Molecular Modeling and in Silico Characterization of a Pathogenesis-Related Protein-10 (PR10) and its Coding Genes in some Oryza Species

يعد الأرز أحد الأطعمة الأساسية لأكثر من ثلثى سكان العالم مما يسترعى الإهتمام بالتحسينات الوراثية التى تزيد الكفأءة الحقلية لهذا المحصول الهام. و نظرا لقلة التباينات الوراثية فى الانواع المزروعة مقارنة بتلك الموجودة فى الأنواع الأخرى لجنس Oryza توجب الاهتمام بدراسة المحتوى الجينى لتلك الانواع الاخرى. تهدف هذه الدراسة الى وصف و توضيح أحد البروتينات المرتبطة بالآفات من المجموعة العاشرة (PR10) - لما لتلك المجموعة من أهمية فى مكافحة الإجهادات الحيوية و الغير الحيوية -  و كذلك الجينات الخاصة بها فى عدد من أنواع جنس Oryza (O. sativa, O.  barthii, O. glaberrima, O. glumipatula, O. meridionalis, O. nivara, O. rufipogon and  O. punctata.) بٍإستعمال التقنيات الحاسوبية. و قد كشفت الدراسة تنوععاً محدوداً لهذا البروتين و الجين الخاص به فى كافة الأنواع عدا O. glumipatula الذى أظهرت الدراسة إختلافاً تركيبياً فى البروتين موضوع الدراسة به مقارنةً بالبروتين ذاته فى الأنواع Oryza الأخرى. و تستوجب هذه النتائج الإهتمام بالمحتوى الجينى لهذا النوع لما قد يحمله من فائدة فى مواجهة الأنواع المختلفة من الإجهادات و التى تتطلب مزيداً من الدراسة للإستفادة منها فى برامج تربية الأرز.Rice is a major staple food for more than two thirds of the world population. Pathogenesis-related proteins-10 (PR10) have a range of 154 to 163 amino acid with molecular weight ~ 17 kDa.  They are acidic and generally intracellular and cytosolic proteins accumulate in plants in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, a PR10 gene and its corresponding protein were characterized in O. sativa, O.  barthii, O. glaberrima, O. glumipatula, O. meridionalis, O. nivara, O. rufipogon and  O. punctata. The results revealed a narrow range of variation at both DNA and protein levels in all examined species except O. glumipatula. The latter showed a relatively obvious structural variation at protein level. Such variation may be beneficial against different types of stress that requires further elucidation to exploit in rice breeding programs

EMBEDDING ISLAMIC ETHICAL VALUES IN TEACHERS’ TRAINING PROGRAM: QUR’ANIC APPROACH

Islamic Value is the highest ethical manner of mankind on the earth, concerning man’s behaviours and actions- orally and verbally, it is because of originality and authentication. Value in Arabic term refers to akhlaq and adab. These Islamic Values comprising certain essential moral, ethical, cultural, social, and spiritual values. Such values are important and necessary for children through their all-round development and prepares them as a complete man. The aim of this paper is to overlook the current various ethical issue existing in Muslim communities around the world, the importance of teachers’ rule in inculcating moral values in their students, and to suggest a framework for Islamic Values education to be embedded in the curriculum of Higher Learning Institutions catered for pre-service teachers as part of ethical/moral training before they start their career. To achieve its aim, the paper is based on a descriptive method to describe the Ethical/moral Values from Islamic and non- Islamic perspectives based on current research available on line or/and offline. The focus is on the Quranic approach, specifically stated in surah al-Isra’, verses 22-39 and surah al-An’am, verses 151-153. The finding is expected be used as a guideline for Ethical values course/topics that embedded in Teachers’ training programs

Can Chronic Nitric Oxide Inhibition Improve Liver and Renal Dysfunction in Bile Duct Ligated Rats?

The aims of the present work were to study the effects of chronic NO inhibition on liver cirrhosis and to analyze its relationship with liver and kidney damage markers. Two inhibitors of NO synthesis (inducible NO synthase (iNOS) inhibitor, aminoguanidine (AG), and nonselective NOS inhibitor, L-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME)) were administered for 6 weeks to bile duct ligated (BDL) rats 3 days after surgery. The present study showed that BDL was associated with liver injury and renal impairment. BDL increased liver NO content and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. This was corroborated by increased oxidative stress, TNF-α, TGF-1β, and MMP-13 genes overexpression. Although both drugs reduced NO synthesis and TNF-α gene overexpression, only AG improved renal dysfunction and liver damage and reduced liver oxidative stress. However, L-NAME exacerbated liver and renal dysfunction. Both drugs failed to modulate TGF-1β and MMP-13 genes overexpression. In conclusion, inhibition of NO production by constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) plays a crucial role in liver injury and renal dysfunction while inhibition of iNOS by AG has beneficial effect. TNF-α is not the main cytokine responsible for liver injury in BDL model. Nitric oxide inhibition did not stop the progression of cholestatic liver damage

Saline infusion sonohysterography for uterine cavity evaluation in women with abnormal uterine bleeding

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic effectiveness of saline infusion sonohysterography (SIS) with hysteroscopy, as a gold standard diagnostic method, in detecting endometrial pathology in premenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding.Methods: A prospective study was conducted at Al-Azhar University hospital, Assiut, Egypt. Fifty patients were recruited from the gynecological outpatient clinic complaining of abnormal uterine bleeding. They were evaluated by SIS and compared with hysteroscopic examination for each.Results: The mean age of patients was 45.56±3.48 years. All the intracavitary lesions; endometrial polyps, submucous fibroids and hyperplastic endometrium were equally detected by both methods. Diagnostic accuracy of SIS in comparison with hysteroscopy was 76% with sensitivity 80%, specificity 72%.Conclusions: SIS is a reliable and accurate method for evaluation of the uterine cavity. It can be a good alternative technique for the evaluation of uterine cavity abnormalities where hysteroscopy is not available

