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Objectives The purpose of this study is to assess patients’ knowledge regarding statin–grapefruit interactions, to identify any pertinent demographic characteristics that may influence knowledge of this drug–food interaction, and to identify preferred patient sources of health information. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from statins users about the awareness regarding drug interaction with foods. Self-administered questionnaires have been distributed to collect data from statins users regardless of the type and the reason they administer these medications. Respondents were statins users visiting the King Fahd Hospital’s outpatient clinic (KFHU) and community pharmacies in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Key findings Our study revealed that 62% of statin users never heard about the statin–grapefruit interaction. Only 11% have correctly recognized the interaction effect. Only 11, 21 and 6% of users have reported that they often/always received information on drug–food interaction from pharmacists, physicians and nurses, respectively. Users aged above 60 years had lower awareness than those aged Conclusions The majority of statin users have never heard about their interaction with food. Geriatrics, low-income and less educated patients had a lower level of awareness compared with their counterparts. Many patients may end up discontinuing their medications because of that interaction and the consequent side effects. Pharmacists are requested to play their expected role in providing adequate patient counselling to help improve patients’ awareness regarding safety concerns of statins medication.

The goal of this research was to develop a new genetic database of simple sequence repetition (SSR) primers for faba and classify them according to their target genes and respective biological processes. Approximately 75,605 and 148,196 previously published genomic and transcriptomic faba sequences, respectively, have been used to detect possible SSRs. The numbers of identified SSRs from each dataset were 25,502 and 12,319, respectively. The distribution of different repeat classes indicated that trinucleotides represent the largest number of repeat counts, followed by dinucleotides. The extracted genic SSR sequences were used to design 1091 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers, of which only 238 (21.8%) primers target genomic sequences and the other 853 PCR primers targeted transcriptomic sequences. The annotation of gene-targeted SSRs showed that approximately 897 genes were targeted by our SSR primers. Approximately 1890 gene ontology (GO) identification codes have been obtained. The GO keywords were distributed among distinct molecular cell features. The highest redundancies involved 554 technical words, 196 domains, and 160 molecular feature phrases. These GO codes belonged to the general level of GO and included molecular function, cellular component, and biological process (544, 670, and 676 GOs, respectively). Twenty-seven SSR PCR primers were synthesized to 12 Egyptian faba bean genotypes. Approximately 11 SSR provided one to two PCR bands, whereas other SSRs provided only one sharp band with polymorphic band size. There were 13 polymorphic primers. The polymorphism information content was 0.3, which implied moderate informativeness.

With growing concern about including unconventional dietary protein sources in poultry diets to substitute the protein sources that are essential for human consumption such as soybean meal, Azolla leaf meal (ALM) has grown in popularity. In our prior experiment, ALM was used at inclusion rates of 5 and 10%. Five per cent inclusion of ALM increased broiler chicken growth performance, the concentration of cecal propionic acid, and activation of skeletal muscle p70S6 Kinase1 (p70S6K1) without having detrimental effects on the meat quality. Those results prompted us to further evaluate the effect of the same inclusion rates of ALM on phase feeding and intestine and liver health of the broiler chicks. The current study hypothesis is that dietary ALM positively affects phase feeding, intestinal morphology and p70S6K1 activation, cecal microbial gene expression, and improves the liver energy status. For this, we enrolled 135 one-day-old broiler chicks and collected growth performance data (starter, grower, and finisher stages) and samples of the gastrointestinal tract to analyse the morphology of the villi, immune-related organs, mucin, and abundance of intestinal p70S6K1. Cecal bacterial species were analysed using qPCR and liver samples were collected to analyse adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and ATP content and selected oxidative stress biomarkers. ALM increased BW and feed intake during the starter and grower phases but did not affect the feed conversion ratio. Liver oxidative stress and AMP: ATP ratio increased in chickens fed on a diet containing 10% ALM (AZ10; P

