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Molecular Characterization of Wild and Cultivated Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) through DNA Barcode Markers
- Awais Qarni, Khushi Muhammad, Abdul Wahab, Amir Ali, Chandni Khizar, Izhar Ullah, Abeer Kazmi, Tahira Sultana, Asma Hameed, Muhammad Younas, Mehdi Rahimi, Abd El-Latif Hesham
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- Journal:
- Genetics Research / Volume 2022 / 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, e22
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Background. DNA barcoding is a useful technique for the identification, conservation, and diversity estimation at the species level in plants. The current research work was carried out to characterize selected Fragaria species from northern Pakistan using DNA barcode markers. Methodology. Initially, the efficacy of eight DNA barcode markers was analyzed based on the amplification and sequencing of the genome of selected Fragaria species. The resultant sequences were analyzed using BLAST, MEGA 7.0, and Bio Edit software. The phylogenetic tree was constructed by using Fragaria current species sequences and reference sequences through the neighbor-joining method or maximum likelihood method. Results. Among eight DNA barcode markers, only two (ITS2 and rbclC) were amplified, and sequences were obtained. ITS2 sequence was BLAST in NCBI for related reference species which ranged from 89.79% to 90.05% along with Fragaria vesca (AF163517.1) which have 99.05% identity. Similarly, the rbclC sequence of Fragaria species was ranged from 96% to 99.58% along with Fragaria × ananassa (KY358226.1) which had 99.58% identity. Conclusion. It is recommended that DNA barcode markers are a useful tool to identify the genetic diversity of a species. Moreover, this study could be helpful for the identification of the Fragaria species cultivated in other regions of the world.
National Prescribing Patterns of Psychotropic Medications in Older Adults in Oman
- Afaf Al-Shehhi, Maryam Al-Qamshooei, Laila Al-Kaabi, Mahera Al-Suqri, Yahya Al-Kalbani, Salim Al-Kasbi, Sumaia Al-Saadi, Asma Al-Farsi, Safiya Al-Busaidi, Latifa Al-Jahwari, Azza Al-Hinai, Manal Al-Balushi, Waleed Al-Shekaili, Hamed Al-Sinawi
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- Journal:
- BJPsych Open / Volume 9 / Issue S1 / July 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 July 2023, p. S43
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Aims
High rate of psychotropic medications use in elderly people has been reported in the literature. Potentiality inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) is very common as well. This issue has not been investigated in Oman previously. The aim of our study was to assess the patterns of psychotropic medications prescribed for older adults in the psychiatry clinics in Oman, screen for PIPs and plan for future actions to minimize inappropriate prescriptions.
MethodsThis is a cross sectional descriptive study using the information in patient's medical records. It was conducted in 12 health care institutions which equally represent all Governorates of Oman. All patients who aged ≥ 60 years old who attended psychiatry clinics from January 2019 to June 2021 and were prescribed psychotropic medications were included. All psychotropic drugs were evaluated including: antidepressants, antipsychotics, Mood stabilizers and hypnotics. STOPP criteria were applied to detect PIPs.
Results1409 patients (70%) out of 1995 elderly patients who attended the psychiatry clinics in the study period as a new case were prescribed psychotropic medications. Rate of polypharmacy in our study is 38.9%. The most common medications prescribed were risperidone (18.1%) from the antipsychotic category, citalopram (23%) from the antidepressant group and promethazine (30.1%) from the hypnotics group. Regarding the use of sedative medications,18.5% of the patients were prescribed a benzodiazepine and 35.6% of them were prescribed an antihistamine. When assessed the pattern of medications prescribed in healthy people compared to people with different categories of major medical morbidities, no differences were observed. We found 130 (9.3%) potentially inappropriate prescriptions in our study based on STOPP criteria which included use of long-acting benzodiazepine (Diazepam), prescription of anticholinergic medication to treat extrapyramidal side effects (procyclidine) and use of tricyclic antidepressants in specific categories of medical diseases.
ConclusionThe patterns of psychotropic prescriptions for older adults in the outpatient setting in Oman raise concerns about 2 main issues: psychotropic polypharmacy and high rate of benzodiazepines and antihistamines use. This warrants further investigation of these issues in separate studies to identify risk factors. We also recommend implementing certain actions to minimize inappropriate prescriptions including reviewing the availability of appropriate psychotropic medications for this age group in Oman, creating a national guideline for prescribing and providing continuous medical education to the physicians in the primary and secondary health care institutions regarding this aspect.