Fauna diversity in pitcher plants at Setiam Hill, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia

A study was carried out to determine the diversity and enumerate the fauna species related to five pitcher plant species at a selected area in Bukit Setiam Forest, Tatau, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. At the end of the study, six insect orders together with nematodes and Araneae were detected with different existence abundances and diversity. From the 901 total fauna trapped, 58.82% belonged to the order Hymenoptera, mainly of the ant species, followed by Nematodes (21.64%), Diptera (15.87%), Coleoptera (1.66%), Hemiptera (0.89%), Blattaria (0.44%) and finally, Lepidoptera (0.33%) and Araneae (0.33%). Significant differences (p<0.05) in the composition of insect trapped in pitcher plants were observed for the order Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera and even Nematodes. Meanwhile, no significant difference was observed for Coleoptera, Blattaria and Araneae. There is a strong relationship between fauna and Nepenthes pitcher either as a prey, predator, a mutualistic relationship or parasites or also for a habitat to live or to reproduce

Fecal microbiota transplant rescues mice from human pathogen mediated sepsis by restoring systemic immunity.

Death due to sepsis remains a persistent threat to critically ill patients confined to the intensive care unit and is characterized by colonization with multi-drug-resistant healthcare-associated pathogens. Here we report that sepsis in mice caused by a defined four-member pathogen community isolated from a patient with lethal sepsis is associated with the systemic suppression of key elements of the host transcriptome required for pathogen clearance and decreased butyrate expression. More specifically, these pathogens directly suppress interferon regulatory factor 3. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) reverses the course of otherwise lethal sepsis by enhancing pathogen clearance via the restoration of host immunity in an interferon regulatory factor 3-dependent manner. This protective effect is linked to the expansion of butyrate-producing Bacteroidetes. Taken together these results suggest that fecal microbiota transplantation may be a treatment option in sepsis associated with immunosuppression

Butyrate and bioactive proteolytic form of Wnt-5a regulate colonic epithelial proliferation and spatial development

Proliferation and spatial development of colonic epithelial cells are highly regulated along the crypt vertical axis, which, when perturbed, can result in aberrant growth and carcinogenesis. In this study, two key factors were identified that have important and counterbalancing roles regulating these processes: pericrypt myofibroblast-derived Wnt-5a and the microbial metabolite butyrate. Cultured YAMC cell proliferation and heat shock protein induction were analzyed after butryate, conditioned medium with Wnt5a activity, and FrzB containing conditioned medium. In vivo studies to modulate Hsp25 employed intra-colonic wall Hsp25 encoding lentivirus. To silence Wnt-5a in vivo, intra-colonic wall Wnt-5a silencing RNA was used. Wnt-5a, secreted by stromal myofibroblasts of the lower crypt, promotes proliferation through canonical β-catenin activation. Essential to this are two key requirements: (1) proteolytic conversion of the highly insoluble ~40 kD Wnt-5a protein to a soluble 36 mer amino acid peptide that activates epithelial β-catenin and cellular proliferation, and (2) the simultaneous inhibition of butyrate-induced Hsp25 by Wnt-5a which is necessary to arrest the proliferative process in the upper colonic crypt. The interplay and spatial gradients of these factors insures that crypt epithelial cell proliferation and development proceed in an orderly fashion, but with sufficient plasticity to adapt to physiological perturbations including inflammation

To respond or not to respond - a personal perspective of intestinal tolerance

For many years, the intestine was one of the poor relations of the immunology world, being a realm inhabited mostly by specialists and those interested in unusual phenomena. However, this has changed dramatically in recent years with the realization of how important the microbiota is in shaping immune function throughout the body, and almost every major immunology institution now includes the intestine as an area of interest. One of the most important aspects of the intestinal immune system is how it discriminates carefully between harmless and harmful antigens, in particular, its ability to generate active tolerance to materials such as commensal bacteria and food proteins. This phenomenon has been recognized for more than 100 years, and it is essential for preventing inflammatory disease in the intestine, but its basis remains enigmatic. Here, I discuss the progress that has been made in understanding oral tolerance during my 40 years in the field and highlight the topics that will be the focus of future research

On non-local variational problems with lack of compactness related to non-linear optics

We give a simple proof of existence of solutions of the dispersion manage- ment and diffraction management equations for zero average dispersion, respectively diffraction. These solutions are found as maximizers of non-linear and non-local vari- ational problems which are invariant under a large non-compact group. Our proof of existence of maximizer is rather direct and avoids the use of Lions' concentration compactness argument or Ekeland's variational principle.Comment: 30 page

Values Engineering for the Islamic Economy

Although the material view prevails in many societies, it is not enough to drive development, and has negative aspects in dismantling human relations and making growth one side: increasing income for a class of society. This study focuses on creating just motivations and motivations for the integrated and comprehensive development of economic, social and humanitarian aspects. The more these motives are associated with ones faith and values, the stronger and more honest they are. The study found that these motives and foundations are divided into three types: Devotional values, moral values and social values. The study recommended that these values be studied and promoted among members of society to support the economy, combat financial corruption and spread values through school curricula and media channels. The study took the approach of tracking and extrapolating for the prophetic year, analysing texts, extracting economic values from them, and reformulating them on the approach of modern economic studies

Assessing the effect of the Yemeni conflict on the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The ongoing conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014, has had disastrous consequences on the country's development trajectory and its ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conflict has caused immense human suffering, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and economic collapse, making it extremely challenging to address the multifaceted goals outlined in the SDGs. This article aims to assess the impact of the Yemeni conflict on the accomplishment of the SDGs and highlight the urgent need for international support to mitigate the effects of the crisis

The effects of video game addiction on the formation of negative habits in primary school children

This study examines how video game addiction affects the formation of negative habits in primary school children, highlighting its impact on physical health, academic performance, and social interactions. Excessive gaming can lead to detrimental behaviors and cognitive impairments. Effective interventions and parental involvement are essential to address these challenges

Synthesis and Antibacterial Study of New Microporous Zinc Phosphate Bioceramics

In a ternary system composed of aluminum phosphate, zinc oxide, and orthophosphoric acid, we have prepared microporous ceramics for orthopedic and dental uses. Firstly, we have prepared the ceramics with uncontrollable porosity by sintering blocs of the zinc phosphate cement drawn from the ternary system. Then, based on a binary system consisted of aluminum phosphate, zinc oxide, and some porogenic additives, we have prepared ceramics with good and homogeneous porosity structure. In the second issue, the preparation is made by a simple mixture of powders. Thus, after homogenization, compaction and sintering at high temperatures, the resulted ceramics developed high mechanical resistances. Besides, antibacterial tests on the ceramics have been conducted and shown good biological performances. The mechanical behavior as well as the biological properties candidate the ceramics to be a good alternative to the hard tissue. Eventually, all preparations are controlled and investigated using several technics such as FTIR, XRD, SEM, TAG-TAD, mechanical test, and an antibacterial activity test