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
Mixed ligand complexes of bivalent metal ions, viz; M= Fe(II),Co(II),Ni(II),Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd (II), and Hg(II) of the composition Na2[M (Amox)(Sac)3] in 1:1:3 molar ratio, (where Amox = Amoxicillin tryhydrate (C16H19N3O5S.H2O) and Sac = Saccharine(C7H5NO3S) have been synthesized and characterized by repeated melting point determination, Solubility, Molar conductivity, determination the percentage of the metal in the complexes by flame(AAS), FT-IR, magnetic susceptibility measurements and electronic spectral data. The ligands and their metal complexes have been screened for their biological activity against selected microbial strains (gram +ve) and (gram -ve).
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Mixed ligand complexes of bivalent metal ions, viz; M= Fe(II),Co(II),Ni(II),Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd (II), and Hg(II) of the composition Na2[M (Amox)(Sac)3] in 1:1:3 molar ratio, (where Amox = Amoxicillin tryhydrate (C16H19N3O5S.H2O) and Sac = Saccharine(C7H5NO3S) have been synthesized and characterized by repeated melting point determination, Solubility, Molar conductivity, determination the percentage of the metal in the complexes by flame(AAS), FT-IR, magnetic susceptibility measurements and electronic spectral data. The ligands and their metal complexes have been screened for their biological activity against selected microbial strains (gram +ve) and (gram -ve).
Objective: This study aimed to assessing new suggested technique of Physical Growth Curves (PGC) charts in
children under two years old of a non-probability sample.
Methodology: A non-probability sample of size (420) children under two years selected from 12 Primary
Health Care Centers in Diyala governorate during the period from 15th Nov. 2010 to 13th Mar. 2011
according to admix of a different properties together in one chart/or growth curve chart included in at least
weight, Height, and Head circumference.
Results: the results showed different properties that can be admix together in one chart/or growth curve
chart included in at least weight, Height, and Head circumference. And to overtake the problem of the norm
As a result of the entry of multinationals companies in Iraq for investing in the joint projects through conducting agreements and contracts for work on important and strategic projects to get the necessary funds and various experiences which characterize the foreign participant sides that Iraq currently needs them and because of the non-applying the accounting processing stipulated in the unified accounting system in addition to the absence of a local accounting bases as well as the default of the participant contracts on indicating the accounting methods about those projects which are considered one of the bases that enables auditors in the public sector to depend on it, thus the research paper deals with studying an
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Recently, Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) consider one of the major fields of study in educational institutions, caused by the necessity to identify their knowledge value and success. Hence, based on the updated DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems Success Model (DMISSM), this study set out to assess the success of the Perceived Usefulness of Knowledge Management Systems (PUKMS) in Iraqi universities. To achieve this objective, the quantitative method is selected as the research design. In total, 421 university administration staff members from 13 Iraqi private universities were conducted. This study highlights a number of significant results depending on structural equation modeling which confirms that system, information, and s
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The Russian foreign policy of the post-cold-war era faced dilemmas in the light of the international and regional realities of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the formation of a new unipolar international order led by the United States of America. Thus, Russian foreign policy-making was divided over the nature of the foreign policy to be followed. The achievement of the Russian goals, especially as the objectives of Russian foreign policy have been set within the framework of trying to regain the status and leading role, as well as the establishment of some fundamental changes to be consistent with the new international situation of the post-one The Russian Federation has adopted in the sphere of its foreign policy to the vari
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The aim of this research was to evaluate the level of ball control in basketball. There was a great weakness in ball control that affected the mastery of many skills that affect the success of the team. The researcher also found a lack in training programs concerning ball control. The researchers used (9) special tests for ball control out of (41) test applied on young basketball players were (86). The researchers concluded that: 1. Criteria were set for test results of ball control. 2. A level of criteria was set for test results of ball control.
The effect of using three different interpolation methods (nearest neighbour, linear and non-linear) on a 3D sinogram to restore the missing data due to using angular difference greater than 1° (considered as optimum 3D sinogram) is presented. Two reconstruction methods are adopted in this study, the back-projection method and Fourier slice theorem method, from the results the second reconstruction proven to be a promising reconstruction with the linear interpolation method when the angular difference is less than 20°.
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Linguistic research according to modern curricula:
It is one of the important matters that occupy the ideas of those concerned with linguistic studies, whether Arabic or otherwise. Recent years have witnessed the advancement of this methodological approach, and books and studies in Arabic have been written on important, multifaceted issues, of grammatical and linguistic origins, and their balance with new developments and ideas attracted mostly from Western studies.
The comparative approach - as they call it - is one of the modern approaches that is based on balancing a language with other sisters belonging to its family, to reach similarities and differences between them, and to know the c