The study of single nucleotide polymorphism in a promoter region of ACE-2 receptor gene in the samples of Iraqi population with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an essential receptor on the host cell's cell membrane. It's interesting to note that the entry point receptor ACE2 protein and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus are correlated. This study aimed to determine the influence of the ACE gene genotype and explore the effects of genetic variation in the promotor region of the ACE-2 gene receptor in SARS COV-2 patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 225 participants were categorized into two groups (75 infected and 150 control) according to the results of Real Time -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), IgM, and IgG, also included two types of samples were collected for diagnosis hematological and molecular study. The hematological and biochemical parameters showed significant differences between the two studied groups according to D. dimer, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cells (WBC), lymphocyte, packed cell volume (PCV) (P˂0.0001), also red blood cell (RBC) (P = 0.0034). While the results of hemoglobin (HB) and platelet displayed non-significant differences between the two groups (p value 0.6811 and 0.9201 respectively). In addition, the sequencing result in the promotor of the ACE-2 gene detected novel eight polymorphisms and recorded them in NCBI under no. (ON959139). CONCLUSIONS: The ACE D/D polymorphism associated with increased levels of ACE could represent a genetic risk factor in addition the discovery stems from the prospect that genetic differences could lead to differing responses to COVID-19 therapies.

Assessment of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Foxp3 methylation level in chronic myeloid leukemia patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.

The key cell population permits cancer cells to avoid immune-surveillance is regulatory T cells (Tregs). This study evaluates the level of Tregs in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and the effect of Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) on Treg levels, as a pathway to understand the immune response and behavior among advance stage and optimal response CML patients using imatinib therapy. Blood samples were collected from 30 CML patients (optimal response to TKI), 30 CML patients (failure response to TKI), and 30 age- and gender-matched controls. Analysis involved measuring percentages of Tregs (CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 +) by flow cytometer and demethylation levels of FOXP3 Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) by PCR. The data revealed that Tregs and the FOXP3-TSDR demethylation percentages significantly increased in failure response group in comparison to the optimal response and control groups, while no significant difference between optimal response and control groups. Tregs and FOXP3 TSDR demethylation percentages showed high sensitivity and specificity, suggesting powerful discriminatory biomarkers between failure and optimal groups. An assessment of the Tregs and demethylation percentage among different BCR-ABL levels of CML patients on TKI revealed no significant differences in parameter percentage in the optimal response to TKI patients with different molecular responses (log 3 reduction or other deeper log 4.5 and 5 reduction levels). Our findings demonstrate an effective role of functional Tregs among different CML stages. Also, the study suggests that the major molecular response to therapy at level 0.1% of BCR-ABL transcript could be enough to induce immune system restoration in patients.

Designing Click One-Pot Synthesis and Antidiabetic Studies of 1,2,3-Triazole Derivatives.

In the present study, a new series of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives was synthesized via a click one-pot reaction. The synthesized compounds were found to be active during molecular docking studies against targeted protein 1T69 by using the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software. The designed and synthesized compounds were characterized by using FT-IR, 1H-NMR and LC-MS spectra. The synthesized triazole moieties were further screened for their α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. The preliminary activity analysis revealed that all the compounds showed good inhibition activity, ranging from moderate to high depending upon their structures and concentrations and compared to the standard drug acarbose. Both in silico and in vitro analysis indicated that the synthesized triazole molecules are potent for DM type-II. Out of all the compounds, compound K-1 showed the maximum antidiabetic activity with 87.01% and 99.17% inhibition at 800 µg/mL in the α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition assays, respectively. Therefore these triazoles may be further used as promising molecules for development of antidiabetic compounds.

Use of Escitalopram for pseudobulbar affect following severe traumatic.

Those who have suffered from traumatic brain injury (TBI) often develop behavioural, affective, and cognitive complications. Some might experience episodes of involuntary and/or exaggerated laughter and crying. This condition is commonly known as 'pseudobulbar affect'(PBA) and leads to anger, frustration, and social disability. This case report presents the use of low-dose Escitalopram in an individual suffering from agitation and PBA following severe TBI (sTBI). It emphasises the importance of adopting a holistic approach in the treatment of such individuals with appropriate attention paid to factors such as cognitive and behavioural impairment, and caregiver distress.

