Unlocking the Nexus of Sirtuins: A Comprehensive Review of Their Role in Skeletal Muscle Metabolism, Development, and Disorders.

The sirtuins constitute a group of histone deacetylases reliant on NAD+ for their activity that have gained recognition for their critical roles as regulators of numerous biological processes. These enzymes have various functions in skeletal muscle biology, including development, metabolism, and the body's response to disease. This comprehensive review seeks to clarify sirtuins' complex role in skeletal muscle metabolism, including glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial dynamics, autophagy regulation, and exercise adaptations. It also examines their critical roles in developing skeletal muscle, including myogenesis, the determination of muscle fiber type, regeneration, and hypertrophic responses. Moreover, it sheds light on the therapeutic potential of sirtuins by examining their impact on a range of skeletal muscle disorders. By integrating findings from various studies, this review outlines the context of sirtuin-mediated regulation in skeletal muscle, highlighting their importance and possible consequences for health and disease.

Mortality Following Simultaneous Versus Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) is a common intervention for bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and the choice between simultaneous (SimBTKA) and staged (StaBTKA) procedures remains a critical decision. This meta-analysis systematically reviews and analyzes the existing literature to compare mortality outcomes associated with SimBTKA and StaBTKA. A comprehensive search was conducted across major databases for studies reporting mortality outcomes in SimBTKA and StaBTKA. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies published up to the cutoff date of January 2023, and a total of 37 studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the Review Manage 5.4 software. The meta-analysis included 86,333 SimBTKA cases and 115,146 StaBTKA cases. The overall mortality rate in SimBTKA was 0.66%, while StaBTKA's was 0.43%. The pooled OR for mortality in SimBTKA versus StaBTKA was 1.55 [1.16, 2.08], indicating a statistically significant higher mortality risk in SimBTKA. Our findings suggest that SimBTKA is associated with an increased risk of mortality compared to StaBTKA. This meta-analysis provides valuable insights into the comparative mortality outcomes of SimBTKA and StaBTKA. While SimBTKA may offer potential advantages, including a single anesthesia event and shorter recovery time, clinicians should consider the increased mortality risk associated with this approach. Future research should focus on prospective studies with standardized reporting to further elucidate the nuanced factors influencing mortality outcomes in bilateral knee arthroplasty.

Healthcare Professionals' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Survey Assessing Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Work-Life-Balance.

Objectives: The main objective of this research was to investigate the Work-life balance (WLB), mental health, and quality of life and their associated factors among Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) in Sudan during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2021. Methods: An observational cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted during August-December 2021 among a sample of 430 HCPs working in the hospitals of four Sudanese states. The study used the WHOQoLBREF scale, Work-Life Balance Scale, and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). Results: HCPs reporting a poor quality of life made up 33.5% (95% CI 29.1-38.0), while those reporting worse WLB made up 52.6% (95% CI 47.8-57.2). HCPs reporting moderate to severe anxiety symptoms accounted for 35.8% (95% CI 31.4-40.5). The Multiple Regression model indicated that an increase in the anxiety scores is associated with a decrease in Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) (ß= 0.831, p < 0.05). Female HCPs exhibited 4.53-fold lower HRQoL scores than their male colleagues (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Approximately one-third of the HCPs in Sudan reported low HRQoL and suffered from moderate to severe anxiety, while a large portion of them had an unequal work-life balance during COVID-19. Health policies addressing these factors are needed to improve the quality of health of HCPs.

A vast dataset for Kurdish handwritten digits and isolated characters recognition.

This article presents two massive datasets for central Kurdish handwriting digits and isolated characters named K-ZHMARA and K-PIT. The first dataset, named K-ZHMARA dataset, contains 70,000 images of Kurdish digits, 7000 images for each digit, and a printed A4 paper with a grid of 10 × 10 is used for data collection. Apart from digits, the K-PIT dataset includes 245,000 images of all Kurdish characters, 7000 images for each character; data was collected via a printed A4 paper with a grid of 12 × 10 for this dataset. Moreover, both datasets include 315,000 images. Python programming has been used to scan each piece of paper, segment, crop, resize, binarize, and invert the images via edge detection and image processing techniques.

