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
يهدف هذا البحث الى التطرق الى صورة العربي كما يعرضها ادب اليافعين العبري في رواية " نادية " للكاتبة العبرية " كاليلا رون فيدر " . والتي تعد من الاديبات العبريات اللواتي تطرقن بصورة مباشرة الى موضوع ما خلف الجدار ، والصراع العربي – الإسرائيلي وانعكاساته على المجتمع الإسرائيلي بصورة عامة والمجتمع العربي بصورة خاصة . ينقسم هذا البحث إلى ثلاثة فصول، تطرق الفصل الأول إلى "ادب اليافعين"، و تاريخه ، مميزاته والفئ
... Show MoreWestern Scholars have criticized al the material on the point of reliability . Some have taken the unduly Sceptical view that nothing is to be trusted except Quran . The present study is based on opposing view that at least the material in the early biographers is to be accepted as true , except where there are particular reasons for thinking that an anecdote has been distorted ( or invented ) through legal or political motives. It is also assumed that most of the background material culled from a large number of vaired works , is sound . This standpoint .I would claim , leads to a coherent view of Muhammad's life and achievement.
Multilocus haplotype analysis of candidate variants with genome wide association studies (GWAS) data may provide evidence of association with disease, even when the individual loci themselves do not. Unfortunately, when a large number of candidate variants are investigated, identifying risk haplotypes can be very difficult. To meet the challenge, a number of approaches have been put forward in recent years. However, most of them are not directly linked to the disease-penetrances of haplotypes and thus may not be efficient. To fill this gap, we propose a mixture model-based approach for detecting risk haplotypes. Under the mixture model, haplotypes are clustered directly according to their estimated d
The semiotic trend of recent monetary trends task that took a wide range of attention of critics and readers alike, especially after the deployment, which accompanied him after widespread acts critic Grimas and powers applicable to the literary texts and is thus expanded its care circle, hence the choice of the novel (absent) woman Iraqi novelist (Mahdi ‘Issa falcon) model to be applied to the study chose to be a semiotic approach through the use of procedural mechanisms for its critical tool (Paris School of semiotics), cash and views of its founder critic Grimas.The research in the introduction and pave came we made it a vision for literary semiotic and its impact trend in cash and cash is and what it desire to clarify some poked suc
... Show MoreThe modernity of election practices of the elections in Iraq, according to the democratic approach, has led to a struggle between political rival forces reflecting a deep pressure on the tools involved in the management, marketing or control of these elections across the general social level. Hence the problem of research resides in answering the following question: What is the nature and size of the pressures affecting the media performance of Al-Iraqia News channel before the legislative elections of 2018 in Iraq?
The objectives of the research were the following:
1. to identify the nature of the pressures that limit the Al-Iraqia News channel’s perfo
The goal of the research is to develop a sustainable rating system for roadway projects in Iraq for all of the life cycle stages of the projects which are (planning, design, construction and operation and maintenance). This paper investigates the criteria and its weightings of the suggested roadway rating system depending on sustainable planning activities. The methodology started in suggesting a group of sustainable criteria for planning stage and then suggesting weights from (1-5) points for each one of it. After that data were collected by using a closed questionnaire directed to the roadway experts group in order to verify the criteria weightings based on the relative importance of the roadway related impacts
... Show MoreThis study aims to identify the anxiety pregnant women have of dying, in the light of some Demographic variables in Bethlehem (age, residence, and the mother's job). The descriptive method was used in this study. To achieve the study purposes, the researchers developed a questionnaire as a tool of study, which consisted of (19) paragraphs ,after been verified of its validity & stability.
The researchers distributed questionnaires, and then analyzed them. Results illustrated that the levels of anxiety pregnant women in Bethlehem had of dying was average, with a mean total score of (3.11), and with a standard deviation that had the total score of (0.476). Results also illustrated statistical differences in the pregn
... Show MoreThe topic of (pilgrims) of the old and modern subjects at the same time, as it extends his foot and is associated with the beginning of speech and argument, a modern because it is based on studies and research (and the theory of pilgrims) from (Austin and Cyril) through (Charles Breman) to (Aristotle) ), It is worth mentioning here to mention the role of (Hazem al - Qartagni) in mentioning the value of the pilgrimage of hair and saying the use of persuasion in the hair, is palatable and acceptable. Hence our research applied these views, and we chose the pendants as a model for that matter.
The present study investigates the relation between the biliteral and triliteral roots which is the introduction to comprehend the nature of the Semitic roots during its early stage of development being unconfirmed to a single pattern. The present research is not meant to decide on the question of the biliteral roots in the Semitic languages, rather it is meant to confirm the predominance of the triliteral roots on these languages which refers, partially, to analogy adopted by the majority of linguists. This tendency is frequently seen in the languages which incline to over generalize the triliteral phenomenon, i. e., to transfer the biliteral roots to the triliteral room, that is, to subject it to the predominant pattern regarding the r
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