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
(24)
(20)
This research deals with leverage and its impact on the profitability of Islamic banks in Iraq for the years (2015-2018), the research variables of leverage have been analyzed and measured as an independent variable, profitability as a dependent variable, and the research is based on a main hypothesis: there is a moral relationship of statistical significance. Between leverage and profitability at The Islamic Cooperation Bank for the period (2015-2018). The results of the research showed that there are moral (exorcist) relationships between the ratio of leverage and profitability indicators, as the higher the leverage ratio, the higher the profitability indicators. In addition, The Islamic Cooperation Bank has adopted a conservative poli
... Show MoreTumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) antagonists’ therapy are expensive and has a non-responsive rate between 30% to 40% in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Genetic variation plays a vital role in the responsiveness to this type of therapy.The aim of this study is to investigate if the presence of genetic polymorphism in the TNF-α gene promoter region at locations -376 G/A (rs1800750), -806 C/T (rs4248158), and -1031 T/C (rs1799964) affects rheumatoid arthritis patient's tendency to be a non-responder to etanercept.
Eighty RA patients on etanercept (ETN) for at least six months were recruited from the Rheumatology Unit at Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Based on The European League Against Rheumatism response (EULAR) criteria, patient
... Show More
(11)
(8)
Malaysia is linked to the countries of the Middle East by a historical relationship identified by a number of factors and determinants that affected the developments of that relationship, especially its relentless endeavor to preserve its Islamic identity with the leadership of the rest of the other ethnicities, in addition to those factors and international determinants that directly affected the typicality of this relationship and perhaps the United States stands At the forefront of who represents this international variable, as it is considered the Middle East region as a core region and within its vital field, and therefore any analog relationship in the field of international relations and one of its parties is the countries of the
... Show More
The adoption of many mathematical concepts contributes to the construction of models of sports and the population can be interpreted to explain the movement and growth of the population lead to proper planning to manage the requirements of the population and meet their needs of providing education or providing medical services, health and others. In this study, the number of births in the Governorate of Basrah for the period (1998-2050) is estimated to be based on the assumption that the population of the visually impaired is a stable society. If the rate of growth is (0.0492), some demographic indicators are important for maintaining the average age of women at pregnancy (27.817). Each woman will give birth (3.74) female birth d
... Show More
A legal discourse in the Qur’an and Sunnah is almost devoid of the use of one of the general formulas, and due to its frequent rotation in the tongue of the legislator, the formulas may overlap their members in apparently contradictory provisions, which makes the individual from the general members appear to the beholder to be covered by two contradictory provisions, and this research came to present what might happen to him The legal text interpreter of weighting between the two opposing texts is the strength of the generality that is established by the generality formula, so the two strongest formulas in the inclusion of its members outweigh the weaker of them and precede them, and the research decided that the formulas vary
... Show MoreThe research aims to measure the sustainability of the Iraqi economy for the period 1990-2018 as well as to show the impact of fluctuations in the level of GDP on financial sustainability, where financial sustainability is the necessary and sufficient condition for achieving economic and financial balance in the country, as financial sustainability reflects the movement of the state budget and its relationship to GDP through the indicators of deficit, fiscal surplus and public debt internal and external, as well as reflecting the art of managing public debt, and the more managed public debt is achieved, the more the management of public debt is achieved financial sustainability. for the state in the sense that there is a reciprocal
... Show MoreIndustries copper a craft that requires precision and patience great in the processes of industrialization and execution of product launches brass designs and a variety of forms , and the goal of research into the possibility of the use of modern technologies in the development of industries copper local , and identifies research study models of industries copper local to the city of Baghdad , and are available in the markets for the period from (200 - 2011) , Chapter II Multi industries copper local and technical in the copper industry , and after analysis models the sample was the most important conclusions : can work forms a multi- product copper formations deep or window using the technique work motifs and patterns. - formations deco
... Show More