Safety and efficacy of daridorexant in the treatment of insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Daridorexant is a novel dual orexin receptor antagonist used in treating insomnia disorder. Daridorexant improves sleep quality without impairing daytime functioning. We assess the safety and efficacy of this novel drug in the treatment of insomnia. We performed a systematic search for electronic databases in SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane library. Seven randomized controlled trials were included in this review, with 2425 participants enrolled. Daridorexant was superior to placebo in reducing wake time after sleep onset (MD = -13.26; 95% CI, -15.48 to -11.03; P < 0.00001), latency to persistent sleep (MD = -7.23; 95% CI, -9.60 to -4.85; P < 0.00001), with increasing the total sleep time (MD = 14.80; 95% CI, 11.18-18.42; P < 0.00001) and subjective total sleep time (MD = 14.80; 95% CI, 11.18-18.42], P < 0.00001). The 25 mg and 50 mg were the most officious doses. Treatment with daridorexant has resulted in a slightly higher incidence of adverse events [risk ratio (RR) = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.35;, P = 0.005], specifically somnolence (RR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.13-3.23; P = 0.005) and fatigue (RR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.21-3.36; P = 0.007). Daridorexant is superior to placebo in improving sleep quality. However, the drug resulted in a slightly higher incidence of adverse events, including somnolence and fatigue.

Diabetic ketoacidosis fluid management in children: systematic review and meta-analyses.

IMPORTANCE: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus, which may lead to significant morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: To compare the safety and efficacy of liberalised versus conservative intravenous fluid regimens in the management of DKA in children. DATA SOURCE AND STUDY SELECTION: Databases from inception to January 2022: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were included. Only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that included children aged under 18 years were assessed. Two reviewers performed data assessment and extraction. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Three studies out of 1536 citations were included. MAIN OUTCOMES: The time to the recovery from the DKA; the frequency of paeditric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions; development of brain oedema; reduction in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS); development of acute kidney injury and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: We included three RCTs (n=1457). No evidence of difference was noted in the GCS reduction (risk ratio (RR)=0.77, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.36) or development of brain oedema (RR=0.50, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.68). The time to recovery from DKA was longer in the conservative group (mean difference=1.42, 95% CI 0.28 to 2.56). Time to hospital discharge, adverse or serious adverse events were comparable in the two studied groups. CONCLUSION: There is no evidence from this meta-analysis that rate of fluid administration has any effect on adverse neurological and other outcomes or length of hospital stay.

Accuracy of the Hammersmith infant neurological examination for the early detection of neurological changes in infants exposed to Zika virus: A case-cohort study.

ABSTRACT: The Hammersmith infant neurological examination (HINE) is a highly predictive tool for the easy and low-cost detection of cerebral palsy. Between 2015 and 2016, the rapid spread of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil was responsible for an increase in microcephaly cases. This study aimed to verify the accuracy of the HINE for the early detection of neurological problems in Brazilian babies exposed to ZIKV.This was a cross sectional case-control study of children exposed to ZIKV. This study was part of the Jundiaí ZIKV Cohort. Of a total sample of 782 children, 98 were evaluated (26 in the exposed group and 63 in the control group). We included late preterm infants and term infants who were exposed to the ZIKV and were participants in the ZIKV Cohort study. Student's t-test and stepwise multivariate logistic regression were used to compare groups.Of the 26 items evaluated in the five scored categories of the HINE (cranial nerve function, posture, movements, tone, reflexes, and reactions), only the difference in ankle dorsiflexion between the exposed and the control groups was statistically significant. However, some items showed a significant trend in relation to the control group.Our results demonstrated the importance of early neurological assessment of infants exposed to ZIKV, even in those without a microcephaly diagnosis.

Antibiotics Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolated from Livestock in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2014-2019.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a zoonotic pathogen that showed growing resistance to antibiotics. No descriptive analysis highlights the threat of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) of E. coli among livestock in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Herein, we conducted phenotypic and genotypic resistance studies on E. coli isolates from livestock samples in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi based on routine diagnosis between the periods 2014-2019. Bacterial culture and disk diffusion methods were used for bacterial isolation and phenotypic resistance analysis. Resistance mechanism was studied by PCR targeting the most commonly resistance genes: ampicillin (bla SHV , bla CMY , and blaTEM-1B), tetracyclines (tetA and tetB), co-trimoxazole [sulfamethoxazole (sul1, sul2, and sul3) + trimethoprim (dfrA1 and dfrA17)], aminoglycosides [aph(3")-Ia, aph(6)-Id, and aac(3)-IV], and fluoroquinolones (qnrA and aac(6')-Ib-cr). Analysis of 165 E. coli isolates showed resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, and enrofloxacin by 157/165 (95.4%), 154/165 (93.6%), 141/165 (86%), 139/165 (85%), and 135/165 (82.7%), respectively. Predominant resistance gene/s detected by PCR were bla CMY (119/160, 72%) and blaTEM-1B (154/160, 96.3%) for ampicillin; tetA (162/164, 98.8%) and tetB (112/164, 68.3%) for tetracyclines; sul2 (156/164, 95%), sul3 (138/164, 84%), and dfra17 (74/164, 44.5%) for co-trimoxazole; aph(3")-Ia (134/164, 82.1%) and aph(6)-Id (161/164, 98.2%) for aminoglycosides; and aac(6')-Ib-cr (61/61, 100%) for enrofloxacin. Both phenotypic and genotypic analyses revealed that all E. coli isolates were multidrug-resistant (resistance to 3, 4, and 5 antibiotics classes by 3.6%, 57.6%, and 38.8%, respectively) carrying one or more resistance gene/s for the same antibiotic. PCR profiling confirmed the presence of resistance genes corresponding to their antibiotic profile. Results of the study will highlight the knowledge based on E. coli AMR related to livestock in UAE that may call for interventions.

