Topical use of oxybenzone, commonly found in sunscreens, can be absorbed by the skin, and long-term use may cause endocrine disruption, cancer, and teratogenic effects. However, its potential teratogenic effects on embryonic development have not been well-studied. This study aims to determine the impact of oxybenzone exposure on the early stage of embryonic development. Chicken embryos aged 72 hours (20 Hamburger-Hamilton/HH stage) were exposed to a pure oxybenzone for 24 hours at varying concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, and 20 ppm), each group consisting of 3 embryos. Embryo preparations were made using the wholemount method. Morphological abnormalities were observed with a stereo microscope, and descriptively morphometric measurements were analyzed using ImageJ software. Statistical analysis used One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test for normally distributed data, while Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed data. This study found that oxybenzone significantly enlarged the embryo, telencephalon, and eye. Several abnormalities were observed in the embryos exposed to oxybenzone, including incomplete closure of the anterior neuropore, concavity in the anterior and lateral of the mesencephalon, and depressions in the tail bud. This study concludes that oxybenzone acts as a teratogen, causing abnormalities in embryonic development, particularly in the central nervous system.

Calamus caesius, traditionally used in Asian medicine for managing diabetes mellitus, is a promising source of endophytic bacteria due to its bioactive potential. This study aims to identify the potential of endophytic bacteria isolated from “Pakkat” (Calamus caesius Blume), a traditional food of North Sumatra, as a source of α-glucosidase inhibitors. These inhibitors, such as acarbose, are used to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus but have significant gastrointestinal side effects. This study focuses on isolating and characterizing endophytic bacteria that can produce natural inhibitors, potentially safer alternatives. Twenty endophytic bacterial isolates were successfully isolated, of which five were excluded due to hemolytic activity. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH method, and isolates with the highest activity proceeded to α-glucosidase inhibitor testing. Molecular identification of potential isolates was performed through 16S rRNA gene amplification, and genomic DNA sequencing utilized the Oxford Nanopore Technologies platform. Secondary metabolite analysis was performed using antiSMASH, and gene cluster comparison with CAGECAT. Of 15 isolates, LTUP1.3 (Bacillus cereus) exhibited 86.6% α-glucosidase inhibitor activity, close to the positive control (88%). Although in Bacillus cereus LTUP1.3 no secondary metabolites were found that act as α-glucosidase inhibitors, three enzymes have similarities with enzymes found in Actinoplanes that play a role in acarbose biosynthesis namely dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase RffG, glucose-1-phosphate thymidylyltransferase rmIA and glucose-1-phosphate adenylyltransferase glgC. These results suggest that Bacillus cereus strain LTUP1.3 has a potential biosynthetic pathway similar to the acarbose biosynthetic pathway in Actinoplanes. However, further confirmation is required to establish its overall acarbose production capability.

Former kaolin mining has poor physical and chemical properties for plants. The low nutrient content makes difficult for plants to grow. Nitrogen (N2) is an important macronutrient for plants, but it can only be absorbed in the form of ammonium ions (NH4+) or nitrate ions (NO3-­). Therefore, it is necessary to transform nitrogen, which is able to change the molecular form so that it can be absorbed by plants. The strategy that can be done is using nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This study aimed to explore and analyze the diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria based on 16S rRNA and nifH gene from the rhizosphere of the Kaolin Lake area. The method started with bacterial isolation from rhizosphere soil samples. Selected isolates were tested for ammonium content to determine the ability of isolates to fix nitrogen. In this study, 13 isolates had the ability to fix nitrogen, two of which had a high ammonium concentration, namely RBN 5.6, and RBA 2.3. The highest ammonium concentration was produced by isolate RBN5.6 amounting to 7.55 μg/ml. Based on 16S rRNA gene identification, isolate RBN5.6 was similar to Burkholderia cepacia and isolate RBA2.3 was similar to Bacillus aquimaris. Based on the detection of the nifH gene, isolate RBN5.6 was identified as a protein-encoding dinitrogenase reductase gene group cluster from the Stutzerimonas stutzeri.

