Genetic potential and inheritance pattern of agronomic traits in faba bean under free and infested Orobanche soil conditions.

BACKGROUND: Orobanche is an obligate parasite on faba bean in the Mediterranean region, causes considerable yield losses. Breeding tolerant faba bean genotypes to Orobanche is pivotal to sustain production and ensuring global food security, particularly considering the challenges posed by population growth. In the present study, seven faba bean lines and four testers were used in a line×tester mating design during 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 growing seasons. The eleven parents and their 28 F1 crosses were evaluated under Orobanche free and naturally infested soils. RESULTS: The results demonstrated considerable variations among the evaluated genotypes, wide diversity among the parental materials, and heterotic effects for all studied agronomic traits under Orobanche-free and infested soils. Orbanche infestation displayed a significant adverse impact on all the studied agronomic traits. The genotypes Line1, Line2, Line3, and Line5 displayed superior performance under Orobanche-infested conditions and recorded the highest values of all studied agronomic traits. Additionally, Line1, Line2, Line3, Line5, and Line7 exhibited desirable significant GCA for most evaluated traits under the two infestation conditions. The obtained crosses displayed significant negative or positive heterosis for studied agronomic characters such as plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, and seed weight per plant were observed. Furthermore, specific cross combinations such as Line2×Sakha3, Line3×Nubaria5, Line7 × Nubaria5, Line6×Nubaria1, Line5×Sakha3, Line1×Sakha3, and Line1 × Nubaria5 exhibited superior performance in seed yield and contributing traits under Orobanche-infested conditions. Moreover, these specific crosses showed superior efficacy in reducing dry weight of Orobanche spikes. The results obtained from GGE biplot analysis closely aligned with those from the line×tester procedure, affirming the significance of GGE biplot as a valuable statistical tool for assessing genotype combining ability in line× tester data. Both additive and non-additive gene actions were reported to be predominantly involved in the inheritance of the studied agronomic traits in faba bean. CONCLUSIONS: The detected genetic diversity within the evaluated faba bean genotypes and their developed crosses exhibits substantial potential for improving faba bean productivity under Orobanche-infested conditions. The parental genotypes, Line1, Line2, Line3, Line5, and Line7, were identified as effective and promising combiners. Moreover, the developed crosses Line2×Sakha3, Line3×Nubaria5, Line7×Nubaria5, Line6×Nubaria1, Line5×Sakha3, Line1×Sakha3, and Line1×Nubaria5 could be considered valuable candidates for developing high-yielding and tolerant faba bean genotypes to Orobanche.

The Potential Genetic Effect for Yield and Foliar Disease Resistance in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Assessed via Morphological and SCoT Markers.

Faba bean is considered one of the most prominent grain legumes, with high protein content for human food consumption and livestock feed. The present study evaluated the nature of gene action and determined the genetic diversity among different populations of three crosses for resistance to foliar diseases at the molecular level. Analysis of variance exposed significant differences among the generations for all measured traits. Both dominance and additive gene effects were essential, but dominance genes, for the most part, exhibited greater effects than additive ones. This indicates an essential role for dominant genes alongside the additives one in inheriting such traits. The third cross (Marina × Giza 40) gave desired significant and positive (additive × additive) values for the number of pods/plant, seeds/plant, and seed yield/plant, in addition to desirable negative values for chocolate spot and rust characteristics. Furthermore, assessing the lines under study using seven SCoT primers disclosed three bands with recorded molecular weights of 260, 207, and 178 bp, generated by SCoT-1, SCoT-4, and SCoT-7 primers, respectively. These bands exist in the resistant parent (Marina), which could be attributed to the high-disease-resistance phenotypes, and they are absent in the sensitive parent (Giza 40) and other putative sensitive lines. Based on the molecular profiles and the genetic similarity between parents and the selected lines, the highest similarity value (0.91) was detected between Marina genotype and BC1, revealing a high foliar disease resistance. Meanwhile, Giza 40 (susceptible to foliar diseases) exhibited the maximum value (0.93) with F2. Additionally, cluster analysis based on genetic relationships was performed, and a high level of correlation between the results of PCR-based SCoT analysis and the foliar disease reactions was observed in the field. Consequently, this study concluded that SCoT markers created reliable banding profiles for evaluating genetic polymorphism among faba bean lines, which could be a foundation for developing an efficient breeding program.

A Snapshot of Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions upon Pediatric Discharge in Oman.

