Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is the inflammation-responsible protein and a significant rise of the plasma concentration of CRP is pervasive in the progress of ovarian cancer. However, there are few studies that comprehensively evaluate the correlation between CRP concentrations and ovarian cancer and the causal effect remains unknown. With a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we were able to investigate the causal relationship between genetically predicted CRP levels and ovarian cancer risk.Methods: Utilizing 32 CRP-related single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables identified by the latest genome-wide association studies, we investigated the correlation between genetically predicted CRP and ovarian cancer risk using summary statistics from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (25,509 cases and 40,941 controls). The Inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was applied to estimate the causality between genetically elevated CRP concentrations and ovarian cancer risk. To further evaluate the pleiotropy, the weighted median and the MR-Egger regression method were implemented. Subgroup analyses according to different histotypes of ovarian cancer were also conducted.Results: An inverse association was observed between genetically predicted one-unit increase in the log-transformed CRP concentrations and ovarian cancer (OR ¼ 0.93, 95%CI ¼ 0.87-1.00 p ¼ 0.047). When results were examined by histotypes, an inverse association was observed between genetically predicted one-unit increase in the logtransformed CRP concentrations and endometrioid ovarian cancer (OR ¼ 0.80, 95%CI ¼ 0.70-0.91 p ¼ 0.001), low-grade serous ovarian cancer (OR ¼ 0.70, 95%CI ¼ 0.58-0.86 p ¼ 0.001) and serous ovarian cancer (OR ¼ 0.84, 95%CI ¼ 0.74-0.96 p ¼ 0.012). Additionally, the results demonstrated the absence of the horizontal pleiotropy.Conclusions: MR findings provide evidence for a causal relationship between genetically predicted one-unit increase in the log-transformed CRP concentrations and reduced ovarian cancer risk, overall and among specific histotypes. Further studies are warranted to investigate the underlying mechanism.Legal entity responsible for the study: Haoxin Peng.

Objectives. To investigate the dynamic parathyroid response to rapidly induced, sustained hypocalcaemia in patients with acute malaria and in healthy volunteers. Design. Serum intact parathormone (PTH) concentrations were measured on samples taken before and during a variable-rate tri-sodium citrate infusion designed to 'clamp' the whole blood ionised calcium concentration 0.20 mmol L Ϫ1 below baseline for 120 min. Subjects. Six Malaysian patients aged 17-42 years with acute malaria, four of whom were restudied in convalescence, and 12 healthy controls aged 19-36 years. Main outcome measures. Whole-blood ionised calcium and serum intact PTH concentrations. Results. The mean (SD baseline ionised calcium was lower in the malaria patients than in controls (1.09 Ϯ 0.06 vs. 1.18 Ϯ 0.03 mmol L Ϫ1 , respectively; P ϭ 0.01) but PTH concentrations were similar (3.0 Ϯ 1.8 vs. 3.3 Ϯ 1.3 pmol L Ϫ1 ; P ϭ 0.33). Target wholeblood ionised calcium concentrations were achieved more rapidly in the controls than the patients (within 15 vs. 30 min) despite significantly more citrate being required in the patients (area under the citrate infusion-time curve 0.95 (0.25 vs. 0.57 Ϯ 0.09 mmol kg Ϫ1; P Ͻ 0.01). The ratio of the change in serum PTH to that in ionised calcium (⌬PTH/⌬Ca 2ϩ ), calculated to adjust for differences in initial rate of fall of ionised calcium, was similar during the first 5 min of the clamp (132 Ϯ 75 ϫ 10 Ϫ6 vs. 131 Ϯ 43 ϫ 10 Ϫ6 in patients and controls, respectively, P Ͼ 0.05), as were steady-state serum PTH levels during the second hour (7.0 Ϯ 2.2 pmol L Ϫ1 in each case). Convalescent patients had normal basal ionised calcium levels but the lowest serum intact PTH levels before and during the clamp, consistent with an increase in skeletal PTH sensitivity after treatment. Conclusions. There is a decreased ionised calcium 'set point' for basal PTH secretion but a normal PTH response to acute hypocalcaemia in malaria. Skeletal resistance may attenuate the effects of the PTH response but patients with malaria appear relatively resistant to the calcium chelating effects of citrated blood products.

