Cytological relationships of selected species ofPanicum L.

The cytological investigation of 12 taxa ofPanicum L. revealed that the vast majority of them have the basic number x=9 at different ploidy levels. The basic number x=8 was recorded only in the tetraploid speciesP. maximum with 2n=32. The diploid number 2n=18 was encountered inP. capillare, P. laevifolium, P. antidotale andP. coloratum (2) with 3B-chromosomes recorded in the latter species. The tetraploid chromosome number 2n=36 was found to exist inP. miliaceum, P. miliare, P. coloratum (1) andP. virgatum. The hexaploid number 2n=54 was recorded inP. bulbosum, P. dichotomiflorum andP. esculentum. The karyotypes of all accessions were mostly symmetrical and mainly comprised of meta- and submetacentric chromosomes with little variation in length among them within each karyotype. Investigation of chromosome association during metaphase I of meiosis revealed that the frequency of bivalents/cell was the highest among all investigated diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid accessions. Univalents were also frequently encountered in various accessions. These results may indicate that segmental alloploidy has been the major process by which polyploid species have originated.     

Heparanase as a potential player in SARS-CoV-2 infection and induced coagulopathy

During the current formidable COVID-19 pandemic, it is appealing to address ideas that may invoke therapeutic interventions. Clotting disorders are well recognized in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which lead to severe complications that worsen the prognosis in these subjects.Increasing evidence implicate Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) and Heparanase in various diseases and pathologies, including hypercoagulability states. Moreover, HSPGs and Heparanase are involved in several viral infections, in which they enhance cell entry and release of the viruses.Herein we discuss the molecular involvement of HSPGs and heparanase in SARS-CoV-2 infection, namely cell entry and release, and the accompanied coagulopathy complications, which assumedly could be blocked by heparanase inhibitors such as Heparin and Pixatimod.     

Volatile Oils from the Aerial Parts of Eremophila maculata and Their Antimicrobial Activity

The essential oils isolated from the fresh flowers, fresh leaves, and both fresh and air‐dried stems of Eremophila maculata (Scrophulariaceae) were characterized by GC‐FID and GC/MS analyses. Sabinene was the major component in most of the oils, followed by limonene, α‐pinene, benzaldehyde, (Z)‐β‐ocimene, and spathulenol. The leaf and flower essential oils showed antibacterial and antifungal activity against five Gram‐positive and four Gram‐negative bacterial strains, multi‐resistant clinical isolates from patients, i.e., methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as well as two yeasts. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum microbicidal concentrations (MMCs) were between 0.25 and 4 mg/ml.     

Moringa oleifera as an Anti-Cancer Agent against Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

In this study we investigated the anti-cancer effect of Moringa oleifera leaves, bark and seed extracts. When tested against MDA-MB-231 and HCT-8 cancer cell lines, the extracts of leaves and bark showed remarkable anti-cancer properties while surprisingly, seed extracts exhibited hardly any such properties. Cell survival was significantly low in both cells lines when treated with leaves and bark extracts. Furthermore, a striking reduction (about 70–90%) in colony formation as well as cell motility was observed upon treatment with leaves and bark. Additionally, apoptosis assay performed on these treated breast and colorectal cancer lines showed a remarkable increase in the number of apoptotic cells; with a 7 fold increase in MD-MB-231 to an increase of several fold in colorectal cancer cell lines. However, no significant apoptotic cells were detected upon seeds extract treatment. Moreover, the cell cycle distribution showed a G2/M enrichment (about 2–3 fold) indicating that these extracts effectively arrest the cell progression at the G2/M phase. The GC-MS analyses of these extracts revealed numerous known anti-cancer compounds, namely eugenol, isopropyl isothiocynate, D-allose, and hexadeconoic acid ethyl ester, all of which possess long chain hydrocarbons, sugar moiety and an aromatic ring. This suggests that the anti-cancer properties of Moringa oleifera could be attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the extracts from this plant. This is a novel study because no report has yet been cited on the effectiveness of Moringa extracts obtained in the locally grown environment as an anti-cancer agent against breast and colorectal cancers. Our study is the first of its kind to evaluate the anti-malignant properties of Moringa not only in leaves but also in bark. These findings suggest that both the leaf and bark extracts of Moringa collected from the Saudi Arabian region possess anti-cancer activity that can be used to develop new drugs for treatment of breast and colorectal cancers.     

