Sayed Amer - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sayed Amer

Open Journal of Ecology, 2011

Genetic variability of Passer domesticus from different localities of Saudi Arabia was investigat... more Genetic variability of Passer domesticus from different localities of Saudi Arabia was investigated. Six hundred and fifty nine nucleotides were sequenced from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. There was a slight difference among the studied haplotypes and most substitutions were synonymous. In some haplotypes at the west of Arabian Peninsula (mountainous habitat), two transitions only were non-synonymous. The data were used to construct the relationship of the Arabian house sparrow to its con specific taxa from Europe and America. Neighbor-joining (NJ), maximum-parsimony (MP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) analytical methods were used. The three methods showed clustering of the Arabian haplotypes in one group and their sister relationship with the haplotypes from Netherlands and America. A spanish haplotype came basal to both groups. Collecting more samples and more DNA data could be of necessary to clearly address the genetic variability of this rapidly propagated species in Arabia.

Comparative and functional genomics, 2012

Approximately 2.4 kbp of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 9 individuals of Uromastyx ornata p... more Approximately 2.4 kbp of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 9 individuals of Uromastyx ornata philbyi originating from Taif, Namas, Al-Baha, and Jazan in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The sequenced regions cover eight tRNA genes (tRNA(Gln), tRNA(Ile), tRNA(Met), tRNA(Trp), tRNA(Ala), tRNA(Asn), tRNA(Cys), and tRNA(Tyr)) and two protein-coding genes (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and cytochrome b). U. ornata philbyi had an insertion of 170 bp length between tRNA(Gln) and tRNA(Ile) genes. The first 128 bp of this insertion was similar to the one identified earlier in U. ornata ornata and can be folded into a stem-and-loop structure, which was less stable in U. ornata philbyi than in U. ornata ornata, or the second tRNA(Gln) gene. The next 42 bp of the insertion was unique in U. ornata philbyi and additionally retained a stable stem-and-loop structure. Most base substitutions found in the sequenced genes were synonymous transitions rather than transversions. Tree analyses supported the s...

Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2007

A complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence was determined for the lizard Calotes versicolor (R... more A complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence was determined for the lizard Calotes versicolor (Reptilia; Agamidae). The 16,670-bp genome with notable shorter genes for some protein-coding and tRNA genes had the same gene content as that found in other vertebrates. However, a novel gene arrangement was found in which the proline tRNA (trnP) gene is located in the light strand instead of its typical heavy-strand position, providing the first known example of gene inversion in vertebrate mtDNAs. A segment of mtDNA encompassing the trnP gene and its flanking genes and the control region was amplified and sequenced for various agamid taxa to investigate timing and mechanism of the gene inversion. The inverted trnP gene organization was shared by all South Asian draconine agamids examined but by none of the other Asian and African agamids. Phylogenetic analyses including clock-free Bayesian analyses for divergence time estimation suggested a single occurrence of the gene inversion on a lineage leading to the draconine agamids during the Paleogene period. This gene inversion could not be explained by the tandem duplication/random loss model for mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Our available sequence data did not provide evidence for remolding of the trnP gene by an anticodon switch in a duplicated tRNA gene. Based on results of sequence comparisons and other circumstantial evidence, we hypothesize that inversion of the trnP gene was originally mediated by a homologous DNA recombination and that the de novo gene organization that does not disrupt expression of mitochondrial genes has been maintained in draconine mtDNAs for such a long period of time.

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005

Approximately 1.7 kbp of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced from 29 individuals assignable to 11 Ur... more Approximately 1.7 kbp of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced from 29 individuals assignable to 11 Uromastyx species or subspecies and two other agamids. U. ocellata and U. ornata had an insertion between the glutamine and isoleucine tRNA genes, which could be folded into a stable stem-and-loop structure, and the insertion for U. ornata additionally retained a sequence similar to the glutamine tRNA gene. This corroborates the role of tandem duplication in reshaping mitochondrial gene arrangements, and supports the idea that the origin of light-strand replication could be relocated within mitochondrial genomes. Molecular phylogeny from different tree-building methods consistently placed African and Arabian taxa in mutually monophyletic groups, excluding U. hardwickii inhabiting India and Pakistan. Unlike previous studies based on morphology , U. macfadyeni did not cluster with morphologically similar Arabian taxa, suggesting convergent evolution to be responsible for the morphological similarities. Divergence times estimated among the Uromastyx taxa, together with geological and palaeontological evidence, suggest that the Uromastyx agamids originated from Central Asia during the Eocene and colonized Africa after its connection with Eurasia in the early Miocene. Their radiation may have been facilitated by repeated aridification of North Africa since the middle Miocene, and geological events such as the expansion of the Red Sea and the East

