Pollen morphology of the three genera of subfamily Papilionoideae in Egypt (Melilotus, Trifolium and Trigonella)

The pollen morphology of 28 species belonging to three genera (Melilotus, Trifolium and Trigonella) of subfamily Papilionoideae in Egypt was studied. The size, shape, exine ornamentation and structure of the aperture allowed the recognition of three pollen types, viz. Trifolium type (subtypes 1 and 2), Trigonella type and Melilotus type (subtypes 1 and 2). This result will help establishing the taxonomic position of the species within their genera. A key to the generic types and subtypes is given

Investigating Application of Literary Methods for Interpretation and Translation of Religious Text

In some contexts of use, text interpretation and accurate conveyance of meaning has a critical importance. Religious texts, on top of that, Quranic texts have inherent intricacies which renders the job of Islamic exegetes and expounders very difficult. Considering the importance of these texts for Muslims and extensive foreign readers, the current research is an attempt to examine the application of major literary methods of text interpretation for interpretation and translation of Quranic text. To this aim taxonomy of methods discussed by Titscher, et al (2012) was selected as the theoretical baseline for the study. The findings of the research showed that commentators can employ literary methods toward literary text interpretation for Quranic interpretation directly or with some considerations. The findings also indicated that, application of these methods requires further investigation because translation is inherently different from interpretation. It was concluded that, according to Shiite school of thought, for Quranic interpretation, methods of text analysis is only a tool and exegetes stand in the need of some internal and external resources amongst which is traditional quotations and Hadith from the side of immaculate Imams

Investigating Application of Literary Methods for Interpretation and Translation of Religious Text

In some contexts of use, text interpretation and accurate conveyance of meaning has a critical importance. Religious texts, on top of that, Quranic texts have inherent intricacies which renders the job of Islamic exegetes and expounders very difficult. Considering the importance of these texts for Muslims and extensive foreign readers, the current research is an attempt to examine the application of major literary methods of text interpretation for interpretation and translation of Quranic text. To this aim taxonomy of methods discussed by Titscher, et al (2012) was selected as the theoretical baseline for the study. The findings of the research showed that commentators can employ literary methods toward literary text interpretation for Quranic interpretation directly or with some considerations. The findings also indicated that, application of these methods requires further investigation because translation is inherently different from interpretation. It was concluded that, according to Shiite school of thought, for Quranic interpretation, methods of text analysis is only a tool and exegetes stand in the need of some internal and external resources amongst which is traditional quotations and Hadith from the side of immaculate Imams

Taxonomic Study, Phylogenetic Characterization and Factors Affecting on the Biosynthesis Antimicrobial Agents Produced By Streptomyces lydicus

Abstract: This work was carried out in the course of a screening program for specifying the bioactive substances that demonstrated inhibitory affects against microbial pathogenic, from actinomycetes strains. Eighty eight actinomycete strains were isolated from twelve soil samples collected from different localities in Egypt. Only one actinomycete culture AZ-55 from eight cultures was found exhibited to produce wide spectrum antimicrobial activities. The nucleotide sequence of the 16s RNA gene (1.5 Kb) of the most potent strain evidenced an 99% similarity with Streptomyces lydicus. From the taxonomic features, the actinomycetes isolate AZ-55 matches with Streptomyces lydicus in the morphological, physiological and biochemical characters. Thus, it was given the suggested name Streptomyces lydicus, AZ-55. The parameters controlling the biosynthetic process of antimicrobial agent formation including: different inoculum size, pH values, temperatures, incubation period and different carbon and nitrogen sources were fully investigates

Biochemical studies on the Natamycin antibiotic produced by Streptomyces lydicus: Fermentation, extraction and biological activities