Natural Products for Cancer Therapy: A Review of Their Mechanism of Actions and Toxicity in the Past Decade.

The ethnopharmacological information gathered over many centuries and the presence of diverse metabolites have made the medicinal plants as the prime source of drugs. Despite the positive attributes of natural products, there are many questions pertaining to their mechanism of actions and molecular targets that impede their development as therapeutic agents. One of the major challenges in cancer research is the toxicity exerted by investigational agents towards the host. An understanding of their molecular targets, underlying mechanisms can reveal their anticancer efficacy, help in optimal therapeutic dose selection, to mitigate their side effects and toxicity towards the host. The purpose of this review is to collate details on natural products that are recently been investigated extensively in the past decade for their anticancer potential. Besides, critical analysis of their molecular targets and underlying mechanisms on multiple cancer cell lines, an in-depth probe of their toxicological screening on rodent models is outlined as well to observe the prevalence of their toxicity towards host. This review can provide valuable insights for researchers in developing methods, strategies during preclinical and clinical evaluation of anticancer candidates.

Association between serum lipid profile, body mass index and osteoporosis in postmenopausal Sudanese women.

Background: Epidemiological observations suggest links between osteoporosis and the risk of acute cardiovascular events. Whether the two clinical conditions are linked by common pathogenic factors or atherosclerosis per se remains incompletely understood. The reduction of bone density and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women contributes to elevated lipid parameters and body mass index (BMI). Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum lipid profile, BMI and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: A prospective analytical case control-study conducted in Khartoum north hospital at Khartoum city, capital of the Sudan from April 2017 to March 2018 after ethical approval obtained from the local Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Medical Laboratories, Alzaeim Alazhary University on the committee meeting number (109) on Wednesday 15th February 2017. A written informed consent was obtained from all participants to participate in the study.Two hundred postmenopausal women were enrolled in the study. The age was studied in one hundred osteoporosis postmenopausal women as a case group and one hundred non-osteoporosis postmenopausal women as control group. The serum lipid profiles were estimated using spectrophotometers (Mandry) and BMI calculated using Quetelet index formula. The data were analysed using SPSS version 16. Results: The BMI, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL in case group respectively were (24.846±2.1647, 251.190±27.0135 mg/dl, 168.790 ±45.774 mg/dl, 50.620 ± 7.174 mg/dl, 166.868 ±28.978 mg/dl). While the BMI, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL in control group respectively were (25.378 ±3.8115, 187.990 ± 26.611 mg/dl, 139.360±20.290 mg/dl, 49.480 ±4.659 mg/dl, 111.667 ±28.0045 mg/dl). All serum lipid profiles significantly increased (p=0.000) in the case group compared to the control group, except serum HDL was insignificant different between the case and control group and also BMI was insignificant different between the case and control group. There was a positive Pearson's correlation between BMD and serum total cholesterol (r= 0.832, P<0.01), serum LDL (r = 0.782, P<0.01) and serum triglyceride (r = 0.72, P<0.01). Conclusions: Osteoporotic postmenopausal women had a significant increase in serum lipid profile and BMI. Moreover, we found a positive link between women with cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Management of post lobectomy subcutaneous emphysema; a case report with literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Subcutaneous emphysema is an extremely rare complication after lobectomy. The current study aims to report a case of lung cancer developing extensive subcutaneous emphysema after lobectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 73-year-old man presented with dyspnea and cough for one month duration associated with wheeze and sputum. He was a chronic heavy smoker (100 pack/year). Work up revealed squamous cell carcinoma. Although he had poor pulmonary function tests, he underwent left upper lobectomy. On the fifth postoperative day, he was discharged from the hospital as there was no air leak and the lung remained expanded 15 hours after clamping of the thoracostomy tube. Two days later, the patient developed generalized subcutaneous emphysema. The patient was re-admitted to the hospital and a thoracostomy tube was inserted. The lung expanded upon insertion while the subcutaneous emphysema remained the same and even slightly increased over night. A 3 cm incision was made at the left infra-clavicular area and a negative pressure applied to it. The subcutaneous emphysema completely subsided a few hours after this intervention. DISCUSSION: Because of the benign course, the majority of cases of subcutaneous emphysema (mild to moderate) only need nonoperative management alongside treatment of the predisposing factors. These patients may need nothing other than bed rest, good analgesia, supplemental oxygen, and reassurance. CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous emphysema after lobectomy prolongs hospital stay. It mainly occurs in cases with poor pulmonary function tests, steroid use, and those with extensive adhesion.