A growth trial was conducted over 10 weeks to measure the effects of dietary Silybum marianum seeds on “growth performance, feed utilization, blood parameters, antioxidant enzymes activities and gene expression of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings”. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic experimental diets were formulated to contain five levels of S. marianum seeds on the dry weight basis at 0 (control), 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 g kg−1 diet. The results showed that the highest weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and apparent protein utilization (APU) were obtained by fish fed diet supplemented with 7.5 and 10 g kg−1 S. marianum. In addition, the total serum protein concentration as well as albumin and globulin protein fraction contents were obviously higher in fish fed either 7.5 or 10 g S. marianum seeds kg−1 diet than other diets. The lowest level of aspartate and alanine aminotransferase was recorded in fish fed diet supplemented with 10 g kg−1 diet S. marianum. Results also showed that, the highest total antioxidant enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity (CAT) was obtained by fish fed diet supplemented with 10 g kg−1 S. marianum. The highest transcripts accumulation of growth hormone was detected in pituitary of fish fed diet supplemented with 10 g kg−1 diet S. marianum, but the highest expression of immunoglobulin M-2 (IGM-2) was detected in liver of fish fed diet supplemented with 7.5 g kg−1 diet S. marianum. The highest up-regulated expression of SOD and CAT were detected in fish fed diet supplemented with 10 g kg−1 diet S. marianum seeds. These results suggested that the best dietary S. marianum level in the diet of Nile tilapia, O. niloticus fingerlings was 7.5 g or 10 g kg−1 diet (92.25 and 123 mg kg−1 silymarin) as a feed additive to promote growth, enhance the immune responses, increase antioxidant activity and gene expression.

AIMS Cyanobacteria are immense sources of several pharmacological active compounds such as flavonoids and carotenoids with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The potential therapeutic effect of two novel cyanobacterial isolates, Cronbergia siamensis (KY296358.1) and Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides (KU212886.1), against hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 )-induced oxidative stress damage in the rat model was determined in this study. METHODS AND RESULTS In vitro antioxidant activity of the two studied isolates was evaluated by radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing power. The possible prophylactic activity of S. aphanizomenoides (KU212886.1) against H2 O2 -induced oxidative stress in the rat model was assessed in vivo. Serum alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were measured for the liver functions in redox rats. Liver malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione, oxidized glutathione, nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were assessed as oxidative stress markers. The effect of S. aphanizomenoides on the transcripts level of superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and catalase (CAT) genes in the rat's liver tissues was measured using qRT-PCR. Oral administration of S. aphanizomenoides extract in low and high doses (100, 200 mg kg-1 b.w) resulted in significant improvement in biochemical parameters of liver functions and oxidative stress markers. Also, the endogenous antioxidant defence enzymes and the expression of their related genes (Mn/SOD, CAT) were upregulated. Immunohistochemistry of Caspase-3, an apoptotic marker, showed potent amelioration in the liver tissues. CONCLUSIONS The novel isolate S. aphanizomenoides proved in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity against redox rat model. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This isolate provides a new source of pharmacological compounds with great importance in pharmacological and medical fields.

The goal of this research was to develop a new genetic database of simple sequence repetition (SSR) primers for faba and classify them according to their target genes and respective biological processes. Approximately 75,605 and 148,196 previously published genomic and transcriptomic faba sequences, respectively, have been used to detect possible SSRs. The numbers of identified SSRs from each dataset were 25,502 and 12,319, respectively. The distribution of different repeat classes indicated that trinucleotides represent the largest number of repeat counts, followed by dinucleotides. The extracted genic SSR sequences were used to design 1091 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers, of which only 238 (21.8%) primers target genomic sequences and the other 853 PCR primers targeted transcriptomic sequences. The annotation of gene-targeted SSRs showed that approximately 897 genes were targeted by our SSR primers. Approximately 1890 gene ontology (GO) identification codes have been obtained. The GO keywords were distributed among distinct molecular cell features. The highest redundancies involved 554 technical words, 196 domains, and 160 molecular feature phrases. These GO codes belonged to the general level of GO and included molecular function, cellular component, and biological process (544, 670, and 676 GOs, respectively). Twenty-seven SSR PCR primers were synthesized to 12 Egyptian faba bean genotypes. Approximately 11 SSR provided one to two PCR bands, whereas other SSRs provided only one sharp band with polymorphic band size. There were 13 polymorphic primers. The polymorphism information content was 0.3, which implied moderate informativeness.