To evaluate the immune response of a rabbit model to polysaccharide capsules of Streptococcus pneumoniae after primary and booster immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Rabbits were immunized with 0.25 ml of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on Day 0, 7, and 14. Blood of rabbits was collected to measure the specific antibodies against the native polysaccharide capsules of S. pneumoniae serotypes 6B (Anti-Pn6BPS antibodies) and 19F (Anti-19FPS antibodies) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The specific anti-Pn6BPS and anti-Pn19FPS antibodies in the immunized group increased significantly compared to the control rabbit after immunization (P<0.05). The highest titer of anti-Pn6BPS and anti-Pn19FPS antibodies were obtained on Day 21 and Day 28, respectively. The third immunization on Day 21 is a fairly high increase in specific antibodies against polysaccharide type 6B and type 19F. The highest antibody titers against polysaccharide capsules of S. pneumoniae were obtained after booster immunization.

Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis: LTMs) are widely distributed, adaptable primates commonly used as animal models in biomedical research. At primate facilities such as the Dramaga Captive Breeding Facility and the Tinjil Island Natural Habitat Breeding Facility at the Primate Research Center, IPB University, LTMs experience varying diets depending on their captive or semi-wild environments. At Dramaga Captive Breeding Facility, LTMs housed in individual and group cages are provided with different feeding regimens, whereas the semi-wild LTMs on Tinjil Island feed primarily on natural food sources with occasional, very modest provisioning of bananas. Our study's objective is to evaluate these diets' influence on the gut microbiota and overall health of LTMs. Through comparative analysis of fecal microbiomes using 16S rRNA sequencing, we identified distinct gut microbiota profiles between captive and semi-wild LTMs. Semi-wild LTMs displayed a predominance of Proteobacteria, notably Succinivibrio, associated with a high-fiber diet derived from wild plant consumption. In contrast, captive LTMs housed in individual and group cages exhibited dominance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota, respectively. These findings suggest that diet is pivotal in shaping gut bacterial profiles, potentially impacting metabolic functions. Our study provides insight into the relationship between certain diets and gut bacterial composition in LTMs across different breeding facilities at the Primate Research Center, IPB University, thereby offering valuable implications for LTMs' welfare and management strategies.

Zinc contamination presents considerable threats to human health, agricultural practices, and ecological systems. Arabidopsis thaliana has demonstrated potential for use in phytoremediation, which is an environmentally friendly strategy aimed at addressing this type of pollution. This study identified genes associated with phytoremediation in A. thaliana. This identification was achieved through comparative bioinformatics analysis involving 27 plant species. A critical literature review was conducted. This review aimed to collect genes involved in metal uptake and transport across various hyperaccumulator plant species. A database in BLAST format was generated to enable the study of main homologous protein families, including ATP-binding Cassette transporters, acyl-CoA-binding proteins, metallothioneins, and phytochelatin synthases. In silico screening for zinc-binding was performed by means of a web application based on the deep-learning framework called GNINA. The results highlighted the fact that within the phytochelatin synthases-especially PCS1 and PCS2, the protein PCS2 has the highest affinity to zinc. Heavy metal ATPases involved in the vital process of metal transport and homeostasis include HMA1. Zinc transporters responsible for zinc uptake and sequestration include cation exchanger 1CAX1 and IRT2. The information thus provided explains in detail the complex molecular machinery regulating metal detoxification in A. thaliana and provides insights for developing transgenic plants with enhanced phytoremediation capabilities. Future research should target these genes to create plants with improved metal tolerance and accumulation, advancing phytoremediation technologies.

Inflammation is an early symptom of a disease that reduces the level of health. Single-bulb garlic (Allium sativum L.) is used medicinally as a plant with a broad pharmacological effect, especially anti-inflammatory activity. Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) have offered opportunities to improve drug delivery. The current study aimed to characterize SNEDDS-single bulb garlic extract (SBGE) and determine its potential as an anti-inflammatory agent in 3T3-L1 cells. SNEDDS was formulated from tween-80, glycerol, canola oil, and SBGE. The formula characterization is done using droplet size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, physical stability test, and antioxidant assay. The cytotoxicity test of SNEDDS-SBGE was evaluated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The anti-inflammatory activity was examined using 3T3-L1 cell methylglyoxal (MG) induction, and the expression of cytokines was measured using immunocytochemistry (ICC). The SNEDDS-SBGE had a nanoemulsion size of 42.30±1.39 nm, 0.6±0.03 for the polydispersion index, and -22.63±0.75 mV for the zeta potential. SNEDDS-SBGE was physically stable and had a high antioxidant level (47.579±8.017 %). SNEDDS-SBGE exhibited no toxic effect on 3T3-L1 cells. The administration of 62.5 µg/ml and 125 µg/ml SNEDDS-SBGE could inhibit (p<0.05) the expression of IL-1β after methylglyoxal induction. Thus, SNEDDS-SBGE may have potential anti-inflammatory properties.