Hypothalamic and ovarian transcriptome profiling reveals potential candidate genes in low and high egg production of white Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata).

In China, the low egg production rate is a major challenge to Muscovy duck farmers. Hypothalamus and ovary play essential role in egg production of birds. However, there are little or no reports from these tissues to identify potential candidate genes responsible for egg production in White Muscovy ducks. A total of 1,537 laying ducks were raised; the egg production traits which include age at first egg (days), number of eggs at 300 d, and number of eggs at 59 wk were recorded. Moreover, 4 lowest (LP) and 4 highest producing (HP) were selected at 59 wk of age, respectively. To understand the mechanism of egg laying regulation, we sequenced the hypothalamus and ovary transcriptome profiles in LP and HP using RNA-Seq. The results showed that the number of eggs at 300 d and number of eggs at 59 wk in the HP were significantly more (P < 0.001) than the LP ducks. In total, 106.98G clean bases were generated from 16 libraries with an average of 6.68G clean bases for each library. Further analysis showed 569 and 2,259 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the hypothalamus and ovary between LP and HP, respectively. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed 114 and 139 pathways in the hypothalamus and ovary, respectively which includes Calcium signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction, Focal adhesion, MAPK signaling pathway, Apoptosis and Apelin signaling pathways that are involved in egg production. Based on the GO terms and KEGG pathways results, 10 potential candidate genes (P2RX1, LPAR2, ADORA1, FN1, AKT3, ADCY5, ADCY8, MAP3K8, PXN, and PTTG1) were identified to be responsible for egg production. Further, protein-protein interaction was analyzed to show the relationship between these candidate genes. Therefore, this study provides useful information on transcriptome of hypothalamus and ovary of LP and HP Muscovy ducks.

In Vivo T Cell-Targeting Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems: Considerations for Rational Design.

T cells play an important role in immunity and repair and are implicated in diseases, including blood cancers, viral infections, and inflammation, making them attractive targets for the treatment and prevention of diseases. Over recent years, the advent of nanomedicine has shown an increase in studies that use nanoparticles as carriers to deliver therapeutic cargo to T cells for ex vivo and in vivo applications. Nanoparticle-based delivery has several advantages, including the ability to load and protect a variety of drugs, control drug release, improve drug pharmacokinetics and biodistribution, and site- or cell-specific targeting. However, the delivery of nanoparticles to T cells remains a major technological challenge, which is primarily due to the nonphagocytic nature of T cells. In this review, we discuss the physiological barriers to effective T cell targeting and describe the different approaches used to deliver cargo-loaded nanoparticles to T cells for the treatment of disease such as T cell lymphoma and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In particular, engineering strategies that aim to improve nanoparticle internalization by T cells, including ligand-based targeting, will be highlighted. These nanoparticle engineering approaches are expected to inspire the development of effective nanomaterials that can target or manipulate the function of T cells for the treatment of T cell-related diseases.

Combined Supplementation of Nano-Zinc Oxide and Thyme Oil Improves the Nutrient Digestibility and Reproductive Fertility in the Male Californian Rabbits.