Impact of chronic thrombocytopenia on in-hospital outcomes and healthcare resource utilization after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: There is little data on the impact of chronic thrombocytopenia (CTP) on outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve repair (TAVR). Most studies are from single centers and mostly focused on postprocedure thrombocytopenia. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to report on the impact of CTP (>1 year) on in-hospital outcomes and healthcare resource utilization after TAVR. METHODS: From the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) between 2012 and 2015, we identified patients with CTP who underwent TAVR. A 1:1 propensity-matched cohort was created to examine in-hospital outcomes in patients with and without CTP. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included postprocedure complications, length of stay, total cost, and discharge disposition. RESULTS: A matched pair of 4,300 patients with and without CTP were identified. Patients with CTP had higher in-hospital mortality as compared to no CTP patients (6.0 vs. 3.3%, p-value .007), increased postprocedure hemorrhage, platelet and blood transfusion, vascular complications, postop sepsis, and acute kidney injury. With regards to resource utilization, CTP patients had a longer length of stay, higher total cost and were more likely to be discharged to a facility (34.1 vs. 27.6%) other than home (All, p-value <.001). Subanalysis, however, revealed this difference in resource utilization was seen when patients developed postprocedure complications. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated higher risk of in-hospital mortality, perioperative complications, and healthcare resource utilization in patients with baseline CTP undergoing TAVR. Further studies are required to investigate ways to improve the management of these patients.

Anthropometric Determinations of Umbilical Position in Iraqi Adults.

Introduction Umbilicus is an important surface landmark on the anterior abdominal wall in addition to its aesthetic and psychological effect. Objectives The objective of the study is to determine the position of umbilicus in Iraqi adults to provide a guide for the neoumbilicus in abdominoplasty. Subjects and Methods This is an observational study performed on 100 volunteers with no abdominal wall abnormality. Measurements included weight, height, body mass index (BMI), distance from xiphoid to umbilicus, distance from xiphoid process to pubic symphysis, distance from xiphoid process to both anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), distance from pubic symphysis to umbilicus and from pubic symphysis to xiphisternum, distance of umbilicus to both ASIS, and distance of umbilicus to interspinous line and to inter-anterior hypochondrium line. Results The study included 100 volunteers, with 50% male and 50% female whose age ranges between 18 to 60 years. The results were a follows: distance from xiphoid process to umbilicus and distance from xiphoid process to pubic symphysis were 18.03 ± 3.25 cm and 32.21 ± 4.64 cm, respectively; distances from xiphoid process to right ASIS and left ASIS were 25.95 ± 5.72 cm and 25.84 ± 6.02 cm, respectively; distance from pubic symphysis to umbilicus was 17.66 ± 3.12 cm; distance of umbilicus to interspinous line was 9.25 ± 1.84 cm. The distance from umbilicus to inter anterior hypochondrium line was 9.905 ± 2.19 cm. Conclusion These measurements can determine the neoumbilicus position, reduce practical mistakes, and improve postsurgical outcomes.

Clinical series of three hundred and twenty two cases of Achilles tendon section with laceration.