Concrete is a common building material and is very vulnerable to cracking caused by unstable temperature/humidity. Concrete crack repair can be done by using microorganism substitution that can produce CaCO3 (calcite) compounds that can be used as an environmentally friendly method in improving structural formation and increasing the strength and durability of concrete, one of which is using ureolytic bacteria. This study aimed to isolate and characterize ureolytic bacteria isolates and then to assess the calcite precipitation potential of ureolytic bacteria isolates from landfills. The ureolytic bacterial isolates were grown on NB-U/Ca and tap water medium. Analysis of Calcite Structure using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), and molecular identification using 16S rRNA gene sequences. Bacterial isolate SP. 48 were able to grow and produce calcite in both media, especially in tap water medium. FTIR results showed that the precipitates produced by bacterial isolates on both mediums had strong absorption peaks, which were detected to be calcite. Molecular identification using the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the isolate is Bacillus albus. B. albus is a proteolytic bacterium collected from landfills that was proven to be a calcite-producing bacterium, a new finding in this study. B. albus can grow and produce calcite in a tap water medium with low pH. This finding can be used as an alternative to overcome concrete cracks and increase the strength and durability of concrete. This bacterial isolate could be developed as a biocement candidate.

Great Argus (Argusianus argus) is a globally threatened species that is protected by law in Indonesia. This species is a habitat specialist that tends to be confined to primary forests and is susceptible to human disturbance and environmental change. Sungai Wain Protected Forest (SWPF) is an isolated lowland rainforest in Kalimantan. The rising deforestation rate has threatened species sustainability in recent decades, including the Great Argus in SWPF. This study aimed to systematically analyze camera trap data on the Great Argus's abundance, activity patterns, and habitat suitability prediction in SWPF. We used camera trap data from 2018-2022 at the SWPF. Great Argus's lowest relative abundance index was in 2020, and the highest was in 2022. Overall, the relative abundance index of the Great Argus was approximately 3.125 independent events per 100-day trap night. The activity pattern of the Great Argus started at dawn and then constantly decreased until dusk. The habitat suitability prediction for the Great Argus was mostly in primary forests. Distance to road and building were the variables that contributed the most to the results of habitat suitability modeling. Habitat loss and suitability are the determining factors for the sustainability of significant argus populations.

This research was conducted in the arowana golden red Conservation Area (AgrCA) in Riau Province Rokan Hulu Regency, Sumatra, Indonesia from 2020 to 2023. The primary objective was to elucidate the population structure of arowana golden red in the midst of ongoing habitat degradation resulting from land use changes in AgrCA. Land use changes were analyzed by satellite imagery through the QGIS application. We collected population sampling data for arowana golden red by using 'fish net', 'fish trap', and 'fish scoop-net'. A comparison of satellite images taken in 2017 and 2021 revealed a reduction in swamp area by 664 ha (from 921 to 257 ha) and a decrease in swamp forest by 116 ha (from 264 to 148 ha). The conversion of swamp and swamp forests into oil palm plantations within the AgrCA has significantly diminished the natural habitat of the arowana golden red. Although there has been decreasing in swamp and swamp forests in AgrCA, the water quality in the AgrCA has remained suitable for the life of the arowana golden red. The population of arowana golden red was found to be 14-44 individuals year-1 in 2021-2023 with various sizes. Arowana golden red is most prevalent during the rainy season (July-December). Preserving the remaining swamp and swamp forests is paramount, representing a top priority. Immediate ex-situ conservation efforts are imperative, taking preemptive measures in case the arowana golden red can no longer inhabit its natural habitat.