A Survival Analysis of Islamic and Conventional Banks

Are Islamic banks inherently more stable than conventional banks? We address this question by applying a survival analysis based on the Cox proportional hazard model to a comprehensive sample of 421 banks in 20 Middle and Far Eastern countries from 1995 to 2010. By comparing the failure risk for both bank types, we find that Islamic banks have a significantly lower risk of failure than that of their conventional peers. This lower risk is based both unconditionally and conditionally on bank-specific (microeconomic) variables as well as macroeconomic and market structure variables. Our findings indicate that the design and implementation of early warning systems for bank failure should recognize the distinct risk profiles of the two bank types

From gut dysbiosis to altered brain function and mental illness: mechanisms and pathways

The human body hosts an enormous abundance and diversity of microbes, which perform a range of essential and beneficial functions. Our appreciation of the importance of these microbial communities to many aspects of human physiology has grown dramatically in recent years. We know, for example, that animals raised in a germ-free environment exhibit substantially altered immune and metabolic function, while the disruption of commensal microbiota in humans is associated with the development of a growing number of diseases. Evidence is now emerging that, through interactions with the gut-brain axis, the bidirectional communication system between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiome can also influence neural development, cognition and behaviour, with recent evidence that changes in behaviour alter gut microbiota composition, while modifications of the microbiome can induce depressive-like behaviours. Although an association between enteropathy and certain psychiatric conditions has long been recognized, it now appears that gut microbes represent direct mediators of psychopathology. Here, we examine roles of gut microbiome in shaping brain development and neurological function, and the mechanisms by which it can contribute to mental illness. Further, we discuss how the insight provided by this new and exciting field of research can inform care and provide a basis for the design of novel, microbiota-targeted, therapies.GB Rogers, DJ Keating, RL Young, M-L Wong, J Licinio, and S Wesseling

Gastarbeiter : ein Problem für das Fach "Geographie" und für die Gesellschaft

No abstract available

Detection of Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamases in Gram Negative Bacilli Isolated from Intensive–Care Units

Resistance to broad spectrum ß-lactam antibiotics due to extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBL) has emerged in clinical gram negative isolates, but with considerable variation between hospitals. In this study; ESBL in clinical gram negative isolates were detected by investigating the synergistic effect of the combination of clavulanic acid+amoxicillin (AMC) with cefotaxime (CTX), ceftazidime (CAZ) and aztreonam (ATM) in double disk synergy test. 105 clinical isolates from the patients in intensive-care units were comprising 50 Kebsiella spp, 14 Enterobacter spp, 19 E. coli, 11 P. aeruginosa, 9 nonfermentative gram negative bacilli (NGNB) and 2 Citrobacter spp. Synergistic effect with CTX, CAZ and ATM was detected in 34% of Klebsiella spp (17/50), 57.8% of E. Coli (11/19), 18.2% of P. aeruginosa (2/11), 14.2% of Enterobacter spp (2/14) and 11.1% of NGNB (1/9)