PURPOSE: We aim to report the epidemiology of open Achilles tendon lacerations to determine the incidence of associated complications and identify the factors contributing to the development of the infection after repair and to propose a treatment protocol for this rare injury. METHODS: Retrospective review of the medical charts of patients with open Achilles tendon injury operated and followed up at the orthopedic department at Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, from 2010 to 2015. RESULTS: There were (322) cases of open Achilles tendon lacerations, average age (32.1 years), (97.5 %) male. The most common cause was found to be slipping in the bathroom (81.7 %), followed by injury from sharp objects (15.5 %), and injury while using a grinder (2.8 %). Partial cuts were more common than complete cuts (63.5 %) and (35.9 %). The infection rate was 8.7 %. The patient-related factors that affected the infection rate was age (p = 0.02), diabetes, smoking status, the cause of injury and type of cut did not affect the infection rate. Management-related factors that affected the infection rate were time to surgery (p <0.001) and the length of hospital stay (p <0.001). With regard to surgery-related factors, there was no difference in infection rate by suture type (p = 0.373), immobilization type (p = 0.493), and surgeon experience (p = 0.481). The reoperation rate was a higher in the infected group as compared to the non-infected group (p = <0.001). DISCUSSION: Open Achilles tendon lacerations is common in Qatar, despite the dirty environment of the common cause (bathroom injury) the incidence of infection is low if proper protocol is followed including early irrigation in emergency, early antibiotics such as cefazolin for 72 hours, and primary repair under sterile environment in operating theater, followed by immobilization with or without slab. CONCLUSION: The incidence of a major complication in primary open Achilles tendon lacerations repairs is relatively low. Primary Achilles tendon laceration repair is safe.

Loss of Faap20 Causes Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Depletion in Mice Under Genotoxic Stress.

20-kDa FANCA-associated protein (FAAP20) is a recently identified protein that associates with the Fanconi anemia (FA) core complex component, FANCA. FAAP20 contains a conserved ubiquitin-binding zinc-finger domain and plays critical roles in the FA-BRCA pathway of DNA repair and genome maintenance. The function of FAAP20 in animals has not been explored. Here, we report that deletion of Faap20 in mice led to a mild FA-like phenotype with defects in the reproductive and hematopoietic systems. Specifically, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from Faap20(-) (/) (-) mice showed defects in long-term multilineage reconstitution in lethally irradiated recipient mice, with milder phenotype as compared to HSPCs from Fanca(-) (/) (-) or Fancc(-) (/) (-) mice. Faap20(-) (/) (-) mice are susceptible to mitomycin C (MMC)-induced pancytopenia. That is, acute MMC stress induced a significant progenitor loss especially the erythroid progenitors and megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors in Faap20(-) (/) (-) mice. Furthermore, Faap20(-) (/) (-) HSPCs displayed aberrant cell cycle pattern during chronic MMC treatment. Finally, using Faap20(-) (/) (-) Fanca(-) (/) (-) double-knockout mice, we demonstrated a possible dominant effect of FANCA in the interaction between FAAP20 and FANCA. This novel Faap20 mouse model may be valuable in studying the regulation of the FA pathway during bone marrow failure progress in FA patients.

Evaluating quality across minimally invasive platforms in colorectal surgery.

INTRODUCTION: There is an increasing emphasis on optimizing and measuring surgical quality. The safety and efficacy of minimally invasive techniques have been proven; however, direct comparison of outcomes across platforms has not been performed. Our goal was to compare operative times and quality across three minimally invasive platforms in colorectal surgery. METHODS: A prospective database was reviewed for elective minimally invasive surgery (MIS) cases from 2008 to 2014. Patients were stratified into multiport laparoscopic, single-incision laparoscopic (SILS) or robotic-assisted laparoscopic approaches (RALS). Demographics, perioperative, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis was used to predict the demographic and procedural factors and outcomes associated with each platform. The main outcome measures were operative time and surgical quality by approach. RESULTS: A total of 1055 cases were evaluated-28.4 % LAP, 18.5 % RALS, and 53.1 % SILS. RALS had the most complex patients, pathology, and procedures. The main diagnosis for RALS was rectal cancer (49.5 %), patients predominantly underwent pelvic surgery (72.8 %), had higher rates of neoadjuvant chemoradiation (p < 0.001) and stoma creation (p < 0.001). RALS had the longest operative time and highest complication and readmissions rates (all p < 0.001). Multiport patients were older than SILS and RALS (p = 0.021), had the most intraoperative complications (p < 0.001), conversions (p < 0.001), and had the longest length of stay (p = 0.001). SILS had the shortest operative times (p < 0.001), length of stay (p = 0.001), and lowest rates of complications (p < 0.001), readmissions (p < 0.001), and unplanned reoperation (p = 0.014). All platforms offered high quality (HARM score 0) from overall short LOS, low readmission, and mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Multiport, RALS, and SILS each serve a distinct demographic and disease profile and have predictable outcomes. All have risks and benefits, but offer overall high-quality care with a composite of LOS, readmission, and mortality rates. Operative times were directly associated with readmission rates. As all three platforms offer good quality, the choice of which MIS approach to use should be guided by demographics and disease process.

