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 dynamical behavior of a two-dimensional continuous time dynamical system describing by a prey predator model is investigated. By means of constructing suitable Lyapunov functional, sufficient condition is derived for the global asymptotic stability of the positive equilibrium of the system. The Hopf bifurcation analysis is carried out. The numerical simulations are used to study the effect of periodic forcing in two different parameters. The results of simulations show that the model under the effects of periodic forcing in two different parameters, with or without phase difference, could exhibit chaotic dynamics for realistic and biologically feasible parametric values.
The research tackles an important subject, namely, the light text and how it works well in the Arab television programs. The methodological framework of the research presents the research problem stated in the following question: How can the text be used and what is its impact in the Arab TV programs? The importance of this research is that it deals with the subject of light text and its impact on Arab television programs.
This study is useful to the workers and scholars in the field of lighting as well as the goal of the research in (studying of the employment of light text in Arab television programs).
The limits of research were manifested in the study of the light text and how to make use of it
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Praise be to God, and prayers and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and upon his family, companions, and those who are guided by his guidance.
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Our Islamic jurisprudence and its basic principles are fixed, namely: the Noble Qur’an, then the Prophet’s Sunnah, then consensus, then analogy. However, it is characteristic of what makes it developed to meet the requirements of renewed life, including: sent interests, custom, approval, blocking pretexts, changing times. That is why it went through different stages, growth, brilliance, stagnation and endowment; Therefore, many scholars of Islamic jurisprudence divided its stages into four sections: the stage of inf
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SummaryBackground: Rotavirus infection is the most commoncause of watery viral diarrhea in children younger than 5 years of age; it is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality.Objective:The aim of the study is todetermine the clinical picture, age distribution of patients with rotavirus infection and their maternal educational background.Patients &methods: A total of 202 patients suffering from diarrhea were included in this study, over 6 months period( from 1stof March 2011to 30th of August 2011),in Children Welfare Teaching hospital. History and physical examinationwere carried out, anthropometrics measures were done and plotted on Centers for Disease Control& World Health Organization charts to determine the nut
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Debate is a teaching strategy in nursing education that enhances students' critical thinking. Although debate can be an effective teaching strategy, it is not without limitations. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of debate as a teaching strategy in nursing. Also, evaluating debates and choosing topics are highlighted.
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Одной из активно развивающихся отраслей лексикологии является неология, объект её изучения - новое слово или неологизм. В задачу неологии входит выявление новых слов и новых значений у уже существующих в языке слов, анализ причин и способов их появления, описание факторов, влияющих на появление нового в лексической системе языка, разработка языковой политики в отношении новых номинаций. Лексикограф
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Vitamin A, namely retinol is still the most proper agent for modulating so many biochemical reactions and biological functions in different tissues and organs. In addition to the provitamins A and α, βand γ-carotenoids that are present in various foods from either animal or plant origin, retinoids and rexinoids form the natural and synthetic analogs that are chemically related or unrelated and can be added as food supplements for deficiency disorders of vitamin A or used to alleviate or treat certain health problems such as skin carcinoma, acne, skin aging and dermatitis.
This paper aims at investigating the effect of postmodernism and technology on the social life in Don Delillo's novel The White Noise. In this novel, Don Delillo portrays the chaotic life by using modern technology which has been presented by three ways. The first way is by television as being a source of information and entertainment. The second way is by the toxic event whereas the third is by Dylar's episode and its destructive consequences. He depicts that through the atmosphere of Jack's family plus its effects on the life and thoughts of the elders and society. He proves that technology is leading humanity not to safety, but to death. He further highlights that by showing the impact of technology on the life of the main charac
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Climate change, together with terrorism, economic depressions, and mass-destructive weaponry, is a source of international phobia for many people. The advancement in technology increases the competition among world powers and economic systems to develop their industrial enterprises. The smoke that emits from the factories, the pollution caused by the industrial projects, the excessive use of green gas result in the increase of global warming and have catastrophic effects on the ecosphere of the planet. Besides, man’s wrong practices even in agricultural matters are exhausting the natural resources of the lands, and they badly affect the ecological diversity and the wellbeing of the humans and non-humans alike. Contemporary feminis
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