Spatio-temporal variation and seasonal dynamics of stranded beach anthropogenic debris on Indonesian beach from the results of nationwide monitoring.

The first stranded macrodebris study on a national scale in Indonesia was conducted on 18 beaches from February 2018 to December 2019. The average weight and abundance of beach debris were higher between October and February (rainy season). The highest stranded macrodebris was located in Ambon, Manado, Takalar, and Padang. Plastic (46.38 %) was the most prevalent type of debris across all macrodebris categories, with single-use plastics such as plastic sachets, plastic bags, and plastic bottles being the dominant macroplastic debris (64.64 %). Based on CCI, HII, and BGI, 18 beaches are "moderately clean," with few hazardous items observed, and "Good." This anthropogenic macrodebris is thought to be more localized (55 %) than transboundary macrodebris. Litter control and environmental quality of this Indonesian coastal region should be improved through a proactive and flexible approach. Finally, extensive stranded beach debris monitoring is recommended to better understand the distribution of macrodebris in the region.

Seasonal heterogeneity and a link to precipitation in the release of microplastic during COVID-19 outbreak from the Greater Jakarta area to Jakarta Bay, Indonesia.

To reduce microplastic contamination in the environment, we need to better understand its sources and transit, especially from land to sea. This study examines microplastic contamination in Jakarta's nine river outlets. Microplastics were found in all sampling intervals and areas, ranging from 4.29 to 23.49 particles m-3. The trend of microplastic contamination tends to increase as the anthropogenic activity towards Jakarta Bay from the eastern side of the bay. Our study found a link between rainfall and the abundance of microplastic particles in all river outlets studied. This investigation found polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene in large proportion due to their widespread use in normal daily life and industrial applications. Our research observed an increase in microplastic fibers made of polypropylene over time. We suspect a relationship between COVID-19 PPE waste and microplastic shift in our study area. More research is needed to establish how and where microplastics enter rivers.

Molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies of bioactive compounds contained in noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia L.) against human pancreatic α-amylase.

Human pancreatic α-amylase inhibition is currently a promising therapeutic target against type 2 diabetes (DMT2) because it can reduce aggressive digestion of carbohydrates into absorbable monosaccharides. In Indonesia, medicinal plants, e.g. Morinda citrifolia fruit, have been empirically utilized as a blood-sugar reducer, however, the inhibitory activity of compounds in this plant against human pancreatic α-amylase is still limited or none. Therefore, this study aimed to test the interaction of 7 compounds (americanin, asperulosidic acid, damnacanthal, quercetin, rutin, scopoletin, and ursolic acid) contained in noni fruit against human pancreatic α-amylase by molecular docking and molecular dynamics and compared their binding modes with that of acarbose. Results of the molecular docking simulation indicated that the ursolic acid compound possesses the best binding energy (-8.58 kcal/mol) and comparable to that of acarbose (-8.59 kcal/mol). The molecular dynamics study at 100 ns simulation, the values of RMSD, RMSF, the radius of gyration (Rg), the solvent-accessible surface area (SASA), principal component analysis (PCA), and MM-PBSA binding free energy were stable and identical to those of acarbose. It could be concluded that ursolic acid might be potential in inhibiting human pancreatic α-amylase, thus, potential to be developed as an anti-DMT2 drug candidate. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Treatment in Patients with Complications of Kidney and Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Indonesia.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease with high-cost treatment. This study aimed to analyze the cost-effectiveness of T2DM treatment in hospitalized patients with complications of kidney and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in Indonesia by focusing on patients of Health Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan). An observational study was applied by collecting data retrospectively from patients' medical record at the biggest public hospital in West Java Province, Indonesia. Two perspectives of payer and healthcare provider were applied to estimate the treatment cost. We considered following inclusion criteria: (i) Hospitalized T2DM patients without complication, with complications of kidney and PVD during 2014-2017; (ii) member of BPJS Kesehatan; (iii) >18 years old patients; and (iv) patients with complete medical record data. The results showed that the majority patients were female (56.72%), 45-64 years old (69.40%), and had a length of stay at 4-10 days (54.48%). The greatest contributions in the total treatment cost were found to be hospital room, medical services and medicines for the treatment of T2DM without complications, with complications of kidney and PVD, respectively. From the perspective of payer, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of T2DM treatment with complications of kidney and PVD would be IDR 215,723 and IDR 234,591 per 1 mg/dL blood glucose reduction, respectively. From the perspective of healthcare provider, the ICERs of T2DM treatment with complications of kidney and PVD would be IDR 166,289 and IDR 681,853 per 1 mg/dL blood glucose reduction in both perspectives (1 US$ = IDR 13,451). In a comparison with T2DM without complication, reducing 1 mg/dL blood glucose in T2DM treatment with complication of PVD would require higher cost than in T2DM treatment with complication of kidney from both perspectives.

Sacran Hydrogel Film Containing Keratinocyte Growth Factor Accelerates Wound Healing by Stimulating Fibroblast Migration and Re-epithelization.

Regenerative therapy with keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a novel therapeutic approach for treatment of chronic wounds. However, KGF cannot be used directly to the wound site due to its physicochemical instability. In previous study, sacran, a natural megamolecular polysaccharide, showed potential properties as a biomaterial for hydrogel film in wound healing. In this study, we fabricated sacran hydrogel film containing KGF (Sac/KGF-HF) and evaluated the effects of Sac/KGF-HF on fibroblasts migration and re-epithelialization process. We successfully prepared a homogenous and -amorphous Sac/KGF-HF by a casting method. In addition, Sac/KGF-HF had a high swelling ratio and flexibility. Sac/KGF-HF promoted a migration process of NIH3T3 cells and improved wound healing ability in mice with a percentage of wound closure reaching 90.4% at 9 d. Interestingly, the addition of KGF in Sac-HF considerably increased the number of epithelial cells compared to control, which is important in the re-epithelialization process. It could be concluded that KGF in Sac-HF has the potential for promoting Sac-HF abilities in wound healing process.