Indigenous chicken breeds in developing countries have diverse benefits to rural economy as a source of high-quality animal protein. However, there are few reports on the evaluation of economic traits in Egyptian indigenous breeds. Hence, this study aimed to investigate growth performance, carcass characteristics, body measurements and meat quality traits in two indigenous breeds of chickens (Benha line and Golden Montazah) versus Rhode Island Red as a reference worldwide breed. Besides, a time series expression profile of somatotropic axis genes including GH and IGF-1 and their plasma level concentrations were investigated. Benha line chickens (BL) revealed the highest improved estimates of growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits. In the same manner, it displayed the highest levels of hepatic GH and IGF-1 and muscle IGF-1 gene expression compared to Rhode Island Red (RIR) and Golden Montazah (GM) chickens. Accordingly, BL exhibited the highest levels of plasma IGF-1 and the lowest levels of plasma GH. This result suggests the direct association between growth performance, carcass characteristics and levels of IGF-1 gene expression in the selected chicken breeds. BL is a superior Egyptian genotype with candidate productive traits and competing characteristics, it could be used widely as a proven ancestor of commercial hybrid breeds.

Background The use of zinc oxide in the form of nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) is of great benefit due to its potent effectiveness and higher bioavailability compared to zinc oxide. This study aimed to investigate the impact of dietary inclusion of different doses of ZnO-NPs on selected serum biomarkers, lipid peroxidation and tissue gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and cytokines in Japanese quail. Eighty Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) (45 days old) were randomly divided into four groups (20 birds for each) with 4 replicates (5 birds each). Birds in the first group were fed a basal diet alone and served as a control (C). Birds in groups 2–4 were fed the basal diet supplemented with ZnO-NPs at doses of 15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg for a period of 60 days. At the end of the experiment, all birds were sacrificed to collect blood in a plain vacutainer, whereas liver and brain tissues were stored frozen at -80 °C. The obtained sera were used for the analysis of selected biochemical parameters, whereas tissue homogenates were used for the estimation of zinc, oxidative stress biomarkers and gene expression of selected antioxidant enzymes and cytokines. Results ZnO-NPs (30 and 60 mg/kg) induced a significant decrease in serum triacylglycerol (TAG) compared to the control. ZnO-NPs did not affect the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, albumin, globulin and tissue zinc concentrations but reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared to the control. The liver retained a higher zinc concentration than that of brain tissue. In a dose-dependent manner, ZnO-NPs upregulated the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase: SOD1; catalase: CAT; glutathione peroxidase-1: GPX 1) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (interferon α: IFN-α; interleukin 6: IL-6) in liver and brain tissues. Conclusion The current study suggests the inclusion of ZnO-NPs, particularly 60 mg/kg, in the diet of Japanese quails to improve antioxidant and immune status.

Cyanobacteria are immense sources of several pharmacological compounds such as flavonoids and carotenoids with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Two novel cyanobacterial isolates were isolated and identified by sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed that the two isolates are Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides (KU212886.1) and Cronbergia siamensis (KY296358.1). The BLAST alignment showed that the nearest NCBI deposited sequences were Cronbergia siamensis (NR153750.1) to C. siamensis (KY296358.1) and Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides (LN846950.1) to S. aphanizomenoides (KU212886.1) with identity ratio 94% and 93%, respectively. The phylogenetic trees confirmed the same identity ratios on the roots of clades. The two newly identified isolates could be new species with novel and unique characteristics.

This study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of non-structure protein for foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) and identify FMDV serotypes. A total of 3600 serum samples (1080 buffaloes and 2520 cattle) were collected randomly from different breeds, age, and sex at El Beheira, El Dakahlia, and El Giza. Nonstructure protein of FMDV was detected in 41 of 1080 (3.8%) Buffalo and 185 of 2520 (7.3%) cattle. The case fatality was 14.6 and 17.8% in the vaccinated buffalo and cattle, respectively. The prevalence of nonstructural protein FMDV serotyping O was 8.3, 7.5 and 2.9% in El Beheira, El Dakahlia, and El Giza, respectively. Moreover, the case fatality was 8% (El Beheira), 26.3% (El Dakahlia), and 20% (El Giza). The circulation of FMDV was prevalent during the winter season of the year. The frequency of positive case was significantly different between species, sex, and age, while it was non-significant with different breeds. The mean values of antibodies of a non-structural protein of FMDV were the highest in male cattle at 5 months to 1 year of age. Additionally, seven epithelial tissues were collected from tongue; buccal mucosa and teat of recently sudden dead animals. The obtained sequences by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were registered in GenBank under accession numbers MF980930.1, MF991123.1, MF991124.1, and MF991125.1. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the obtained sequences belonged to deposited FMDV type O (KP121442.1) with similarity ratios of 98, 100, 99, and 99%, respectively. Also, the deduced amino acids of the obtained sequences are related to capsid protein of VP1 gene of FMDV. Key words: Foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV), semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), VP1 gene, vaccinated animals, phylogenetic analysis.