嗜热厌氧菌Caldicellulosiruptor sp. F32中降解β-1,3-1,4葡聚糖水解酶的协同性分析及糖基化对F32EG5热稳定性影响

【目的】通过研究来自极端嗜热厌氧菌Caldicellulosiruptor sp. F32中3个可降解β-1,3-1,4葡聚糖(β-葡聚糖)的糖苷水解酶,解析其在降解β-葡聚糖过程中协同作用,以及异源表达的糖基化修饰对β-葡聚糖酶F32EG5热稳定性的影响,为该系列水解酶的应用提供考据。【方法】通过大肠杆菌异源表达β-葡聚糖酶F32EG5和Lam16A-GH,以及β-葡萄糖苷酶BlgA,利用DNS、TLC等方法检测其在β-葡聚糖降解过程中的协同性及底物耐受能力。随后,利用毕赤酵母对F32EG5进行异源表达,以及对糖基化修饰的p-F32EG5进行酶学对比。【结果】β-葡聚糖酶F32EG5和Lam16A-GH单独作用于底物时,水解产物不同。但混合使用时,低聚合度寡糖的比例增加。β-葡萄糖苷酶BlgA分别与F32EG5和Lam16A-GH复配时,均展示出良好的协同效应和底物耐受能力。此外,利用毕赤酵母异源表达的p-F32EG5,没有明显改变其最适pH和最适温度,但在超高温下(80–90°C)的热稳定性和催化效率相对于未被糖基化的F32EG5提高2倍以上。【结论】葡萄糖糖苷水解酶BlgA分别与β-葡聚糖酶F32EG5、Lam16A-GH复配,在水解β-葡聚糖过程中表现出良好的协同性和底物耐受能力,同时毕赤酵母异源表达的糖基化修饰能提高在超高温环境下的热稳定性能,有利于酶制剂生产造粒过程中的酶活保留,从而使F32EG5具备应用化潜力。     

Evaluation of Cold and Thermal Fogging Spraying Methods for Mosquito Control

The efficacy of three pyrethroid insecticides (lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, and cyphenothrin) in cold (CF) and thermal fogging (TF) applications against caged adults of Culex pipiens Linnaeus were evaluated under hot–dry conditions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The efficacy of CF and TF at different distances from the release point (15, 30, 45, and 60 m) and height (1 and 2 m) was also investigated by evaluating adult mortality after 24 h of exposure. Our data indicated that TF was more efficacious than CF. While the distance from the spray path did not affect TF efficacy, CF showed decreased efficacy with the increase in distance from the spray path. Deltamethrin efficacy was significantly affected by both the application method and distance from the spray path, whereas lambda-cyhalothrin was only affected by the spray method.     

An incidental case of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency: One case,multiple challenges

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder that shows large phenotypical variability, ranging from no symptoms to intellectual disability, motor retardation, and convulsions. In addition, homozygous and heterozygous mutation carriers can develop severe 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) toxicity. The lack of genotype-phenotype correlation and the possibility of other factors playing a role in the manifestation of the neurological abnormalities, make the management and education of asymptomatic DPD individuals more challenging. We describe a 3-month-old baby who was incidentally found by urine organic acid testing (done as part of positive newborn screen) to have very high level of thymine and uracil, consistent with DPD deficiency. Since the prevalence of asymptomatic DPD deficiency in the general population is fairly significant (1 in 10,000), we emphasize in this case study the importance of developing a guideline in genetic counseling and patient education for this condition as well as other incidental laboratory findings.     

Data on healthcare perceptions about system risk factors associated with patient safety from the Ministry of Health hospitals in Hail Region of Saudi Arabia

Patient protection has become one of the key elements of the quality of health care systems in Saudi Arabia. Medical errors that threaten patient safety are mediated by several factors including system risk factors. Hence, we used a self-structured questionnaire to assess and rank the system factors according to the perceptions of nurses working in the hospitals of the ministry of health in Hail, KSA. Eight out of twelve factors tested were perceived as threatening factors of the patient safety that are; ''Shortage of medical staff'', ''Poor design of the hospital structure'', ''Long working hours'', ''Overcrowding of patients'',''Poor coordination between hospital departments, ''Punitive and blaming environment, ''Lack of clinical practice standards'' and, ''Poor financial incentives''. Thus, considering the negative impact of the identified threatening system factors in this study on patient safety, urgent planning and managing appropriate corrective actions should be designed to improve patient safety issues.     

Antimicrobial activity of a traditionally used complex essential oil distillate (Olbas(?) Tropfen) in comparison to its individual essential oil ingredients

Plant extracts and essential oils have been widely studied and used as antimicrobial agents in the last decades. In our study we investigated the antimicrobial activities of Olbas(?) Tropfen (in the following named Olbas), a traditionally used complex essential oil distillate, in comparison to its individual essential oil ingredients. Olbas (10g) consists of three major components such as peppermint oil (5.3g), eucalyptus oil (2.1g), and cajuput oil (2.1g) and of two minor constituents like juniper berry oil (0.3g) and wintergreen oil (0.2g). The composition of Olbas and the five individual essential oils were characterized by GLC-MS. According to GLC-MS analysis 1,8-cineol is the main component of the complex essential oil distillate followed by menthol and menthone. The minimum inhibitory and minimum microbicidal concentrations of Olbas and each of the single essential oils were evaluated in 17 species/strains of bacteria and fungi. Time-kill assay was performed to compare the microbicidal activity of Olbas and peppermint oil during several time intervals. Olbas displayed a high antimicrobial activity against all test strains used in this study, among them antibiotic resistant MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus). Its antimicrobial activity was comparable to that of peppermint oil which was the most potent one of all individual essential oils tested. In the time kill assay Olbas as well as peppermint oil demonstrated similar microbicidal activities. Based on its wide antimicrobial properties Olbas can be a useful agent for the treatment of uncomplicated infections of skin and respiratory tract.     

Role of Astrocytes in Major Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Neurochemical Research - Astrocytes are the primary homeostatic cells of the central nervous system, essential for normal neuronal development and function, metabolism and response to injury and...