Morphogenetic identification of a new record Deudorix livia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in Assiut Governorate of Northern Upper Egypt.

Deudorix livia (Klug, 1834) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) is one of the most serious lepidopteran insect pests attacking pomegranate fruit around the world, including Egypt (Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt). To create an effective program (IPM) to control such harmful pests, accurate identification of the pest morphology and genetic structure is essential. Studies on the morphogenetics of this pest are scarce. So, the goal of this research is to identify it both morphologically and genetically. Pomegranate butterfly immature stages were collected from infested pomegranate fruits and reared in the laboratory until the adult's emergence. By using light and scanning electron microscopy, some morphological structures of males and females were studied. DNA was extracted from the legs of a pomegranate butterfly adult. Also, PCR was conducted by using the mitochondrial CO1 gene for sequencing and phylogenetic tests. The results show that the body scales are a mixture of dark and light gray on the dorsal side and white on the ventral side in both sexes. The average male body length (BL) was 11.674 ± 0.299 mm and was 11.458 ± 1.001 mm for the females. The wing venation is similar in both sexes. For the first time, a partial sequence of the mitochondrial CO1 gene in D. livia was deposited in GenBank (MW463927).

Probiotics Modulate Host Immune Response and Interact with the Gut Microbiota: Shaping Their Composition and Mediating Antibiotic Resistance.

The consortium of microbes inhabiting the human body, together with their encoded genes and secreted metabolites, is referred to as the "human microbiome." Several studies have established a link between the composition of the microbiome and its impact on human health. This impact spans local gastrointestinal inflammation to systemic autoimmune disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Autism. Some of these links have been validated by rigorous experiments that identify specific strains as mediators or drivers of a particular condition. Consequently, the development of probiotics to compensate for a missing beneficial microbe(s) has advanced and become popular, especially in the treatment of irritable bowel diseases and to restore disrupted gut flora after antibiotic administration. The widespread use of probiotics is often advocated as a natural ecological therapy. However, this perception is not always accurate, as there is a potential for unexpected interactions when administering live microbial cultures. Here, we designed this research to explore the intricate interactions among probiotics, the host, and microbes through a series of experiments. Our objectives included assessing their immunomodulatory effects, response to oral medications, impact on microbial population dynamics, and mediation of antibiotic resistance. To achieve these goals, we employed diverse experimental protocols, including cell-based enzyme -linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antibiotic susceptibility testing, antimicrobial activity assays, computational prediction of probiotic genes responsible for antibiotic resistance, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based validation of predicted genes, and survival assays of probiotics in the presence of selected oral medications. Our findings highlight that more than half of the tested probiotics trigger an inflammatory response in the Caco-2 cell line, are influenced by oral medications, exhibit antibacterial activity, and possess genes encoding antimicrobial resistance. These results underscore the necessity for a reevaluation of probiotic usage and emphasize the importance of establishing regulations to govern probiotic testing, approval, and administration.

The Interplay between Gut Microbiota and Oral Medications and Its Impact on Advancing Precision Medicine.

Trillions of diverse microbes reside in the gut and are deeply interwoven with the human physiological process, from food digestion, immune system maturation, and fighting invading pathogens, to drug metabolism. Microbial drug metabolism has a profound impact on drug absorption, bioavailability, stability, efficacy, and toxicity. However, our knowledge of specific gut microbial strains, and their genes that encode enzymes involved in the metabolism, is limited. The microbiome encodes over 3 million unique genes contributing to a huge enzymatic capacity, vastly expanding the traditional drug metabolic reactions that occur in the liver, manipulating their pharmacological effect, and, ultimately, leading to variation in drug response. For example, the microbial deactivation of anticancer drugs such as gemcitabine can lead to resistance to chemotherapeutics or the crucial role of microbes in modulating the efficacy of the anticancer drug, cyclophosphamide. On the other hand, recent findings show that many drugs can shape the composition, function, and gene expression of the gut microbial community, making it harder to predict the outcome of drug-microbiota interactions. In this review, we discuss the recent understanding of the multidirectional interaction between the host, oral medications, and gut microbiota, using traditional and machine-learning approaches. We analyze gaps, challenges, and future promises of personalized medicine that consider gut microbes as a crucial player in drug metabolism. This consideration will enable the development of personalized therapeutic regimes with an improved outcome, ultimately leading to precision medicine.

Meta-analysis of genetic parameters for growth traits in meat, wool and dual-purpose sheep breeds in the world using a random-effects model.

BACKGROUND: There is large variation in genetic parameters in literature for growth traits in sheep. Reliable estimation of genetic parameters is required for developing breeding programmes. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to aggregate results of different studies by meta-analysis to improve reliability of estimated parameters. METHODS: In the current study, 221 papers that have been published between 1995 and 2021 were reviewed. Using a random-effects model in the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, direct and maternal heritabilities, as well as, genetic and phenotypic correlations between growth traits were estimated in meat (M), wool (W) and dual-purpose (D) sheep breeds. The growth traits in this study were birth weight, 3-month weight, 6-month weight, 9-month weight and yearling weight. RESULTS: The combined direct heritability was the lowest for birth weight (0.190 ± 0.004, 0.198 ± 0.003 and 0.196 ± 0.004 for M, W and D breeds, respectively) and the highest for yearling weight (0.264 ± 0.010, 0.304 ± 0.005 and 0.285 ± 0.020 for M, W and D breeds, respectively). The maternal heritability was the lowest for yearling weight (0.085 ± 0.003, 0.055 ± 0.002 and 0.052 ± 0.005 for M, W and D breeds, respectively) and the highest for 6-month weight (0.240 ± 0.088, 0.164 ± 0.001 and 0.162 ± 0.006 for M, W and D breeds, respectively). The phenotypic and genetic correlations were lower between the weights measured at more distant intervals. The lowest genetic correlation was observed between birth weight and yearling weight (0.290 ± 0.051 for W breeds). CONCLUSIONS: The small standard errors could indicate that the aggregation of results from different studies improved the reliability of estimated parameters and reduced range of 95% confidence intervals. Hence, the results could be used with greater level of confidence in sheep breeding programmes.

Air embolism following peripheral intravenous access.

Air embolism is a rare, often misdiagnosed, potentially fatal condition. It is most frequently associated with invasive vascular procedures and mechanical ventilation. Air emboli developing from peripheral intravenous lines are uncommon. We present a case of symptomatic venous air embolism likely arising from peripheral intravenous access gained during an interventional pain procedure. This case highlights the need to consider air embolism in the differential diagnoses of patients presenting with neurological symptoms following vascular interventions.