American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2013

The single-humped camel, Camelus dromedaries inhabiting Afro-Arabia and the double-humped camel, ... more The single-humped camel, Camelus dromedaries inhabiting Afro-Arabia and the double-humped camel, Camelus bactrianus inhabiting central Asia are the only species in their genus. The present study aimed to amplify and partially sequence the mitochondrial DNA genes encoding for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, ATP synthase subunit 6 (ATP6), cytochrome b and displacement region (d-loop) in the single-humped camel and compare it to their counterparts already sequenced for the doublehumped camel. These energy-related genes showed amino acid substitutions gradually increased according to their locations among macromolecular energy transducers. Both ATP synthase 6 in the central core and cytochrome b in the inner mitochondrial membrane acquired the greatest substitutions of 5 and 7 amino acids, respectively. Cytochrome c oxidase is the terminal complex of the electron transport chain of the inner mitochondrial membrane and it showed no substitutions. These substitutions seemed to be correlated with the energy metabolism in both camel phenotypes. The d-loop showed tandem repeats of six nucleotides at its 3` end with polymorphism between both species without any evidence relates such variation to energy production.

Current Issues in Molecular Biology, Jul 10, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

The International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences, 2015

Seven hundred and nine nucleotides spanning the ITS region (ITS1 and ITS2 and the highly conserve... more Seven hundred and nine nucleotides spanning the ITS region (ITS1 and ITS2 and the highly conserved 5.8S rDNA exon located in between) and its flanking regions of small and large ribosomal DNA subunits (18S and 26S genes) were amplified and sequenced for Moringa oleifera seedlings. The obtained data have been analyzed by maximum-parsimony and neighbor-joining methods in order to identify the cultivated plant molecularly. The parsimony could not be discriminated between the cultivated taxon from either M. oleifera or M. peregrina. The tree showed clustering of the three species with 100% bootstrap supports without clear identification of the seedlings sample and the neighbor-joining method showed similar tree topology. The genetic distance obtained from the sequenced data indicated that the smallest distance was found between cultivated and wild M. oleifera and between wild M. oleifera and M. peregrina while the distance between the cultivated M. oleifera and M. peregrina was higher. ...

The variation in Kappa-casein (κ-casein) gene and the distribution frequencies of its variants be... more The variation in Kappa-casein (κ-casein) gene and the distribution frequencies of its variants between Saudi Arabian Ardi and Syrian goat breeds were investigated. Nucleotides of 421 bp of exon 4 from both breeds were amplified and sequenced. Four nonsynonymous substitutions were recorded and three haplotypes A, B and D were found. The haplotype A occurred at the highest frequency (0.780.83), while the haplotype D showed the lowest rate of 0.22. The allele A was greater in fat contents in both breeds, while protein contents were higher in the allele A for Ardi and in the allele D for Syrian breed. The allele A was higher in fat contents in both breeds, while protein contents were higher in the allele A for Ardi and in the allele D for Syrian. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of exon 7 of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) revealed that three genotypes (AA, AB, and BB) were detected in both breeds. They showed frequencies of0.14, 0.46 and 0.4 in Ardi and frequencies of 0.22, 0.17 ...

Metals

The compression tests in a temperature range of 400–540 °C and strain rates of 0.1–15 s−1 were ap... more The compression tests in a temperature range of 400–540 °C and strain rates of 0.1–15 s−1 were applied to novel Al-Cu-Y(Er)-Mg-Mn-Zr alloys to investigate their hot deformation behavior. The higher volume fraction of the intermetallic particles with a size of 0.5–4 µm in the alloys caused an increase in flow stress. Hyperbolic sine law constitutive models were constructed for the hot deformation behavior of Al-Cu-Y(Er)-Mg-Mn-Zr alloys. Effective activation energy has a higher value in the alloys with Er than in the alloys with Y. According to the processing maps, the temperature range of 420–480 °C and strain rates higher than 5 s−1 are the most unfavorable region for hot deformation for the investigated alloys. The deformation at 440 °C and 15 s−1 led to cracks on the surface of the sample. However, internal cracks were not observed in the microstructure after deformation. The optimum hot deformation temperatures were in a range of 500–540 °C and at strain rates of 0.1–15 s−1.

Applied Sciences

The microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties during heat treatment and rollin... more The microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties during heat treatment and rolling of the novel Al-5.0Cu-3.2Er-0.9Mn-0.3Zr alloy were evaluated. A new quaternary (Al,Cu,Mn,Er) phase with possible composition Al25Cu4Mn2Er was found in the as-cast alloy. Al20Cu2Mn3 and Al3(Zr,Er) phases were nucleated during homogenization, and θ″(Al2Cu) precipitates were nucleated during aging. The metastable disc shaped θ″(Al2Cu) precipitates with a thickness of 5 nm and diameter of 100–200 nm were nucleated mostly on the Al3(Zr,Er) phase precipitates with a diameter of 35 nm. The hardness Vickers (HV) peak was found after the annealing of a rolled alloy at 150 °C due to strengthening by θ″(A2Cu) precipitates, which have a larger effect in materials hardness than do the softening processes. The novel Al-Cu-Er-Mn-Zr alloy has a yield strength (YS) of 320–332 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 360–370 MPa, and an El. of 3.2–4.0% in the annealed alloy after rolling condition.

Metals

Microstructure of Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd alloys at casting, hot-rolled -cold-rolled and annealed s... more Microstructure of Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd alloys at casting, hot-rolled -cold-rolled and annealed state were observed; the effect of annealing on the microstructure was studied, as were the mechanical properties and forming properties of the alloys, and the mechanism of action was explored. Analysis of the solidification process showed that the primary Al solidification is followed by the eutectic reaction. The second Al8Cu4Yb and Al8Cu4Gd phases play an important role as recrystallization inhibitor. The Al3Yb or (Al, Cu)17Yb2 phase inclusions are present in the Al-Cu-Yb alloy at the boundary between the eutectic and aluminum dendrites. The recrystallization starting temperature of the alloys is in the range of 250–350 °C after rolling with previous quenching at 590 and 605 °C for Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd, respectively. The hardness and tensile properties of Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd as-rolled alloys are reduced by increasing the annealing temperature and time. The as-rolled alloys have high...

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of some natural and artificial anti... more The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of some natural and artificial antioxidants on the hepato-renal injuries induced by arsenic toxicity. Sixty adult male albino mice weighing 30-40 g were subjected to a sub-lethal dose of sodium arsenate (40 mg/kg body weight) to investigate hematological, biochemical and histopathological alterations resulting from arsenic-induced hepato-renal toxicity. Arsenic-exposed mice were also co-treated with different antioxidants including green tea, garlic and vitamin C to reveal their potential protective role. The antioxidants induced normalization of all blood parameters that showed significant declines by arsenic toxicity. ALT and AST activities were significantly increased in sodium arsenate treated group compared to all other groups. These enzymes did not acquire insignificant differences in antioxidants-treated groups compared to the control mice. Creatinine and urea were significantly increased in arsenate treated mice a...