Background: Identifying and quantifying potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) practices remains a time-consuming and challenging task, particularly among the pediatric population. In recent years, several valuable tools have been developed and validated for assessing PIP. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PIP and related risk factors in pediatric patients at a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of pediatric patients (<18 years) from 1 October to 31 December 2019. Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) and potential prescribing omission (PPO) were assessed using an internationally validated pediatric omission of prescriptions and inappropriate prescriptions (POPI) tool. Results: A total of 685 patients were included; 57.5% were male, and 30.5% had at least one comorbidity. Polypharmacy was identified in 70.2% of these patients, with a median of 2 (1−3) medications. PIM was observed in 20.4% of the cohort, with the highest in ENT-pulmonary disease (30.5%), followed by dermatological disorders (28.6%). PPO was identified in 6.9% of the patients with digestive and neuropsychiatric disorders, with the highest rate of 54% and 24%, respectively. Age (p = 0.006), number of medications (p = 0.034), and prescriber rank (p = 0.006) were identified as significant predictors of PIM, whereas age (p = 0.044) was the only significant predictor for PPO. Conclusions: The rates of PIM and PPO were high in this study population. In light of these findings, educational and interventional activities and programs are needed.

The use of a modified Delphi technique to develop a critical appraisal tool for clinical pharmacokinetic studies.

BACKGROUND: Critical appraisal aids in assessing the quality of scientific literature, which is central to the practice of evidence-based medicine. Several tools and guidelines are available for critiquing and assessing the quality of specific study types. However, limited guidance exists for critical appraisal of clinical pharmacokinetic studies. AIM: We aimed to achieve experts' consensus regarding the quality markers for clinical pharmacokinetic studies in an attempt to develop a critical appraisal tool. METHOD: Quality markers related to clinical pharmacokinetic studies, were derived from the published literature and categorized according to manuscript reporting domains (abstract, introduction/background, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion). Questions that aid in appraising pharmacokinetic studies were formulated from these quality markers. Experts were involved in a modified Delphi process to achieve a consensus regarding the formulated questions. The proposed tool was pilot tested on 30 recently published clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Inter-observer agreement was measured to determine the reliability of the included items. RESULTS: Twenty-five experts consented to participate. Three rounds of a modified Delphi survey were required to generate a consensus for a 21-item tool aimed at appraising the quality of clinical pharmacokinetic studies. When applied to 30 recently published clinical pharmacokinetic studies, most items scored fair to moderate levels of agreement (61.90-95.24%). CONCLUSION: The clinical pharmacokinetic critical appraisal tool (CACPK) developed in this study consisted of 21 items aimed at helping an end-user to determine the quality of a pharmacokinetic study. Further studies are warranted to reaffirm the validity and reliability of the CACPK tool.

Creation of an inventory of quality markers used to evaluate pharmacokinetic literature: A systematic review.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Robust critical appraisal tools for clinical pharmacokinetic studies are limited. Before development of such a tool is possible, quality markers (items deemed important for credibility of study results) must be identified. We aim to create an inventory of quality markers intended for the appraisal of clinical pharmacokinetic studies and to categorize identified markers into associated domains of study quality. METHODS: Medline via ProQuest central (1946-Sep 2020, EMBASE (1974-Sep 2020), Cochrane database of systematic reviews, Google and Google Scholar were searched using the following search categories: pharmacokinetics, reporting guidelines and quality markers. Reference lists of the identified articles were searched manually. Any article (review, study or guideline) reporting quality markers related to the appraisal of pharmacokinetic literature was eligible for inclusion. Articles were further screened and limited to those reported in English on human subjects only. Cell-based and animal-based pharmacokinetic studies were excluded. Extracted data from included articles included identified or perceived markers of quality and baseline article data. Identified quality markers were then categorized according to manuscript reporting domains (abstract, introduction/background, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of 789 studies identified, 17 articles were included for extraction of quality markers. A total of 35 quality markers were identified across eight categories. The most frequently reported quality markers were related to method (13/35) and result sections (6/35). Quality markers encompassed all aspects of study design and reporting and were both similar and different to established reporting checklists for clinical pharmacokinetic studies. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The inventory of quality markers is now suitable to undergo further testing for inclusion in a tool designed for the appraisal of clinical pharmacokinetic studies.

Bioactive and Elastic Nanocomposites with Antimicrobial Properties for Bone Tissue Regeneration.

