The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), potentially have severe kidney adverse effects. This organ expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the transmembrane protein which facilitate the entering of the virus into the cell. Therefore, early detection of the kidney manifestations of COVID-19 is crucial. Previous studies showed ACE2 role in various indications of this disease, especially in kidney effects. The MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in this organ affected ACE2 expression. Therefore, this review aims at summarizing the literature of a novel miRNA-based therapy and its potential applications in COVID-19-associated nephropathy. Furthermore, previous studies were analyzed for the kidney manifestations of COVID-19 and the miRNAs role that were published on the online databases, namely MEDLINE (PubMed) and Scopus. Several miRNAs, particularly miR-18 (which was upregulated in nephropathy), played a crucial role in ACE2 expression. Therefore, the antimiR-18 roles were summarized in various primate models that aided in developing the therapy for ACE2 related diseases.

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Plastic is one of the most abundant pollutants in the environment. As a result of natural physical processes, large plastic waste is degraded into microsized particles (<5 mm) called microplastics. Because of their size, abundance, and durability, microplastics are widely distributed in the environment, contaminating food and water intended for human consumption. The extent of microplastic contamination in the human body is still unclear because there are few studies concerning microplastic contamination in human specimens and, in most studies, data were collected from city dwellers. Despite having the fourth largest population and being the fourth largest plastic waste producer in the world and second largest plastic polluter in the ocean, there are currently no data with respect to microplastic exposure for the Indonesian population. Several studies have reported on microplastic contamination in seafood and freshwater organisms from Indonesia, and it is likely that microplastics have contaminated the gastrointestinal tracts of Indonesians. Using Raman spectroscopy, we detected microplastic contamination in 7 out of 11 analyzed stool samples collected from a farming community in the highland village of Pacet, East Java, Indonesia. Polypropylene (PP) was the most abundant and prevalent type of microplastic observed, and it was found in four of the positive samples with an average concentration of 10.19 microgram per gram of feces (μg/g). Microplastics were also detected at high concentrations in tempeh (soybean cake, a staple protein source for Indonesians), table salts, and toothpaste, which were regularly consumed and used by the study participants. PP was particularly high in table salts (2.6 μg/g) and toothpaste (15.42 μg/g), suggesting that these products might contribute to the gastrointestinal contamination in the studied population. This pilot study indicated microplastic contamination in the rural Indonesian population and in their daily consumables, demonstrating the far-reaching extent of microplastic pollution beyond urban areas.

Approximately 381 million tons of plastic are produced globally every year, and the majority of it ends up as pollutants. In the environment, plastic waste is fragmented into microplastic particles less than 5 mm in size; owing to their small size, durability, and abundance, they can easily be dispersed, incorporated into the food chains, and enter the human body. The extent of microplastic exposure in the human body has become a major concern in many countries, including in Indonesia, the second largest plastic waste contributor in the world. Here, we report the detection of microplastics in human stools collected from a fisherman community in the coastal area of Surabaya, Indonesia. Microplastics were found in more than 50% of samples analyzed with a concentration ranging from 3.33 to 13.99 µg of microplastic per gram of feces (µg/g). HDPE was observed as the most prevalent type of microplastic, with an average concentration of 9.195 µg/g in positive samples. Different types of microplastics were also detected in seafood, staple foods, drinking water, table salts, and toothpaste, which were regularly used and consumed by the study participants. Results from this preliminary study indicate widespread contamination of microplastic in the human body and in consumables associated with the coastal populations of Indonesia.

Phytophthora capsici is one of the primary pathogens causing a global problem of severe losses in chilli production. The use of conventional fertilisers and fungicides to improve chilli production had been shown to elevate environmental and health issues. Hence, the foliar application of chitosan, natural deacylated chitin, to enhance growth and resistance in chilli pepper plants was investigated. The chilli plants were grown for 14 days before receiving chitosan application and 33 days before Phytophthora infection, physiological parameters were recorded during the growth period, and expression of resistance related genes was quantified at 72 hours after infection. Our results showed that physiological parameters, such as increment of height and leaves number, and chlorophyll content indicated an improved growth process in chitosan treated plants compared to the control. Plant resistance to Phytophthora infection was also investigated following chitosan application to highly (CM334), moderately (LABA), weakly (LADO) resistant and susceptible (15080) cultivars. The disease incidence and severity indices were reduced in chitosantreated plants, except in highly and moderately resistant cultivars. Further, expression was also quantified for defence-related genes, including 9-lipoxygenase (CaLOX), Ca2+-bound calmodulin 1 (CaCaM1), receptor-like cytoplasmic protein kinase (CaPIK), Pto-interacting1 (CaPTI1) and resistance gene analogue 2 (CaRGA2). The results suggest that CaLOX, CaPTI1 and CaRGA2 genes were involved in defence mechanism to Phytophthora, with increased expression during infection. However, expression levels were reduced when Phytophthora infection was coupled with foliar chitosan application, indicating that chitosan may play a direct role in decreasing the pathogenicity of Phytophthora. In conclusion, this study suggests the promising role of chitosan as an alternative to conventional fertiliser and fungicide in chilli pepper plant.

Pisang Kepok (Musa spp. [ABB ’Saba’ subgroup]) has several unique characteristics, such as tolerance to drought and Fusarium Foc (TR4) disease. Currently, the genetic diversity of Pisang Kepok in Indonesia is not well identified, although it is widely cultivated. Information on genetic diversity is essential for developing breeding strategies to achieve efficient cultivar improvement in the future. Aims of this research were to analyze the genetic variation of Pisang Kepok from some islands in Indonesia and to determine the genetic relationship between Pisang Kepok and other accessions banana cultivars based on ITS2 region, as a basis for future research in improving banana quality through molecular breeding. We have conducted the multiple sequence alignment and built the phylogenetic tree analysis using the Bayesian Inference Phylogeny method of one million generations (ngen = 1,000,000). The ITS2 region showed two clade ingroups: first clade consists of banana with B genome (balbisiana), while the second clade consists of banana with only A genome (acuminata). In general, all accessions of Pisang Kepok cultivars were clustered in the B genome of bananas cultivars. In addition, the ITS2 sequences and secondary structures among Pisang Kepok from various regions are identical, suggesting that there was no genetic variation in the ITS2 region of Pisang Kepok from multiple areas in Indonesia.

Banana is one of the most essential commodities in Bali island. It is not only for nutrition sources but also for cultural and religious aspects. However, Bali banana genetic diversity has not been explored; therefore, in this study, we focused on its genetic relationship using a molecular approach. This research aimed to determine the genetic relationship of Bali banana cultivars using the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) region as a molecular marker. A total of 39 banana samples (Musa spp. L.) were collected from Bali island. The ITS-2 DNA regions were then amplified and sequenced from both ends. ITS-2 sequences were predicted using the ITS2 Database (http://its2.bioapps.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/). The multiple sequences alignment was performed using ClustalX for nucleotide-based tree and LocARNA to provide the secondary structure information. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using neighbor-joining (Kimura-2-parameter model, 1,000 bootstrap). The result showed that two clades were formed, one clade was abundant in A genome (AA and AAA), and the other rich in the B genome (BB and ABB). This result suggested that cultivars that had similar genomic compositions tended to be grouped within the same clade and separated with different genomic compositions. This study gives perspectives that ITS-2 sequences in bananas are quite similar and differ much compared to other families. Secondary structure has been described to provide more robust resolving power in phylogenetic analysis.

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