DEVELOPMENT OF SOME TOLERANT YEAST (SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE) STRAINS TO HEAT AND SALT STRESSES

All living organisms are subjected to changing in conservational conditions, to which they must adapt to. Stress is defined as a threat refers to the physiological balance of systems critical to survival organisms. Five yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were subjected to different adverse environmental situations, such as thermal, osmotic and oxidative (salt) stresses. The objective of this work was to detect the most tolerant yeast strains under salt or heat stresses.  Five yeast strains were exposed in a first experiment to heat stress at 20°C or 40°C beside to the control at 30°C to detect the more tolerant strain. The same yeast strains were subjected in a second experiment to two different concentrations of salt stress (NaCl); 0.5 or 1.0 M, separately, for two days (at 30°C as normal temperature for growth), other strains were exposed to 0.5 M concentration of NaCl for 24 hours, then 1 M for another 24 hours. For the heat stress results, strain S4 was more tolerant at 40oCwith insignificant difference compared to the control (30oC), while it showed significant difference at 20°C. Strain S5 also was more tolerant at 20oC with insignificant difference compared to the control. For salt treatment, the only insignificant value was for strain S3at 0.5M NaCl compared with the control

Phylogenetic characterization of two echinoid species of the southeastern Mediterranean, off Egypt

AbstractIn this study we investigated the phylogenetics of two sea urchin species, Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus from the Mediterranean Sea. Specimens were collected from the east coast of Alexandria City, Egypt. Pigmentation examination showed four sympatric color morphotypes (black, purple, reddish brown, and olive green). Mitochondrial DNA was extracted from specimens and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S) were sequenced. The results showed that all black specimens constituted the species A. lixula. All other colors belonged to P. lividus, with no apparent differentiation between color morphotypes. Moreover, P. lividus showed high haplotype diversity (COI; H=0.9500 and 16S; H=0.8580) and low values of nucleotide diversity (COI; π=0.0075 and 16S; π=0.0049), indicating a high degree of polymorphism within this species. This study represents the first attempt at DNA barcoding of echinoid species in the southeast Mediterranean off the Egyptian coast, and will provide a base for future phylogenetic analyses

Effect of dexamethasone on reducing pain and gastrointestinal symptoms associated with cesarean section: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Dexamethasone has analgesic and antiemetic actions that have been documented in the literature. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate its overall effectiveness in reducing a variety of negative outcomes after cesarean section. Objectives: To investigate the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone for reducing pain associated with cesarean section, nausea, vomiting, pruritus, postoperative need for analgesia, postoperative antiemetic requests and headache. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, SCOPUS, and Web of Science for relevant clinical trials. We then performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, including only randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Our main population target was women undergoing elective cesarean delivery. The intervention under consideration was dexamethasone administered both by intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) over a variety of doses. The comparator was a placebo. Our main outcomes included: (1) perceptions as indicated by pain scores, (2) occurrence of nausea and (3) occurrence of vomiting. Secondary outcomes included: (4) occurrence of pruritus, (5) need for postoperative analgesia, (6) need for postoperative antiemetic drugs and (7) occurrence of headache. We assessed the quality of included studies using the risk of bias tool described in Cochrane\u27s handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Results: We found that dexamethasone seemed to significantly reduce scores for pain at rest (p<0.001), as well as occurrence of nausea (p<0.001) and vomiting (p<0.001). The drug also showed significant reduction of negative symptoms in other secondary outcomes, including need for postoperative analgesia (p<0.001) and postoperative antiemetic drugs (p<0.001). However, the drug showed no significant effect in reducing headache and pruritus or in improving pain at movement scores. Conclusion: Dexamethasone appears to decrease perception of pain at rest and protects against nausea and vomiting. However, it does not seem effective against headaches or pruritus

Isolation and identification of a prodigiosin-like pigment producer Vibrio sp. isolate from a sea snail Thais sp