The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine

This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Comm... more This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control

The entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana causes a disease known as the white muscadine dis... more The entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana causes a disease known as the white muscadine disease in insects. Most of the entomopathogenic fungi are soil borne nature an attempt was made to collect the soil samples from various ecosystems. Therefore, the present study aimed to isolate native strains of B. bassiana and study their genetic diversity at Taif region, Saudi Arabia, using ITS of nuclear DNA and COI gene analysis by comparing of different isolates from occasional localities through the world. Ninety-four soil samples were collected from different regions at Taif. Only 11 samples had B. bassiana fungus with a ratio of 11.7%. Sequences of ITS (593 bp), and partial COI (437 bp) of these isolates were carried out and revealed that four differed in their genetics. These sequences were deposited in the DDBJ GenBank database with eight accession numbers. Consequently, the three analytical methods (MP, NJ, and ML) executed a single tree with identical topology. The tree identified the studied isolates into two main clusters; the first contained Uzbekistan and USA isolates. The Chinese isolate clustered with this group in the MP tree and was diverged as a single cluster in the NJ tree. The second clade included the newly studied four isolates from Taif and the Italian isolate. The pairwise genetic distances among the four studied isolates (D ranged between 0.002 and 0.008) showed that they were genetically closely related. Further studies are needed to indicate more differentiation among these isolates and to evaluate their efficacy against the important insect pests in Saudi Arabia.

International Journal of One Health

Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize rumin... more Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize ruminants as key hosts in their epidemiology. To date, information about the occurrence and molecular identity of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma species in Saudi Arabian goats is scarce. This study aimed to molecularly detect and characterize zoonotic A. phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma spp. in goats from Taif District, KSA. Materials and Methods: Blood samples collected from 67 goats were polymerase chain reaction tested using common and A. phagocytophilum-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA and msp4 genes, respectively. Amplicons of common reactions were purified, sequenced, and analyzed. Results: Six goats yielded positive results with common primers, whereas all animals proved negative for A. phagocytophilum. Analysis of the two successfully sequenced amplicons revealed the presence of a variant strain of Anaplasma ovis (99.52% ID) and a new Anaplasma organism, which was...

International Journal of One Health, Jun 3, 2019

Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize rumin... more Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize ruminants as key hosts in their epidemiology. To date, information about the occurrence and molecular identity of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma species in Saudi Arabian goats is scarce. This study aimed to molecularly detect and characterize zoonotic A. phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma spp. in goats from Taif District, KSA. Materials and Methods: Blood samples collected from 67 goats were polymerase chain reaction tested using common and A. phagocytophilum-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA and msp4 genes, respectively. Amplicons of common reactions were purified, sequenced, and analyzed. Results: Six goats yielded positive results with common primers, whereas all animals proved negative for A. phagocytophilum. Analysis of the two successfully sequenced amplicons revealed the presence of a variant strain of Anaplasma ovis (99.52% ID) and a new Anaplasma organism, which was...

Food science and biotechnology, 2018

The present study was performed to assess anti-obesity effects of raw pineapple juice in high fat... more The present study was performed to assess anti-obesity effects of raw pineapple juice in high fat diet (HFD)-induced fatness. Based on food type, rats were divided into normal diet and HFD groups. When animals of HFD group become obese, they were given pineapple juice along with either HFD or normal diet. Blood biochemistry, liver and muscle gene expressions were analyzed. HFD induced significant elevations in body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat accumulation, liver fat deposition and blood lipids while juice restored these parameters near to their normal values. Juice significantly decreased serum insulin and leptin while adiponectin was increased. Juice administration downregulated the increment of FAS and SERBP-1c mRNA expression in liver and upregulated HSL and GLUT-2 expressions. The muscular lipolytic CPT-1 expression was upregulted by juice treatment. Pineapple juice, therefore, may possibly be used as anti-obesity candidate where it decreased lipogenesis and increase...

Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine

Journal of Hard Tissue Biology

Advanced extraction and purification techniques were found to be essential tools for obtaining su... more Advanced extraction and purification techniques were found to be essential tools for obtaining sufficient DNA from bones. However, in case of short tandem repeats (STRs) typing failure especially with old skeletal remains, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is the ultimate solution for individual and species identification. Thirty six bone samples were collected from human remains. DNA was extracted using the organic method after special sample preparations and quantified using a Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit and amplified products were typed using a Genetic Analyzer for autosomal STR typing. Samples with DNA concentration above 0.04 ng were efficient in obtaining their complete STR profiles. MtDNA control region was also amplified and sequenced. MtDNA was more efficient than autosomal STR profiling in discriminating among human bone samples especially those which have low and/or degraded DNA content.