A study was carried out for identification and detection of Phytophthora spp. from soil and plant samples, collected from Solanaceous crops in Egypt and Italy. The samples were screened with specific and universal primers of Phytophthora 18S, ITS1-ITS2 and 28S regions, followed by PCR product sequencing. The Phytophthora spp. detected were P. infestans (Egypt) and P. parasitica (Italy). A molecular beacon probe was also developed based on the avr3a gene of P. infestans to detect a variant associated with virulence traits. The probe was suitable for avr3a allele identification from P. infestans and also from P. parasitica PCR products.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is a synthetic antioxidant analogous of vitamin E. It is used as a preservative to prevent free radical-mediated oxidation in high-fat foods, and this study's objective was to investigate the effects of BHA on oxidative stress and apoptosis in addition to delineating its efficacy as a growth-promoting feed additive. 60 weaned male rabbits (V-line) were randomly divided into four equal groups: BHA0.0 (control), BHA50, BHA100, and BHA150, administered basal diets with 0.0, 50, 100, and 150 mg BHA/kg of feed for 60 days. Animals were examined for growth performance, markers of oxidative stress and apoptosis, and meat characteristics. Compared to the control group, rabbits receiving BHA-supplemented diets exhibited increases in BW and average daily gain (P

This study aimed to determine and evaluate the prevalence of the hidden coccidian tissue parasites (Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum) in camels. For this purpose, 120 blood samples from two breed of camels (60Baldy and 60 Sudani) were collected through a period extend from September 2014 to August 2015. Samples were examined serologically for detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and by using PCR application for detection of Neospora caninum for the first time in Egypt. Results of indirect haemagglutination inhibition (IHAT) revealed that 6 out of 120 (5%) serum samples were seropositive and the infection rate was the highest in both autumn and winter. No significance effect of age (p>0.05) on the prevalence of infection among the examined camels, while the results of indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent assay (IELISA) showed that 63 out 120 serum sample examined by IHAT were positive (52.5%). Using PCR application of 50 blood samples revealed that 12 (24%) were positive for NC-5 region of Neospora caninum genome. Four positive purified PCR products were chosen randomly and for gene sequencing. The obtained sequences were registered in Gen Bank under accession numbers from MF980926.1 to MF980929.1. The analysis of DNA sequencing revealed that the obtained sequences were related to Neospora caninum with identity ranged from 98 and 99%. we concluded that both ELISA and PCR-sequencing were sensitive methods in the diagnosis of the tissue parasites.

This study aimed to assess the levels of pyrethroids and organochlorine residues in the tissues of cultured Mugil capito and in water samples obtained from three different sites (Al-Hamol, Al-Riad and Sidi Salem; referred to as Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3, respectively) in the Delta region, Egypt. The study also assessed the biochemical markers in exposed mullet and evaluated the impact of these residues on the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in muscle and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) in liver tissues using qRT-PCR and SDS-PAGE methods. The results revealed that pesticide residue levels in the water were variable, but were lower than detected levels in fish. Significant (P 0.05) differences were found across the three study areas in terms of serum ALT, but the serum AST level was not significantly (P 0.05) elevated in all study regions. Serum creatinine and urea levels were significantly (P 0.05) elevated in area 3. Furthermore, glutathione and malondialdehyde concentrations significantly increased (P 0.05) in liver tissues in area 3. Using the qRT-PCR technique, the results revealed that the expression level of IGF-1 was most significant in area 3, while the expression level of CYP1A was most significant in area 1. The protein profile showed some differences in band numbers and molecular weights of protein bands across different regions. Overall, the alteration in biochemical parameters revealed pesticide interference with the metabolic processes of fish. Furthermore, the pesticide pollution had an effect on the expression of IGF-1 and CYP1A genes and led to changes in the protein profile. Therefore, these markers can be used to monitor fish distress following exposure to the pollutant.

