Utilisation of DNA barcoding for identification of fish products

DNA barcoding has been accepted nowadays as a globally accessible tool to delimitate and identify new species, as it can provide accurate and automated species identification through the use of standard gene, Cytochrome oxidase I (COI). As a result, DNA barcoding has become a perfect molecular tool to identify fish products and detect wrongly labelled fish in the market as it can identify fish species even without the presenceof complete morphological characteristics. Here we collected samples from sushi restaurants to investigate and identify the precise species identity of raw fish sushi products because most of them were labelled with only common names such as Tuna, Salmon and Butterfish without providing the scientific name of the fishes. Species identities of seven specimens from two sushi restaurants were DNA barcoded utilising the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. The data were BLAST with GenBank and BOLD to confirm species identification. The results showed 100% matches that there was nosubstitution and wrongly labelling of species as the Salmon sushi matched the database sequences of Salmo salar, Tuna to Thunnus albacares and Butterfish to Lepidocybium flavobrunneum. The investigation of these fishproduct true identities should be carried out routinely to ensure consumer protection from mislabelling and substitution for a cheaper fishin order to avoid health issuessuch as allergic reaction due to intake of the wronglylabelled produc

Utilisation of DNA Barcoding for Identification of Fish Products

DNA barcoding has been accepted nowadays as a globally accessible tool to delimitate and identify new species, as it can provide accurate and automated species identification through the use of standard gene, Cytochrome oxidase I (COI). As a result, DNA barcoding has become a perfect molecular tool to identify fish products and detect wrongly labelled fish in the market as it can identify fish species even without the presenceof complete morphological characteristics. Here we collected samples from sushi restaurants to investigate and identify the precise species identity of raw fish sushi products because most of them were labelled with only common names such as Tuna, Salmon and Butterfish without providing the scientific name of the fishes. Species identities of seven specimens from two sushi restaurants were DNA barcoded utilising the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. The data were BLAST with GenBank and BOLD to confirm species identification. The results showed 100% matches that there was nosubstitution and wrongly labelling of species as the Salmon sushi matched the database sequences of Salmo salar, Tuna to Thunnus albacares and Butterfish to Lepidocybium flavobrunneum. The investigation of these fishproduct true identities should be carried out routinely to ensure consumer protection from mislabelling and substitution for a cheaper fishin order to avoid health issuessuch as allergic reaction due to intake of the wronglylabelled produc

МОЛЕКУЛЯРНАЯ КЛАССИФИКАЦИЯ ШТАММОВ ECHINOCOCCUS GRANULOSUS ОТ КРУПНОГО РОГАТОГО СКОТА В ЛИВИИ

This study demonstrates the distribution of various E. granulosus strains in sheep, cattle and camel. The common sheep strain G1 is mainly found in sheep and cattle, but also parasitized camels. In contrast, the camel strain G6 is found mainly in camels and rarely in sheep and cattle. However, the study also revealed the possible presence of cryptic species that are closely related to both genotypes in livestock of Libya as evident by high mutations in several specimens. Based on the occurrence of overlapping hosts of E. granulosus in Libya, more research on the transmission cycles and genotypes of E. granulosus in Libya is required. In addition, it is suggested that surveys on potential intermediate hosts, including in humans with dogs as the major final host in Libya using higher resolution molecular tools such as microsatellite markers is recommended.В данном исследовании представлено распространение различных штаммов E. granulosus овцы, крупного рогатого скота и верблюда. Обычный вид овечьего штамма G1 обнаруживают, в основном, у овец и крупного рогатого скота, однако верблюды также могут быть заражены этим штаммом.Напротив, верблюжий штамм G6, чаще всего, находили у верблюдов и реже у овец и крупного рогатого скота.Однако, в ходе исследований установлена вероятность наличия криптических видов, тесно связанных с обоими генотипами крупного рогатого скота в Ливии, что является подтверждением высокого уровня мутаций у некоторых видов.Исходя из того, что на территории Ливии отмечается преобладание хозяев штамма E. granulosus, необходимо провести дополнительные исследования циклов передачи инвазии и генотипов E. granulosus. Кроме того, рекомендуется провести обследование потенциальных промежуточных хозяев, включая частных владельцев собак, являющихся дефинитивными хозяевами, используя при этом молекулярные устройства высокого разрешения, такие как микросателлитные маркеры

Effect of early clinical skills teaching on 3rd year medical students' learning: The student perspective