Open Journal of Ecology, 2011

Genetic variability of Passer domesticus from different localities of Saudi Arabia was investigat... more Genetic variability of Passer domesticus from different localities of Saudi Arabia was investigated. Six hundred and fifty nine nucleotides were sequenced from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. There was a slight difference among the studied haplotypes and most substitutions were synonymous. In some haplotypes at the west of Arabian Peninsula (mountainous habitat), two transitions only were non-synonymous. The data were used to construct the relationship of the Arabian house sparrow to its con specific taxa from Europe and America. Neighbor-joining (NJ), maximum-parsimony (MP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) analytical methods were used. The three methods showed clustering of the Arabian haplotypes in one group and their sister relationship with the haplotypes from Netherlands and America. A spanish haplotype came basal to both groups. Collecting more samples and more DNA data could be of necessary to clearly address the genetic variability of this rapidly propagated species in Arabia.

Comparative and functional genomics, 2012

Approximately 2.4 kbp of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 9 individuals of Uromastyx ornata p... more Approximately 2.4 kbp of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 9 individuals of Uromastyx ornata philbyi originating from Taif, Namas, Al-Baha, and Jazan in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The sequenced regions cover eight tRNA genes (tRNA(Gln), tRNA(Ile), tRNA(Met), tRNA(Trp), tRNA(Ala), tRNA(Asn), tRNA(Cys), and tRNA(Tyr)) and two protein-coding genes (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and cytochrome b). U. ornata philbyi had an insertion of 170 bp length between tRNA(Gln) and tRNA(Ile) genes. The first 128 bp of this insertion was similar to the one identified earlier in U. ornata ornata and can be folded into a stem-and-loop structure, which was less stable in U. ornata philbyi than in U. ornata ornata, or the second tRNA(Gln) gene. The next 42 bp of the insertion was unique in U. ornata philbyi and additionally retained a stable stem-and-loop structure. Most base substitutions found in the sequenced genes were synonymous transitions rather than transversions. Tree analyses supported the s...

Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2007

A complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence was determined for the lizard Calotes versicolor (R... more A complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence was determined for the lizard Calotes versicolor (Reptilia; Agamidae). The 16,670-bp genome with notable shorter genes for some protein-coding and tRNA genes had the same gene content as that found in other vertebrates. However, a novel gene arrangement was found in which the proline tRNA (trnP) gene is located in the light strand instead of its typical heavy-strand position, providing the first known example of gene inversion in vertebrate mtDNAs. A segment of mtDNA encompassing the trnP gene and its flanking genes and the control region was amplified and sequenced for various agamid taxa to investigate timing and mechanism of the gene inversion. The inverted trnP gene organization was shared by all South Asian draconine agamids examined but by none of the other Asian and African agamids. Phylogenetic analyses including clock-free Bayesian analyses for divergence time estimation suggested a single occurrence of the gene inversion on a lineage leading to the draconine agamids during the Paleogene period. This gene inversion could not be explained by the tandem duplication/random loss model for mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Our available sequence data did not provide evidence for remolding of the trnP gene by an anticodon switch in a duplicated tRNA gene. Based on results of sequence comparisons and other circumstantial evidence, we hypothesize that inversion of the trnP gene was originally mediated by a homologous DNA recombination and that the de novo gene organization that does not disrupt expression of mitochondrial genes has been maintained in draconine mtDNAs for such a long period of time.

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005

Approximately 1.7 kbp of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced from 29 individuals assignable to 11 Ur... more Approximately 1.7 kbp of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced from 29 individuals assignable to 11 Uromastyx species or subspecies and two other agamids. U. ocellata and U. ornata had an insertion between the glutamine and isoleucine tRNA genes, which could be folded into a stable stem-and-loop structure, and the insertion for U. ornata additionally retained a sequence similar to the glutamine tRNA gene. This corroborates the role of tandem duplication in reshaping mitochondrial gene arrangements, and supports the idea that the origin of light-strand replication could be relocated within mitochondrial genomes. Molecular phylogeny from different tree-building methods consistently placed African and Arabian taxa in mutually monophyletic groups, excluding U. hardwickii inhabiting India and Pakistan. Unlike previous studies based on morphology , U. macfadyeni did not cluster with morphologically similar Arabian taxa, suggesting convergent evolution to be responsible for the morphological similarities. Divergence times estimated among the Uromastyx taxa, together with geological and palaeontological evidence, suggest that the Uromastyx agamids originated from Central Asia during the Eocene and colonized Africa after its connection with Eurasia in the early Miocene. Their radiation may have been facilitated by repeated aridification of North Africa since the middle Miocene, and geological events such as the expansion of the Red Sea and the East

