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
The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral counseling in reducing symptoms of social anxiety and improving social skills among a sample of intermediate school students in the city of Souq Al-Shuyukh at Dhi Qar Governorate. The sample consisted of (40) female students, their ages ranged (14-15). They were selected based on their high scores on the social anxiety scale. The sample was divided into two groups: an experimental group, and a control group, equal in number (20) students in each group. The researcher used the social anxiety scale and the social skills scale. In addition, he used the cognitive-behavioral counseling program, consisting of (11) counseling sessions, with a rate of (45) minutes per sessio
... Show MoreThe present paper(Spacio-Temporal Relations in the Translated Text in Both Russian and Arabic) focuses on the spacio-temporal effect in the translated text; it is possible to compose the translation text simultaneously with the process of the composing the original text. This is carried out during the simultaneous consecutive translation. And, the time and place of composing the translation might greatly differ from the time and place of composing the original textt. The translator may tackle a text of an ancient time and written in a language which might have changed, and may thus appear as another language where the author might have talked on behalf of a people who had lived or are living in apparently different geographic
... Show More
(7)
The experiment was carried out in the green house of botanical garden belong to Department of Biology/College of Education for Pure Science- Ibn–al- Haitham/University of Baghdad, for the growth season 2015 using plastic pots. The experiment aimed to study the effect of two concentrations of sodium chloride (50, 100) mM.L-1 in addition to the control and four concentrations of kinetin (25, 50, 75, 100) mg.L-1 in addition to the control and the influence of application and non application of fertilizlizer NPKZn in the level 160 kg.h1- and their interactions on some growth parameters (fresh weight for both root and vegetative part, dry weight for leaves , value of secondary productivity, biomass duration for vegetative part and dry weight f
... Show More
(1)
(2)
The topological parameters of the metal-metal and metal-ligand bonding interactions in a trinuclear tetrahydrido cluster [(Cp*Co) (CpRu)2 (μ3-H) (μ-H)3]1 (Cp* = η5 -C5Me4Et), (Cp = η5 -C5Me5), was explored by using the Quantum Theory of Atoms-in-Molecules (QTAIM). The properties of bond critical points such as the bond delocalization indices δ (A, B), the electron density ρ(r), the local kinetic energy density G(r), the Laplacian of the electron density ∇2ρ(r), the local energy density H(r), the local potential energy density V(r) and ellipticity ε(r) are compared with data from earlier organometallic system studies. A comparison of the topological processes of different atom-atom interactions has become possible than
... Show More
(3)
(3)
BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of urinary bladder is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and constitutes a major health problem. Multiple risk factors are associated with this tumor and its prognosis will depend on different clinicopathological parameters. Over expression of P53 protein and mutant Rb gene is associated with more aggressive clinical and histopathological features of the tumor such as advanced stage and higher grade. AIM: The immunohistochemical expression of Rb gene and P53 gene will be assessed through their protein products in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder and then will be correlated with other well-known risk factors and prognostic parameters of bladder TCC, such as grading, tumor size, smoking
... Show More
(1)
(1)
Land use change, particularly the expansion of urban areas and associated human activities at the expense of natural and semi-natural areas, is a major ecological issue in urban areas around the world. Climate change being a very strong additional driver for changing the temperature and habitat in the cities. This also applies to Baghdad, Iraq, where urbanisation and climate change exerts a major pressure on the natural habitats of the city, and thus may affect the ability of city planners to adapt to future climate change scenarios. Here we present evidence of substantial growth in urban areas, increases in temperature, and degradation of natural vegetation within Baghdad city by using Remote Sensing techniques and an assessment for the
... Show More
(8)
(7)