Sistem pencahayaan ruangan kekinian selalu mengaitkan dengan isu lingkungan untuk pengurangan konsumsi energi primer. Sistem hibrida pencahayaan buatan dan alami dari matahari dapat menjadi solusi penghematan energi pada bangunan. Permasalahan yang terjadi dalam sistem hibrida adalah sangat bergantung pada kondisi cuaca dan interferensi cahaya berdasarkan konstruksi bangunan (terisolasi atau tidak). Penelitian ini menggunakan Fuzzy Logic Controller untuk mengatasi permasalahan tersebut. Fuzzy Logic Controller yang mendapat masukan tingkat intensitas cahaya dari dalam  dan luar ruangan, digunakan untuk mengatur intensitas cahaya buatan melalui dimming lampu dan  cahaya alami melalui bukaan jendela. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dengan sistem hibrida, pencahayaan buatan dapat dikurangi hingga setengah dari kondisi maksimal, tetapi dengan margin error yang berbeda–beda tergantung pada tingkat interferensi cahaya yang didapat. Nilai-nilai intensitas cahaya buatan dan alami dapat dimonitor secara real-time melalui Internet of Things (IoT). Kata kunci: Sistem pencahayaan kekinian, sistem hibrida buatan dan alami, Fuzzy Logic Controller,  IoT monitoring

Infeksi virus hepatitis B merupakan penyakit infeksi disebabkan oleh virus hepatitis B (VHB)yang dapat menimbulkan peradangan dan bahkan kerusakan sel-sel hati atau hepatitis.Penyebaran virus hepatitis B dapat terjadi secara horizontal maupun vertical. Penelitian inibertujuan untuk menjelaskan model epidemik SICKR pada penyebaran penyakit hepatitis Bdan kanker hati. Model yang terbentuk akan dianalisis dengan menentukan titik tetap,menentukan bilangan reproduksi dasar, menganalisis kestabilan titik tetap dan melakukansimulasi. Hasil yang diperoleh yaitu dapat dibentuk model SICKR (Susceptible, Infected,Cronis, Kanker, dan Recovered). Model yang diperoleh merupakan sistem persamaandifferensial non-linear. Kestabilan titik tetap bebas penyakit akan stabil saat bilanganreproduksi dasar kurang dari nol, sedangkan untuk titik tetap endemik akan stabil jikabilangan reproduksi dasar lebih dari nol.

Background: Human Papilloma virus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. Infection with HPV can be reflected by overexpression of p16ink4a. Aim of the study: we aimed at evaluating the expression of p16ink4a in cervical cancer patients and its prognostic significance. Patients and methods: This retrospective registry and follow up study was conducted on 95 women diagnosed with cervical cancer. After screening of patients presented to our hospitals; 50 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. P16ink4a was assessed by immunohistochemistry on archived tumor’s samples and correlation with different epidemiological, clinical and pathological data was performed. Prognostic impact of P16ink4a on overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) was evaluated.Results: Median age of patients was 55 years. The main presenting symptom was bleeding. Most of the patients presented with late FIGO staging 64% with stage IIIb and 10% with stage IIb. P16ink4a was positive in 80% of patients. Correlation between P16ink4a and different clinic-epidemiological data revealed positive significant correlation with tumor grade and tumor size (P values of 0.03 and 0.05 respectively). Considering the effect of p16ink4a expression and EFS and OS, our study failed to show any significant correlation.Conclusion: The late stage at presentation of our population encourages the need for national screening program. The main cause of cervical cancer is HPV reflected by positive P16 similar to international literature. In our study the failure to reach a significant correlation with survival may be due the small sample size.