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
Sludge from stone-cutting (SSC) factories and stone mines cannot be used as decorative stones, stone powder, etc. These substances are left in the environment and cause environmental problems. This study aim is to produce artificial stone composite (ASC) using sludge from stone cutting factories, cement, unsaturated resin, water, silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiC-NPs), and nano-graphene oxide (NGO) as fillers. Nano graphene oxide has a hydrophobic plate structure that water is not absorbed due to the lack of surface tension on these plates. NGO has a significant effect on the properties of artificial stone due to its high specific surface area and low density in the composite. Its uniform distribution in ASC is very low due to its hydropho
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The study aimed to highlight the reality of the functional pressures with its dimensions (role ambiguity, role conflict, role burden, glass ceiling, and discrimination in composition). The researchers also relied on the questionnaire as a essential tool for data collection. The field study was conducted at the University of Mohammed Khiedr - Biskra -, the study was conducted on the basis of the total survey, which included all the workers of the 6 faculties of Biskra University (523 female employees).
After the analyzing of the data using the version 21 of the statistical program Spss, The study reached a number of results, the most of them is the low level of the functiona
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Background: Diagnosis and treatment planning can be difficult with conventional radiographic methods as the orthodontic-surgical management of impacted canines requires accurate diagnosis and precise localization of the impacted canine and the surrounding structures. This study was aimed to localize and evaluate weather there is any differences in the diagnostic information provided by multi-slice computed tomography three dimensional volumetric CT images and two dimensional reconstructed panorama images (derived from CT) in subjects with impacted maxillary canines. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients including 24 female and 6 male with mean age of 18 years with suspected unilaterally or bilaterally impacted maxillary canines were evalu
... Show MoreBackground: It had been found that passive smoking may have the same harmful effect as tobacco cigarettes smoking. Aims: This study was conducted to determine the effect of passive smoking on salivary glutathione peroxidase and selenium in relation to dental caries severity. Settings and Design: The sample consisted of 120 children aged 5 years old, classified into four groups according to the number of cigarettes smoked by their fathers daily: Passive smoking children of 5-10 cigarettes, those of 10–15 cigarettes daily, those of 15–20 cigarettes daily and non-passive smoking children of no smokers indoor (the control group). The sample was further classified according to dental caries severity into three groups: mild (DMFS values <4
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Echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. This disease is an important public health and a significant economic issue in Iraq, where the lungs and livers are the popular places of infection. The aim of the current study focused on using the molecular techniques in the detection of an E. granulosus strain that causes cystic echinococcosis to human, sheep and cattle in Thi-Qar province, Iraq. In the current study, thirty isolates of E. granulosus were collected from 10 human hydatid cysts through surgery done at Al-Hussein Imam Teaching Hospital in Thi-Qar province and 10 sheep with 10 cattle hydatid cysts were obtained from the slaughterhouse in Thi-
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Abstract: Recombinant Newcastle disease virus (rNDV) has shown an anticancer effect in preclinical studies, but has never been tested in a lung cancer models. In this study we explored the anticancer activity of genetically modified NDV expressing IL-2-P53 (rClone30–IL-2-P53) in lung cancer model. We have cloned IL-2 and P53 genes and inserted them in the viral genome of New Castle Disease Virus to create a genetically modified rNDV- IL-2-P53 virus and tested the anti-tumor activity of the new virus in vitro on different types of cancer cell lines by MTT assay. TheIL-2 and P53 gene were successfully cloned and inserted into the viral genome by using a Mlu I and Sfi I endonucleases, viral vector was constructed correctly and successf
... Show MoreThe objectives of this research are to determine and find out the reality of crops structure of greenhouses in association of Al-Watan in order to stand on the optimal use of economic resources available for the purpose of reaching a crop structure optimization of the farm that achieves maximize profit and gross and net farm incomes , using the method of linear programming to choose the farm optimal plan with the highest net income , as well as identifying production plans farm efficient with (income - deviation) optimal (E-A) of the Association and derived, which takes into account the margin risk wich derived from each plan using the model( MOTAD), as a model of models of linear programming alternative programming m
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The innate art,is a major tributary in the art world, It is a bold achievement, has a special flavor, With self-identity, linked to the origins and roots of human ,That goes back to the past and the history and culture of peoples. This business is not limited to only aesthetic side, but is loaded with religious and magical experience, and have social functions, This creations stayed live, breathe, grow, and change with the transformation of society, these processors emerged, from local people have not been trained academically.Their Elvis came from community culture,Which are, Mesopotamian thoroughbreds.This culture that we desperately need today, in order to increase ourselves Iraqi force, In the face of the modern world, which is locke
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According to the measuring the relationship between organizational loyalty and job satisfaction among staff members at one college in the higher education ministry in Iraq by using exploratory factor analysis methods to extraction the components which have the major effects on the variables related to organizational loyalty and job satisfaction .
The research contains four basic topics، the first section related to methodology and regarding the conceptual framework it is discussed in the second section، and the third section concentrated at the presentation and the analysis Scientific results and practical results are section presented in the fourth.