A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF HTR1A GENE EXPRESSION LEVELS IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Objective: This study was conducted to explore the expression levels of HTR1A gene in a sample of Egyptian autistic children. Methods: Thirty autistic patients (18 boys, 12 girls) and 20 controls were enrolled in the study. From each child, we isolated RNA samples from whole blood. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the gene expressions of HTR1A and normalized to the house keeping gene, beta-actin. Results: The HTR1A gene expression of healthy controls and ASD subjects were varied significantly (p =0.0062). As compared to control healthy subjects, the HTR1A expressions were greatly reduced in samples of ASD. Conclusion: HTR1A gene expression level is a candidate gene for further studies to explore its potential roles in ASD related pathways

Enhanced of Maltenes -Asphalt Blends Specifications via Thermal Catalytic Processes

Abstract: In this article the effects of using maltenes, which have been pre-separated recently from paraffinic base asphalt to modify asphalt pavement in variety of percentages has been investigated. Further modification has been performed by applying chlorine gas using ultra violet and ferric chloride as catalyst at certain temperature in order to increase the homogeneity and performance of paving asphalt. Characterization of asphalt blends has been performed according to ASTM standards. The results showed that addition of 1% of maltenes increases the softening point for the blends from catalytic chlorination, which reflects the benefit of this treatment. The penetration index for blends obtained by catalytic chlorination has also improved compared to unchlorinated samples and to those obtained from treating the asphalt with maltenes alone. Finally the specific gravity of catalytic chlorinated blends increased, thus indicating the influence of chlorination on the improvements of asphalt blends