The current status of emergent laparoscopic colectomy: a population-based study of clinical and financial outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Population-based studies evaluating laparoscopic colectomy and outcomes compared with open surgery have concentrated on elective resections. As such, data assessing non-elective laparoscopic colectomies are limited. Our goal was to evaluate the current usage and outcomes of laparoscopic in the urgent and emergent setting in the USA. METHODS: A national inpatient database was reviewed from 2008 to 2011 for right, left, and sigmoid colectomies in the non-elective setting. Cases were stratified by approach into open or laparoscopic groups. Demographics, perioperative clinical variables, and financial outcomes were compared across each group. RESULTS: A total of 22,719 non-elective colectomies were analyzed. The vast majority (95.8 %) was open. Most cases were performed in an urban setting at non-teaching hospitals by general surgeons. Colorectal surgeons were significantly more likely to perform a case laparoscopic than general surgeons (p < 0.001). Demographics were similar between open and laparoscopic groups; however, the disease distribution by approach varied, with significantly more severe cases in the open colectomy arm (p < 0.001). Cases performed laparoscopically had significantly better mortality and complication rates. Laparoscopic cases also had significantly improved outcomes, including shorter length of stay and hospital costs (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis revealed less than 5 % of urgent and emergent colectomies in the USA are performed laparoscopically. Colorectal surgeons were more likely to approach a case laparoscopically than general surgeons. Outcomes following laparoscopic colectomy in this setting resulted in reduced length of stay, lower complication rates, and lower costs. Increased adoption of laparoscopy in the non-elective setting should be considered.

CenC, a multidomain thermostable GH9 processive endoglucanase from Clostridium thermocellum: cloning, characterization and saccharification studies.

The growing demands of bioenergy has led to the emphasis on novel cellulases to improve efficiency of biodegradation process of plant biomass. Therefore, a thermostable cellulolytic gene (CenC) with 3675 bp was cloned from Clostridium thermocellum and over-expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21 CodonPlus. It was attested that CenC belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) with four binding domains, a processive endoglucanase. CenC was purified to homogeneity, producing a single band on SDS-PAGE corresponding to 137.11 kDa, by purification steps of heat treatment combined with ion-exchange chromatography. Purified enzyme displayed optimal activity at pH 6.0 and 70 °C. CenC had a half-life of 24 min at 74 °C, was stable up to 2 h at 60 °C and over a pH range of 5.5-7.5. Enzyme showed high affinity towards various substrates and processively released cellobiose from cellulosic substrates. It efficiently hydrolyzed carboxymethyl cellulose (30 U/mg), ß-Glucan Barley (94 U/mg); also showed activity towards p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-cellobioside (18 U/mg), birchwood xylan (19 U/mg), beechwood xylan (17.5 U/mg), avicel (9 U/mg), whatman filter paper (11 U/mg) and laminarin (3.3 U/mg). CenC exhibited Km, Vmax, Kcat, Vmax Km(-1) and Kcat Km(-1) of 7.14 mM, 52.4 µmol mg(-1) min(-1), 632.85 s(-1), 7.34 min(-1) and 88.63, respectively used CMC as substrate. Recombinant CenC saccharified pretreated wheat straw and bagasse to 5.12 and 7.31%, respectively at pH 7.0 and 45 °C after 2 h incubation. Its thermostability, high catalytic efficiency and independence of inhibitors make CenC enzyme an appropriate candidate for industrial applications and cost-effective saccharification process.

