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 present research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a training program to improve some aspects of sensory integration disorder and its effect on self-direction among a sample of children with intellectual disabilities. The study sample consists of (10 subjects as an experimental group) were exposed to the training program، and the control group consists of (10 subjects as a control group) were not exposed to the training program. The study included the following tools: A scale of self-direction for intellectual disability (prepared by the researcher). Training program (prepared by the researcher). The Results of the study showed the following: There are no statistically significant differences between the means ranks
... Show MoreThe article approaches the characteristics of Russian literature in the time of Khrushchev or the "thaw" period a very short period of Soviet history, characterized by the easing of the dictatorship of power and relaxation in various areas of people's lives. The interest in the research is focused on the importance of interpreting the family portrait in a short but distinct period in the development of Russian/Soviet literature. The research material is the story of Sholokhov's “The Fate of Man” 1956, the story of Panova “Serioga” 1955, and Abramov’s story “Fatherless” 1961. В статье рассматриваются особенности художественной литературы периода хруще
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The exercise of activities and sports are of great importance to public health and to maintain the ideal health weight as well as the psychological and mental comfort of humans. The aim of this study is to determine the contribution and participation of educated females in physical activities at the University of Baghdad hall for the years 2011-2016, and to show the factors that influence women's contribution to physical activities at the university by selecting 100 students of males and 100 females' students randomly. During the questioning questions and statistical analysis of the questioning to find out the reasons for the discouraging contribution of the women to the various physical activities and try to find solutions and r
... Show Moreيهدف البحث الى أعداد بعض تمرينات الاساسية لسلاح الشيش بأستخدام المرايا في تطوير قدرة مستوى تعلم الطالبات في المبارزة ومعرفة الفروق بين المجموعتين التجريبي والضابطة بتأثير استخدام المرايا في مستوى اداء بعض مهارات سلاح الشيش لطالبات المرحلة الثالثة , وقد أستخدمت الباحثتان المنهج التجريبي على عينة من طالبات المرحلة الثالثة , وقد بلغ عددهم (45) طالبة , وقد خرجت الباحثتين بعدة أستنتاجات وهي:- - أن المنهاج التعليمي
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to know the effect of financial leverage on the market value of the stock by applying it to a sample of private Iraqi commercial banks listed in the Iraqi Stock Exchange for the period (2010-2019) and to show the extent of that effect, based on the bank’s annual reports for the mentioned period through the use of financial leverage ratios represented b (Equity multiplier, cash balance ratio), its discussion, analysis, description, inferential description, and testing of research hypotheses,
A set of conclusions has been reached, the most important of which are: The research sample banks depend in their financial structures on borrowed funds in a greater proportion than their r
... Show MoreWelcome to International Journal of Research in Social Sciences & Humanities (IJRSSH). It is an international refereed journal of Social Sciences, Humanities & Linguistics in English published quarterly, both print and online.
Pregnancy pose an additional burden on the body of the mother so as to meet their needs and the needs of the fetus and the body's need to iron increases excessively during pregnancy and iron is an essential element for the formation of hemoglobin blood Either hemoglobin is the key ingredient for red blood cells which carries oxygen to parts of the body, alas, most of the pregnant women begin their pregnancy inadequate stocks of iron in their bodies, which does not cover their need and requirement of the fetus, especially in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy When you reach the mother to the period in which they did not have the adequate amount of iron to produce hemoglobin become the mother was anemic So emerged the problem of
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The research aims to diagnose the reality of applying the eighth requirement (operation) of the business continuity management system according to the international standard (ISO 22301: 2019), in the General Tax Authority, which is related to planning, implementing and controlling specific processes and procedures to address risks and opportunities, and the research adopted the checklist of the standard ( ISO 22301: 2019), in obtaining information, to measure the extent of application and documentation, the percentages and the weighted arithmetic mean were relied upon, and the research reached a set of result
... Show MoreNonmissile penetrating spine injury (NMPSI) represents a small percent of spinal cord injuries (SCIs), estimated at 0.8% in Western countries. Regarding the causes, an NMPSI injury caused by a screwdriver is rare. This study reports a case of a retained double-headed screwdriver in a 37-year-old man who sustained a stab injury to the back of the neck, leaving the patient with a C4 Brown-Sequard syndrome (BSS). We discuss the intricacies of the surgical management of such cases with a literature review.
PubMed database was searched by the following combined formula of medical subjects headings,
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