The present study aimed to determine the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), thyme oil (THO), or their combination on the nutrient digestibility coefficients, reproductive parameters, and some blood metabolites of male Californian rabbits. One hundred rabbits, 29-weeks of age (initial body weight 3.48 ± 0.08 kg) were randomly distributed into four groups, 25 rabbits each. Treatment groups were fed a control diet, a control diet supplemented with ZnO-NPs (100 mg/kg), THO (500 mg/kg), or combination of ZnO-NPs (100 mg/kg) and THO (500 mg/kg). The feeding trial lasted for 35 days. Results showed improvements in dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, and crude fiber in ZnO-NPs, THO, and their combination treated groups compared to those of control. Furthermore, semen volume, sperm motility, vitality, and morphology were significantly improved (p < 0.01) in ZnO-NPs and THO groups rather than the control. Both ZnO-NPs and THO, as either individual or combined treatments significantly improved the serum alanine amino-transferase (ALT), aspartate amino-transferase (AST), urea, and creatinine compared to the control. Moreover, serum concentrations of testosterone were significantly increased in rabbits supplemented with ZnO-NPs, THO, or their combination compared to those of control (p < 0.05). In conclusion, ZnO-NPs, THO, or their combination improved the digestibility of nutrients, liver/ kidney functions, semen characteristics, and testosterone concentration in male rabbits.

Epigenetic Regulation by Non-Coding RNAs in the Avian Immune System.

The identified non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) include circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, ribosomal RNAs, small interfering RNAs, small nuclear RNAs, piwi-interacting RNAs, and transfer RNAs, etc. Among them, long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs, and microRNAs are regulatory RNAs that have different functional mechanisms and were extensively participated in various biological processes. Numerous research studies have found that circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and microRNAs played their important roles in avian immune system during the infection of parasites, virus, or bacterium. Here, we specifically review and expand this knowledge with current advances of circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and microRNAs in the regulation of different avian diseases and discuss their functional mechanisms in response to avian diseases.

Potential Natural Products Against Respiratory Viruses: A Perspective to Develop Anti-COVID-19 Medicines.

The emergence of viral pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (CoV), known as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), resulted in a contagious acute respiratory infectious disease in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Its alarmingly quick transmission to many countries across the world and a considerable percentage of morbidity and mortality made the World Health Organization recognize it as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The perceived risk of infection has led many research groups to study COVID-19 from different aspects. In this literature review, the phylogenetics and taxonomy of COVID-19 coronavirus, epidemiology, and respiratory viruses similar to COVID-19 and their mode of action are documented in an approach to understand the behavior of the current virus. Moreover, we suggest targeting the receptors of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 such as ACE2 and other proteins including 3CLpro and PLpro for improving antiviral activity and immune response against COVID-19 disease. Additionally, since phytochemicals play an essential role in complementary therapies for viral infections, we summarized different bioactive natural products against the mentioned respiratory viruses with a focus on influenza A, SARS-CoV, MERS, and COVID-19.Based on current literature, 130 compounds have antiviral potential, and of these, 94 metabolites demonstrated bioactivity against coronaviruses. Interestingly, these are classified in different groups of natural products, including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and others. Most of these compounds comprise flavonoid skeletons. Based on our survey, xanthoangelol E (88), isolated from Angelica keiskei (Miq.) Koidz showed inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV PLpro with the best IC50 value of 1.2 µM. Additionally, hispidulin (3), quercetin (6), rutin (8), saikosaponin D (36), glycyrrhizin (47), and hesperetin (55) had remarkable antiviral potential against different viral infections. Among these compounds, quercetin (6) exhibited antiviral activities against influenza A, SARS-CoV, and COVID-19 and this seems to be a highly promising compound. In addition, our report discusses the obstacles and future perspectives to highlight the importance of developing screening programs to investigate potential natural medicines against COVID-19.

Isolation and characterization of two acaricidal compounds from Calpurnia aurea subsp. aurea (Fabaceae) leaf extract.

The menace caused by ticks and tick-borne diseases is a major limitation to the livestock industry in Africa. The high costs and non-availability of synthetic, chemical acaricides to resource-limited farmers, resistance of ticks to available acaricides and residue problems in meat and milk consumed by humans further complicate matters. The use of plant extracts as a possible source of new acaricides has received much interest in the last decade. In our endeavour to discover natural acaricidal compounds, tick toxicant bioassays were conducted and the chloroform fraction of Calpurnia aurea ethanol leaf extract had good acaricidal activity. Further purification of the fraction revealed two flavonoids, isolated from C. aurea for the first time. These flavonoids were characterized as apigenin-7-O-ß-D-glycoside and isorhoifolin by means of NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry analysis. Isorhoifolin was the most potent compound (LC50 = 0.65 mg/ml), was not cytotoxic and should be further investigated for its potential as an acaricidal agent.