Bone injuries represent a major challenge in the medical field. The commonly used treatments for bone regeneration rely on the use of bone grafts that are usually associated with complications such as donor site morbidity, disease transmission, high cost, and lack of availability. Bone tissue engineering has become a golden solution for the repair of bone injuries by regenerating the damaged biological tissues using biocompatible scaffolds. However, most of the tissue engineered scaffolds do not possess the combined properties of high elasticity, appropriate stiffness, biocompatibility, osteoinductivity, and antimicrobial properties. In this study, we engineered bioactive and antimicrobial nanocomposites that can promote bone formation while simultaneously provide a barrier against bacterial infections commonly associated with bone implants. We used PEGylated polyglycerol sebacate as nanocomposites base, which was functionalized with Laponite nanosilicates, a synthetic nanoclay, and an antimicrobial peptide (AMP). The successful synthesis of the PEGylated polyglycerol sebacate and Laponite incorporation within the nanocomposites were confirmed through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The scaffolds had an elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength within a range of 3.8-4.7 MPa and 1.5-3 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, the scaffolds loaded with antimicrobial peptide exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. The in vitro cytocompatibility tests showed >90% viability of preosteoblast (W-20-17) cells. Moreover, in vitro differentiation assays demonstrated the scaffolds' ability to promote osteogenic differentiation of W-20-17. Collectively, the nanocomposites containing Laponite and antimicrobial peptide were proven to have osteoinductive and antimicrobial activity, making them desirable for bone tissue engineering applications.

Ni-free, built-in nanotubular drug eluting stents: Experimental and theoretical insights.

Stents used for cardiovascular applications are composed of three main elements; a metal, polymer coating and the specific drug component. Nickel-based metals and polymer coatings currently used in the stent market have increased the recurrence of in-stent restenosis and stent failure due to inflammation. In this study, a Ti-8Mn alloy was used to fabricate a nanostructured surface that can be used for drug eluting stents to overcome the hypersensitivity of metals that are currently used in stent making as well as introducing a new built-in nano-drug reservoir instead of polymer coatings. Two different systems were studied: titanium dioxide nanotubes (NTs) and Ti-8Mn oxides NTs. The materials were characterized using field emission electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), roughness, wettability and surface energy measurements. Nanoindentation was used to evaluate the mechanical properties of the nanotubes as well as their stability. In-vitro cytotoxicity and cell proliferation assays were used to study the effect of the nanotubes on cell viability. Computational insights were also used to test the blood compatibility using band gap model analysis, comparing the band gap of the materials under investigation with that of the fibrinogen, in order to study the possibility of charge transfer that affects the blood clotting mechanism. In addition, the drug loading capacity of the materials was studied using acetyl salicylic acid as a drug model.

Nasal allergies in the Middle Eastern population: results from the "Allergies in Middle East Survey".

BACKGROUND: Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) are a major public health problem in developing countries including those in the Middle East. However, to date, there is a paucity of information related to physician-diagnosed AR in this region. The Allergies in Middle East Survey was undertaken to help clarify and broaden the understanding of physician-diagnosed AR across Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The survey explores the frequency of physician-diagnosed AR, prevalence and types of associated symptoms, the impact on quality of life (QOL), current treatment practices, and therapy expectations. METHODS: In total, 7411 households in five countries (Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates) were screened to identify individuals that were ≥4 years old with a physician diagnosis of AR and either symptoms and/or treatment in the past 12 months. A total of 501 respondents from the five countries completed the survey. Standardized questionnaires were used to make comparisons across the regions; however, the data collection procedures were tailored for each country. The sample was probability based to ensure valid statistical inference to the population. RESULTS: Ten percent of the Middle East population surveyed had a physician diagnosis of AR, with 65% of respondents stating that their allergies were intermittent in nature. An otolaryngologist or allergist diagnosed the majority of the individuals surveyed. Runny nose, nasal and throat itching, postnasal drip, and nasal congestion or stuffed up nose were the most common and bothersome symptoms of AR. The majority of survey participants (58% of the overall survey population) with AR reported that the condition had an impact on their daily private and professional life. Seventy-two percent of adults reported that their AR symptoms limited their work/school activities and 35% reported that their AR interfered with and caused them to miss work or school within the past 12 months. One factor, in addition to the outward AR symptoms, that could have contributed to these function impairments may have been sleep disturbances. Although a secondary symptom to AR, sleep disturbances (difficulty getting to sleep, waking up during the night or lack of a good night's sleep) were shown in this survey to be extremely troubling in ∼15% of AR sufferers. In the past year >90% of patients reported taking a medication of any type for their AR, with nearly a 4:1 ratio of patients taking a prescription medication versus an over-the-counter (OTC) medication in the past 4 weeks. Over 75% of survey respondents reported taking an intranasal corticosteroid (INCS) in the last 4 weeks and the satisfaction rate of INCS medications was similar to that reported for OTC medications. The most common reasons cited for dissatisfaction with INCS medications were inadequate effectiveness, bothersome side effects (e.g., unpleasant taste and retrograde drainage into the pharynx), decreased effectiveness with chronic use, and failure to provide 24-hour relief. CONCLUSION: These data show that AR is common in the Middle East region as elsewhere in the world. Many patients with AR in Middle East region suffer from their symptoms (e.g., runny nose, nasal itching, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and other symptoms) on all or most days during the times of the year that their allergies are worst. These symptoms have been shown to reduce QOL and performance at work/school to a significant degree. Additionally, the survey data underscore a considerable treatment gap with current therapies for AR and that many AR patients still have not found adequate effectiveness with currently available medications. Thus, through identification of disease impact on the Middle East population and highlighting treatment gaps, clinicians in the Middle East may better understand and treat AR, leading to improvements in overall patient satisfaction and QOL.

