curate high quality mesothelioma biospecimens for research; the biobank. Collectively, these resources are essential to the continued advancement of precision medicine to curtail the increasing health burden caused by malignant mesothelioma.

The implementation of blended learning in the new normal era at vocational school of health

This study aims to describe blended learning in the new normal era in vocational schools of health. Vocational education contributes to preparing skilled workforce graduates. Therefore, vocational education must prepare the learning process based on the conditions and needs of students. The research method used was a qualitative approach. A case study was conducted to empirically investigate the phenomenon of the learning process in the new normal era through blended learning. This study collaborated with 96 fourth-semester students and 92 sixth-semester students at the Medical Laboratory Technology Study Program in Associate Degree of Health Polytechnic Ministry of Health Manado. The study results showed that during Covid-19, students could not practice directly in the laboratory freely, so it was difficult to apply the required course applications in the form of practice. Although out of 188 students, only 110 students often use smartphones in the blended learning process. Students experience the most serious difficulty in understanding and practicing laboratory quality control courses with a percentage of 38.6%. Therefore, laboratory quality control is considered in terms of student responses to difficult subjects to understand during the online learning process. So that further research is needed in developing a learning system that can increase student learning motivation. Not only up to motivation, but students also have to understand how to use technology well.

Unconventional Composite Feed Ingredients on Storage and Sensory Attributes of Chicken Meat

Aim: The present study investigated the effect of unconventional (Carica papaya, Manihot esculenta leaf and Brassica oleracea var. capitata leaves) Composite Feed Ingredients on storage and sensory attributes of chicken meat. Study Design: Quasi Experimental Place and Duration of Study: Department of Animal Production and Health Technology, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics and Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo-Ohaji, June 2020-April, 2021. Methodology: Arbor Acres broiler reared with unconventional composite feed ingredients, consisting of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% proportions of Homogenized Vegetable Meal (HVM) was used. After six weeks, the broilers were slaughtered, cleaned and stored in the freezer at the temperature of 30C. Nutrient Agar (NA), Mac Conkey Agar (MCA) and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) were the media used for the determination of bacterial and fungi growth on chicken meats during storage. Sensory evaluation of chicken meats was determined after 14 days of storage. Results: The result revealed low (3.4x 105-8x105) microbial and fungi (2.1 x105-7 x105) growth on the chicken meat samples. There was no significant difference (P=0.05) in the sensory attributes (taste, colour, aroma and general acceptability) tested. The chicken meats were generally (7.6 -7.8) acceptable by the taste panel members after 14 days of storage. Conclusion: The inclusion of unconventional (leave) ingredients in broiler feed did not affect the storage of chicken meat, rather some sensory attributes (aroma and colour) of chicken meat were improved.

Description and Level of Difficulty in Learning Hematology for Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) Students during One Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research aims (1) to determine the description of learning difficulties and the percentage of supporting and inhibiting factors for learning hematology in the COVID-19 pandemic era, (2) to determine the success rate of learning hematology in the COVID-19 pandemic era. This research is a qualitative descriptive type, with research subjects from D4 Analyst students at the Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang who study hematology. This data collection was carried out from February to March 2021. Data were collected from a questionnaire via Google Form. Based on the results of the study, the following findings were obtained: 1) description and percentage of supporting and inhibiting factors for hematology learning difficulties as follows: (1) health factors (53.33%), (2) cognitive factors (60%), (3) interest factors (50%). The average internal factor of hematology learning difficulties is 54,44% in the medium category. While the percentage of external factors of learning difficulties in hematology are as follows: (1) family factors (46.67%), (2) living place conditions (46.67%), (3) facilities (48.89%), (4) learning materials (54%). The average external factor of hematology learning difficulties is 49.06% in the medium category, 2) the success rate of learning hematology in the COVID-19 pandemic era with an average of 61.73 (medium). The study results can contribute in the form of information on the description of the factors of learning difficulties in the Hematology course in the COVID-19 pandemic era as a basis for finding solutions.