Introduction and Aim: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a nosocomial infection with an ability to develop high levels of antibiotic resistance. The efflux pump system is one of the mechanisms that is linked to multidrug resistance in P. aeruginosa. In this study, we employed siRNA loaded on gold nanoparticles against the MexA efflux pump gene to decrease the MexA gene expression in P. aeruginosa and estimated antibiotic resistance after gene silencing. Materials and Methods: This study examined four strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients in various hospitals in Baghdad. Bacteria isolated were identified by biochemical tests and Vitek compact 2 system. Single-stranded siRNA (33bp) designed in this study was loaded onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPls). Detection of the MexA gene was carried out by conventional PCR technique. The expression of MexA gene was examined by qRT-PCR in order to determine if the siRNA have impacted on MexA gene expression and on the antibiotic resistance in aeruginosa Results: This study showed that the mRNA expression level of the MexA gene exhibited a decrease in fold change CT -2 in P. aeruginosa (isolates numbers 67, 66,49, and PDR(5p)) when examined in vitro. The specific fold change values observed were (0.202, 0.040, 0.063, and 0.163) respectively. The resistance percentages of antibiotics tested was observed to increase after MexA gene silencing. Conclusion: Targeting the MexA gene with synthetic siRNA may be a unique approach to diminish P. aeruginosa resistance to antibiotics. However, many unexpected consequences may occur when utilizing any genetic manipulation in bacteria.
تم في هذا البحث استخدام المحفز الجديد المصنع من تحميل دقائق البلاتين النانوية على سطح الصفائح النانوية للكرافين كمحفز ضوئي واختباره لدراسة التجزئة الضوئية لملوثات المياه وازالتها بشكل نهائي من مصادر المياه لما لها من تأثير سلبي على البيئة. حيث تم استخدام صبغة البروموفينول الأزرق كمثال على أحد الملوثات. في البدء تم التأكد من تحضير المحفز بالطريقة المستخدمة في طريقة العمل من خلال تشخيصه باستخدام عدد من ا
... Show MoreA study of the effects of the discharge (sputtering) currents (60-75 mA) and the thickness of copper target (0.037, 0.055 and 0.085 mm) on the prepared samples was performed. These samples were deposited with pure copper on a glass substrate using dc magnetron sputtering with a magnetic flux density of 150 gauss at the center. The effects of these two parameters were studied on the height, diameter, and size of the deposition copper grains as well as the roughness of surface samples using atomic force microscopy (AFM).The results of this study showed that it is possible to control the specifications of copper grains by changing the discharge currents and the thickness of the target material. The increase in discharge curre
... Show MoreABSTRACT Background: One of the major problems of all ceramic restorations is their probable fracture against the occlusal forces. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of two gingival finishing lines (90°shoulder and deep chamfer) on the fracture resistance of full contour CAD/CAM and heat press all-ceramic crowns. Materials and Methods: Thirty two maxillary first premolars were prepared to receive full contour CAD/CAM (zolid) and heat press (Cergo Kiss) ceramic crowns using a special paralleling device (Parallel-A-Prep). The teeth were divided into four groups according to the type of finishing line prepared. Each crown was cemented to its corresponding tooth using self-etch, self-adhesive dual cure resin ceme
... Show MoreIntroduction. Epilepsy is a progressive, chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) (MP) is one of the most commonly ingested herbal teas or tisanes with a single component. Aim. We aimed to assess the potential antiepileptic and neuroprotective features of MP essential oil (MPO) in pilocarpine (P) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) models of epilepsy. Methods. The study used eight groups of mice to assess the anticonvulsant activity of MPO in both the P and PTZ acute models in mice. P (350 mg/kg, i.p.) was given 30 minutes after MPO (1.6, 3.2, and 6.4 ml/kg, i.p.). As a positive control group, diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p) was used. PTZ (95 mg/kg, i.p.) was given 30 minutes after M
... Show MoreLecture method is still need to a part of PBL in order to explain the difficult and abstract concepts in all fields of physics particularly thermodynamics. Introducing and promoting PBL in the lecture method is wise step for innovation in teaching and learning. The objective of this study is to compare the effects of using three methods: problem-based learning (PBL), PBL with lecture method, and conventional teaching on undergraduate physics students’ understanding of thermodynamics. The actual sample size comprises of 122 students, who were selected randomly from the Physics Department, College of Education in Iraq in the academic year 2011-2012. In this study, the pre- and post-test were done and the instruments were administered to the
... Show MoreThe scarcity of irrigation water requires procedures of specific. One of these procedures is the implementation of the rationing system (a period of the irrigation followed by a period of the dry). This system can have an impact on the properties of irrigation channels. Therefore, the study of rationing system for irrigation channels is important in both water resources and civil engineering, especially if they are constructed with gypseous soil. In order to assess the rationing system on gypseous canals stabilized with a specific ratio of cement, practical experiments were conducted to detect the effect of wetting and drying cycles on the physical and hydraulic behavior of this soil and calculation of some properties of soil such a
... Show MoreSoil stabilization with liquid asphalt is considered as a sustainable step towards roadway construction on problematic subgrade soil, there are no requirements to import good quality materials or to implement energy consumption, but to mix the readily available soil with liquid asphalt through the cold mix technique. In this work, collapsible soil obtained from Nasiriya was mixed with asphalt emulsion, lime, and combinations of lime and asphalt emulsion (combined stabilization) and tested in the laboratory for California bearing ratio in dry and soaked conditions. Field trial sections have been prepared with the same combinations and subjected to plate bearing test. The influence of combined stabilization on the structural properties in ter
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In this experimental study, the use of stone powder as a stabilizer to the clayey soil studied. Tests of Atterberg limits, compaction, fall cone (FCT), Laboratory vane shear (LVT), and expansion index (EI) were carried out on soil-stone powder mixtures with fixed ratios of stone powder (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) by the dry weight. Results indicated that the undrained shear strength obtained from FCT and LVT increased at all the admixture ratios, and the expansion index reduced with the increase of the stone powder.
The general assumption of linear variation of earth pressures with depth on retaining structures is still controversial; investigations are yet required to determine those distributions of the passive earth pressure (PEP) accurately and deduce the corresponding centroid location. In particular, for rigid retaining walls, the calculation of PEP is strongly dependent on the type of wall movement. This paper presents a numerical analysis for studying the influence of wall movement on the PEP distribution on a rigid retaining wall and the passive earth thrust location. The numerical predictions are remarkably similar to existing experimental works as recorded on scaled test models and ful