Marine bacteria associated with Mediterranean Sea snails have not been explored intensively. The aim of the study was to explore marine pigmented bacteria associated with the sea snail Thais sp. commonly found in Alexandria seashores where a red-pigmented bacterium was isolated and identified as Vibrio sp. based on phenotypic traits and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Based on ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectral and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, the red pigment was identified as a prodigiosin-like pigment. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation of a Vibrio strain from a gastropod able to synthesize prodigiosin. Maximum production (7 mg/L) was achieved after two days in MZM cultures containing 0.5% mannitol and 2.5% soybean meal, pH 7 and statically incubated at 30 °C, using Plackett-Burman factorial design. RT-qPCR revealed that pks-1 and nrps responsible for the biosynthesis of prodigiosin and other bioactive compounds were up-regulated by the addition of sublethal concentrations of imipenem, DMSO, and the heavy metals copper oxide and chromium VI oxide. Through this work it can be concluded that marine invertebrates should be further explored for bacteria producing bioactive compounds whose synthesis can be enhanced or blocked depending on the carbon and nitrogen sources adopted in the fermentation medium. Moreover, the mRNA expression of the genes responsible for prodigiosin-like pigment production can be up-regulated through adopting sub-lethal concentrations of stress inducing compounds as well as co-cultivatio

ISOLATION AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF INDIGENOUS BACTERIAL ISOLATES ABLE TO DEGRADE ORGANOPHOSPHATES

The wide and indiscriminate use of pesticides for pest control in agriculture has inflicted serious harm and problems to humans as well as to the biodiversity. Microbial degradation of pesticides in contaminated soils has been considered advantageous to decontaminate areas that have been polluted by pesticides. Chlorpyrifos and diazinon were the most persistent residues in Egyptian soils. Four bacterial isolates were isolated from organophosphorus insecticides contaminated soils and genetically identified based on DNA sequence of 16s rDNA gene, Cronobacter muytjensii GH10, Achromobacter xylosoxidans GH9OP, Pseudomonas aeruginosa GH2NO8 and Pseudomonas putida GH4SNO/P were able to degrade 92.59%, 97.75%, 91.82%, and 90.78% of diazinon (600mg/l) as compared with 16.99% in control and 93.43%, 78.51%, 93.18% and 95.36% of chlorpyrifos (480mg/l) as compared with 4.28%, in control, respectively after 20 days of incubation

The Role of Medical Image Modalities and AI in the Early Detection, Diagnosis and Grading of Retinal Diseases: A Survey.

Traditional dilated ophthalmoscopy can reveal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular edema (DME), retinal tear, epiretinal membrane, macular hole, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and retinal artery occlusion (RAO). Among these diseases, AMD and DR are the major causes of progressive vision loss, while the latter is recognized as a world-wide epidemic. Advances in retinal imaging have improved the diagnosis and management of DR and AMD. In this review article, we focus on the variable imaging modalities for accurate diagnosis, early detection, and staging of both AMD and DR. In addition, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in providing automated detection, diagnosis, and staging of these diseases will be surveyed. Furthermore, current works are summarized and discussed. Finally, projected future trends are outlined. The work done on this survey indicates the effective role of AI in the early detection, diagnosis, and staging of DR and/or AMD. In the future, more AI solutions will be presented that hold promise for clinical applications

Prevalence and Clinical Significance of SEN-virus and TT- virus Infection in Chronic HCV Patients

Background: SEN virus (SENV) and Torque teno virus (TTV) are blood born viruses. Their effect on the development and progress of liver diseases is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and effect of SENV and TTV among chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Patients and Methods: two hundred patients with CHC were the subjects of this work. A single blood sample was collected from each patient. Thorough clinical examination and relevant laboratory and radiological investigations were done. SENV and TTV were tested for by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: SENV was identified in 3 and TTV was found in 21 (10.5%) of patients. No statistically significant difference was detected as regards clinical status, laboratory findings or radiological examination between SENV or TTV positive and negative patients. Conclusion: SENV and TTV exist among CHC patients. They had insignificant implications on the course or progression of liver diseases. &nbsp; &nbsp

Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry as a reliable proteomic method for characterization of Escherichia coli and Salmonella isolates

