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
Some methods recommended abroad to control the oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis L., attacking the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies were tested, with some modifications, for the first time under the Iraqi conditions. One of these methods was carried out by covering the hive entrance with a piece of queen excluder to prevent the hornet from entering the hive. Also, the position of hive stand was reversed to deprive the hornet from using the flight board as a stage for waiting and creeping toward the defending bees. The second method was carried out by fixing a cardboard cone as a bee passage at the hive entrance to hinder the entry of the hornet into the hive. Both of these methods were found to be unsuccessful to
... Show MoreThe present study was conducted to investigate the effect of adding various levels of Optifeed®, VêO® premium and Oleobiotec® to the diets as appetite stimulants in the production Performance of broiler males under heat stress conditions. The experiment was done for 42 days for the period from 30 August 2018 to 11 of October 2018 at the Poultry Research Station of the Livestock Research Department / Agricultural Research Department / Ministry of Agriculture (Baghdad - Abu Ghraib). In this study, 270 - one-day broiler males (Ross 308) were reared with the mean body weight of 37 g/chick, distributed randomly on 18 pens with dimensions of 2 x 3 m (length x width). The experimental treatments involved six treatments with three repli
... Show MoreWe discussed the proper preparation, directing, and implementation of physical education lessons, and clarification of the duties that fall upon the physical education teacher in addition to his physical and skill duties, which is the duty of the physical education lesson. The problem of the research lies in the fact that interactive harmonic exercises are not implemented accurately by physical education teachers because they require great experience, exceptional efforts, and accuracy in performance. The research aims to identify the level of some physical and motor abilities and intelligence among students aged (9-10) years, and to know the effect of some harmonic exercises. Interactivity at the level of some physical and motor abi
... Show MoreThe objective of the study: To diagnose the reality of the relationship between the fluctuations in world oil prices and their reflection on the trends of government spending on the various economic sectors.
The research found: that public expenditures contribute to the increase of national consumption through the purchase of consumer goods by the state for the performance of the state's duties or the payment of wages to employees in the public sector and thus have a direct impact on national consumption
The results of the standard tests showed that there is no common integration between the oil price fluctuations and the government expenditure on the security sector through the A
... Show MoreThe current research aims to identify the effect of the program to develop the skill of friendship among kindergarten children, as well as the scope of the impact of the program on the sample. To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher hypothesizes there is no significant difference between the average scores of the sample members on the friendship skill scale for the dimensional scale according to the experimental and control group. The research sample consisted of (60) girl and boy with age ranges (4-6) who were randomly selected from the Kindergarten Unity at Baghdad city/ Rusafa 1. The children were distributed into an experimental and control group, each group consists of (30) girl and boy. The two groups were chosen
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Public relations are amongst the social sciences that rely on scientific methods in achieving new knowledge or resolving existing problems by means of its scientific researches that are often applied and require a classification in terms of their results’ analysis. It also requires subtle statistical processes whether in constructing their material or in analyzing and interpreting their results.
This research seeks to identify the relation between public relations and statistics, and the significance a researcher or practitioner in the domain of public relations should assign to statistics being one of the important criteria in identifying the accuracy and object
... Show MoreAutorías: Abdulsahıb Mohammed Muneer, Habeeb Sabhan Maytham, Kazim Abed Emad. Localización: Revista iberoamericana de psicología del ejercicio y el deporte. Nº. 1, 2021. Artículo de Revista en Psyke.
Coupling reaction of 2-amino benzoic acid with the 8-hydroxy quinoline gave the azo ligand (H2L): 5-(2-benzoic acid azo )-8-hydroxy quinoline.Treatment of this ligand with some metal ions (CoII, NiII and CuII ) in ethanolic medium with a (1:2) (M:L) ratio yielded a series of neutral complexes with general Formula[M(HL)2],where: M=Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II), HL=anion azo ligand (-1).The prepared complexes were characterized using flame atomic absorption,FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods as well as magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements.
BACKGROUND: Montelukast (Singulair) is a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, used for the maintenance treatment of asthma and to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis and asthma, also used for exercise-induced bronchospasm. AIM: This study was performed to determine the prevalence of Montelukast use as an add-on therapy among Iraqi asthmatic patients on treatment. Comparing the effectiveness of regimens with and without montelukast. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 73 Iraqi asthmatic patients on treatment of both sexes with age range (18-60) years old, attending Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital and Al-Zahraa Centre of Asthma and Allergy, Baghdad, for the period between February
... Show MoreSildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil are phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme (PDE-5) inhibitors used for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. This present study aims to investigate 55 herbal products indicated for men’s sexual health from the Malaysian market for adulteration of PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues. The screening and identification of 20 PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues in herbal products of various forms (powder, capsules, tablets, and pastels) were conducted using gas chromatography–electron impact-mass spectrometer (GC-EI-MS). The analysis has shown that 19 herbal products were adulterated with PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues. Unique ion fragmentations and the presence of molecular
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