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, whose goal was to study students' failure in secondary school in Iraq, found that 50% of the Iraqi governorates achieved the lowest student failure rates, and Baghdad governorate had the highest percentage of repeaters. And that half of the provinces in Iraq have males constitute 70% of the repeaters, and failure in the exam represented 79.7% of the reasons for failure, and that half of the students who failed are confined to the first and third intermediate grades at a rate of 51.9% , and the research revealed that the security instability was the most influential factor in Students fai
From a group of 60 patients with dentoalveolar infections among which 10 were diabetic and 10 non-diabetic were elected as test group as well as 10 normal subjects as control group. Six Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus anginousus were diagnosed in the first and second group of the patients the immune status of the patients and control subject were tested by pathogen specific antibody titre, neotrophil NBT reduction phagocytosis and leukocyte inhibition LIF. Diabetic patients with dentoalveolar infection shows decreased specific antibody titers, subnormal neutrophil NBT phagocytic % as well as non significant LIF % in comparison non diabetic reveal high specific antibody titers against , high neutrophil NBT% and significant LIF% re
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The theatre costume with the rest of the theatre show elements constitute a system of the meaning relations that produce a visual image that helps the recipient to decipher the theatre scene, let alone the manifestation of time in its levels (past, present, future) through the design construction of the theatre elements among which is the theatre costume. In order to know the way of manifesting time through the formulation of the theatre costumes, the research question has been put as follows: how to manifest time through the design construction for the theatre costumes unit, from which the research objective is derived as follows: Revealing the possibility of the designing unit of the costumes in manifesting the levels of time wit
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Objective: To evaluate the functional outcomes after extended curettage and reconstruction using a combination of bone graft and bone cement (sandwich). Methodology: In this prospective case series 16 skeletally mature patients with primary giant cell tumor around the knee were included. Patients with previous surgically treated, malignant transformation, degenerative knee changes and those presenting with pathological fracture were excluded. The tumor was excised with bone graft filling space beneath the articular cartilage and a block of gel foam was placed over the cortical surface of picked bone graft. Remaining cavity was filled with polymethylmethacrylate cement (sandwich) with or without internal fixation. The func tional evaluation
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Two prevalent neurodevelopment disorders in children are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describes autism as a condition marked by limitations in social communication as well as restricted, repetitive behavior patterns. While impulsivity, hyperactivity, and lack of concentration are signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Boys experience it more frequently than girls do. This study sought for possible factors that put children at risk for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it investigated the association between neurodevelopment disorders in children and parental risk factor i
... Show MoreBackground: Plantar heel pain is a clinical syndrome characterized by pain and tenderness beneath the heel which is typically worse in the morning and improves after the first few steps in the day. It is a common and frequently disabling clinical complaint that may be caused by a broad spectrum of osseous or soft tissue disorders. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an operation of multiple drilling of calcaneum for resistant plantar heel pain syndrome. Methods: During the period from November 2012 to August 2016, 17 patients (17heels) were enrolled in a cohort clinical study at the orthopedic unit in AL-Sheikh Zayed and AlWassity Hospitals. Result: Drilling of the calcaneum is a simple procedure achieving 70.6% cure in resistant as
... Show MoreIn this paper, an algorithm for binary codebook design has been used in vector quantization technique, which is used to improve the acceptability of the absolute moment block truncation coding (AMBTC) method. Vector quantization (VQ) method is used to compress the bitmap (the output proposed from the first method (AMBTC)). In this paper, the binary codebook can be engender for many images depending on randomly chosen to the code vectors from a set of binary images vectors, and this codebook is then used to compress all bitmaps of these images. The chosen of the bitmap of image in order to compress it by using this codebook based on the criterion of the average bitmap replacement error (ABPRE). This paper is suitable to reduce bit rates
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The study aimed to prepare quick response codes to learn some of the technical skills of the second graders in the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences. The experimental method was used in the design of the experimental and control experimental and control groups. The research sample was represented by second-graders in the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences / University of Baghdad, and by lot, the second division (a) was chosen to represent the experimental group that applied the inverse method using the QR code, and the second division (g) to represent the control group and applied the traditional method. (10) Students per group. After the tribal tests, his main experiment was carried out for 10 weeks with one
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This research included measuring the concentrations of natural radioactive isotopes U-238 and Th-232 and radiation dose rates for selected areas of Missan province, GR-460 system was used which has the potential to measure the concentrations of natural radioactive isotopes in (ppm) unit and measuring the radiation dose rates in μR/h unit. It was also used with the system the mobile device FH-40 which measures the radiation dose rates in units μSμ/h the measurement results showed the absence of a significant increase in the U-238 and Th-232 concentration where the concentration of isotopes of U-238 and natural Th-232 (3.35-5.46) ppm respectively it is authorized and universally accepted. In terms of radiation dose rates it ranged betwe
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Antibiotics are essential for treating infectious diseases, but their overuse and adverse effects are raising concerns about global public health. The pervasiveness of antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments has drawn increased attention in recent years. The primary concern regarding the release of antibiotics into the environment is the potential for microorganisms to become resistant to antibiotics. This review article summarizes the analytical methods used to determine the presence of trimethoprim and metronidazole in various environmental samples. These antibiotics have traditionally been analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry; fluorescence or ultrav
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