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
The research aims to show the role or extent of the impact of financing in its various forms on the municipal performance before and after the financial deficit through relying on the analytical research methodology of the research community represented by the Directorate General of Municipalities and the Directorate of Maysan municipalities as a sample of research (13) municipal institutions for a period of (8) years, Considering the completion of the final accounts of these years, which provides the necessary data for the study, in addition to the variation in the quality and amounts of grants allocated to municipal institutions during these years, which gives a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the reality of allocatio
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In this study, the first kind Bessel function was used to solve Kepler equation for an elliptical orbiting satellite. It is a classical method that gives a direct solution for calculation of the eccentric anomaly. It was solved for one period from (M=0-360)° with an eccentricity of (e=0-1) and the number of terms from (N=1-10). Also, the error in the representation of the first kind Bessel function was calculated. The results indicated that for eccentricity of (0.1-0.4) and (N = 1-10), the values of eccentric anomaly gave a good result as compared with the exact solution. Besides, the obtained eccentric anomaly values were unaffected by increasing the number of terms (N = 6-10) for eccentricities (0.8 and 0.9). The Bessel
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The Journal of Studies and Researches of Sport Education (JSRSE)
Objectives: To study the effect of providing tertiary (specialized) health care for type 2 diabetic patients to meet the WHO and ADA standards and glycemic targets.
Method: Six months, Jan. – Jun. 2010, cohort study was conducted on 600 adult diabetics who registered in the National Diabetes Center (NDC) / Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad – Iraq. They were followed for 3- 6 months; each time patients were examined physically and their blood pressure, height, weight and BMI were measured. Fasting blood samples were taken from all patients to test the FPG, HbA1c, T.Chol, TG, HDL and LDL.
Results: Patients’ age was 52.85±15.56 year and the male/female ratio was 1.01, the median duration of disease was 7 years and their BMI w
The last four decades have witnessed a number of rapid and successive international changes in terms of future impacts and orientations. International economy has transformed into a competitive small village due to the information technology revolution and the liberation processes and the economic openness that the market witnesses, there became one market and the activists in this international market are not governments only but rather international organizations and huge multinational corporations where each spares no effort to take every opportunity and face challenges within the frame of removing all impediments and release transactions under the auspices of these global developments, the idea of creating Islamic
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Diversity of the aspects of analyzing a specific linguistic issue is considered to be a
familiar phenomenon in learning Arabic in which – at different levels- various linguistic
aspects and phases – sometimes – are involved in a linguistic issue . In this paper , the
problematic issues during linguistic analysis are taken into an account. The Holy Quran
interpretation books include many Quranic expressions which have a lot of meaning described
by different interpreters , from them this paper has selected only one expression ( = كفاتا
receptacle ) from the verse "Have we not made the earth a receptacle " ( Al- Mursalat verse 25
) , this paper believes that this expression is sufficient display the interpret
The Local and Global Corporations are suffering of managerial and financial corruption phenomena, which leads them to loss and bankruptcy. So, it is necessary to search for tools which help prevent phenomena like this, and one of these tools is (corporate governance) which represent controlling tool that contribute in reducing corruption. this study aims at modifying (corporate governance system)in order to make it suitable with Iraqi government Corporations. the study depend upon main hypothesis which is (the performance level of the strategic perspective of governance system is depending upon work according to the perspective dimensions itself. From the main conclusions:-It is possible to building a strategic perspective
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To the Banks capital several uses, including the protection of deposits and this was approved by the Basel Committee, And Finance long-term investments which intended to investment in fixed assets that are essential to the continuation of banking activity, Fixed assets not financed from the funds of the deposit, but the owner equity do this jop. the current research tries to prove the effect of banks capital on fixed assets for a sample of iraqi private banks (bank of baghdad and Iraqi middle east Investment bank), for the period from 2011 until 2014. The research concluded that the capital of bank of baghdad affect on his total fixed assets by (84%), and the capital of Iraqi middle east Investment bank affect on his total fixed assets b
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This paper presents an in-depth stylistic analysis of the linguistic artistry andliterary techniques employed by Paulo Coelho in his novel By the River Piedra ISat Down and Wept. A close reading approach guided by stylistics and linguisticsframeworks reveals Coelho's extensive incorporation of imaginative metaphors,vivid imagery, poetic diction, and resonant symbols across the narrative. Analysisspecifically elucidates how Coelho adeptly manipulates various stylistic features toconvey thematic content, shape characterization, and produce aesthetic impacts.Findings provide critical insights into Coelho’s linguistic mastery and contribute toresearch in stylistics and literary linguistics through rigorous examination of anentire contemporary
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