Hematoxylin-eosin staining is a crucial technique used in histopathology to differentiate tissue components. One of the steps in this staining is changing the color of the nucleus, which was previously reddish due to the acid solution, to bluish; this step is known as blueing. The bluing agent, lithium carbonate, is commonly used in laboratories but has side effects and low availability. Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, can be used as an alternative due to its optimal pH, lower toxicity, and availability. This study aims to find out whether baking soda is as effective as lithium carbonate when used as a blueing agent for hematoxylin-eosin staining. The study design used was a true experimental post-test only control group design with a sample size of 32 preparations. Results of preparations using baking soda microscopically had good color uniformity, the nucleus was visible, the cytoplasm was clear, so the boundaries between cells were visible, and no cell lysis was found. In percentage terms, 14 preparations received a score of two (87.5%), two preparations received a score of three (12.5%), followed by a P value of 0.051 after carrying out the Fisher's exact test in bivariate analysis. Based on the results, baking soda is as effective as lithium carbonate, so it can be used as an alternative to bluing agent of hematoxylin-eosin staining.

Tuberkulosis (TB) masih merupakan masalah penyakit menular di Indonesia termasuk Nusa Tenggara Timur. Desa Bone, Kabupaten Kupang dilaporkan masih dengan angka insiden yang tinggi. Penyakit ini disebabkan oleh bakteri basil yang dikenal dengan nama Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Penularan melalui udara saat pasien batuk dan mengeluarkan droplet, anggota keluarga merupakan kelompok yang sangat rentan tertular karena tidak bisa menghindari kontak secara langsung. Penyakit TB dapat disembuhkan dengan pengobatan teratur dan tidak putus selain itu pencegahan dapat dilakukan dengan menjaga sanitasi lingkungan, peningkatan daya tahan tubuh anggota keluarga, dukungan dari anggota keluarga kepada pasien yang sedang menjalani pengobatan sampai sembuh. Konseling keluarga dan pemberdayaan pemuda untuk menurunkan angka penularan TB kami nilai sebagai salah satu strategi yang efektif. Kegiatan inilah yang kami laksanakan dalam kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat dengan fokus pada wilayah layanan Puskesmas Nekamese, pada siswa/siswi SMAN 2 Kabupaten Kupang Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur