Search

Background: Cognitive impairment and attention deficit disorder have been on the rise among generations in recent times. A significant portion of the brain involved in learning and cognition is the hippocampus. Its development begins in utero till weaning. The mother's body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy indicates her health; however, little data links maternal BMI before pregnancy to fetal hippocampal health outcomes. Aim: The study aimed to estimate the extent to which pre-pregnancy maternal BMI relates to their offspring brain status, and thus to what extent to this stage of life may be an opportunity for mental and cognitive development. Methods: Thirty-six naive female albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) at 8 weeks of age with an average weight of 190-220 g body weight were obtained and assigned to three experimental groups according to their body mass index into; under-, over-, and normal weight. Following one week of habituation, all females were allowed to mate (3 female/1 male). On postnatal day 1 (PND1), pups were randomly adjusted to 8/dam with an equal gender ratio. On 15 days postpartum, all pups were sacrificed. Hippocampi were removed and processed for histological investigations, Glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemically, and flow cytometric assessments of apoptosis. Measurements of the cognitive brain were carried out. Results: The present findings manifested elevation in the inflammatory and apoptotic markers in the hippocampus of underweight mothers-offspring yielding a lower cognitive ability than overweight mothers-offspring compared to those whose mothers with normal weight before conception. The male offspring were more affected than female offspring especially those born to pre-pregnancy underweight mothers. Conclusion: The study concluded that there may be a connection between a mother's pre-pregnancy BMI and her offspring's cognitive capacities, which calls for more study to gain a deeper knowledge and to create interventions that target the physical health of the mother prior to pregnancy in order to enhance their offspring's health and cognitive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work used small (12S rRNA) mitochondrial rRNA gene to assess the evolutionary connections of some species of the cardinal fishes belonging to order Kurtiformes. Small mitochondrial rRNA sequences varied in length from 920 to 944 base pairs. Of the 947 characters in the aligned 12S rRNA data set, 834 were consistent sites, 19 were parsimony informative, and 111 were variable. Small mitochondrial rRNA sequences' nucleotides were uploaded to GenBank with accession numbers (PP830791- PP830794). The P-distances among the understudied cardinalfish species, expanded from 0.0060 to 0.0130. The highest value (0.0130) was found between Cheilodipterus novemstriatus and Ostorhinchus fasciatus. While, the lowest P-distance (0.0060) was found between Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus and Cheilodipterus macrodon. Our results demonstrated the utility of 12S rRNA in the phylogenetic analysis of the cardinalfish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saurida undosquamis is a globally dispersed species. It is a wellknown commercial species belonging to the Synodontidae family from the Red Sea and Suez Gulf of Egypt. 200 samples were collected from commercial markets in Port-Said, Egypt. After species identification, the morphometric characteristics were estimated for each sample. The length-weight relationship and Fulton condition factor were also calculated. Moreover, after fish dissection, the internal organs were removed to measure the organosomatic indicators, and the fish gut length was measured to be compared with its total length. The contents of the stomach were classified to calculate the percentage of each type to detect the feeding habit of these fish. Finally, samples of the internal organs were prepared for the histological sections. The morphometric data revealed that S. undosquami had canines found in two rows. The total and standard-length averages were 24.94± 1.64 and 21.41± 0.34cm, respectively. The growth pattern of the examined fish is a negative allometric pattern. Both sexes were in good health, as the Fulton factor was more than one. The highest organ ratios were recorded for the hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indices. The most abundant food content in the stomach was fish. The histological sections reflected the similarities between S. undosquami and the other teleosts recorded in the previous study. In conclusion, the biological knowledge about lizardfish in Port Said Governorate provided by this study helped to afford the required information to support the resource's utilization. There is a need for further investigations that link more between these different biological parameters concerning environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To conserve species and determine suitable management plans, the insidious and accurate identification of a species is fundamental. Despite the commercial importance of Lutjanidae family, the phylogeny of Lutjanidae has not been fully studied. Thus, this study focused on the phylogeny of this family using mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences in four species; Lutjanus fulviflamma, Lutjanus monostigma, Lutjanus bohar and Lutjanus kasmira. The generated bands of 16S rRNA in the four species prolong from 561 to 575 bp. The sequences of 16S rRNA were displayed in GenBank/NCBI to gain the accession numbers (OQ803478.1 - OQ803481.1). The average frequencies of adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G) were 28.91, 21.93, 25.51 and 23.65%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, five various treatment doses of Bacillus subtilis (BS) were examined associated with the growth rate, some tissues and genes for the Litopenaeus vannamei (L. vannamei). BS was secluded from the intestine of farmed shrimp (L. vannamei) and then added to the shrimp's diets in five doses of BS. Sixty shrimps were randomly divided into six groups as follows: group 1 (T0a) as a control-farmed group, group 2 (T1), group 3 (T2), group 4 (T3), group 5 (T4) and Group 6 (T5). After two months of the experimental period, the T0b group (control-natural group), which contained ten shrimps brought from the Mediterranean Sea, was determined as group 7. At the end of the two months, the growth rates were calculated for the first six groups, and the histological status in hepatopancreas, intestine, muscle, and antenna in addition to the genetics studies were assessed for the seven groups. The group which was treated with (4/5*105 CFU of BS/g) showed the best results in weight gain, survival rate, increase in body length, and enhancement in the tissues of the hepatopancreas, intestine, muscle, antenna and genes of the shrimp. Therefore, this dose is recommended to be used in culturing shrimp in order to increase productivity and contribute to solving the food problem as one of the goals of sustainable development concerning "Egypt Vision 2030". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of the ameliorative effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) in counteracting the toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3-NPs) that cause hepatic tissue damage is focused on herein. Forty male albino mice were haphazardly grouped into four groups as follows: the first control group was orally gavage daily with physiological saline; the second group received 100 mg/kg of PPE by the oral route day after day; the third group received 30 mg/kg Fe2O3-NPs orally; and the fourth group received both PPE and Fe2O3-NPs by the oral route, the same as the second and third sets. Later, after the completion of the experiment, we collected the liver, blood, and bone marrow of bone specimens that were obtained for further laboratory tests. For instance, exposure to Fe2O3-NPs significantly altered serum antioxidant biomarkers by decreasing the levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), and glutathione s-transferase (GST). Additionally, it caused changes in the morphology of hepatocytes, hepatic sinusoids, and inflammatory Kupffer cells. Furthermore, they significantly elevated the number of chromosomal aberrations including gaps, breaks, deletions, fragments, polyploidies, and ring chromosomes. Moreover, they caused a significant overexpression of TIMP-1, TNF-α, and BAX mRNA levels. Finally, the use of PPE alleviates the toxicity of Fe2O3-NPs that were induced in the hepatic tissues of mice. It is concluded that PPE extract has mitigative roles against the damage induced by Fe2O3-NPs, as it serves as an antioxidant and hepatoprotective agent. The use of PPE as a modulator of Fe2O3-NPs' hepatotoxicity could be considered as a pioneering method in the use of phytochemicals against the toxicity of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) constitutes the largest percent of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). During B cell development, DNA double strand breaks are processed at immunoglobulin gene segments, which are recombined by mediating the excision, relocation, and re-ligation of these gene segments in a manner that utilizes several of the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) key enzymes. The NHEJ process is initiated by the sliding of Ku70 and Ku80 over both ends of the broken DNA molecule. The binding of a DNA end with the Ku heterodimer is critical for creation of a scaffold that gives other NHEJ key enzymes binding capability to DNA ends. TDP1 as a broad-spectrum DNA end-processing enzyme, acts at undamaged 3' end to generate 3' phosphates, which prevents error-inducing DNA synthesis during NHEJ. TDP1 is also an essential factor in the DNA repair machinery for TOP1-induced DNA breaks during transcription as well as replication. To investigate the expressions of Ku70/80 and TDP1 in DLBCL, we analyzed the protein levels of Ku70, Ku80, and TDP1 in 25 DLBCL patient samples and 13 normal lymphatic control tissues by using immunohistochemistry. The results showed that very low expression of Ku70 and Ku80 were found in 20% (5/25) and 8% (2/25) of the DLBCL samples, respectively. Moderate expression of Ku70 and Ku80 was detected in 62% and 36% of patient samples, respectively, while all the control lymphatic tissues (13/13) showed high expression of Ku70 and Ku80, which indicated that low expressions of Ku70 and Ku80 were significantly correlated with lymphoma development (P<0.05). Furthermore, the results demonstrated that low expression of Ku70 was significantly associated with low expression of Ku80 (P<0.01). Moreover, low expression of TDP1 was detected in 84% of patient samples. Statistical analysis results showed that low expression of TDP1 was significantly correlated with lymphoma development (P<0.01). In conclusion, this study revealed that DNA repair proteins, Ku70, Ku80, and TDP1, may have negative effects on proliferation and maturation of B lymphocytes and reduced expressions of these proteins are associated with the development of diffuse large Bcell lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastropods are one of the most diverse groups of animals, in form, habit, and habitat. Till now they are the largest group of molluscs. The present study was aimed to evaluate the genetic variability among three gastropods species; Neverita josephinia, Hexaplex trunculus and Murex altispira using molecular marker start codon targeted (SCoT) and Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A total of ten SCoT primers produced 115 amplicons, their size ranged from 120 to 1500 bp and the percentage of polymorphism ranged from 20% to 78%. The results of the study revealed that Neverita josephina and Hexaplex trunculus have higher genetic similarity 76% while Hexaplex trunculus and Murex altispira exhibited lower genetic similarity 70%. The protein analysis by SDS-PAGE Produced 23 bands of molecular weight ranging from 8 to 149 KDa with polymorphism 9%. Considering all the gained data, it is evident that molecular detection of SCoT and SDS-PAGE are suitable tools in assessing genetic variation and relationships among gastropods species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetics similarity and protein analysis of some cyprinid fish were studied using Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Intersimple sequence repeated (ISSR Markers). Species Pethia nigrofasciatus, Barbonymus schwanenfeldii, Puntius tetrazone and Brachydanio rerio were collected from the fish farms in Damietta to study the genetic variability among them. Eleven ISSR primers were tested to assess the effectiveness of ISSR analysis in discriminating among the four applied fish species. We observed varied size of amplified products depending upon the sequence of ISSR primers and genotypes used. A total of 131 discrete amplified products were obtained (size 79 to 1185 bp approximately) with polymorphism 95%. Out of 131 products, 63 bands were species specific markers indicating high level polymorphism among species. The highest and lowest number of ISSR bands detected for primers ISSR 15 and ISSR16 was 18 and 17 respectively. 7 bands were most relevant as found monomorphic in all four species of family: Cyprinidae. Highest similarity observed between Pethia nigrofasciatus and Barbonymus schwanenfeldii 80% and lowest similarity was between Pethia nigrofasciatus and Brachydanio rerio 31%. The protein analysis by SDS-PAGE produced 29 bands of molecular weight ranging from 11 to 132 KD with polymorphism 14%. This study concludes that ISSR-based DNA analysis bands and protein profile in muscles from Pethia nigrofasciatus and Barbonymus schwanenfeldii are the most closest species compared molecularly compared with other species used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective of the study was evaluation of the harmful effect induced by aluminum silicate in bone marrow chromosomes and liver tissues. Also, how could prevents this toxicity. 60 Adult male albino rats weighing 100-120 g were used for our experiments. The animals were divided into six equal groups: first normal healthy control group, second group was given 200 ml propolis/Kg day after day by stomach gavage, third group received low dose of aluminum silicate (5 mg/kg; intra peritoneal) twice a week, forth group injected with high dose of aluminum silicate (20 mg/kg; intra peritoneal) twice a week, fifth group received propolis and aluminum silicate with similar doses as that of second & third groups and sixth group received propolis and aluminum silicate with similar doses as that of second & forth groups. At the end of 8 weeks for each rat, bone marrow was aspirated and liver was removed for lab examinations. The results showed that rats exposed to aluminum silicate had severe chromosomal aberrations and changes in CYP gene expression. It caused significantly increased in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations such as polyploidy, hypoploidy, deletions, fragments, chromatid breaks, chromosome breaks, double minutes, ring, gap and translocation were also observed. Gene expression of CYPs was increased with exposure to aluminum silicate and was down regulated in treatment with propolis while Bcl-2 and BAX were decreased in exposure to aluminum silicate and up regulated by the treatment. Propolis has a curative effect against aluminum silicate toxicity owing to its antioxidant property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of 2,4-disubstituted benzo[g]quinoxaline molecules have been synthesized, using naphthalene-2,3-diamine and 1,4-dibromonaphthalene-2,3-diamine as the key starting materials. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by spectral data along with elemental microanalyses. The cytotoxic activity of all synthesized benzo[g]quinoxaline derivatives was assessed in vitro against the breast MCF-7 cancer cell line. The tested molecules revealed good cytotoxicity toward the breast MCF-7 cancer cell line, especially compound 3. The results of topoisomerase IIβ inhibition assay revealed that compound 3 exhibits potent inhibitory activity in submicromolar concentration. Additionally, compound 3 was found to cause pre-G1 apoptosis, and slightly increase the cell population at G1 and S phases of the cell cycle profile in MCF-7 cells. Finally, compound 3 induces apoptosis via Bax activation and downregulation of Bcl2, as revealed by ELISA assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of N-1 arylidene amino imidazole-2-thiones were synthesized, identified using IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectral data. Cytotoxic effect of the prepared compounds was carried out utilizing three cancer cell lines; MCF-7 breast cancer, HepG2 liver cancer, and HCT-116 colon cancer cell lines. Imidazole derivative 5 was the most potent of all against three cell lines. DNA flow cytometric analysis showed that, imidazoles 4d and 5 exhibit pre-G1 apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. The results of the VEGFR-2 and B-Raf kinase inhibition assay revealed that compounds 4d and 5 displayed good inhibitory activity compared with reference drug erlotinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]