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
Iraq is changing from the centralized system of governance to the decentralized system, which assumes devolution of more authorities to the local governments of Iraqi provinces and cities. This puts a responsibility on the academics to produce more research work on the best framework for this change, to ensure the best results. The main objective of this research is to suggest a policy for the decentralized transformation in domain of Urban and Regional Planning in Iraq. A suggested program for the transformation is involved in the paper as well, with analysis for the new relationships between different levels of planning authorities depending on democracy. In addition, a description for planning process flows from bottom to top.
Background: Neonatal seizures are the most common neurological emergency in newborns, often associated with significant mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities. The aim is to determine the incidence, etiological causes, and risk factors associated with neonatal seizures.Patients and Methods: This prospective case-control study was conducted over eight months, from January 1 to August 31, 2022, the study was conducted at the neonatal care unit of Children Welfare Teaching Hospital. Neonates who developed clinically recognizable seizures before 28 days of life in term infants, or up to 44 weeks corrected gestational age in preterm infants, were included. Data collection involved demographic information, prenatal, perin
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This study sought to determine malformation caused by Ochratoxin-A (OTA) on mouse embryos. Twenty adult female white Swiss mice (mus msculus) were divided into four groups, with five females per group, and with one male placed with two females in a cage. Avaginal plug was observed in the early morning and the day of mating was considered as day of pregnancy followed by the first day of pregnancy. Three sub lethal concentrations of OTA were applied to the respective groups (other than the control), 1mg/kg, 2mg/kg and 4mg/kg. The animals were given 0.1 ml per 10 gm body weight per concentration of OTA once a day during days 7-14 of pregnancy. The control group animals were given distilled water. The pregnant mice were dissected, and the embry
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Subcutaneous vascularization has become a new solution for identification management over the past few years. Systems based on dorsal hand veins are particularly promising for high-security settings. The dorsal hand vein recognition system comprises the following steps: acquiring images from the database and preprocessing them, locating the region of interest, and extracting and recognizing information from the dorsal hand vein pattern. This paper reviewed several techniques for obtaining the dorsal hand vein area and identifying a person. Therefore, this study just provides a comprehensive review of existing previous theories. This model aims to offer the improvement in the accuracy rate of the system that was shown in previous studies and
... Show MoreThe current study aimed to review previous scholarly efforts to understand the concept of sustainable development, its practices, and its significance for public institutions. The study focuses on the dimensions of sustainable development—environmental, social, and economic—within public institutions. Sustainable development allows these institutions to balance environmental protection, economic growth, and social justice, ensuring the prosperity of both current and future generations. Furthermore, sustainable development is crucial for maintaining organizational performance. The review bridges knowledge gaps related to sustainable development and utilizes an analytical approach, surveying previous studies on the topic. The sele
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Congenital hand and forearm anomalies pose a unique challenge in plastic and pediatric surgery. We present a case report of an 8- months-old girl with a congenital left sided hand and forearm anomaly, provisionally diagnosed as atypical left mirror hand anomaly. Classically there is absence of radius and duplication of ulna; however, our case had normal radius and ulna and a hand with seven digits arranged in two groups. We did a surgery which involved a ray amputation of the finger ulnar to the most radial digit, aiming to preserve an adequate first web space to reconstruct the thumb. The result of the surgical treatment in both functional and cosmetic aspects was, in authors’ opinion, good.
This paper explores VANET topics: architecture, characteristics, security, routing protocols, applications, simulators, and 5G integration. We update, edit, and summarize some of the published data as we analyze each notion. For ease of comprehension and clarity, we give part of the data as tables and figures. This survey also raises issues for potential future research topics, such as how to integrate VANET with a 5G cellular network and how to use trust mechanisms to enhance security, scalability, effectiveness, and other VANET features and services. In short, this review may aid academics and developers in choosing the key VANET characteristics for their objectives in a single document.
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Interface bonding between asphalt layers has been a topic of international investigation over the last thirty years. In this condition, a number of researchers have made their own techniques and used them to examine the characteristics of pavement interfaces. It is obvious that test findings won't always be comparable to the lack of a globally standard methodology for interface bonding. Also, several kinds of research have shown that factors like temperature, loading conditions, materials, and others have an impact on surface qualities. This study aims to solve this problem by thoroughly investigating interface bond testing that might serve as a basis for a uniform strategy. First, a general explanation of how
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