Aim: Identification of pathogenic clinical bacterial isolates is mainly dependent on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the microorganisms. These conventional methods are costive, time-consuming, and need special skills and training. An alternative, mass spectral (proteomics) analysis method for identification of clinical bacterial isolates has been recognized as a rapid, reliable, and economical method for identification. This study was aimed to evaluate and compare the performance, sensitivity and reliability of traditional bacteriology, phenotypic methods and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in the identification of clinical Escherichia coli and Salmonella isolates recovered from chickens. Materials and Methods: A total of 110 samples (cloacal, liver, spleen, and/or gall bladder) were collected from apparently healthy and diseased chickens showing clinical signs as white chalky diarrhea, pasty vent, and decrease egg production as well as freshly dead chickens which showing postmortem lesions as enlarged liver with congestion and enlarged gall bladder from different poultry farms. Results: Depending on colonial characteristics and morphological characteristics, E. coli and Salmonella isolates were recovered and detected in only 42 and 35 samples, respectively. Biochemical identification using API 20E identification system revealed that the suspected E. coli isolates were 33 out of 42 of colonial and morphological identified E. coli isolates where Salmonella isolates were represented by 26 out of 35 of colonial and morphological identified Salmonella isolates. Serological identification of isolates revealed that the most predominant E. coli serotypes were O1 and O78 while the most predominant Salmonella serotype of Salmonella was Salmonella Pullorum. All E. coli and Salmonella isolates were examined using MALDI-TOF MS. In agreement with traditional identification, MADI-TOF MS identified all clinical bacterial samples with valid scores as E. coli and Salmonella isolates except two E. coli isolates recovered from apparently healthy and diseased birds, respectively, with recovery rate of 93.9% and 2 Salmonella isolates recovered from apparently healthy and dead birds, respectively, with recovery rate of 92.3%. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that Bruker MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper is a reliable rapid and economic tool for the identification of Gram-negative bacteria especially E. coli and Salmonella which could be used as an alternative diagnostic tool for routine identification and differentiation of clinical isolates in the bacteriological laboratory. MALDI-TOF MS need more validation and verification and more study on the performance of direct colony and extraction methods to detect the most sensitive one and also need using more samples to detect sensitivity, reliability, and performance of this type of bacterial identification

Bacterial Diseases Affecting the Cultured Sepia Officinalis Leading to Increase Mortality Rates in The Laboratory

The early growth, mortality rates and bacterial infections of the cultured Sepia Officinalis were experimentally studied in the laboratory. Two hundred eighty-five sepia larvae were hatched and placed in a 100-liter capacity rectangular glass aquarium (filled with seawater) in the laboratory. The Sepia individuals (285 individuals) were divided into two groups the first fed on a mixture of amphipods, rotifers and artemia and the second group fed only on amphipods to follow their growth and mortality. The second group was observed to grow faster with length 6.76 ± 0.06mm and weight 0.11 ± 0.01gm than the first one. The survival rate was 100% by the end of the first week and decreased gradually by the end of the second week. The recorded mortality rate reached 49% by the day 15th, where they infected with bacterial disease of Vibrio alginolyticus. The clinical signs of the diseased S. Officinalis were lethargic condition, food fasting and multiple skin ulcers with white-gray discoloration were observed and appeared on the body. The main postmortem lesions were congestion of the internal organ, beside the presence of ascetic fluid. The mortality among the diseased Sepia was increased by age; however, it may cause death of most individuals by increasing time more than two weeks. The findings of antibiotic sensitivity test cleared that the isolated V. alginolyticus was sensitive to amoxiclav (amoxicillin-clavulanate), streptomycin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. Controversially, it was resistant to oxytetracycline, tobramycin, gentamycin and enrofloxacin

Bacterial Diseases Affecting the Cultured Sepia Officinalis Leading to Increase Mortality Rates in The Laboratory

The early growth, mortality rates and bacterial infections of the cultured Sepia Officinalis were experimentally studied in the laboratory. Two hundred eighty five sepia larvae were hatched and placed in a 100 liter capacity rectangular glass aquarium (filled with seawater) in the laboratory. The Sepia individuals (285 individuals) were divided into two groups the first fed on a mixture of amphipods, rotifers and artemia and the second group fed only on amphipods to follow their growth and mortality. The second group was observed to grow faster with length 6.76 ± 0.06mm and weight 0.11 ± 0.01gm than the first one. The survival rate was 100% by the end of the first week and decreased gradually by the end of thesecond week. The recorded mortality rate reached 49% by the day 15th, where they infected with bacterial disease of Vibrio alginolyticus. The clinical signs of the diseased S. Officinalis were lethargic condition, food fasting and multiple skin ulcers with white-gray discoloration were observed and appeared on the body. The main post mortem lesions were congestion of the internal organ, beside the presence of ascetic fluid. The mortality among the diseased Sepia was increased by age; however it may causes death of most individuals by increasing time more than two weeks. The findings of antibiotic sensitivity test cleared that the isolated V. alginolyticus was sensitive to amoxiclav (amoxicillin-clavulanate), streptomycin, ciprofloxacin and chlormphinicol. Controversially, it was resistant to oxytetracycline, tobramycin, gentamycine and enrofloxacin.Keywords: Sepia Officinalis - growth rate - mortality rate - bacterial infection