Challenges in Learning to Speak Arabic

This paper describes a study to investigate the challenges and obstacles to speaking Arabic faced by good and poor Malay speakers of Arabic. The study used individual and focus group interviews with 14 participants to elicit data. The findings revealed 2 types of obstacles, namely, internal and external obstacles. Internal obstacles refer to the limitations that come from the learners’ own selves, knowledge and skills; while external obstacles refer to the constraints that originate from the outside, such as the lack of a supportive environment and sufficient opportunity to speak Arabic. Both good and poor Malay speakers of Arabic felt hampered more by the internal problems than by the external problems. However, it was noted that the good speakers faced more language-related problems than other internal issues, while the poor speakers   revealed more internal shortcomings such as lack of confidence and self-esteem. Keywords: Arabic language, language learning strategy, problems in learning speaking skills, speaking skills

Overview on Hepatitis B vaccination

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is increasing globally, posing a serious public health problem. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and mortality are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Concerns for public health are amplified by the fact that about a third of the world's population is afflicted with HBV. HBV infection may result in cirrhosis, hepatocellular cancer, or both (HCC).Immunization is the most cost-effective strategy available worldwide for controlling and preventing hepatitis B in terms of benefit-cost ratio. Objective: This review article discusses the most critical components of the HBV vaccine and the most efficient strategies for increasing HBV vaccinatio

Study of MicroRNA192 as an Early Marker of Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ubiquitous non-coding single-stranded (ss) RNA transcripts, frequently of 19–25 nucleotides in length. They alter the differentiation, growth, apoptosis and proliferation of cells by interfering with protein synthesis by either inducing mRNA degradation or repressing translation. miRNAs are expressed in many diseases and different cancers such as diabetes and have the potential to become new kinds of diagnostic markers. miRNA-192 is highly expressed in kidney especially in renal cortex. Many studies have confirmed that miRNA-192 played important roles in the fibrosis of kidney and liver. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the use of microRNA-192 as early predictor in cases of diabetic nephropathy. Patients and methods: This study was conducted on volunteers from Internal Medicine Department - Suez Canal Authority Hospitals. 80 subjects were divided into: 60 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were further subdivided into (normal albuminuria group (n= 20), microalbuminuria group (n= 20), and macroalbuminuria group (n=20)), and 20 healthy control group. MicroRNA-192 was quantified in blood using Reverse Transcription TaqMan MicroRNA Assay.Results: There was a statistical significance decrease in micro RNA-192 level in macro-albuminuria group comparedto other groups and also in microalbuminuria group compared to normal albuminuria group and healthy control group. Conclusions: We concluded that there is a possible role of miRNA-192 in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic kidney disease in humans. Also, blood miRNA-192 may be a useful biomarker for predicting the development and the stage of diabetic kidney disease

Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale in Primary Care

BackgroundThe Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale is a reliable and valid tool that is widely used for diabetes-distress screening, but the Arabic version of the scale lacks validity and reliability analysis in primary healthcare (PHC) patients. Our study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the PAID (AR-PAID) scale among Egyptian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in PHC settings.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study on a convenience sample of 200 patients from six rural PHC settings in the Ismailia governorate. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to test the goodness-of-fit to the predefined models of the PAID. Convergent construct was evaluated through correlations with the Arabic versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), additionally glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Discriminant validity was evaluated through associations with patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Reliability was evaluated through internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability analysis (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC).ResultsThe CFA demonstrated the best fit for a four-factor model. The AR-PAID was significantly correlated with the following measures: PHQ-9 (rho = 0.71, p < 0.001), GAD-7 (rho = 0.50, p < 0.001), WHO-5 (rho = −0.69, p < 0.001), and HbA1c (rho = 0.36, p < 0.001), supporting sound convergent validity. Discriminant validity was satisfactory demonstrated. Internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.96) and test-retest reliability was stable (ICC = 0.97).ConclusionsThe AR-PAID scale is a valid and reliable instrument for diabetes-distress screening in primary care patients with T2DM that can be used in clinical settings and research. Further research is needed to validate short forms of the AR-PAID scale

Signaling mechanisms of a water soluble curcumin derivative in experimental type 1 diabetes with cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Curcumin exhibits anti-diabetic activities, induces heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and is an inhibitor of transcriptional co-activator p300. A novel water soluble curcumin derivative (NCD) has been developed to overcome low invivo bioavailability of curcumin. We evaluated the effect of the NCD on signaling mechanisms involved in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and studied whether its action is mediated via inducible HO-1. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were divided into controls, controls receiving NCD, diabetic, diabetic receiving NCD, diabetic receiving pure curcumin, diabetic receiving HO inhibitor, zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP IX) and diabetic receiving NCD and ZnPP IX. NCD and curcumin were given orally. After 45 days, cardiac physiologic parameters, plasma glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin (GHb), HO-1 gene expression and HO activity in pancreas and cardiac tissues were assessed. Gene expression of p300, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2A and MEF2C) were studied. RESULTS: NCD and curcumin decreased plasma glucose, GHb and increased insulin levels significantly in diabetic rats. This action may be partially mediated by induction of HO-1 gene. HO-1 gene expression and HO activity were significantly increased in diabetic heart and pancreas. Diabetes upregulated the expression of ANP, MEF2A, MEF2C and p300. NCD and curcumin prevented diabetes-induced upregulation of these parameters and improved left ventricular function. The effect of the NCD was better than the same dose of curcumin