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
Restoration of degraded lands by adoption of recommended conservation management practices can rehabilitate watersheds and lead to improving soil and water quality. The objective was to evaluate the effects of grass buffers (GBs), biomass crops (BCs), grass waterways (GWWs), agroforestry buffers (ABs), landscape positions, and distance from tree base for AB treatment on soil quality compared with row crop (RC) (corn [
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The present study aims to reveal the extent of the influence of the acquired organizational immune through its dimensions (organizational vaccination, organizational learning, organizational memory, and benchmarking) in the application of knowledge management strategies in its two dimensions (codification strategy, personalization strategy) as well as clarifying that influential relationship between the study variables Because of its importance in reducing resistance to change by responding to the requirements of the environment. A set of main and sub-hypotheses emerged from the study, which was formulated in view of the hypothesis scheme of the study, and i
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Onomatopoeia has always been a functional poetic device which enjoys a high sound significance in the poetry of many languages. In modern English and Arabic poetry alike, it proves to be vital and useful at different levels: musical, thematic and at the level of meaning. Still, the cultural difference looms large over the ways it is employed by the poets of each. The present paper investigates the employment of onomatopoeia in the poetry of D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) and Badr Shakir al-Sayyab (1926-1964) who are chosen due to the importance they enjoy in modern English and Arabic poetry and the richness of their poems in onomatopoeias. The conclusions reached at are in a sense related to cultural differences which govern the use of onomato
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The current research aims to study the extent to which the Independent High Electoral Commission applies to information security risk management by the international standard (ISO / IEC27005) in terms of policies, administrative and technical procedures, and techniques used in managing information security risks, based on the opinions of experts in the sector who occupy positions (General Manager The directorate, department heads and their agents, project managers, heads of divisions, and those authorized to access systems and software). The importance of the research comes by giving a clear picture of the field of information security risk management in the organization in question because of its significant role in identifying risks and s
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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major killer, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects almost one-quarter of the global population. The aim of the study is to Investigate the correlation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as the relationship between liver function enzymes and specific serum biomarkers in CRC patients with NAFLD. Methods: A case-control study involving 60 participants was conducted from February to August 2022. The patients with colon cancer were examined at Baghdad Medical City's Al-Amal Hospital for Radiation and Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Teaching Hospital, and blood samples were taken. Thirty patients with NAFLD who ha
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A seasonal study of periphytic algae attached to the surface of river boats was conducted in Tigris river in Al Aadhamiya site for the period from October 2016 to May 2017. A total of 107 taxa of periphytic algae were identified belonging to the four classes of algae. The periphytic algae community dominated by Bacillariophyceae was (60.7%) followed by Chlorophyceae (20.5%) and Cyanophyceae (17.7%) Chrysophyceae was constituted (0.9%) of the total number. During the whole period of study filamentous taxa such as Oscillatoria amphibian, Phormidium spp., Spirulinagigantean, Cladophoreglomerata and Melosira roeseana remained the dominant colonizer which may be reflect the ability of this species to grow multiplies under different environmental
... Show MorePituitary adenomas are the anterior pituitary tumors. Patients with an Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Interacting Protein (AIP) mutation (AIP- mut) tend to have more aggressive tumors occurring at a younger age. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in many studies have been related to metabolic comorbidities in the general population. Study aims investigated the role of AIP gene SNPs with susceptibility to acromegaly pituitary- adenoma, with levels of LH, FSH, TSH, Testosterone, IGF1,GH, FT4 , Prolactin hormones and blood sugar levels. The study was conducted on a group of acromegaly patients, including 50 patients) both Genders( with hyperplasia of the ends, and apparently healthy control group. Genotyping of
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Bringing about urban, economic, and social changes in rural areas similar to those occurring in urban areas aims to reduce urban-rural disparities by providing services in those areas, decentralizing the management of these services, expanding citizen participation in local governance (decentralized administration), and achieving comprehensive development, developing and empowering localities, and keeping pace with new transformations and their impacts on the functions of the center and localities. In fact, the lack of clarity of the role of local government in planning and managing services has hindered development plans, and declined the level of services in rural areas, and has negative
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