Genetic Tracing of Jatropha curcas L. from Its Mesoamerican Origin to the World.

Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha), a shrub species of the family Euphorbiaceae, has been recognized as a promising biofuel plant for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, recent attempts at commercial cultivation in Africa and Asia have failed because of low productivity. It is important to elucidate genetic diversity and relationship in worldwide Jatropha genetic resources for breeding of better commercial cultivars. Here, genetic diversity was analyzed by using 246 accessions from Mesoamerica, Africa and Asia, based on 59 simple sequence repeat markers and eight retrotransposon-based insertion polymorphism markers. We found that central Chiapas of Mexico possesses the most diverse genetic resources, and the Chiapas Central Depression could be the center of origin. We identified three genetic groups in Mesoamerica, whose distribution revealed a distinct geographic cline. One of them consists mainly of accessions from central Chiapas. This suggests that it represents the original genetic group. We found two Veracruz accessions in another group, whose ancestors might be shipped from Port of Veracruz to the Old World, to be the source of all African and Asian Jatropha. Our results suggest the human selection that caused low productivity in Africa and Asia, and also breeding strategies to improve African and Asian Jatropha. Cultivars improved in the productivity will contribute to expand mass commercial cultivation of Jatropha in Africa and Asia to increase biofuel production, and finally will support in the battle against the climate change.

Deep venous thrombosis in elderly patients as a surgical emergency at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a condition that occurs frequently among surgical, as well as acutely ill hospitalized medical patients, and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Risk factors include older age, surgery and immobilization (as with bed rest, orthopedic casts, and sitting on long flights. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to identify the frequency and factors associated with occurrence of DVT among elderly patients referred to King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The current study is a hospital based cross sectional study. The emergency, inpatients and outpatients' departments at KAU hospital were reviewed. We studied all the referred elderly subjects during the study period. All elderly patients (540) referred to or admitted to the hospital departments and who were clinically suspected to have DVT and subjected to Doppler examination were included in the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi square test. RESULTS: Based on the results of Doppler examination, DVT was detected in 97 (18.0%) of the studied elderly population. There were no significant differences in gender between patients who developed DVT and those who were negative by Doppler examination (p=0.018). Other comorbidities as diabetes, IHD and hypertension were significantly associated with the occurrence of DVT among the participants (p=0.05, 0.05 and 0.04 respectively). Furthermore, the other investigated factors such as being bed ridden, cancer, orthopedic cast and previous DVT were not significantly associated with the development of DVT among the studied elderly patients (p=0.42, 0.16, 0.45 and 0.75 respectively). CONCLUSION: DVT has high prevalence in Jeddah; KSA. Thrombophilia screening should be regular for elderly patients with diabetes, hypertension and bed-ridden patients with recurrent DVT or patients with other risk factors. Knowing the most common risk factors and their significance in developing DVT is essential for early detection of DVT to prevent unwanted complications for elderlies.

Insulinoma-Associated Protein 1 Is a Crucial Regulator of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Lung Cancer.

Insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is expressed exclusively in embryonic developing neuroendocrine (NE) tissues. INSM1 gene expression is specific for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), along with achaete-scute homolog-like 1 (ASCL1) and several NE molecules, such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neural cell adhesion molecule 1. However, the underlying biological role of INSM1 in lung cancer remains largely unknown. We first showed that surgically resected SCLC samples specifically expressed INSM1. Forced expression of the INSM1 gene in adenocarcinoma cell lines (H358 and H1975) induced the expression of ASCL1, brain-2 (BRN2), chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neural cell adhesion molecule 1; in contrast, knockdown of the INSM1 gene by siRNA in SCLC (H69 and H889) decreased their expression. However, forced/knockdown expression of ASCL1 and BRN2 did not affect INSM1 expression. A chromatin immunoprecipitation study revealed that INSM1 bound to the promoter region of the ASCL1 gene. A xenotransplantation assay using tet-on INSM1 gene-transfected adenocarcinoma cell lines demonstrated that INSM1 induced NE differentiation and growth inhibition. Furthermore, we found that INSM1 was not expressed in non-small-cell lung cancer and some SCLC cell lines expressing Notch1-Hes1. By forced/knockdown expression of Notch1 or Hes1 genes, we revealed that Notch1-Hes1 signaling suppressed INSM1, as well as ASCL1 and BRN2. INSM1, expressed exclusively in SCLC, is a crucial regulator of NE differentiation in SCLCs, and is regulated by the Notch1-Hes1 signaling pathway.