Effects of maternal administration of endoxan, vitamin A and vitamin B12 on the development of the fetal spinal cord of the albino mouse.

The effects of maternal administration of endoxan, vitamin A and vitamine B12 were studied on the cervical fetal spinal cord of the albino mouse. Endoxan caused dorsal and ventral herniation of the spinal cord, chromatolysis and degeneration of the neuroblasts together with neuroglial proliferation. Vitamin A and B12 resulted in an increase in the surface areas of both grey and white matter and an increase in the volume of the neuroblasts. The possible mechanisms concerned were discussed.     

Life tables ofProctolaelaps deleoni Nawar,Childers and Abou-Setta (Gamasida: Ascidae) at different temperatures

Life tables were constructed for the predatory mite,Proctolaelaps deleoni, fed on the free-living nematodeRhabditis scanica at 20, 25, 28, 30 and 32°C. The intrinsic rate of increase (r _m ) and the net reproduction rate (R _o ) reach maximum values at 28°C. Mean generation time (t _g ) decreases with increasing temperature reaching its lowest value at 32°C.     

Molecular Studies on Orobanche

The optimization of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis in Orobanche was investigated and the results were applied to analysis of O. aegyptiaca, O. oxyloba, O. ramosa and three O. crenata collections gathered from different locations in Egypt, Genotypes were compared using 20 random primers. The polymorphisms detected were only between the tested species, while identical banding patterns were generated in collections of the same species.
Genetic similarity among species was estimated on the basis of the percentage of common bands between species and a dendogram was constructed using the unweighted pair grouping method.
Two primers were chosen as specific PCR primers to differentiate between the studied Orobanche species. The results of this study show that RAPDs can be used as a method for clarifying relationships between species of Orobanche .