American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2013

The single-humped camel, Camelus dromedaries inhabiting Afro-Arabia and the double-humped camel, ... more The single-humped camel, Camelus dromedaries inhabiting Afro-Arabia and the double-humped camel, Camelus bactrianus inhabiting central Asia are the only species in their genus. The present study aimed to amplify and partially sequence the mitochondrial DNA genes encoding for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, ATP synthase subunit 6 (ATP6), cytochrome b and displacement region (d-loop) in the single-humped camel and compare it to their counterparts already sequenced for the doublehumped camel. These energy-related genes showed amino acid substitutions gradually increased according to their locations among macromolecular energy transducers. Both ATP synthase 6 in the central core and cytochrome b in the inner mitochondrial membrane acquired the greatest substitutions of 5 and 7 amino acids, respectively. Cytochrome c oxidase is the terminal complex of the electron transport chain of the inner mitochondrial membrane and it showed no substitutions. These substitutions seemed to be correlated with the energy metabolism in both camel phenotypes. The d-loop showed tandem repeats of six nucleotides at its 3` end with polymorphism between both species without any evidence relates such variation to energy production.

Current Issues in Molecular Biology, Jul 10, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

The International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences, 2015

Seven hundred and nine nucleotides spanning the ITS region (ITS1 and ITS2 and the highly conserve... more Seven hundred and nine nucleotides spanning the ITS region (ITS1 and ITS2 and the highly conserved 5.8S rDNA exon located in between) and its flanking regions of small and large ribosomal DNA subunits (18S and 26S genes) were amplified and sequenced for Moringa oleifera seedlings. The obtained data have been analyzed by maximum-parsimony and neighbor-joining methods in order to identify the cultivated plant molecularly. The parsimony could not be discriminated between the cultivated taxon from either M. oleifera or M. peregrina. The tree showed clustering of the three species with 100% bootstrap supports without clear identification of the seedlings sample and the neighbor-joining method showed similar tree topology. The genetic distance obtained from the sequenced data indicated that the smallest distance was found between cultivated and wild M. oleifera and between wild M. oleifera and M. peregrina while the distance between the cultivated M. oleifera and M. peregrina was higher. ...

The variation in Kappa-casein (κ-casein) gene and the distribution frequencies of its variants be... more The variation in Kappa-casein (κ-casein) gene and the distribution frequencies of its variants between Saudi Arabian Ardi and Syrian goat breeds were investigated. Nucleotides of 421 bp of exon 4 from both breeds were amplified and sequenced. Four nonsynonymous substitutions were recorded and three haplotypes A, B and D were found. The haplotype A occurred at the highest frequency (0.780.83), while the haplotype D showed the lowest rate of 0.22. The allele A was greater in fat contents in both breeds, while protein contents were higher in the allele A for Ardi and in the allele D for Syrian breed. The allele A was higher in fat contents in both breeds, while protein contents were higher in the allele A for Ardi and in the allele D for Syrian. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of exon 7 of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) revealed that three genotypes (AA, AB, and BB) were detected in both breeds. They showed frequencies of0.14, 0.46 and 0.4 in Ardi and frequencies of 0.22, 0.17 ...