The synergistic effects of probiotic (Bacillus pumilus) and/or exogenous enzyme (protease) on growth, immunity, serum parameters, gene expression and gut bacteria of Nile tilapia (3.62 ± 0.06 g) were investigated. Plant protein-based diets were formulated as the control diet, probiotic (pro, 1.85 × 105 B. pumilus CFU kg−1), protease enzyme (enzy, 0.5 g protease kg −1), and their mixture of 1.85 × 105 B. pumilus CFU kg−1 + 0.5 g protease kg −1 (pro-enzy), respectively. After 84 days, the results revealed that fish fed pro-enzy diet resulted in better (P

Silymarin, a Silybum marianum seed extract containing a mixture of flavonolignans including silybin, is being used as an antihepatotoxic therapy for liver diseases. In this study, the enhancing effect of gamma irradiation on plant growth parameters of S. marianum under salt stress was investigated. The effect of gamma irradiation, either as a single elicitor or coupled with salinity, on chalcone synthase (CHS) gene expression and silybin A + B yield was also evaluated. The silybin A + B content in S. marianum fruits was estimated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). An increase in silybin content was accompanied by up-regulation of the CHS1, CHS2 and CHS3 genes, which are involved in the silybin biosynthetic pathway. The highest silybin A + B production (0.77 g/100 g plant DW) and transcript levels of the three studied genes (100.2-, 91.9-, and 24.3-fold increase, respectively) were obtained with 100GY gamma irradiation and 4000 ppm salty water. The CHS2 and CHS3 genes were partially sequenced and submitted to the NCBI database under the accession numbers KT252908.1 and KT252909.1, respectively. Developing new approaches to stimulate silybin biosynthetic pathways could be a useful tool to potentiate the use of plants as renewable resources of medicinal compounds.

Conjugated linoleic acid was detected in rabbit caecotrophs, due to the presence of microbial lipid activity in rabbit cecum. However, the effect of CLA as a functional food in growing rabbit is not well established. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of CLA on production, meat quality, and its nutrigenomic effect on edible parts of rabbit carcass including skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue. Therefore, seventy five weaned V-Line male rabbits, 30 days old, were randomly allocated into three dietary treatments receiving either basal control diet, diet supplemented with 0.5% (CLAL), or 1% CLA (CLAH). Total experimental period (63 d) was segmented into 7 days adaptation and 56 days experimental period. Dietary supplementation of CLA did not alter growth performance, however, the fat percentage of longissimus lumborum muscle was decreased, with an increase in protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) percentage. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) and mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were not increased in CLA treated groups. There was tissue specific sensing of CLA, since subcutaneous adipose tissue gene expression of PPARA was downregulated, however, CPT1A tended to be upregulated in liver of CLAL group only (P = 0.09). In skeletal muscle, FASN and PPARG were upregulated in CLAH group only (P ≤0.01). Marked cytoplasmic vacuolation was noticed in liver of CLAH group without altering hepatocyte structure. Adipocyte size was decreased in CLA fed groups, in a dose dependent manner (P

Cyanobacteria are natural enormous sources of various biologically active compounds with great contributions in different industries. This study aimed to introduce molecular and biochemical characterization for four novel cyanobacterial isolates obtained from Egyptian wastewater canals. Besides, In vitro biological activity of these isolates and their potential ability to take up nutrients and heavy metals from wastewater were examined. The obtained accession numbers were KY250420.1, KY321359.1, KY296359.1 and KU373076.1 for Nostoc calcicola, Leptolyngbya sp, Nostoc sp, and Nostoc sp, respectively. The isolate Leptolyngbya sp (KY321359.1) showed the lowest identity (90%) with other deposited sequences in database. While the isolate Nostoc sp (KU373076.1) showed the highest total phenolic content as well as the highest levels of caffeic, ferulic and gallic acids. Consequently, it appeared the highest antioxidant scavenging activity. All cyanobacterial isolates revealed potent ability to take up nutrients and heavy metals from wastewater. Generally, this study provides a taxonomic and molecular evidence for four novel cyanobacterial isolates with antioxidant activity and potent phycoremediation ability.

Cyanobacteria are natural enormous sources of various biologically active compounds with great contributions in different industries. This study aimed to explore and characterize novel cyanobacterial isolates with antioxidant activity and potent phycoremediation ability from Egyptian wastewater canals. The in vitro biological activity of these isolates and their potential ability to take up nutrients and heavy metals from wastewater were examined. The obtained isolates were sequenced and deposited in database under accession numbers, KY250420.1, KY321359.1, KY296359.1 and KU373076.1 for Nostoc calcicola, Leptolyngbya sp., Nostoc sp., and Nostoc sp., respectively. Leptolyngbya sp. (KY321359.1) showed the lowest identity (90%) with the nearest deposited sequence in database. While the isolate Nostoc sp. (KU373076.1) showed the highest total phenolic content as well as the highest levels of caffeic, ferulic and gallic acids. Consequently, it presented the highest antioxidant scavenging activity. All studied isolates revealed potent ability in chelating nutrients and removing heavy metals from wastewater. In conclusion, this study provides a taxonomic, biochemical and molecular evidence of four novel cyanobacterial isolates with antioxidant activity and potential phycoremediation ability.

