Abstract Candida albicans is a commensal fungal pathogen that grows in yeast and hyphal forms in the human gut. C. albicans causes mucosal and cutaneous diseases that can result in significant mortality following systematic infections and it also exhibits drug resistance. Zebrafish have been an excellent model to investigate C. albicans infections because of their transparency and the availability of many transgenic lines. However, there is a limitation in using zebrafish as a model because the fish embryos cannot survive at 37°C therefore it is not suitable for studying Candida infections at physiological relevant human body temperature. In this thesis, the normal embryonic development of Arabian killifish (A. dispar) is investigated, revealing that embryogenesis was divided into 32 stages based on diagnostic patterns of development. A. dispar can also found to tolerate a wide range of temperatures and salinities. This suggests that A. dispar could be developed as a novel model to investigate host-pathogen interactions. The tolerance of A. dispar to high temperatures may in part be attributable to brown pigment cells with a highly fluorescent character that may have developed to allow the fish to adapt to live within extreme environmental conditions with strong sunlight and a wide range of temperatures (Chapter 3). In terms of Candida infections, this study examined A. dispar as a model to test C. albicans pathogenicity. The survival of A. dispar embryos following Candida infection showed a dose dependent relationship. We also found that A. dispar can survive longer than zebrafish after infection. Furthermore, C. albicans cells were observed to undergo a transition from yeast to hyphae at 37°C. An investigation of the ability of mutant strains of C. albicans with defects in cell wall mannosylation revealed a significant impact on virulence, host mortality, and the fishes’ immune response. The present study found that although the deletion of O- and N-mannan from the cell wall of C. albicans, affected fungal burden (attenuation), and the survival of the infected embryos per se was significantly decreased in the infections of the mutant strains compared to the WT. This data confirms the importance of the mannosylation state of the cell wall in triggering an immune recognition event (Chapter 4). A. dispar is also shown to be suitable for studying the effectiveness of 3 | P a g e antifungals. Fluconazole treatment of infected embryos and eggs promoted greater rates of survival at high doses, alongside a significant reduction of C. albicans CFUs (Chapter 4). When looking at the Candida-host interaction, we directly observed phagocytosed yeast cells within macrophages. Various detection methods were used to follow macrophages and neutrophils including Western blotting, immunostaining and histological staining (Sudan black and FITC-tyramide) allowing the monitoring of the time course of the immune cells. A biphasic response of macrophages was detected by L-plastin Western blotting, suggesting activation of two different type of macrophage: activated macrophage (M1) and alternative macrophage (M2). We also assayed reactive oxygen species (ROS) within infected embryos using a fluorescent probe (H2DCFDA), revealing the accumulation of the fluorescent probe at the sites of infection. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the oxidative and immune response using the H2DCFDA and qPCR were also accomplished within A. dispar embryos after infection with both the WT and mutant strains of Candida albicans (WT, pmr1∆, mnt1-mnt2∆, and och1∆). The results confirmed that the mutant strains did not activate a host oxidative stress response nor immune cell accumulation when compared to WT, suggesting that the immune response is less activated against these mutants. Finally, a new transgenic line of A. dispar fish was developed using Betaactin-DsR-LoxP-GFP. The new transgenic A. dispar is suggested to be an ideal model for real time observation of host-pathogen interactions and for investigation of molecular functions of the immune response. Overall these results improve our understanding of the use of a new transparent fish model to study fungal pathogenesis and demonstrates the potential advantages of using this species in future studies of bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens at a physiologically relevant temperature for human infection. Such a model could lead us to investigate in more depth the key interactions between pathogens and their host and permit the screening and development of new antifungal therapies (that might target the pathogens directly or target the host immune system). View full metadata
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This paper proposes and studies an ecotoxicant system with Lotka-Volterra functional response for predation including prey protective region. The equilibrium points and the stability of this model have been investigated analytically both locally and globally. Finally, numerical simulations and graphical representations have been utilized to support our analytical findings
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In this study, a mercapto-quinazolinone derivative, 3-(4-Bromobenzyl)-2-mercaptoquinazolin-4(3H)-one (compound B), was synthesized and assessed as a corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel (CS45) in 1M hydrochloric acid. The synthesis began with anthranilic acid and involved two main steps: first, the formation of a thiocyanate intermediate, followed by its reaction with anthranilic acid to produce compound B. The chemical structure of the synthesized compound was confirmed using FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR techniques. The corrosion inhibition performance of compound B was evaluated at different concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.3 M) and temperatures (293, 303, and 313 K) in acidic media. Potentiodynamic polarization measu
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The compound 2,2'-(((1H-benzo(d)imidazol-2-yl)methyl)azanediyl)bis(ethan-1-ol) was reacted with benzyl bromide to afford compound (1) which used as row material to prepare a series of compounds through condensation reaction, the starting compound were reacted with tosyl chloride to protect the OH group to afford compound 2, then reacted benzyl bromide to produce compound (2), then the compound (2) treated with three compounds ( 2-mercaptobenzthiazole, 2-mercaptobenimidazol and 2-chloromethyl benzimidazole) to form compounds 3a,b, 4a,b and 5a,b respectively. In the another step the click reaction of compound 2,2'-(((1H-benzo(d)imidazol-2-yl)methyl)azanediyl)bis(ethan-1-ol) with Propargyl bromide produce compound 6 which reacted
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In the current study, new derivatives were synthesized by reaction of N-hydroxyphthalimide with chloro acetyl chloride in the presence of Et3N as a base to form 1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl 2-chloroacetate (B1), which in turn enters several reactions with different amines where it interacts with primary amines to give 1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl acetate derivatives (B2-B4) in basic medium, in the same way it interacts with these amines but with adding KNCS to form thiourea derivatives (B5-B7). It also reacts with diamines to give bis(azanediyl) derivatives (compounds B8-B10). The prepared derivatives were diagnosed using infrared FTIR and 1HNMR,13CNMR for some derivatives. Compounds B4, B5 and B9 were measured as corrosion inhibitors the inhibitio
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The interest in pre-service teacher training has become influential in teaching English as a foreign language, and the purpose of this training course is to prepare qualified teachers to teach effectively through the application of this technique by undergraduate students. This research aims to find out the effect of using the seven principles of good practice as a teaching technique on the fourth stage student-teachers’ performance at the College of Education for Women/University of Baghdad, during the academic year 2017-2018. The sample includes (60) students selected according to the stratified sampling method. The observational checklist used by the department to assess the student teachers’ performance during the practicum perio
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This paper studies the main characteristics of the traditional urban configuration of Arab cities, as an important built heritage, discussing the approach adopted with such configuration at the local level, and examines its ability to preserve the character of the city, as well as, its responsiveness to the recent requirements of its society that constantly change; in order to reach the appropriate procedures to deal with the traditional urban configuration of the Iraqi city to achieve a vital cultural communication with the vernacular built heritage, by dealing with the Form-Moral Values structure. Due to its importance within other traditional Iraqi cities, the research chose Al-Kadhimiya as a case study, so it discusses and compares
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Background: Hyperplastic polyps account for 30–93% of gastric polyps. Recently, there have been studies about the development of dysplasia in this type of polyp. Every cell in the body contains the p53 gene, which has anti-cancer properties. Objective: The sensitivity of immunohistochemical expression of p53 is evaluated among gastric hyperplastic polyps with and without dysplasia and gastric adenomatous polyps to know its usefulness as a diagnostic marker. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was done on fifty formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of gastric polyps (44 hyperplastic polyps without dysplasia, 3 hyperplastic polyps with dysplasia, and 3 adenomas). Cases were collected from the archives of the pathology d
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