Polymorphism in the protein of the thoracic muscle of an endemic bee (Anthophora pauperata) in the St Katherine Protectorate

Genetic variability of the solitary bee Anthophora pauperata, endemic to the St Katherine Protectorate, was assessed within and between seven wadis in South Sinai, Egypt. Low levels of variation were found, with most diversity within rather than between sites. There were a total of 34 bands, of which only seven were polymorphic among individuals

Preterm infants have significantly longer telomeres than their term born counterparts

There are well-established morbidities associated with preterm birth including respiratory, neurocognitive and developmental disorders. However several others have recently emerged that characterise an `aged' phenotype in the preterm infant by term-equivalent age. These include hypertension, insulin resistance and altered body fat distribution. Evidence shows that these morbidities persist into adult life, posing a significant public health concern. In this study, we measured relative telomere length in leukocytes as an indicator of biological ageing in 25 preterm infants at term equivalent age. Comparing our measurements with those from 22 preterm infants sampled at birth and from 31 term-born infants, we tested the hypothesis that by term equivalent age, preterm infants have significantly shorter telomeres (thus suggesting that they are prematurely aged). Our results demonstrate that relative telomere length is highly variable in newborn infants and is significantly negatively correlated with gestational age and birth weight in preterm infants. Further, longitudinal assessment in preterm infants who had telomere length measurements available at both birth and term age (n = 5) suggests that telomere attrition rate is negatively correlated with increasing gestational age. Contrary to our initial hypothesis however, relative telomere length was significantly shortest in the term born control group compared to both preterm groups and longest in the preterm at birth group. In addition, telomere lengths were not significantly different between preterm infants sampled at birth and those sampled at term equivalent age. These results indicate that other, as yet undetermined, factors may influence telomere length in the preterm born infant and raise the intriguing hypothesis that as preterm gestation declines, telomere attrition rate increases

Genetic structure of the populations of Spilostethus pandurus in the wadis of the St Katherine Protectorate, South Sinai

The genetic diversity of Spilostethus pandurus was studied using RAPD markers in individuals sampled from four wadis within the St Katherine area. A total of 109 different RAPD bands were generated for the whole sample: site-specific bands occurred at low frequency. Even though there were many genetic differences among individuals within sites, the sites were statistically distinct. Thus even in thus fairly long-lived and apparently fairly mobile insect, there is evidence of genetic isolation among the wadis of this highly dissected environment. Keywords: aposematism, gene flow, genetic diversity, RAPD, Sinai Egyptian Journal of Biology Vol. 10 2008: pp. 87-9

Genetic variability in the population of the endemic bee Anthophora pauperata in St Katherine Protectorate

The genetic diversity and spatial genetic population structure of the solitary bee Anthophora pauperata Walker 1871, a species endemic to St Katherine Protectorate, were studied by RAPD markers in seven wadis in the St Katherine Protectorate, South Sinai, Egypt. High levels of genetic diversity were found, mostly within rather than among wadis, but there were highly significant genetic differences among sites, unrelated to geographic distances between them. Reasons for these patterns may lie in the territoriality and mating behaviour of these bees. Keywords: genetic differentiation, gene flow, RAPD Egyptian Journal of Biology Vol. 10 2008: pp. 77-8

The effect of mulberry varieties and nutritional additives on the protein patterns of the silkworm Bombyx mori

Two mulberry varieties Morus alba var. Kokuso-27 and Morus indica var. Kanva-2 were compared with Morus alba var. Balady (native) in their effects on the protein banding patterns of 5th-instar larvae of Bombyx mori. There was an obvious variation in the number and position of the bands, with many bands specific to a particular treatment. Protein of larvae fed on Kokuso-27 was characterized by the presence of 29 and 10 KDa bands; Kanva-2 produced bands at 251, 74 and 8 KDa; and Balady was characterized by bands at 38 and 11 KDa. When Kokuso-27 was enriched with vitamins C or B, or any of three kinds of bee-honey (clover, cotton and citrus honey) at various concentrations, new protein bands appeared relative to controls. Vitamin C produced bands at 56 and 43 KDa; protein bands at 290, 35 and 7 KDa were present in the control but absent in vitamin B treatments. Feeding with clover honey showed characteristic bands at 303, 49, 44, 37 and 21 KDa which were absent in the control. Cotton honey produced characteristic bands with molecular weights of 160, 52 and 13 KDa. Citrus honey produced bands at 73, 33, 29 and 8 KDa. Keywords: Morus alba var. Kokuso-27, Morus indica var. Kanva-2, Morus alba native, vitamin C, vitamin B, bee-honey, SDS-PAGE. Egyptian Journal of Biology Vol. 10 2008: pp. 11-1

Biological and technological effects of mulberry varieties and nutritional additives on silkworm Bombyx mori development

The efficiency of two varieties of mulberry leaves, Morus alba var. Kokuso-27 and Morus indica var. Kanva-2, was investigated and compared with Morus alba var. Balady (native), the common local variety in Egypt. Mulberry varieties were offered to silkworm larvae in two, three or four feeds per day. Rearing with Kokuso-27 leaves, especially with the feeding schedule of four feeds per day, exhibited significantly shorter larval duration, lower larval mortality rate and increased larval fitness, cocooning percentage, fecundity and hatchability. It also yielded higher cocoon weight, silk content ratio and silk filament size. Kanva-2 showed the lowest performance. Kokuso-27 leaves were enriched with nutritional additives such as vitamins C (1%) and B (0.2%), and three kinds of honey (from clover, cotton and citrus, 50%) and offered once per day. Significant enhancement occurred in all tested groups compared with the control, especially for vitamin C and clover and citrus honey, in most variables except larval duration and fitness. Keywords: Morus alba var. Kokuso-27, Morus indica var. Kanva-2, Morus alba native, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Bee-honey. Egyptian Journal of Biology Vol. 10 2008: pp. 1-1

Ezetimibe added to statin therapy after acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: Statin therapy reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular events, but whether the addition of ezetimibe, a nonstatin drug that reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption, can reduce the rate of cardiovascular events further is not known. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized trial involving 18,144 patients who had been hospitalized for an acute coronary syndrome within the preceding 10 days and had LDL cholesterol levels of 50 to 100 mg per deciliter (1.3 to 2.6 mmol per liter) if they were receiving lipid-lowering therapy or 50 to 125 mg per deciliter (1.3 to 3.2 mmol per liter) if they were not receiving lipid-lowering therapy. The combination of simvastatin (40 mg) and ezetimibe (10 mg) (simvastatin-ezetimibe) was compared with simvastatin (40 mg) and placebo (simvastatin monotherapy). The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring rehospitalization, coronary revascularization ( 6530 days after randomization), or nonfatal stroke. The median follow-up was 6 years. RESULTS: The median time-weighted average LDL cholesterol level during the study was 53.7 mg per deciliter (1.4 mmol per liter) in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, as compared with 69.5 mg per deciliter (1.8 mmol per liter) in the simvastatin-monotherapy group (P<0.001). The Kaplan-Meier event rate for the primary end point at 7 years was 32.7% in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, as compared with 34.7% in the simvastatin-monotherapy group (absolute risk difference, 2.0 percentage points; hazard ratio, 0.936; 95% confidence interval, 0.89 to 0.99; P = 0.016). Rates of pre-specified muscle, gallbladder, and hepatic adverse effects and cancer were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: When added to statin therapy, ezetimibe resulted in incremental lowering of LDL cholesterol levels and improved cardiovascular outcomes. Moreover, lowering LDL cholesterol to levels below previous targets provided additional benefit