Inhalation of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) is known to induce acute lung injury (ALI) and studies from our laboratory have shown that THC, a psychoactive ingredient found in Cannabis sativa, can attenuate the ALI. In the current study, we investigated the role played by lung microbiota in ALI with or without THC treatment. A dual-dose of SEB was given to C3H/HeJ mice, which were then treated either with vehicle or THC. SEB-administration caused ALI and 100% mortality while all THC-treated mice survived and suppressed the inflammation in the lungs. Furthermore, lung microbiota was collected and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed. The data were analyzed to determine the alpha and beta diversity. The major phylum was Proteobacteria, class Alphaproteobacteria and orders were Caulobacterles and Rhodobacteralesin in the lungs of vehicle-treated SEB group. Moreover, THC treatment led to elevated Firmicutes phylum due to significant increase in the beneficial genus, Lactobacillus. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), gram negative bacterial endotoxin was found at significantly higher concentration in the BALF of vehicle-treated group in comparison with THC-treated mice. Beneficial metabolome levels were significantly higher in the colonic flush of THC-treated mice when compared to vehicle-treated SEB group, specifically butyric, propionic and acetic acids. Together, our data suggest that THC attenuates SEB-induced mortality and ALI by altering the microbiota in the lungs (Supported by NIH grants P01AT003961, R01AT006888, R01ES019313, R01MH094755, P20GM103641, R01AI129788 to PN and MN and MoHESR fellowship for AKM).
The aim of this study was to evaluate ovarian masses with conventional grey scale ultrasonography and colour Doppler flow imaging and to assess the diagnostic reliability of these methods in differentiating benign and malignant ovarian masses.
We assessed 56 patients with an ovarian mass. Morphological characterisation of the mass was performed utilising the Sassone score. Colour Doppler parameters were recorded for each patient, and the Caruso vascular score was also applied. The results were compared with surgical/pathological and/or follow-up scans.
Using the Sassone score, overall reliability in differentiating ovaria
This article aims to determine the time-dependent heat coefficient together with the temperature solution for a type of semi-linear time-fractional inverse source problem by applying a method based on the finite difference scheme and Tikhonov regularization. An unconditionally stable implicit finite difference scheme is used as a direct (forward) solver. While by the MATLAB routine lsqnonlin from the optimization toolbox, the inverse problem is reformulated as nonlinear least square minimization and solved efficiently. Since the problem is generally incorrect or ill-posed that means any error inclusion in the input data will produce a large error in the output data. Therefore, the Tikhonov regularization technique is applie
... Show MoreThe engagement of pharmacists in research activities is pivotal in the advancement of the pharmacy practice. The study aims to evaluate the confidence and competence of Malaysian hospital pharmacists in conducting clinical and practice-based research.
A cross-sectional study was carried out between September 2019 and April 2020 using an online survey. Pharmacists from eight different hospitals in Malaysia were involved in the study. The survey link was sent to all pharmacists of the included hospitals via email. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.
A total of 226 pharmacists participated in this study, and their average age was 28 years old. About 82 % of the participants reported that they did not have any previous re
... Show MoreIntroduction: Ostrich farming has emerged as a new livestock industry in Iraq, but scientists lack sufficient information on health concerns, including intestinal parasites that cause significant production losses and financial instability over extended periods. Methods: Researchers collected 150 fecal samples from ostriches that dwelled in central and southern Iraq for microscopic examination of intestinal parasite occurrence. Results: The six parasite species included Entamoeba sp., which made up 26.66% of the population, and Cryptosporidium sp. at 11.33%, Ascaridia galli at 10%, Giardia sp. at 4.6%, Raillietina sp. at 2%, and Trichostrongyl. Molecular analysis was performed on a subset of positive samples because Entamoeba sp. is
... Show MoreBackground: Fifteen percent of small for gestational age are small as a result of fetal growth restriction, which could be due to maternal, placental or fetal factors. It is an important clinical problem associated with increase perinatal mortality and morbidity. Leptin is a protein that produced by many tissues including the placenta (syncytiotropholoast). Dysregulation of leptin metabolism may be implicated in preeclampsia and IUGR pathogenesis.
Aim of the study: To study the trend of leptin level alteration in maternal serum and cord blood in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction and its relation with fetal outcome.
Methods: An Analytic, cross- sectional study conducted in Al-Elwyia Maternity Teaching Hospital and
Background:Amino acid disorders are a major group of inborn error metabolism (IEM) with variable clinical presentation; its diagnosis constitutes a real challenge in a community with high consanguinity rate and no systematic newborn screening.
Objectives: to provide data about amino acid disorders detected in high-risk Iraqi children by using quantitative amino acid fluorescent high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis.
Type of the study: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: a descriptive cross sectional study from 1st February to 1st December 2014, at Neurological ward and clinic of the Children Welfare teaching Hospital, in Baghdad - Ira
... Show MoreThis research was conducted to measure the safety of heat stable enterotoxin a (STa) produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, through studying its toxic effect on mice since it showed a promising effect in reducing the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells. The cytogenetic effect was determined after giving five different doses (100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600)μg/Kg in comparison with negative (phosphate buffer saline / PBS) and positive (mitomycin C/ MMC, at doses of 2 and 5μg/Kg) controls on mouse bone marrow cells by employing the following parameters: mitotic index, chromosomal aberrations and micronucleus, also, the serum level of liver functional enzymes (GOT, GPT, ALP) was recorded. In addition, lethal dose 50 (LD 50) with cert
... Show MoreThis research examines the impact of cornering on the aerodynamic forces and stability of a Nissan Versa (Almera) passenger sedan car by introducing novel modifications. These modifications included single inverted wings with end plates as a front spoiler, double‐element inverted wings with end plates as a rear spoiler, and incorporating the ground as a diffuser under the car trunk. The goal is to enhance the performance and stability of conventional passenger cars. To ensure the accuracy of the numerical data, the study utilized multiple methodologies to model the turbulence model, ultimately selecting the most suitable option. This involved comparing numerical data with wind tunnel experimental d
Introduction: This study aimed to assess the color change of human teeth with artificial enamel white spot lesions (WSLs) after sandblasting with bioactive glass, resin infiltration, and microabrasion and to test color stability after pH cycling. Methods: Fifty extracted human mandibular first molars were randomly assigned into five groups: Sound, WSLs (untreated), and WSLs sandblasted with bioactive glass (Sylc), WSLs treated by resin infiltration (ICON), and WSLs treated by microabrasion (Opalustre), respectively. All specimens underwent a pH cycling procedure. The color parameters for each specimen were assessed using an Easyshade dental spectrophotometer at different time stages then the color changes (ΔE) were calculated. Results: The
... Show More