Nasal allergies in the Middle Eastern population: Results from the "Allergies in Middle East Survey".

BACKGROUND: Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) are a major public health problem in developing countries including those in the Middle East. However, to date, there is a paucity of information related to physician-diagnosed AR in this region. The Allergies in Middle East Survey was undertaken to help clarify and broaden the understanding of physician-diagnosed AR across Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The survey explores the frequency of physician-diagnosed AR, prevalence and types of associated symptoms, the impact on quality of life (QOL), current treatment practices, and therapy expectations. METHODS: In total, 7411 households in five countries (Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates) were screened to identify individuals that were ≥4 years old with a physician diagnosis of AR and either symptoms and/or treatment in the past 12 months. A total of 501 respondents from the five countries completed the survey. Standardized questionnaires were used to make comparisons across the regions; however, the data collection procedures were tailored for each country. The sample was probability based to ensure valid statistical inference to the population. RESULTS: Ten percent of the Middle East population surveyed had a physician diagnosis of AR, with 65% of respondents stating that their allergies were intermittent in nature. An otolaryngologist or allergist diagnosed the majority of the individuals surveyed. Runny nose, nasal and throat itching, postnasal drip, and nasal congestion or stuffed up nose were the most common and bothersome symptoms of AR. The majority of survey participants (58% of the overall survey population) with AR reported that the condition had an impact on their daily private and professional life. Seventy-two percent of adults reported that their AR symptoms limited their work/school activities and 35% reported that their AR interfered with and caused them to miss work or school within the past 12 months. One factor, in addition to the outward AR symptoms, that could have contributed to these function impairments may have been sleep disturbances. Although a secondary symptom to AR, sleep disturbances (difficulty getting to sleep, waking up during the night or lack of a good night's sleep) were shown in this survey to be extremely troubling in ∼15% of AR sufferers. In the past year >90% of patients reported taking a medication of any type for their AR, with nearly a 4:1 ratio of patients taking a prescription medication versus an over-the-counter (OTC) medication in the past 4 weeks. Over 75% of survey respondents reported taking an intranasal corticosteroid (INCS) in the last 4 weeks and the satisfaction rate of INCS medications was similar to that reported for OTC medications. The most common reasons cited for dissatisfaction with INCS medications were inadequate effectiveness, bothersome side effects (e.g., unpleasant taste and retrograde drainage into the pharynx), decreased effectiveness with chronic use, and failure to provide 24-hour relief. CONCLUSION: These data show that AR is common in the Middle East region as elsewhere in the world. Many patients with AR in Middle East region suffer from their symptoms (e.g., runny nose, nasal itching, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and other symptoms) on all or most days during the times of the year that their allergies are worst. These symptoms have been shown to reduce QOL and performance at work/school to a significant degree. Additionally, the survey data underscore a considerable treatment gap with current therapies for AR and that many AR patients still have not found adequate effectiveness with currently available medications. Thus, through identification of disease impact on the Middle East population and highlighting treatment gaps, clinicians in the Middle East may better understand and treat AR, leading to improvements in overall patient satisfaction and QOL.