Malathion is a chemical pesticide, commonly used by Egyptian farmers; however, its contamination of water sources has become an important issue. It is suggested that the role of vitamin C in alteration of enzymes responsible for energy metabolism was induced by administration of Malathion. The effect of malathion and malathion with vitamin C on some enzymes in the rat were recorded in the present study. Significant increases in the level of hepatic enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase) were recorded. Furthermore, renal markers such as urea, cholesterol and creatinine were increased in rats treated with malathion. Additionally, serum triglyceride was significantly decreased. No significant changes were observed in total protein, albumin and bilirubin in all treated groups as compared to the control. The present results showed that a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in glycolytic enzymes (hexokinase, pyruvatekinase, glucose phosphate isomerase and phosphofructokinase) were observed in treated groups, and lactate dehydrogenase enzyme activity also showed significant (p < 0.01) reduction. Coadministration of vitamin C to the groups restored all the parameters cited above to near-normal values. Therefore, the present investigation revealed that vitamin C appeared to be a promising agent for protection against malathion-induced toxicity.

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Background: Down syndrome, the most common birth defect, is caused by trisomy 21. The aim of this study was to investigate whether quantitative real-time PCR can be used as a sensitive technique for prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Methods: We used a quantitative real-time PCR technique to measure the gene dosage of the Down syndrome critical region (DSCR3) by calculating the ratio of DSCR3 to GAPDH using standard curves. Sex-determining region Y was simultaneously detected by real-time PCR to identify the sex of the fetus. Results: The DSCR3/GAPDH ratio of the trisomy 21 fetus samples and that of normal controls was 0.72 ± 0.34 and 0.54 ± 0.18, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, there was no significant difference in the DSCR3/GAPDH ratio between the fetal and peripheral blood DNA samples of trisomy 21 fetuses and those of normal controls.

The use of pesticides is widespread in agricultural activities. These pesticides may contaminate the irrigation and drainage systems during agriculture activities and pests' control and then negatively affect the biotic and a biotic component of the polluted water courses. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the pesticides diazinon and profenfos on some biological activities of Biomphalaria alexandrina snails such as fatty acid profile, some antioxidant enzymes (thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) as well as glutathione reductase (GR) and lipid peroxidation (LP)) and protein patterns in snails' tissues exposed for 4 weeks to LC10 of diazinon and profenfos. The results showed that the two pesticides caused considerable reduction in survival rates and egg production of treated snails. Identification of fatty acid composition in snail tissues treated with diazinon and profenfos pesticides was carried out using gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). The results declared alteration in fatty acid profile, fluctuation in percentage of long chain and short chain fatty acid contributions either saturated or unsaturated ones, and a decrease in total lipid content in tissues of snails treated with these pesticides. The data demonstrate that there was a significant inhibition in the activities of tissues SOD, CAT, glutathione reductase (GR), TrxR, and SDH in tissues of treated snails, while a significant elevation was detected in LP as compared to the normal control. On the other hand, the electrophoretic pattern of total protein showed differences in number and molecular weights of protein bands due to the treatment of snails. It was concluded that the residues of diazinon and profenfos pesticides in aquatic environments have toxic effects onB. alexandrina snails.