Phaseolus vulgaris is subjected to serious post-harvest diseases such as grey mold and cottony rot diseases caused by Botrytis cinerea and Pythium aphanidermatum, respectively. In current study, potassium silicate (KSi), potassium thiosulfate (KTS) and potassium sulfate (KS) suppressed moderately the growth of B. cinerea and P. aphanidermatum in vitro. The applied treatments significantly suppressed grey mold and cottony rot of Xera and Valentino snap beans varieties' pods stored at 7 ± 1°C and 90-95% RH for 20 days. Ethylene responsive factor (ERF), polygalacturonase inhibitor protein (PGIP), phosphatase associated to defense (PA) and pathogenesis-related protein (PR1) defense genes were over-expressed in leaves tissue of both bean varieties responding positively to potassium salts field application. The expression of these genes was influenced by plant genotype and environment as it varied by snap bean varieties. Accumulation of ERF, GIP, PA and PR1 genes transcript under KTS at 4000 ppm treatment were the highest in Xera tissues (3.5-, 4.8-, 4- and 4.8-fold, respectively). In conclusion, pre-harvest potassium salt in vivo application could be used as effective safe alternatives to fungicides against grey mold and cottony rot diseases of snap beans during storage for up to 20 days at 7 ± 1°C.

Fifteen bacterial isolates were isolated from a watering canal at Al Hadady-Damrou, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt (31.3°N 30.93°E). The screening process was achieved based on nitrogenase activity. The most potent bacterial isolate (B9) was tested as plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Ultrastructural, cultural, biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA partial sequence were used for the isolate identification and characterization. From the 16S rRNA gene sequencing results, the nearest bacterial species to our isolate was Achromobacter marplatensis B2 (T), EU150134.1, with 97% matching. The sequence was submitted to the NCBI website with the accession number GenBank: KM491552.1. In vitro analysis revealed that the isolate under study is non-pathogenic (virulence factors-free) and capable of producing indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin (GA3) and solubilizing rock phosphate. Under greenhouse conditions, tomato inoculation with the obtained Achromobacter sp. EMCC1936 significantly increased vegetative growth, yield parameters and endogenous phytohormones content as compared with common free diazotrophic PGPR, Azotobacter chroococcum EMCCN1458. It was deposited in Microbiological Resource Center for public use with number (EMCC1936). Data revealed the importance of soil inoculation with the obtained isolate and of its role in increasing soil enzymatic activity. These features fulfill the isolate to be used as a PGPR for various crops.

Detection of pork meat adulteration in "halal" meat products is a crucial issue in the fields of modern food inspection according to implementation of very strict procedures for halal food labelling. Present study aims at detecting and quantifying pork adulteration in both raw and cooked manufactured sausages. This is by applying an optimized species-specific PCR procedure followed by QIAxcel capillary electrophoresis system. Manufacturing experiment was designed by incorporating pork with beef meat at 0.01 to 10 % substitution levels beside beef and pork sausages as negative and positive controls, respectively. Subsequently, sausages were divided into raw and cooked sausages then subjected to DNA extraction. Results indicated that PCR amplifications of mitochondrial D-loop and cytochrome b (cytb) genes by porcine-specific primers produced 185 and 117 bp pork-specific DNA fragments in sausages, respectively. No DNA fragments were detected when PCR was applied on beef sausage DNA confirming primers specificity. For internal control, a 141-bp DNA fragment of eukaryotic 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was amplified from pork and beef DNA templates. Although PCR followed by either QIAxcel or agarose techniques were efficient for targeted DNA fragments differentiation even as low as 0.01 % (pork/meat: w/w). For proficiency, adequacy, and performance, PCR-QIA procedure is highly sensitive, a time-saver, electronically documented, mutagenic-reagent free, of little manual errors, accurate in measuring PCR fragments length, and quantitative data supplier. In conclusion, it can be suggested that optimized PCR-QAI is considered as a rapid and sensitive method for routine pork detection and quantification in raw or processed meat.