Every organism has deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) within their cells. DNA is a complex molecule that contains all of the information needed to build and maintain living organisms. Extraction of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is one of the most basic and critical steps affecting molecular-based techniques in the study of DNA that allow vast advances in genetic, molecular biology, biotechnology, forensic, and bioinformatics laboratories. Therefore, researchers have been used different modified and optimized protocols for efficient genomic DNA extraction from biological samples. Due to the high amount of genetic material in whole blood samples so it's one of the main sources used to obtain DNA and there are many different protocols available in this issue. In the present study, we optimized, evaluated by comparison to phenol-chloroform (traditional method) and silica column (QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit) DNA extraction procedures. The extracted DNA by these protocols was analyzed according to their time consuming, quality, quantity, cost and toxicity. Extracted DNA with current protocol was qualified using gel electrophoresis, Nanodrop spectrophotometric analysis. Our results showed that there are not significantly differences between these methods about DNA Purity (A260/A280) and DNA yield (ng DNA/μl). In addition, phenol/chloroform (traditional method) was the most toxic method; it takes more time but cheaper than other method; it yielded reasonably good quantities of good quality DNA and would be suitable for large-scale genotyping of blood samples. The silica column method (QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit) was the most expensive among the other method but the least extraction time was required and it was the safest method. arabic 11 English 69
Ghada Salem, Ahmed Zaid(1-2018)

Background— The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) promotes independently of its enzymatic activity the degradation of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor. PCSK9 gain of function in humans leads to autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia, whereas the absence of functional PCSK9 results in ≈7-fold lower levels of LDL cholesterol. This suggests that lowering PCSK9 may protect against atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— We investigated the role of PCSK9 in atherosclerosis in C57BL/6 wild-type (WT), apolipoprotein E–deficient, and LDL receptor–deficient mouse models. Circulating cholesterol levels, fast protein liquid chromatography profiles, aortic cholesteryl esters (CE), and plaque sizes were determined. Intima-media thicknesses were measured by ultrasound biomicroscopy. First, mice expressing null (knockout [KO]), normal (WT), or high (transgenic [Tg]) levels of PCSK9 … arabic 12 English 86
Maxime Denis, Ahmed Zaid(1-2012)

Background and Aims: Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by increased intestinal absorption of iron. Excessive amount of iron accumulates in the liver, pancreas, and heart, etc., and eventually leading to organ failure due to iron toxicity and death if untreated. The most common causes of HH are the C282Y and H63D mutations in HFE gene. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of H63D and C282Y alleles among the Libyan population in Tripoli region and to compare the results with other published data. Materials and Methods: This study included 300 randomly selected unrelated Libyan male blood donors, aged between 18 and 50 years. In‑house hydrolysis probe real‑time polymerase chain reaction and high‑resolution melting analysis protocols were developed and employed as screening tools for H63D and C282Y genotyping, respectively, and direct DNA sequencing was used to confirm the results. Results: Seven subjects (2.33%) were detected as homozygous H63D mutation and 72 (24%) were detected as heterozygous, and only one subject was detected as a heterozygous C282Y mutant (0.33%) and no homozygous C282Y mutation was detected. Conclusion: In Libyans residing in Tripoli region, the allele frequency of C282Y was very rare and allele frequency of H63D was common arabic 17 English 89
Laila Mohamed Elghawi, Abdulla Bashein(7-2021)