The effects of CO2 laser with or without nanohydroxyapatite paste in the occlusion of dentinal tubules.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new treatment modality for the occlusion of dentinal tubules (DTs) via the combination of 10.6 µm carbon dioxide (CO2) laser and nanoparticle hydroxyapatite paste (n-HAp). Forty-six sound human molars were used in the current experiment. Ten of the molars were used to assess the temperature elevation during lasing. Thirty were evaluated for dentinal permeability test, subdivided into 3 groups: the control group (C), laser only (L-), and laser plus n-HAp (L+). Six samples, two per group, were used for surface and cross section morphology, evaluated through scanning electron microscope (SEM). The temperature measurement results showed that the maximum temperature increase was 3.2 °C. Morphologically groups (L-) and (L+) presented narrower DTs, and almost a complete occlusion of the dentinal tubules for group (L+) was found. The Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test for permeability test data showed statistical differences between the groups (P < 0.05). For intergroup comparison all groups were statistically different from each other, with group (L+) showing significant less dye penetration than the control group. We concluded that CO2 laser in moderate power density combined with n-HAp seems to be a good treatment modality for reducing the permeability of dentin.

Advancing crop classification in smallholder agriculture: A multifaceted approach combining frequency-domain image co-registration, transformer-based parcel segmentation, and Bi-LSTM for crop classification.

Agricultural Remote Sensing has the potential to enhance agricultural monitoring in smallholder economies to mitigate losses. However, its widespread adoption faces challenges, such as diminishing farm sizes, lack of reliable data-sets and high cost related to commercial satellite imagery. This research focuses on opportunities, practices and novel approaches for effective utilization of remote sensing in agriculture applications for smallholder economies. The work entails insights from experiments using datasets representative of major crops during different growing seasons. We propose an optimized solution for addressing challenges associated with remote sensing-based crop mapping in smallholder agriculture farms. Open source tools and data are used for inter and intra-sensor image registration, with a root mean square error of 0.3 or less. We also propose and emphasize on the use of delineated vegetation parcels through Segment Anything Model for Geospatial (SAM-GEOs). Furthermore a Bidirectional-Long Short-Term Memory-based (Bi-LSTM) deep learning model is developed and trained for crop classification, achieving results with accuracy of more than 94% and 96% for validation sets of two data sets collected in the field, during 2 growing seasons.

Chronic and acute exposure to rotenone reveals distinct Parkinson's disease-related phenotypes in human iPSC-derived peripheral neurons.

Peripheral autonomic nervous system (P-ANS) dysfunction is a critical non-motor phenotype of Parkinson's disease (PD). The majority of PD cases are sporadic and lack identified PD-associated genes involved. Epidemiological and animal model studies suggest an association with pesticides and other environmental toxins. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying toxin induced P-ANS dysfunctions remain unclear. Here, we mapped the global transcriptome changes in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived P-ANS sympathetic neurons during inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory chain by the PD-related pesticide, rotenone. We revealed distinct transcriptome profiles between acute and chronic exposure to rotenone. In the acute stage, there was a down regulation of specific cation channel genes, known to mediate electrophysiological activity, while in the chronic stage, the human P-ANS neurons exhibited dysregulation of anti-apoptotic and Golgi apparatus-related pathways. Moreover, we identified the sodium voltage-gated channel subunit SCN3A/Nav1.3 as a potential biomarker in human P-ANS neurons associated with PD. Our analysis of the rotenone-altered coding and non-coding transcriptome of human P-ANS neurons may thus provide insight into the pathological signaling events in the sympathetic neurons during PD progression.

Development of a spectrophotometric analytical approach for the measurement of cefdinir in various pharmaceuticals.

