Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen causing various nosocomial infections. The aim of this study was to characterize the molecular support of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii clinical isolates recovered from four hospitals in Tripoli, Libya. Bacterial isolates were identified and antibiotic susceptibility testing was per-formed using automated system. Carbapenem resistance determinants were studied phenotypically using two dif-ferent techniques: E-test; chromogenic culture media. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was used to determine the presence of bla OXA23 and blaOXA51 genes among isolates. A total of 119 isolates were characterized, overall the resistance prevalence was extremely high for aminoglycosides (79-96.6%), fluoroquinolones (94-96%), cephalosporins (96.6-100%) and carbapenemes (93.2-100%), all isolates were susceptible to colistin. In addition, 97.5% of isolates were identified as multidrug resistance (MDR). Varying degree of phenotypic detection of car-bapenemes was determined; highest levels of carbapenemes were detected using chromogenic media (76.5%) com-pared with E-test (45.4 %). The carbapenem resistance-encoding genes detected were blaOXA23 (84%) and blaOXA51 (73.1%); the highest occurrence of blaOXA23 was demonstrated in Tripoli’s Central Hospital (5/5; 100%) then in Tripoli Medical Center (44/51; 86.27%). The co-occurrence of these genes was demonstrated in (75/119; 63%) showing dissemination of carbapenemes resistance MDR A. baumannii in hospitals. This study shows that the high prevalence of OXA-23 contribute to antibiotic resistance in … arabic 14 English 113
Nada Elgrew, Abdulla Bashein(1-2016)

GLUT4 translocation in response to insulin involves the PI3K/Akt pathway and IR mediated phosphorylation of CAP (SORBS1), and formation of the CAP:Cbl. These pathways act in a coordinated manner to regulate glucose, lipid and protein metabolism. In previous studies, T228A polymorphism of SORBS1 gene has been shown to be a protective factor for obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), polycystic ovary (PCOs), and lacunars infarction. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between this polymorphism and T2DM, gestational diabetes (GDM), and obesity. Methods: Genotyping was achieved by PCR-RELP in 227 individuals chosen randomly from the out patient’s clinics of Al-Jala maternity hospital of Tripoli and Gharian hospital, including: 63 T2DM patients, 59 GDM patients, 57 obese, 47 healthy control individuals from Libyan pregnant women population (North-West Region). Results: The results revealed that this polymorphism has no association with T2DM, GDM, and obesity in comparison with the control sample. Conclusion: T228A polymorphism of SORBS1 gene is not associated with the pathological conditions studied. arabic 15 English 98
Abdulla Bashein(1-2013)

Abstract: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder of lipid metabolism, associated with elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDLC), which can lead to premature cardiovascular disease and early death. Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment is important to prevent morbidity and mortality. Autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH) is largely due to mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene (LDLR), the apolipoprotein B-100 gene (APOB), or the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). In this study, genomic DNA of unrelated Libyan individuals with clinically diagnosed (FH) was analyzed by direct sequencing after dependent specific PCR primers amplification and DNA purification. That led to the identification of PCSK9 gene mutations for the first time in Libyan population which was compare to other populations. All 12 exons of PCSK9 gene and boundaries genotyped polymorphisms were sequenced, including leucine repeats coded in exon 1, by fluorescently tagged markers. We identified an allele for the rs67610340 polymorphism: an in-frame deletion, c.61_63delCTG (L8). We also identified another allele rs67610340 polymorphism: an in frame insertion c.61_63InsCTG (L10). The insertion and deletion alleles were both in exon 1 and could be associated with a risk and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), suggesting a direct effect of PCSK9 on atherogenesis. arabic 11 English 90
Ghada Salem, Ahmed Zaid(1-2017)