Natamycin “polyene” antibiotic was isolated from the fermentation broth of a Streptomyces strain No. AZ-55. According to the morphological, cultural, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, strain AZ-55 was identified as Streptomyces lydicus. It is active in vitro against some microbial pathogens viz: Staphylococcus aureus, NCTC 7447; Bacillus subtilis, NCTC 1040; Bacillus pumilus, NCTC 8214 ; Micrococcus luteus, ATCC 9341; Escherichia coli, NCTC 10416; Klebsiella pneumonia, NCIMB 9111; Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ATCC 10145; S. cerevisiae, ATCC 9763; Candida albicans, IMRU 3669; Aspergillus flavus, IMI 111023; Aspergillus niger, IMI 31276; Aspergillus fumigatus, ATCC 16424; Fusarium oxysporum; Alternaria alternata and Rhizoctonia solani. The active metabolite was extracted using chloroform (1:1, v/v) at pH 7.0. The separation of the active ingredient of the antifungal agent and its purification were performed using both thin layer chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography (CC) techniques. The physico-chemical characteristics of the purified antibiotic viz. color, melting point, solubility, elemental analysis (C, H, N, O and S) and spectroscopic characteristics (UV absorbance and IR, mass & NMR spectra) have been investigated. This analysis indicates a suggested empirical formula of C33H47NO13. The chemical structural analysis with spectroscopic characteristics confirmed that the compound produced by S. lydicus, AZ-55 is Natamycin “polyene” antibiotic

Mentha pulegium L. (Pennyroyal, Lamiaceae) Extracts Impose Abortion or Fetal-Mediated Toxicity in Pregnant Rats; Evidenced by the Modulation of Pregnancy Hormones, MiR-520, MiR-146a, TIMP-1 and MMP-9 Protein Expressions, Inflammatory State, Certain Related Signaling Pathways, and Metabolite Profiling via UPLC-ESI-TOF-MS

Pregnant women usually turn to natural products to relieve pregnancy-related ailments which might pose health risks. Mentha pulegium L. (MP, Lamiaceae) is a common insect repellent, and the present work validates its abortifacient capacity, targeting morphological anomalies, biological, and behavioral consequences, compared to misoprostol. The study also includes untargeted metabolite profiling of MP extract and fractions thereof viz. methylene chloride (MecH), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), butanol (But), and the remaining liquor (Rem. Aq.) by UPLC-ESI-MS-TOF, to unravel the constituents provoking abortion. Administration of MP extract/fractions, for three days starting from day 15th of gestation, affected fetal development by disrupting the uterine and placental tissues, or even caused pregnancy termination. These effects also entailed biochemical changes where they decreased progesterone and increased estradiol serum levels, modulated placental gene expressions of both MiR-(146a and 520), decreased uterine MMP-9, and up-regulated TIMP-1 protein expression, and empathized inflammatory responses (TNF-α, IL-1β). In addition, these alterations affected the brain\u27s GFAP, BDNF, and 5-HT content and some of the behavioral parameters escorted by the open field test. All these incidences were also perceived in the misoprostol-treated group. A total of 128 metabolites were identified in the alcoholic extract of MP, including hydroxycinnamates, flavonoid conjugates, quinones, iridoids, and terpenes. MP extract was successful in terminating the pregnancy with minimal behavioral abnormalities and low toxicity margins

Clinical Outcomes of the Liver-First Approach in the Management of Synchronous Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Retrospective Study

Introduction Almost 25% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients have synchronous colorectal liver metastasis (SCLM) coinciding with the disease diagnosis. Liver-first approach for the treatment of SCLM involves neoadjuvant chemotherapy, subsequent liver resection, and then primary tumor resection. This strategy is adopted as the prognosis of the disease depends mainly on the metastases, not the primary tumor

Bacterial Compositional Shifts of Gut Microbiomes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Association with Disease Activity

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disabling autoimmune disorder. Little is known regarding the association between the gut microbiome and etiopathogenesis of RA. We aimed to dissect the differences in gut microbiomes associated with RA in comparison to healthy individuals and, in addition, to identify the shifts in the bacterial community in association with disease activity; Methods: In order to identify compositional shifts in gut microbiomes of RA patients, V3-V4 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. In total, sixty stool samples were collected from 45 patients with RA besides 15 matched healthy subjects; Results: Notably, RA microbiomes were significantly associated with diverse bacterial communities compared with healthy individuals. Likewise, a direct association between bacterial diversity and disease activity was detected in RA patients (Kruskal Wallis; p = 0.00047). In general, genus-level analysis revealed a positive coexistence between RA and Megasphaera, Adlercreutzia, Ruminococcus, Bacteroides, Collinsella, and Acidaminococcus. Furthermore, Spearman correlation analysis significantly stratified the most dominant genera into distinct clusters that were mainly based on disease activity (r ≥ 0.6; p ≤ 0.05). The predictive metabolic profile of bacterial communities associated with RA could support the potential impact of gut microbiomes in either the development or recovery of RA; Conclusions: The overall shifts in bacterial composition at different disease statuses could confirm the cross-linking of certain genera either to causation or progression of RA