AbstractObjectivesThe main purpose of the early introduction of Clinical Skills Learning (CSL) to pre-clinical years is to allow medical students to gain experience in clinical examination skills, basic medical procedures, history-taking and clinical communication. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the early teaching of clinical skills in preparing medical students for their clinical years.MethodsA validated questionnaire assessing the value of CSL on students in their first clinical year was distributed to 3rd year medical students. The questionnaire consisted of 8 items with a five-point Likert scale and one open-ended question.ResultsThe response rate to the questionnaire was approximately 62%. Nearly 97 (70.8%) students suggested that CSL was a favourable teaching strategy. A high percentage of students (90.5%) agreed that CSL was a useful pre-clinical module to prepare them for their clinical years. The students gave positive feedback on the teaching of history-taking and physical examination, exposure to the hospital environment and acquisition of communication skills with supervisors and patients. No student perceived the CSL module as poor.ConclusionsEarly CSL was well-perceived by students in preparing them for their clinical years. CSL is a vital part of the pre-clinical curriculum and should be further enriched with frequent hospital visits to enhance students' confidence level and performance when interacting with patients during their clinical years

Paleo-Drainage Basin Connectivity Predicts Evolutionary Relationships across Three Southeast Asian Biodiversity Hotspots

Understanding factors driving diversity across biodiversity hotspots is critical for formulating conservation priorities in the face of ongoing and escalating environmental deterioration. While biodiversity hotspots encompass a small fraction of Earth's land surface, more than half the world's plants and two-thirds of terrestrial vertebrate species are endemic to these hotspots. Tropical Southeast (SE) Asia displays extraordinary species richness, encompassing four biodiversity hotspots, though disentangling multiple potential drivers of species richness is confounded by the region's dynamic geological and climatic history. Here, we use multilocus molecular genetic data from dense multispecies sampling of freshwater fishes across three biodiversity hotspots, to test the effect of Quaternary climate change and resulting drainage rearrangements on aquatic faunal diversification. While Cenozoic geological processes have clearly shaped evolutionary history in SE Asian halfbeak fishes, we show that paleo-drainage re-arrangements resulting from Quaternary climate change played a significant role in the spatiotemporal evolution of lowland aquatic taxa, and provide priorities for conservation efforts. [Freshwater; geology; halfbeak; island radiation; Miocene; Pleistocene; river; Southeast Asia.

Plio-Pleistocene phylogeography of the Southeast Asian Blue Panchax killifish, Aplocheilus panchax

The complex climatic and geological history of Southeast Asia has shaped this region’s high biodiversity. In particular, sea level fluctuations associated with repeated glacial cycles during the Pleistocene both facilitated, and limited, connectivity between populations. In this study, we used data from two mitochondrial and three anonymous nuclear markers to determine whether a fresh/brackish water killifish, Aplocheilus panchax, Hamilton, 1822, could be used to further understand how climatic oscillations and associated sea level fluctuations have shaped the distribution of biota within this region, and whether such patterns show evidence of isolation within palaeodrainage basins. Our analyses revealed three major mitochondrial clades within A. panchax. The basal divergence of A. panchax mitochondrial lineages was approximately 3.5 Ma, whilst the subsequent divergence timings of these clades occurred early Pleistocene (~2.6 Ma), proceeding through the Pleistocene. Continuous phylogeographic analysis showed a clear west-east dispersal followed by rapid radiation across Southeast Asia. Individuals from Krabi, just north of the Isthmus of Kra, were more closely related to the Indian lineages, providing further evidence for a freshwater faunal disjunction at the Isthmus of Kra biogeographic barrier. Our results suggest that Sulawesi, across the Wallace Line, was colonised relatively recently (~30 ka). Nuclear DNA is less geographically structured, although Mantel tests indicated that nuclear genetic distances were correlated with geographic proximity. Overall, these results imply that recent gene flow, as opposed to historical isolation, has been the key factor determining patterns of nuclear genetic variation in A. panchax, however, some evidence of historical isolation is retained within the mitochondrial genome. Our study further validates the existence of a major biogeographic boundary at the Kra Isthmus, and also demonstrates the use of widely distributed fresh/brackishwater species in phylogeographic studies, and their ability to disperse across major marine barriers in relatively recent time periods

MOLECULAR CLASSIFICATION OF ECHINOCOCCUS GRANULOSUS STRAINS FROM LIVESTOCK ANIMALS IN LIBYA

This study demonstrates the distribution of various E. granulosus strains in sheep, cattle and camel. The common sheep strain G1 is mainly found in sheep and cattle, but also parasitized camels. In contrast, the camel strain G6 is found mainly in camels and rarely in sheep and cattle. However, the study also revealed the possible presence of cryptic species that are closely related to both genotypes in livestock of Libya as evident by high mutations in several specimens. Based on the occurrence of overlapping hosts of E. granulosus in Libya, more research on the transmission cycles and genotypes of E. granulosus in Libya is required. In addition, it is suggested that surveys on potential intermediate hosts, including in humans with dogs as the major final host in Libya using higher resolution molecular tools such as microsatellite markers is recommended