An accurate and sensitive determination procedure has been established for the quantification of cefdinir in pure and pharmacological formulas. The approach was dependent on derivatizing cefdinir with sodium anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (SAS) in an alkaline medium to produce a magenta-colored derivative with a maximum absorbance at 517 nm against the reagent blank. Different factors affecting the interaction of cefdinir with SAS were studied carefully and optimized, such as the buffer value, medium acidity, the duration of hydrolysis, and the reagent percentage. Under optimized conditions, a linear calibration curve with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.9995 was obtained over the concentration range of cefdinir 0.5-100 µg/mL. The values of the parameters that represented the sensitivity of the method were satisfactory, i.e., the limit of detection, the limit of quantification, as well as Sandell's sensitivity (л) were 0.1 µg/mL, 0.5 µg/mL, and 0.064 µg/cm2/0.001 Au, respectively. The relative standard deviation was below 1.35%, while the percentage recovery was 99.930%-102.257%. The mole ratio of the colored complex was estimated by following Job's method of continuous variation, which indicated that the cefdinir-SAS ratio was 1:1. The suggested approach was proven to be adequately accurate, precise, and without interfering with common excipients and additives. Thus, it could be implemented successfully for the standard determination of cefdinir in its pure and pharmaceutical forms.

Importance of Early Spotting of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Patients by Family Medicine Physicians and Ophthalmologists: A Study in Jordan.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a long-standing progressive disorder. Diabetic retinopathy is the primary cause of blindness among adults suffering from diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is found to be dependent on the length of the period affected by diabetes, glucose control, blood pressure, and lipid profile while age, sex, and type of medical therapy were not found to be risk factors.  Aim: This study attempts to determine the importance of early spotting of diabetic retinopathy in Jordanian type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects by family medicine and ophthalmologist physicians, which will help us achieve better health outcomes.  Methods: Our retrospective investigation recruited 950 working-age subjects, of both sexes and with T2DM at three hospitals in Jordan, from September 2019 to June 2022. Early spotting of diabetic retinopathy was done by family medicine physicians and confirmation was done by ophthalmologists using direct ophthalmoscopy. Evaluation of the fundus by pupillary dilation was performed to assess the degree of diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and the number of patients with diabetic retinopathy. The level of severity for diabetic retinopathy at confirmation was done using the classification for diabetic retinopathy produced by the American Association of Ophthalmology (AAO). Continuous parameters and independent t-tests were used to assess the average discrepancy in the degree of retinopathy among subjects. Categorical parameters were mentioned in numbers and percentages and chi-square tests were done to determine discrepancies in proportion among patients.   Results: Early spotting of diabetic retinopathy was recorded by family medicine physicians in 150 (15.8%) of 950 patients with T2DM of whom 56.7% (85/150) were women with an average age of 44 years. Of these 150 subjects with T2DM, who were presumed to have diabetic retinopathy, ophthalmologists diagnosed diabetic retinopathy in 35 patients (35/150; 23.3%). Of these, 33 (94.3%) had non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and two (5.7%) had proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Of the 33 patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 10 had mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 17 had moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and six had severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Subjects aged more than 28 years had a 2.5 times increased risk of experiencing diabetic retinopathy. Awareness and lack of awareness values differed significantly (316 (33.3%), 634 (66.7%); P<0.05, respectively).  Conclusions: Early spotting of diabetic retinopathy by family medicine physicians shortens the delay of diagnosis confirmation by ophthalmologists.

Investigation of structural, electronic, mechanical, & optical characteristics of Ra based-cubic hydrides RbRaX3 (X= F and cl) perovskite materials for solar cell applications: First principle study.

Perovskite materials are considered the gateway of various physical applications to meet the production and consumption of energy and medical fields. Density Functional Theory (DFT) becomes the most important field in the modern era to investigate perovskite materials for various physical properties. DFT nowadays is used to explore the perovskite materials for a lot of applications like photocatalytic, optoelectronic, and photovoltaics. We discussed radium based cubic hydrides RbRaX3 (while X = F & Cl) perovskite material's electrical, optical, elastic, & physical characteristics with the help of DFT-based CASTEP code with PBE exchange-correlation efficient of GGA. The RbRaF3 & RbRaCl3 have three-dimensional nature by means of space group 221 (Pm3 m). According to electronic characteristics, the direct bandgap of RbRaF3 RbRaCl3 are 3.18eV and 2.209eV, respectively. Both compounds are brittle in nature via Poisson's ratio & Pugh's criteria. Thus, our novel RbRaX3 (X = F and Cl) compounds have excellent applications for solar cell and medical areas.

