Introduction: The stringent response is a bacterial adaptation mechanism triggered by stress conditions, including nutrient limitation. This response helps bacteria survive under harsh conditions, such as those encountered during infection. A key feature of the stringent response is the synthesis of the alarmone (p)ppGpp, which influences various bacterial phenotypes. In several bacterial species, stringent response activation significantly affects biofilm formation and maintenance. Methods: Clinical specimens were collected from multiple hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq. Staphylococcus aureus was identified using conventional biochemical tests. The PCR technique was applied to detect mecA, icaA, and icaD genes, while the Vitek 2 compact system confirmed Methicillin sensitivity in mecA-negative isolates. Biofilm intensity of all S. aureus isolates was assessed under normal and starved conditions. Additionally, the gene expression levels of icaA and icaD were measured in five MRSA and five MSSA strains under both conditions. Results: The mecA, icaA, and icaD genes were detected in 94%, 96.3%, and 100% of S. aureus isolates, respectively. Biofilm production analysis showed that 24% of isolates were strong producers, 49% were moderate producers, and 9% were weak producers. Statistical analysis indicated that biofilm intensity significantly decreased under nutrient limitation (p < 0.0001) compared to normal conditions across all isolates. Furthermore, icaA and icaD genes were upregulated under stringent response conditions, regardless of Methicillin resistance status. Conclusion: The stringent response influences S. aureus biofilm formation, with biofilm intensity decreasing under nutrient-limited conditions. However, the upregulation of icaA and icaD genes suggests a regulatory role of the stringent response in biofilm-related gene expression. These findings highlight the potential impact of stress adaptation mechanisms on bacterial persistence and pathogenicity.
In the past infectious diseases affected the quality of lifestyle during home confinement. The study conducted examines the influence of home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on lifestyle, mental wellbeing, nutritional status, and sleeping pattern.
An online multicategorical questionnaire was distributed to collect demographic information combined with the following tools: Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), WHO-5 wellbeing score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A snowball non-discriminate sampling procedure was
Background: Obesity and dental caries are multifactorial diseases related to poor eating habits and show a close relationship with the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals presenting these diseases. This research aimed to investigate the severity of dental caries among group of obese boys aged 12 year in relation to salivary interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) of unstimulated whole saliva in comparison with normal weighted boys of the same age. Materials and Methods: The study group included 40 obese boys, with an age of 12 year. The control group included 40 normal weighted boys of the same age. The total sample involved for nutritional status assessment using Body Mass Index specific for age and gender according t
... Show MoreThe fast evolution of cyberattacks in the Internet of Things (IoT) area, presents new security challenges concerning Zero Day (ZD) attacks, due to the growth of both numbers and the diversity of new cyberattacks. Furthermore, Intrusion Detection System (IDSs) relying on a dataset of historical or signature‐based datasets often perform poorly in ZD detection. A new technique for detecting zero‐day (ZD) attacks in IoT‐based Conventional Spiking Neural Networks (CSNN), termed ZD‐CSNN, is proposed. The model comprises three key levels: (1) Data Pre‐processing, in this level a thorough cleaning process is applied to the CIC IoT Dataset 2023, which contains both malicious and t
Objective(s): to assess the effectiveness of educational program on nurses' knowledge concerning the side
effects of chemotherapy among children with leukemia.
Methodology: A descriptive analytic (quasi – experimental) design study was carried out at Baghdad City from
2
nd of October to 27th of June 2015. Non-probability sample of (35) male and female nurses was selected from
the Oncology Wards in Children Welfare, Child's Central and Baghdad Teaching Hospital. The study
instruments consisted of two major parts to meet the purposes of study. The first part is related to nurses'
demographic characteristics and the second part (four domains) is related to nurses' knowledge concerning the
side effects of chemothera
The adsorption process of 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) drugs on Aluminum nitride nanotubes surface (AlNNTs) have been evaluated through density functional theory (DFT). The DFT results show that the interaction of AlNNTs with the F atoms of 5FU drugs is strong due to the fact that the amount of adsorption energy was about − 29.65 kcal.mol−1. Conversely, the interaction of the 5FU through O atoms with the AlNNTs was weaker due to the lower value of adsorption energy. Also, based on the values of Gibbs free energy, the 5FU adsorption on the surfaces of AlNNTs was spontaneous. In addition, based on natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, the direction of charge transfer was from fluorine’s σ orbitals of the drug to nitrogen’s and aluminum’s n*
... Show MoreAbstract:
This study aims to identify the level of patients’ satisfaction among a sample of hospitalized patients in the targeted hospital (Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital, and Al-Yarmook Teaching Hospital). Moreover, this study highlights the reality of services for patients, especially in the targeted governmental teaching hospitals. The Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care (PSNCS) has been measured in these hospitals through the revised scale by Tang et al, (2013).This scale includes four major domains; Health Information (5 items), Influencing Support (4 items), Decision Control (4 items), Specialized Technical Competence (7 items). The method of surveying patients’ opinions about the degree
... Show MoreThe primary objective of the present research is to diagnose the most mportant imensions of quality of work life in a sample of individuals working in the Northern Gas Filling Company in Nynawa. The study sample consisted of 140 employees of the Northern Region Filling Company in even ,Through a questionnaire prepared for this purpose. The study concluded that there are five main factors that are considered to be measure of the quality of working life and are based on their importance: Empowerment, organizational health, internal work environment, motivation, development and training of workers. The study recommended that the organization should payattentio
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to ascertain the pivotal role of headlines in captivating viewers' attention toward news bulletins. Additionally, it aims to explore the factors that contribute to the correlation between headlines and the public's acceptance or rejection of the meticulously crafted news articles presented through these bulletins. The study delves into the mechanisms employed in writing and editing headlines, focusing on their style, expert composition, and intriguing nature. These factors inevitably influence the level of acceptance and engagement of the viewership with the news articles disseminated via the news bulletins. Employing a descriptive methodology, the researcher distributed 200 question
... Show MoreObjective: The study aim is to identify factors that may contribute to children’s weight status variations. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study is carried out has been conducted at the AL- Samawah city in Primary Health Care Centers for the purpose of the screening children’s weight status of Age One to five Years Old. This study is started from December 16th 2018 to February 14th 2019. A(non propriety) purposive sample comprised of (20) primary health centers (10 main and 10 sub) are selected of 500 children who visit the primary health care center during the period for the purpose of the study; Data was collected through using a questionnaire designed and developed for the purpose of the study . It consists of two main
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