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
Many cities suffer from the large spread of slums, especially the cities of the Middle East. The purpose of the paper is to study the reality of informal housing in Al-Barrakia and the most important problems that it suffers from. The paper also seeks to study the presence or absence of a correlation between urban safety indicators and urban containment indicators as one of the methods of developing and planning cities. This can be achieved through sustainable urban management. The slums are a source of many urban problems that threaten the security and safety of the residents and represent a focus for the concentration of crimes and drugs. The paper seeks to answer the following question: How can urban safety be improved through urban cont
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Background: Insulin resistance is associated with metabolic syndrome , type 2 diabetes and representing a risk factor for cardiovascular disease . This relationship may be modulated to some extent by age related changes in sex hormone status.. In particular, reduced total testosterone (TT) levels have been associated with insulin resistance and subsequent risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Aim of study: we examined whether low total testosterone level were associated with insulin resistance in young adult men. Methods: a total of 83 men (young adult men) divided into 2 group : (group1 ) 49 men with a risk factor for insu
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This study aimed to develop an oral drug delivery system for gastro-retentive sustained drug release of baclofen by using a 3D printed capsular device since baclofen has a short half-life of 2.5 to 4 hours and has a narrow absorption window. Firstly sustained-release tablets of baclofen were formulated through the hot-melt extrusion of various thermoplastic polymers and direct compression of the extrudate, then a capsular device was designed and 3D printed to contain two air pockets to enable floating of the device and has four windows for drug release.
3D printing of the capsular device was done by an FDM printer using biodegradable PLA filament, and the sustained release tablets were inserted into the device to allow the medici
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The possibility of using activated carbon developed from date palm seeds wastes as a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) to remove copper from polluted shallow groundwater was investigated. The activated carbon has been developed from date palm seeds by dehydrating methods using concentrated sulfuric acid. Batch tests were performed to characterize the equilibrium sorption properties of new activated carbon in copper-containing aqueous solutions, while the sandy soil (aquifer) was assumed to be inert. Under the studied conditions, the Langmuir isotherm model gives a better fit for the sorption data of copper by activated carbon than other models. At a pilot scale, One-dimensional column experiments were performed, and an integrated model ba
... Show MoreZeolite Y nanoparticles were synthesized by sol - gel method. Dffirent samples using two silica sources were prepared.
Sodium metasilicate (Na2SiO3) (48% silica) and silicic acid silica (H2SiO3) (75% silica) were employed as silica
source and aluminum nitrate (Al(NO3)3.9H2O) was the aluminum source with tetrapropylammonium hydroxide
(TPAOH) as templating agent.
The synihesized-samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, showed the requirement of diffirent aging time for
complete crystallization to be achieved. Transmission Electronic Microscope (TEM) images, showed the particles were
in the same range of 30 - 75 nm. FT-IR spectroscory, showed the synthesized samples having the zeolite Y crystal
properties. The i
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Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is caused by a variety of processes. As a result, one biomarker is insufficient to represent the complete process. This study Evaluate the diagnostic value of serum kidney injury molecule-1(KIM-1) and cystatin C (CysC) as early biochemical markers of DKD and predictive their sensitivities and specificities as biomarkers of nephropathy in Iraqi type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients. This cross-sectional study include 161 T2DM patients from Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at Merjan medical city in Babylon. Patients divided according to urinary albumin creatinine ratio(ACR) (Group1:ACR≤30mg/g,Group2:ACR>30mg/g). Random spot urine and fasting blood samples were taken from each patient and urinary ACR, bloo
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من الاهمية دراسة التاريخ كونه يمدنا بحلول للمشكلات المعاصرة في ضوء خبرات الماضي، ودراسة سلبيات وايجابيات هذه الحلول، وانطلاقا من مبدأ أن ذوي الإعاقة البصرية طاقة بشرية لابد من استثمارها بما يخدم تقدم وازدهار المجتمع، فمن الأهمية تسليط الضوء على هذه الفئة والإسهام بنقل صورة مشرفة عنها، قد تكون دافعا للآخرين ممن اوقفهم انطفاء شعاع النور والبصيرة عن اكمال حياتهم لشرارة امل تعيد لهم شغفهم في الحياة، وته
... Show MoreThe 3D electro-Fenton technique is, due to its high efficiency, one of the technologies suggested to eliminate organic pollutants in wastewater. The type of particle electrode used in the 3D electro-Fenton process is one of the most crucial variables because of its effect on the formation of reactive species and the source of iron ions. The electrolytic cell in the current study consisted of graphite as an anode, carbon fiber (CF) modified with graphene as a cathode, and iron foam particles as a third electrode. A response surface methodology (RSM) approach was used to optimize the 3D electro-Fenton process. The RSM results revealed that the quadratic model has a high R2 of 99.05 %. At 4 g L-1 iron foam particles, time of 5 h, and
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Striae distensae SD or stretch mark are frequent skin lesion that cause considerable aesthetic concern. The 1064nm long pulsed Nd:YAG Laser has been used to promote an increase in dermal collagen and is known to be a Laser that has a high affinity to vascular chromphores. Also by using fractional CO2 Laser 10600nm as an effective modality in treatment of striae distensae SD. It works to stimulate fibroblast and enhance Collagen formation, which is important for newly generated skin tissue.
Objectives: This study aims to verify the efficacy of long pulsed Nd: YAG Laser (1064nm) in the treatment of immature striae distensae (SD) and the efficacy of C02 fractional Laser (10600nm) in treatment o
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