Triacetin, an alternative biodiesel additive, was prepared by esterification of glycerol with acetic acid in the presence of chemically activated natural zeolite. The esterification was carried out in a small reaction flask under microwave irradiation. The catalyst was characterized for its morphology by SEM and its chemical composition by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrograph indicates improved surface area of the zeolite, while the XRD analysis shows an increase in Si/Al ratio from natural zeolite to 6.042 and its crystallinity value of 12.23%. The Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) analysis obtained showed that microwave-heated samples have an esters group spectrum of triacetin at 1702 cm-1. The conversion value of glycerol was more than 95% at molar ratio of the reactants 1:9 and catalyst loading of 3%. The selectivities for monoacetin, diacetin and triacetin were 80.1%, 15.4%, and 4.5% at 60 minutes, and 43.0%, 48.6%, and 8.3% at 90 minutes. It shows that the conversion took place in consecutive steps and the use of microwave allows the reaction proceeding at milder condition. Copyright © 2019 BCREC Group. All rights reserved

Since the end of 2019 until present, coronavirus (CoV) disease (COVID)-2019 has spread globally and caused a pandemic. The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease is showed to be less affecting pediatric population. The proportion children suffering from COVID-19 is only around 2% of total cases with only 0.08% mortality rate. Several hypotheses have been proposed regarding this condition. Children are supposed to be less exposed to patients with COVID-19, have lesser amount of angiotensin converting enzyme 2, have different immune response compared to adults, and have faster tissue recovery ability. All of them decrease the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric population.

AbstrakSebagian besar penelitian tentang gizi lebih memperhatikan masalah ketidakseimbangan antara asupan makan dan aktivitas fisik dan kurang memperhatikan faktor-faktor lainnya seperti body image, depresi, dan gender secara terintegrasi. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui prevalensi status gizi remaja dan hubungannya dengan pelbagai aspek seperti nutrisi, aktivitas fisik, body image, depresi, dan gender. Dilakukan penelitian cross-sectional terhadap mahasiswa Fakultas Kedokteran Atma Jaya Jakarta. Melalui perhitungan besar sampel dipilih 147 mahasiswa secara Simple Random Sampling. Terdapat 3 responden yang dikeluarkan sebab menderita penyakit kronik. Terhadap responden dilakukan wawancara mengenai asupan makan, aktivitas fisik, body image, dan depresi menggunakan kuesioner yang sudah diuji coba. Dengan Program SPSS versi 16 dilakukan analisis univariat, bivariat, dan multivariat. Didapatkan prevalensi underweight 9,03%, status gizi normal 70,83%, dan overweight 20,14%. Hasil studi menunjukkan asupan makan yang berlebih, aktivitas fisik kurang, body image positif, dan mahasiswa laki-laki berhubungan secara signifikan dengan overweight (p-value <0,05).Kata kunci : Status Gizi, Body Image, Depresi, RemajaAbstractMost studies in nutrition gave more concern in the imbalance between food intake and physical activity, however less concern was given to other factors such as body image, depression, and gender. The purpose of this research is to know about adolescents’ nutritional status prevalence and its relation with other aspects such as food intake, physical activity, body image, depression, and gender. This study was done using cross sectional method. Population of this study was the students of the Faculty of Medicine of Atma Jaya Catholic University. 147 were chosen randomly with Simple Random Sampling. Three respondents were excluded because they had chronic illness. The respondents were questioned about food intake, physical activity, body image, and depression using validated questionnaires. Univariate, bivariate, multivariate analyses were done by SPSS version 16. The result shows the prevalence of underweight 9,03%, normal nutritional status 70,83%, and overweight 20,14%. Higher food intake, less physical activity, positive body image, and male are related significantly with overweight (p-value <0,05).Key word : Nutritional Status, Body Image, Depression, Adolescent

Coronaviruses commonly cause mild infections, but recently severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 caused a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 3,181,642 cases were confirmed globally. Gastrointestinal tract may be involved in COVID-19 due to the presence of angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) in small intestine and colon which are mandatory for SARS-CoV-2 invasion. A proportion of patients with COVID-19 had gastrointestinal manifestation without respiratory symptoms. Viable virus can also be isolated from feces of patients. Fecal-oral transmission should be considered in controlling disease spreading. Fecal examination may also be considered to diagnose COVID-19, especially in areas with limited personal protective equipment.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common liver diseases worldwide. Lipid accumulation in the liver triggers inflammation and leads to NAFLD. Prolonged inflammation will worsen the disease progression. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-12, plays a role in the inflammatory process. This study aimed to determine the association between IL-12 and NAFLD severity.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and July 2019 in Haji Adam Malik Hospital Medan, Indonesia. Subjects were patients aged 18 years or older diagnosed with NAFLD based on ultrasound. Exclusion criteria were excessive alcohol consumption, other primary liver diseases, malignancies, and cardio-metabolic disturbances. Serum IL-12 level was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The severity of NAFLD was assessed using the BARD score and NAFLD fibrosis score.Results: A total of 100 subjects were enrolled with male predominant. The mean age of subjects was 54.97 ± 8.85 years, and the most frequent comorbidity was obesity. Most subjects had mild to moderate disease progression. Serum IL-12 level was higher in more severe NAFLD based on ultrasound grading (P < 0.001), BARD score (P = 0.003), and NAFLD fibrosis score (P = 0.005). A positive correlation was observed between serum IL-12 level and BARD score (P < 0.001) with sufficient accuracy (AUC = 0.691, P = 0.014).Conclusion: Serum IL-12 level was associated with the severity of NAFLD. Higher serum IL-12 level was observed in more severe NAFLD progression.