Kinetic and thermodynamic study of cloned thermostable endo-1,4-ß-xylanase from Thermotoga petrophila in mesophilic host.

The 1,044 bp endo-1,4-ß-xylanase gene of a hyperthermophilic Eubacterium, "Thermotoga petrophila RKU 1" (T. petrophila) was amplified, from the genomic DNA of donor bacterium, cloned and expressed in mesophilic host E. coli strain BL21 Codon plus. The extracellular target protein was purified by heat treatment followed by anion and cation exchange column chromatography. The purified enzyme appeared as a single band, corresponding to molecular mass of 40 kDa, upon SDS-PAGE. The pH and temperature profile showed that enzyme was maximally active at 6.0 and 95 °C, respectively against birchwood xylan as a substrate (2,600 U/mg). The enzyme also exhibited marked activity towards beech wood xylan (1,655 U/mg). However minor activity against CMC (61 U/mg) and ß-Glucan barley (21 U/mg) was observed. No activity against Avicel, Starch, Laminarin and Whatman filter paper 42 was observed. The K(m), V(max) and K (cat) of the recombinant enzyme were found to be 3.5 mg ml(-1), 2778 µmol mg(-1)min(-1) and 2,137,346.15 s(-1), respectively against birchwood xylan as a substrate. The recombinant enzyme was found very stable and exhibited half life (t(½)) of 54.5 min even at temperature as high as 96 °C, with enthalpy of denaturation (ΔH*(D)), free energy of denaturation (ΔG*(D)) and entropy of denaturation (ΔS*(D)) of 513.23 kJ mol(-1), 104.42 kJ mol(-1) and 1.10 kJ mol(-1)K(-1), respectively at 96 °C. Further the enthalpy (ΔH*), Gibbs free energy (ΔG*) and entropy (ΔS*) for birchwood xylan hydrolysis by recombinant endo-1,4-ß-xylanase were calculated at 95 °C as 62.45 kJ mol(-1), 46.18 kJ mol(-1) and 44.2 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively.

Cloning, characterization and molecular docking of a highly thermostable ß-1,4-glucosidase from Thermotoga petrophila.

A genomic DNA fragment, encoding a thermotolerant ß-glucosidase, of the obligate anaerobe Thermotoga petrophila RKU-1 was cloned after PCR amplification into Escherichia coli strain BL21 CodonPlus. The purified cloned enzyme was a monomeric, 51.5 kDa protein (by SDS-PAGE) encoded by 1.341 kb gene. The estimated K (m) and V (max) values against p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside were 2.8 mM and 42.7 mmol min(-1) mg(-1), respectively. The enzyme was also active against other p-nitrophenyl substrates. Possible catalytic sites involved in hydrolyzing different p-nitrophenyl substrates are proposed based on docking studies of enzyme with its substrates. Because of its unique characters, this enzyme is a potential candidate for industrial applications.

A Case of Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase II Deficiency in Bahrain With a Novel Mutation.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) deficiency is a rare genetic metabolic disorder. Three forms of the disease have been described: the lethal neonatal form, the severe infantile hepatocardiomuscular form, and the myopathic form. We report a case of the infantile form of CPT II deficiency with a novel mutation. Our patient is a seven-year-old Bahraini male who was investigated by the pediatric metabolic team following the sudden death of his twin sister in infancy. A fatty acid metabolic disorder was suspected based on his echocardiogram and tandem mass spectrometry (TMS) findings. Genetic analysis was initially inconclusive. Nonetheless, he was started on a fat-free diet, L-carnitine, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). At nearly two years of age, the patient had a metabolic crisis precipitated by a viral illness. TMS during this time was consistent with CPT II deficiency. Sanger sequencing then identified the presence of the variant c.161T>G (p.ille54Ser) in a homozygous state, confirming the diagnosis. Although this mutation has not been reported before in previous literature concerning CPT II deficiency, it is extremely likely that this mutation is pathogenic. Although the initial work-up of the patient was inconclusive, our clinical judgment was paramount in managing the patient.