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Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh), severely impacts global barley Hordeum vulgare L. (Hv) production. This investigation evaluated Egyptian barley genotypes to identify novel resistance sources and molecular markers for breeding programs. Phenotypic assessments at the seedling (growth stage, GS 32) and adult plant (GS 55–59) stages under controlled and field conditions, combined with SSR marker analysis, revealed distinct resistance profiles. Genotypes Giza 123, Giza 125, and G8 exhibited strong resistance, with Giza 123 displaying Mlo-mediated immunity. Susceptible genotypes (Giza 126, G1, G2, and G4) showed rapid disease progression (IT4; up to 80% severity). Intermediate genotypes (G5, G6, and G9) suggested quantitative resistance. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis linked the EBmac0603 primer 160 bp allele to resistance and the 149 bp allele to susceptibility. The EBmac0603 primer 185 bp allele correlated with partial resistance, highlighting its utility in marker-assisted selection (MAS). The integration of phenotypic and molecular data identified Giza 123 and G8 as prime candidates for breeding, emphasizing the need for strategies like gene pyramiding or quantitative resistance incorporation in susceptible lines. This study underscores the value of Egypt’s barley diversity in advancing durable disease resistance through targeted breeding and molecular tools.

This investigation was carried out for genetic characterization and determination of drought tolerance of ten Egyptian cultivars of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), namely Misr 1, Misr 2, Gemmiza 9, Gemmiza 10, Gemmiza 11, Gemmiza 12, Shandawel 1, Giza 168, Giza 171, and Sids 14. These cultivars were grown in two winter seasons: 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 at the experimental farm Fac. of Agric., Suez Canal Univ., Ismailia, Egypt, under two watering regimes: normal (100%) and stress (50% FC) conditions. Six agronomic traits and five tolerance indices, namely stress tolerance (TOL), mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), yield stability index (YSI), and drought susceptibility index (DSI), were used to evaluate the impact of drought stress. The results reflected Giza 171, Misr 2, and Giza 168 as precious germplasm for breeding of high-yielding drought-tolerant wheat. A highly significant positive correlation was recorded between yield under normal and stress conditions on the one hand and each of MP and GMP on the other hand. In addition, YSI appeared engaged in a highly significant positive correlation with yield under drought conditions only. TOL and DSI appeared insignificantly correlated with yield. Therefore, MP and GMP were reflected as the first runners among indices suitable to distinguish the high-yielding cultivars under drought conditions. At the molecular level, five primers of Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers were able to resolve and characterize the studied cultivars, which reflected SCoT as a potent gene-targeting molecular marker, able to characterize and resolve genetic diversity in wheat at the cultivar level using few primers. Therefore, SCoT is a time-efficient molecular marker, and it can efficiently replace indices in characterization of drought-tolerant genotypes with a high confidence level and reasonable cost.

Landscape resistance is often disregarded in studies of range expansions and population connectivity. To assess those effects, we simulated the expansion of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in relation to landscape resistance through kernel resistance modeling, confronting it with previously published data regarding the observed pattern of expansion and genetic diversity of the population in Portugal. We modeled population expansion as a function of shrub cover and elevation through iterative simulation of a resistance model and a null model. We then performed an overlap analysis to assess the congruence between the observed pattern of expansion and both resistance and null models across 30 years. We also tested whether there is an effect of allelic surfing or the central-marginal hypothesis by correlating observed allelic richness (1) with the number of simulated years that each location with sampled genotypes had been occupied by the mongoose population and (2) with the cumulative resistant kernel density (which is a measure of population centrality). Results indicated a higher similarity between observed range expansion and the simulation using the null model and a marginally significant correlation between observed allelic richness and number of years of the simulated presence of the species in the null model. The pattern of range expansion in this population is most consistent with a neutral model of uniform resistance, and genetic diversity is most correlated with null model as well. This suggests that range expansion and genetic diversity patterns in expanding populations may not always be predicted by landscape resistance models developed through association of observed genetic differentiation with landscape features.

Obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperandrogenism are considered crucial parameters of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which might be related to vitamin D metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between polymorphisms ( Taq I and Apa I) in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) and PCOS among Egyptian women. We aimed also to elucidate the impact of these polymorphisms on vitamin D level, hormonal and metabolic parameters of PCOS. One hundred and fifty Egyptian women with PCOS and 150 unrelated controls were enrolled in this study. Polymorphisms of VDR Taq -I T/C (rs731236) and Apa -I A/C (rs7975232) gene were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP). Serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH) D] levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. PCOS women had significantly lower levels of 25(OH) D compared to healthy women. Our results revealed that Taq -I CC genotype and C allele were associated with increased risk of PCOS, while the Apa -I polymorphism was not. Haplotype Taq -I C/ Apa -I C was associated with a higher PCOS risk more than controls. Moreover, there was a significant decrease of 25(OH) D levels in carriers of haplotype Taq -I C/ Apa -I C (with variant alleles) compared to the non-carriers. Results showed also that there was an obesity- VDR Taq -I genotypes interactions. These results suggested that, VDR Taq -I gene polymorphism is associated with increased risk of PCOS in Egyptian women.

Background Epilepsy is one of the most widely recognized neurological disorders; unfortunately, twenty to thirty percent of patients do not get cured from epilepsy, despite many trials of antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. Immunotherapy may be a viable treatment strategy in a subset of epileptic patients. The association between Toll-like receptor polymorphisms and epilepsy clarifies the role of the immune system in epilepsy and its response to the drug. Thus, this study will focus on the relation between TLR4 rs1927914, rs11536858, rs1927911SNPs, and epilepsy in an Egyptian case-control study to assess their link to antiepileptic drug response. Results According to TLR4 rs1927914, there is a significant association between the SNP and the development of epilepsy, as CC genotype is 15.3 times more at risk for developing epilepsy than TT genotype, and CT is 11.1 times more at risk for developing epilepsy than TT. Also, patients with CC genotypes are 6.3 times more at risk for developing primary epilepsy than TT genotype. According to rs11536858, there is a significant association between cases and control groups, as AA genotypes are found to be more at risk for developing epilepsy than GG genotypes. Also, there is a statistically significant association between clonazepam resistance and rs11536858, as p value < 0.001* with the highest frequency of TT genotypes at 4.3%. According to rs1927911, there are no significant results between the cases and the control groups or between drug-responsive and drug resistance. Conclusion Possible involvement of the Toll-like receptor clarifies the importance of innate immunity in initiating seizures and making neuronal hyperexcitability. In this work, multiple significant associations between TLR SNPs and epilepsy, epileptic phenotype, and drug-resistant epilepsy have been found. More studies with bigger sample sizes and different techniques with different SNPs are recommended to find the proper immunotherapy for epilepsy instead of the treatment by antiepileptic drugs.

Polymorphisms in the promoter of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) lead to decreased MTP transcription, less export of triglyceride from hepatocytes, and greater intracellular triglyceride accumulation. Therefore, functional polymorphisms in MTP may be involved in determining susceptibility to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of this study is to examine the effect of some genetic influences among a group of obese Egyptian children. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 76 overweight and obese children presenting to the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Cairo University Children's Hospital, Egypt, as well as on 20 healthy controls. Anthropometric measurements were taken for all the patients and they underwent clinical examination, ultrasonographic examination of the liver, and liver biopsy when appropriate. Liver functions, blood glucose, serum insulin, C-peptide, and lipid profile were assessed and HOMA-IR calculated. Blood samples from biopsy-proven NASH patients and controls were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism for the -493 G/T polymorphism in the promoter of MTP and the 1183 T/C polymorphism in the mitochondrial targeting sequence of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Eight had biopsy-proven simple steatosis and 7 had NASH. NASH patients had a much higher incidence of the MTP G/G genotype (P = 0.002, CI: 2.9-392) compared with the controls. NASH patients also had a 100% prevalence of the MnSOD T/T genotype. Certain genotypes in MTP and MnSOD are significantly more prevalent among obese children with NASH and may be responsible for such a phenotype.