Metals

The compression tests in a temperature range of 400–540 °C and strain rates of 0.1–15 s−1 were ap... more The compression tests in a temperature range of 400–540 °C and strain rates of 0.1–15 s−1 were applied to novel Al-Cu-Y(Er)-Mg-Mn-Zr alloys to investigate their hot deformation behavior. The higher volume fraction of the intermetallic particles with a size of 0.5–4 µm in the alloys caused an increase in flow stress. Hyperbolic sine law constitutive models were constructed for the hot deformation behavior of Al-Cu-Y(Er)-Mg-Mn-Zr alloys. Effective activation energy has a higher value in the alloys with Er than in the alloys with Y. According to the processing maps, the temperature range of 420–480 °C and strain rates higher than 5 s−1 are the most unfavorable region for hot deformation for the investigated alloys. The deformation at 440 °C and 15 s−1 led to cracks on the surface of the sample. However, internal cracks were not observed in the microstructure after deformation. The optimum hot deformation temperatures were in a range of 500–540 °C and at strain rates of 0.1–15 s−1.

Applied Sciences

The microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties during heat treatment and rollin... more The microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties during heat treatment and rolling of the novel Al-5.0Cu-3.2Er-0.9Mn-0.3Zr alloy were evaluated. A new quaternary (Al,Cu,Mn,Er) phase with possible composition Al25Cu4Mn2Er was found in the as-cast alloy. Al20Cu2Mn3 and Al3(Zr,Er) phases were nucleated during homogenization, and θ″(Al2Cu) precipitates were nucleated during aging. The metastable disc shaped θ″(Al2Cu) precipitates with a thickness of 5 nm and diameter of 100–200 nm were nucleated mostly on the Al3(Zr,Er) phase precipitates with a diameter of 35 nm. The hardness Vickers (HV) peak was found after the annealing of a rolled alloy at 150 °C due to strengthening by θ″(A2Cu) precipitates, which have a larger effect in materials hardness than do the softening processes. The novel Al-Cu-Er-Mn-Zr alloy has a yield strength (YS) of 320–332 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 360–370 MPa, and an El. of 3.2–4.0% in the annealed alloy after rolling condition.

Metals

Microstructure of Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd alloys at casting, hot-rolled -cold-rolled and annealed s... more Microstructure of Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd alloys at casting, hot-rolled -cold-rolled and annealed state were observed; the effect of annealing on the microstructure was studied, as were the mechanical properties and forming properties of the alloys, and the mechanism of action was explored. Analysis of the solidification process showed that the primary Al solidification is followed by the eutectic reaction. The second Al8Cu4Yb and Al8Cu4Gd phases play an important role as recrystallization inhibitor. The Al3Yb or (Al, Cu)17Yb2 phase inclusions are present in the Al-Cu-Yb alloy at the boundary between the eutectic and aluminum dendrites. The recrystallization starting temperature of the alloys is in the range of 250–350 °C after rolling with previous quenching at 590 and 605 °C for Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd, respectively. The hardness and tensile properties of Al-Cu-Yb and Al-Cu-Gd as-rolled alloys are reduced by increasing the annealing temperature and time. The as-rolled alloys have high...

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of some natural and artificial anti... more The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of some natural and artificial antioxidants on the hepato-renal injuries induced by arsenic toxicity. Sixty adult male albino mice weighing 30-40 g were subjected to a sub-lethal dose of sodium arsenate (40 mg/kg body weight) to investigate hematological, biochemical and histopathological alterations resulting from arsenic-induced hepato-renal toxicity. Arsenic-exposed mice were also co-treated with different antioxidants including green tea, garlic and vitamin C to reveal their potential protective role. The antioxidants induced normalization of all blood parameters that showed significant declines by arsenic toxicity. ALT and AST activities were significantly increased in sodium arsenate treated group compared to all other groups. These enzymes did not acquire insignificant differences in antioxidants-treated groups compared to the control mice. Creatinine and urea were significantly increased in arsenate treated mice a...

The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine

This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Comm... more This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control

The entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana causes a disease known as the white muscadine dis... more The entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana causes a disease known as the white muscadine disease in insects. Most of the entomopathogenic fungi are soil borne nature an attempt was made to collect the soil samples from various ecosystems. Therefore, the present study aimed to isolate native strains of B. bassiana and study their genetic diversity at Taif region, Saudi Arabia, using ITS of nuclear DNA and COI gene analysis by comparing of different isolates from occasional localities through the world. Ninety-four soil samples were collected from different regions at Taif. Only 11 samples had B. bassiana fungus with a ratio of 11.7%. Sequences of ITS (593 bp), and partial COI (437 bp) of these isolates were carried out and revealed that four differed in their genetics. These sequences were deposited in the DDBJ GenBank database with eight accession numbers. Consequently, the three analytical methods (MP, NJ, and ML) executed a single tree with identical topology. The tree identified the studied isolates into two main clusters; the first contained Uzbekistan and USA isolates. The Chinese isolate clustered with this group in the MP tree and was diverged as a single cluster in the NJ tree. The second clade included the newly studied four isolates from Taif and the Italian isolate. The pairwise genetic distances among the four studied isolates (D ranged between 0.002 and 0.008) showed that they were genetically closely related. Further studies are needed to indicate more differentiation among these isolates and to evaluate their efficacy against the important insect pests in Saudi Arabia.

International Journal of One Health

Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize rumin... more Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize ruminants as key hosts in their epidemiology. To date, information about the occurrence and molecular identity of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma species in Saudi Arabian goats is scarce. This study aimed to molecularly detect and characterize zoonotic A. phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma spp. in goats from Taif District, KSA. Materials and Methods: Blood samples collected from 67 goats were polymerase chain reaction tested using common and A. phagocytophilum-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA and msp4 genes, respectively. Amplicons of common reactions were purified, sequenced, and analyzed. Results: Six goats yielded positive results with common primers, whereas all animals proved negative for A. phagocytophilum. Analysis of the two successfully sequenced amplicons revealed the presence of a variant strain of Anaplasma ovis (99.52% ID) and a new Anaplasma organism, which was...

International Journal of One Health, Jun 3, 2019

Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize rumin... more Aim: Genus Anaplasma is of veterinary and public health importance, and its members utilize ruminants as key hosts in their epidemiology. To date, information about the occurrence and molecular identity of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma species in Saudi Arabian goats is scarce. This study aimed to molecularly detect and characterize zoonotic A. phagocytophilum and other Anaplasma spp. in goats from Taif District, KSA. Materials and Methods: Blood samples collected from 67 goats were polymerase chain reaction tested using common and A. phagocytophilum-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA and msp4 genes, respectively. Amplicons of common reactions were purified, sequenced, and analyzed. Results: Six goats yielded positive results with common primers, whereas all animals proved negative for A. phagocytophilum. Analysis of the two successfully sequenced amplicons revealed the presence of a variant strain of Anaplasma ovis (99.52% ID) and a new Anaplasma organism, which was...

Food science and biotechnology, 2018

The present study was performed to assess anti-obesity effects of raw pineapple juice in high fat... more The present study was performed to assess anti-obesity effects of raw pineapple juice in high fat diet (HFD)-induced fatness. Based on food type, rats were divided into normal diet and HFD groups. When animals of HFD group become obese, they were given pineapple juice along with either HFD or normal diet. Blood biochemistry, liver and muscle gene expressions were analyzed. HFD induced significant elevations in body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat accumulation, liver fat deposition and blood lipids while juice restored these parameters near to their normal values. Juice significantly decreased serum insulin and leptin while adiponectin was increased. Juice administration downregulated the increment of FAS and SERBP-1c mRNA expression in liver and upregulated HSL and GLUT-2 expressions. The muscular lipolytic CPT-1 expression was upregulted by juice treatment. Pineapple juice, therefore, may possibly be used as anti-obesity candidate where it decreased lipogenesis and increase...

Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine

Journal of Hard Tissue Biology

Advanced extraction and purification techniques were found to be essential tools for obtaining su... more Advanced extraction and purification techniques were found to be essential tools for obtaining sufficient DNA from bones. However, in case of short tandem repeats (STRs) typing failure especially with old skeletal remains, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is the ultimate solution for individual and species identification. Thirty six bone samples were collected from human remains. DNA was extracted using the organic method after special sample preparations and quantified using a Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit and amplified products were typed using a Genetic Analyzer for autosomal STR typing. Samples with DNA concentration above 0.04 ng were efficient in obtaining their complete STR profiles. MtDNA control region was also amplified and sequenced. MtDNA was more efficient than autosomal STR profiling in discriminating among human bone samples especially those which have low and/or degraded DNA content.