Seed dormancy and germination in Dodonaea viscosa (Sapindaceae) from south-western Saudi Arabia.

Dodonaea viscosa (Sapindaceae) is widespread in the mountainous highlands of the southwestern part of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where it is a medicinally important species for the people in Saudi Arabia. Seeds of this species were collected from Mount Atharb in Al-Baha region, at an altitude of 2100 m. The aims of this study were to determine if the seeds of D. viscosa have physical dormancy (i.e. a water-impermeable seed coat) and, if so, what treatments would break dormancy, and what conditions promote germination after dormancy has been broken. The dormancy-breaking treatments included: soaking of seeds in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 10 min, immersion in boiling water for 10 min and exposure to 50 °C for 1 min. After seeds had been pre-treated with H2SO4, to break dormancy, they were incubated at constant temperatures from 5 to 35 °C, under 12-h photoperiods or in continuous darkness, and germination recorded. Salinity tolerance was investigated by incubating acid-scarified seeds in different concentrations of mM NaCl in the light at 25 °C. Untreated seeds had low final germination 30%. Seeds that had been acid-scarified, immersed in boiling water or exposed to 50 °C all achieved 91% subsequently when incubated at 25 °C. Thus, seeds of this species in Saudi Arabia have physical dormancy, which can be broken by all three treatments designed to increase the permeability of the testa. After pre-treatment, there was a broad optimum constant temperature for germination that ranged between 5 and 25 °C but germination was inhibited by higher temperatures (30 and 35 °C). Light had little effect on this germination response. Scarified seeds were also sensitive to salinity, with the highest germination in distilled water and complete inhibition in 400 mM NaCl. Seeds that failed to germinate in saline treatments were mostly able to germinate on transfer to distilled water, suggesting osmotic inhibition.

Ex-situ conservation of wheat genetic resources from Saudi Arabia.

Wheat (Triticum L.) is one of the major food crops of the world, and an important component of food security. The aim of this study was to collect and preserve seeds of wheat growing in eight regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al-Qassim, Asir, Al-Taif, Najran, AL-Baha, Jazan, Al-Madinah and Wadi Al-Dawasir) where wheat has been cultivated since ancient times. Sixty-one accessions/samples of wheat (Triticum aestivum) were collected and placed in dry storage (ex-situ conservation) at -18 °C (i.e. permanent storage). The accessions of local wheat have the ability to grow under harsh environmental conditions such as (high temperature, drought and salinity). Most of these samples were collected directly from farms, but a few were collected from markets. The most important criteria for ex-situ conservation is that seeds need to have a low moisture content (MC) and a high percentage viability. Seed MC was measured for all 61 accessions by the oven-drying method and seed viability was tested in three ways: percentage of germination, tetrazolium chloride testing, and X-ray radiography. The seed MC of the 61 accessions was uniformly very low (0.10-0.12%), and 97 to 100% of the seeds were viable. Thus, all 61 wheat accessions collected in this study have the initial requirements to remain viable for long periods of time in ex-situ conservation in the gene seed bank.

Coffee production in southern Saudi Arabian highlands: Current status and water conservation.

Work aimed at assessing status and introducing water conservation regimes for coffee production in southern Saudi Arabian highlands. Data on farm locations, altitudes, areas, practices, irrigation, tree density, and annual coffee production were analyzed. Field experiment using chlorophyll fluorescence and different irrigation regimes was conducted to examine effects of reducing irrigation frequency on photosynthesis. Results indicated that Coffea arabica L. is commonly grown at altitudes of 1300-1400 m. Plants grown at 4-6 Trees m-2 using 100 kg ha-1 mineral fertilizer produce an average of 3 t ha-1. High frequency 2-day-intervals irrigation regime practiced by farmers during the dry season presents ecological challenge to limited local artesian water resources. Changes in chlorophyll fluorescence under 14-day-intervals irrigation regime initiated water stress that markedly inhibited Photosystem II efficiency and quantum yield and increased non-photochemical energy dissipation. Applying a 7-day-intervals irrigation regime induced less inhibitory effects on Photosystem II. Results also indicated that shifting from 2-day-intervals irrigation regime to 7-day-intervals regime improves coffee agroecology and directs coffee production towards sustainability.

Seed viability of five wild Saudi Arabian species by germination and X-ray tests.

Our objective was to evaluate the usefulness of the germination vs. the X-ray test in determining the initial viability of seeds of five wild species (Moringa peregrina, Abrus precatorius, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Acacia ehrenbergiana and Acacia tortilis) from Saudi Arabia. Usually several days were required to determine the viability of all five species via germination tests. However, X-ray test will give immediate results on filled/viable seeds. Seeds of all species, except Acacia ehrenbergiana and Acacia tortilis showed high viability in both germination (96-72% at 25/15 °C, 94-70% at 35/25 °C) and X-ray (100-80%) test. Furthermore, there was a general agreement between the germination (19%, 14% at 25/15 °C and 17% and 12% at 35/25 °C) and X-ray (8%, 4%) tests in which seed viability of Acacia ehrenbergiana and Acacia tortilis was very low due to insect damaged embryo as shown in X-ray analysis. Seeds of Abruspreca torius have physical dormancy, which was broken by scarification in concentrated sulfuric acid (10 min), and they exhibited high viability in both the germination (83% at 25/15 °C and 81% at 35/25 °C) and X-ray (96%) tests. Most of the nongerminated seeds of the five species except those of Acacia ehrenbergiana and Acacia tortilis, were alive as judged by the tetrazolium test (TZ). Thus, for the five species examined, the X-ray test was proved to be a good and rapid predictor of seed viability.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban and semi-urban Jordanian children aged 3-6 years.

OBJECTIVES: To show the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Jordanian urban and semi-urban children; to compare their body mass index (BMI) with the international standards of BMI. METHODS: We measured 1695 healthy children (842 boys and 853 girls) between 3 and 6 years for height, weight and mid upper arm circumference. BMI was calculated and transformed into percentiles. Children were divided into boys and girls. RESULTS: The mean and SD values of BMI observed in our study were 16.69 +/- 4.9 kg/m(2) for boys and 16.82 +/- 4.77 kg/m(2) for girls aged 3-6 years. The prevalence of obesity and overweight among boys was 20.8% and 3.8% respectively and among girls was 19.1% and 7.2% respectively. In total, 48.0% of boys and 38.1% of girls were of healthy weight. CONCLUSIONS: The mean BMI observed in our study's children aged 3-6 years was higher than the expected 50th percentile of the (World Health Organization/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reference values for a similar age range but, it was equivalent to the 75th percentile values. Obesity was more frequent than overweight among boys and girls aged 3-6 years.

[Nuclear medicine kidney diagnosis in progressive systemic scleroderma]. / Nuklearmedizinische Nierendiagnostik bei der progressiven systemischen Sklerodermie (PSS).

Kidney involvement is one of the most frequent causes of death in progressive systemic scleroderma (PSS). It is therefore important to detect potential impairment of renal function in PSS very early. In 76 patients referred for nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures, 42 pathologic results were found with 131I-hippurate clearance, while only 14 abnormal results were detected by static 99mTc-DMSA scans. Hippurate clearance is thus a sensitive method of functional renal evaluation in PSS.

Recurrent hydatid pulmonary emboli.

A 30-yr-old healthy male presented with recurrent pulmonary emboli without clinical or radiologic evidence of deep venous thrombosis. He was found to have an isolated hydatid cyst in the pelvis with invasion and thrombosis of the inferior vena cava to the level of the renal veins, which caused recurrent hydatid pulmonary emboli. The patient died because of postoperative intractable respiratory failure.

[Nuclear medicine diagnosis of heart involvement in progressive systemic scleroderma]. / Nuklearmedizinische Diagnostik der Herzbeteiligung bei progressiv systemischer Sklerodermie.

The frequency and extent of heart involvement in progressive systemic scleroderma (PSS) can be underestimated when current clinical diagnostic methods are used. We therefore studied 53 PSS patients with planar (201Tl) chloride myocardial scintigraphy, and 44 PSS patients with radionuclide ventriculography using red blood cells labeled in vitro with 99mTc. Comparison of maximal exercise and resting myocardial scans demonstrated pathologic findings in 18 of 38 patients. In 10% of the patients abnormal ejection fraction values (less than 50%) and Fourier analysis were found on radionuclide ventriculography. Myocardial scintigraphy in conjunction with other diagnostic modalities thus provides useful information for the evaluation of heart involvement in PSS.

[Experience with a high-dose therapy concept in metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer]. / Erfahrungen mit einem "High Dose"-Therapiekonzept beim metastasierenden differenzierten Schilddrüsenkarzinom.

Three patients with pulmonary metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinoma were treated with radioiodine. As a first treatment either 1.85 GBq (50 mCi) or 3.7 GBq (100 mCi) were given followed by doses of 11.1 GBq (300 mCi) 131I. In one patient the pulmonary metastases disappeared completely, the two other patients showed a significant regression. In one patient possibly radiation-induced pancytopenic changes appeared after the third and fourth radioiodine treatment, in the other two patients side-effects were not seen.

[HMPAO-SPECT in cerebral seizures]. / HMPAO-SPECT bei zerebralen Anfällen.

In nine patients with suspected psychogenic seizures and in three patients with proven epileptic seizures HMPAO-SPECT was performed prior to and during seizure. In the patients with later on-proven psychogenic seizures no, or only slight, changes of regional cerebral blood flow were found. Patients with proven epilepsy revealed partly normal findings interictally but during seizure a markedly increased circumscript blood flow was found in all patients. Even though PET is superior to SPECT with respect to spatial resolution, in the diagnosis of seizures HMPAO-SPECT has the advantage of enabling injection of the tracer during the seizure and the performance of the SPECT study subsequently.

[The use of gentamicin-polymethylmethacrylate chains for the treatment of soft-tissue wounds in the region of the urinary tract (author's transl)]. / Die Behandlung infizierter Weichteilwunden im Bereich des Harntraktes mit Gentamycin-PMMA-Ketten.

Bactericidal concentrations of gentamicin can be attained by implanting at the site of the infection pellet chains of gentamicin-polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) that permit the protracted release of the antibiotic for several weeks. Satisfactory healing of the wound was achieved in two cases of extensively infected soft-tissue wounds in the region of the urinary tract after temporary implantation of gentamicin-PMMA chains.