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
Bioindicators have an important role in assessing the quality of water bodies. Aquatic oligocheates, was used as a bioindicator to assess the sediment quality of Al-Hindyia and AL-Abbasyia river (branches of Euphrates River in Iraq). Two sites in each river have been chosen for this purpose, site S1 was located at Al-Hindyia River and S2 at Al-Abbasyia River. Some kinds of biological indices were used in this study, comprising the percentage of oligochaetes in benthic invertebrates, ranged from 20.3-60.16%. While the percentage of Tubificidae within benthic invertebrates was close 43.3-43.9%.Index of pollution D ranged from 0.13-0.21. The maximum percentage of aquatic oligochaetes to insects larvae of family
... Show MoreExamining of 80 feces samples showed that 31 samples of the house and stray cats harbored either single or mixed infection with eight species of parasites and protozoa with a total infection rate 38.75 %.The results on parasite classes are: Toxocara cati (5%), Ancylostoma tubeforme (3.75%), Capillaria felis(3.75%), Isospora sp.(10%), Cryptosporidium parvum(3.75%), Cryptosporidium muris (6.25%), Toxoplasma gondi (3.75%), Giardia sp.(2.5%) infection from feces of cats that showed single, double and triple infections. Our findings revealed the risk for public health, thus preventive measures should be implemented.
This study outlines the synthesis of substituted 1,2,4-triazole derivatives through the cyclization reaction of thiourea derivatives. The process begins with the reaction of different halides with KSCN to produce isothiocyanate derivatives. then followed by a reaction with isonicotinic acid hydrazide to yield thioureas (1-6), with a yield rate of (72-88%). Then, compounds (1-6) were treated with alkaline medium 4 N (NaOH) to produced 1,2,4-triazole derivatives (7-12) with a yield (51-69%).The structure of the prepared compounds was characterized using FTIR,1HNMR and 13CNMR spectroscopy. Some of the synthesized compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity when, compound 9 showed strong activity against gram positive bacteria (Sta
... Show MoreTo evaluate the bioactivity and the cytocompatibility of experimental Bioglass-reinforced polyethylene-based root-canal filling materials. The thermal properties of the experimental materials were also evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry, while their radiopacity was assessed using a grey-scale value (GSV) aluminium step wedge and a phosphor plate digital system. Bioglass 45S5 (BAG), polyethylene and Strontium oxide (SrO) were used to create tailored composite fibres. The filler distribution within the composites was assessed using SEM, while their bioactivity was evaluated through infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) after storage in simulated body fluid (SBF). The radiopacity of the composite fibres and their thermal properties were
... Show MoreTwo simple methods for the determination of eugenol were developed. The first depends on the oxidative coupling of eugenol with p-amino-N,N-dimethylaniline (PADA) in the presence of K3[Fe(CN)6]. A linear regression calibration plot for eugenol was constructed at 600 nm, within a concentration range of 0.25-2.50 μg.mL–1 and a correlation coefficient (r) value of 0.9988. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 0.086 and 0.284 μg.mL–1, respectively. The second method is based on the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of the derivatized oxidative coupling product of eugenol with PADA. Under the optimized extraction procedure, the extracted colored product was determined spectrophotometrically at 618 nm. A l
... Show MoreThe aim of this study is to identify the effect of enabling the effectiveness of the work of the audit committees in private commercial banks and to identify the extent of awareness of the importance of empowerment in the work of these committees, especially as it is known that these committees, especially the inspection committees that go to private banks and from various sources including committees of the Central Bank of Iraq Committees of the Securities Commission and finally committees of the external audit offices, through an analysis of the determinants of empowerment in the performance of the most important work of the audit committees, namely: supervising the process of preparing reports, supervising the system of intern
... Show MorePurpose: The research aims to explore the impact Business Intelligence System (BIS) and Knowledge Conversion Processes (KCP) in the Building Learning Organization (LO) in KOREK Telecom Company in Baghdad city.
Design/methodology/approach: in order to achieve the objectives of the research has been the development of a questionnaire prepared for this purpose and then has tested the search in the telecommunications sector, representatives of one of the telecommunications companies in Baghdad city, has therefore chosen KOREK Telecom company as a sample for research, and the choice was based on the best standard international companies to serve mobile communications in terms o
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to highlight the skills of office managers and it's impact on the effectiveness of time management in the institutes and faculties of middle technical university and a group of cognitive and practical aims. The managers skills forms mthe modern trend and the main source to provide organizations with highly skilled managers with distinctive performance and because of the sharp changes in the environment which today's organizations works in it , business organizations generally and managers especially realise the importance of time management and it's role in achieving competitive advantage . The problem of this study raised from this point which reflect the extent of departments managers realisation
... Show MoreViolence is one of the most serious threats facing societies because it affects their internal structure and threatens the security and stability of society. It is classified as one of the types of security crises that are emerging in Arab and Islamic societies in particular, and in most countries of the world in general.
The threat of this crisis is increasing. Terrorism is considered as one of the most serious aspects of that all the countries of the world, currently, suffer from. The terrorism has begun to penetrate deep into society in one way or another starting from the Second World War, which led to the emergence of leftist movements in Western Europe, Japan, France, Italy and other countries as a result of emerging ideas
... Show MoreObjectives:
To evaluate mothers’ attitudes toward readiness for discharge care at home for a premature baby in Intensive Care Unit at teaching hospitals in Medical City Complex and to find out the relationship between mothers’ attitudes and their socio-demographic characteristics.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental study design was carried out through the period of 6th January 2020 to 2021 to 11th March 2021, to evaluate mother’s attitude toward discharge care plan for premature babies. The study carried out in Welfare Teaching Hospital, Nursing Home Hospital and Baghdad Teaching Hospital at Medical City Complex in Baghdad City on 30 mother of premature babies in neonatal intensive care units using the nonprobability sampling