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The Arabian killifish (Aphanius dispar) as a novel model for mycophysiological studies.
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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

Publication Date
Sat Jul 19 2025
Journal Name
Journal Of Pharmacology And Pharmacotherapeutics
Pharmaceutical Frontliners: Community Pharmacists’ Contribution to Managing Medication Needs During a Health Crisis— The COVID-19 Era as an Example
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Community pharmacists faced more complex challenges in meeting patients’ medication needs during the pandemic than previously reported in the literature. Objectives To explore the perception and abilities of community pharmacists in managing patients’ needs in terms of medication dispensing during the pandemic, and to examine its effect on improving the patients’ situations. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study design, validated by 30 experts, was conducted using an electronic survey (Google Form) to assess the effect of the dispensing practice of Iraqi community pharmacists on the patient’s clinical outcomes during the pandemic. The survey was distributed on professional pharmacist’s social media platforms from December

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Publication Date
Sun Jun 05 2016
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
Synthesis and Characterization of Some Novel Oxazine, Thiazine and Pyrazol Derivatives
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In this paper, some chalcone derivatives (C1, C2) were synthesized based on the reaction of equal amount of substituted acetophenone and substituted banzaldehyde in basic medium. Oxazine and thiazine derivatives were prepared from the reaction of chalcones (C1-C2) with urea and thiourea respectively in a basic medium. Pyrazole derivatives were prepared based on the reaction of chalcones with hydrazine mono hydrate or phenyl hydrazine in the presence of glacial acetic acid as a catalyst. The new synthesized compounds were identified using various physical techniques like1 H-NMR and FT-IR spectra.

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Publication Date
Thu May 18 2023
Journal Name
Journal Of Engineering
Field Study of Novel Storage Tank of Solar Water Heating System
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In this paper thermo-hydrodynamic characteristics were investigated experimentally for a new type shell-helical coiled tube heat exchanger used as a storage tank of closed loop solar water heater system. Triple concentric helical coils were made of copper tubes of (12.5mm OD and 10mm ID) with coils diameter of (207, 152.2, 97mm) for outer, middle and inner coils respectively. The experiments were carried out during a clear sky days of (March and April 2012). The parameters studied in this work are: history of average temperature of shell side of the storage tank, collector heat gain, heat rejected from coils to shell side of the storage tank, collector efficiency, thermal effectiveness of the heat exchanger (storage tank), and pressure d

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Publication Date
Fri Jun 29 2018
Journal Name
Journal Of The College Of Education For Women
Stream of Consciousness Technique: Psychological Perspectives and Use in Modern Novel
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Stream of Consciousness technique has a great impact on writing literary texts in the modern age. This technique was broadly used in the late of nineteen century as a result of thedecay of plot, especially in novel writing. Novelists began to use stream of consciousness technique as a new phenomenon, because it goes deeper into the human mind and soul through involving it in writing. Modern novel has changed after Victorian age from the traditional novel that considers themes of religion, culture, social matters, etc.  to be a group of irregular events and thoughts interrogate or reveal the inner feeling of  readers.

This study simplifies stream of consciousness technique through clarifying the three levels of conscious

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Publication Date
Sat Jan 01 2022
Journal Name
Materials Science For Energy Technologies
New organic PVC photo-stabilizers derived from synthesised novel coumarine moieties
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Publication Date
Mon Jan 01 2024
Journal Name
Journal Of Molecular Structure
Synthesis, biomedical activities, and molecular docking study of novel chromone derivatives
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Publication Date
Thu Jan 02 2025
Journal Name
Ibn Al-haitham Journal For Pure And Applied Sciences
Morphological and Molecular studies of Acanthobra marmid Heckel, 1843 (Piscies, Cypriniformes, Leuciscidae) from the Middle of Iraq
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Leuciscidae species are the abundant and widely distributed fish species in Iraq's inland waters. They are complex species, and morphology makes them difficult to identify. Molecular analysis achieved and confirmed the morphological characters. Twenty specimens of Acanthobrama marmid were collected from two localities at Tigris River, in the middle of Iraq; 15 specimens from the Al-Zubaydia sub-district and five specimens from Al-Tharthar Lake. We used the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (cytb) gene to sequence the DNA of A. marmid. The following analysis are compared the sequences with those of other fish genera and species found in the Gene Bank. The barcoding result (DNA sequencing) in fishes found in the same family (Leuciscidae) showed

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Publication Date
Fri Jun 15 2018
Journal Name
Journal Of Baghdad College Of Dentistry
Histological and histomorphometric studies of the effects of hyaluronic acid on osseointegration of titanium implant in rabbits
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Background: One of the unique prosthesis for tooth or teeth replacement is the dental implant. Our attempt is using a biomaterial system that is easily obtained and applicable and has the ability to provoke osteoinductive growth factor to enhance bone formation at the site of application. One of these natural polymers is hyaluronic acid. Material and methods: Sixty machined surface implants from commercially pure titanium rod inserted in thirty NewZealand rabbits. Two implants placed in both tibia of each rabbit. The animals scarified at 1, 2 and 4 weeks after implantation (10 rabbits for each interval). For all of animals the right tibia’s implant was control (uncoated) and the left one was experimental (coated with 0.1ml Hyaluro

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Publication Date
Tue Jul 11 2023
Journal Name
Journal Of Educational And Psychological Researches
International Studies Concerning Teachers’ Attitudes towards the Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs: Review of Literature
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Over the years, the issue of inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools is controversial worldwide. Evidence from research argues that without a positive teachers’ attitude towards the inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream schools, the successful implementation of inclusion is most likely doubtable. The aim of this paper is to understand teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream schools from different perspectives and from different contexts. The conclusion drawn in this review can be that teachers’ attitude is the most important key towards the appropriate inclusion implementation in mainstream schools. The disparity of teachers’ attitudes towards th

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Publication Date
Mon Aug 01 2022
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
Application of GIS technique in the studies on fish assemblages in Shatt Al-Arab River, Basrah, Iraq
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The present study has examined the spatiotemporal varieties of the demographics of the Shatt Al-Arab River fishes and their relation to some ecological components. The aim is to forecast these groups in the unexplored parts of the waterway with an emphasis on environmental indices of diversity. Three sites in the river were selected as an observation and study of these species, which lasted from March 2019 to February 2020, the study dealt with factors affecting fishes, as Water Temperature (WT), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Potential Hydrogen Ion (pH), Salinity (Sal), and Transparency (Tra). Gill nets, cast nets, hooks, and hand nets were adopted to collecting fish. The results indicated that the fish population comprises 60 species represent

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