This study aimed to investigate the ability of clove and cinnamon extracts to make pathogenic multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae more sensitive to the host’s immune system and thereby interrupt the bacterial infection process in the rat model. Therefore, 60 Wistar male rats were used in this study. The phytochemical constituents of the plant extract were analysed using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. Then, the capability of the plant extracts, as prophylactic and treatment, against K. pneumoniae in rats was studied by estimating the complete blood counts (CBCs) and the serum concentrations of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) before and after the treatment. The results showed that the main phytoconstituent present in the aqueous ethanolic extract of cinnamon was cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol for clove. Concerning the haematological parameter, significant alterations in white blood cell counts, lymphocytes %, monocytes %, granulocytes %, and plateletcrit % were observed in the blood of animals. Increased IL-4 and IFN-γ levels occurred following the administration of cinnamon and clove, and that increase was dose-dependent. To conclude, clove and cinnamon ethanolic extracts exerted potent immunomodulatory effects against K. pneumoniae. The study recommends further exploration of these plant extracts separately or in combination to develop alternative therapies against MDR K. pneumoniae infections.
Aim: Rats are accused in disseminating many zoonotic diseases. This study aimed to isolate and identify bacteria from internal organs of rats captured in Baghdad City, Iraq. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 black rats (R. rattus) were trapped from different areas in Baghdad city. Rats were kept in individual plastic cages for 3 h before euthanizing. Deep pharyngeal swab, intestinal content, urine, and pieces of the liver and spleen, lung, kidney, and brain were obtained aseptically. The specimens were inoculated into peptone water and incubated at 37°C for 24 h for enrichment. A loopful of each specimen was then subcultured onto MacConkey Agar, Blood Agar, and Mannitol Salt Agar. CHROMagar O157 H7 and CHROMagar Listeria were u
... Show MoreObjective: The concentration-dependent nephroprotective effects of orally-administered aqueous green tea extract (AGTE) were studied. Materials and Methods: Forty rats of both sexes (weighing ٢٠٠-٢٥٠g) with various concentrations {٠.٦٢٥%, ١.٢٥% and ٢.٥% of aqueous green tea extract (AGTE)} as their main source of drinking fluid ٧ days before and ٥ days after administration of methotrexate (MTX). The parameters of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were daily measured in kidney homogenate in addition to histopathological examinations after killing. Results: Analysis of data revealed significant amelioration of oxidative stress in groups of animals treated with different concentrations of AG
... Show MoreAbstract As the United Nations approaches its 70th anniversary, the world is going through the most severe accumulation of serious international security failures in recent memory, challenging the UN Security Council’s ability to address them effectively. Over the past four years, crises in Libya, Syria and Ukraine have precipitated a worrisome erosion of great power relations that has complicated Security Council decision making on a number of trouble spots. Its inability to devise consensus responses to the escalating civil war in Syria has been particularly troubling, resulting in the regional spill over into Iraq and the emergence of Islamic State as a new threat to peace in the region and beyond. Meanwhile, the UN’s often under
... Show MoreThe current research aims at testing test the relationship and the impact of strategic leadership (strategic vision, Core competencies , human capital, organizational culture and Ethical practices) in the talent management (to attract talent, performance management talent, developing talent and retain talent) among managers in the Ministry of Science and Technology Iraq, and figuring out a number of recommendations to the ministry to help achieve its desired objectives, and to clarify the relationship between the variables to find the main and secondary aim of the research two major hypotheses have been formed which split into ten sub-hypotheses. Collecting data on a form questionnaire has been relied on as an essenti
... Show MoreThis study investigated the healing effects of topical application of zerumbone, a well‐known anti‐inflammatory compounds loaded on nanostructured lipid carrier gel (Carbopol 940) (ZER‐NLCG) on excisional wounds in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats with inflicted superficial skin wound were topically treated with ZER‐NLCG, empty NLCG, and silver sulfadiazine cream (SSDC) once daily for 21 days. Wound tissue samples were analyzed for proinflammatory cytokines, namely, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐1
Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) pollution and poisoning has been a worldwide health concern for decades, especially after the industrial revolutions. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of resveratrol in reversing the deleterious effects of HgCl2 exposure to resume the normal functions of hepatocyte. To achieve the study, mature Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to five groups. Negative control group (C) kept without any treatment; vehicle-treated group (D) received dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); resveratrol-treated group (R), received 100 mg/kg of resveratrol; HgCl2-intoxicated group (HD), received i.p. injection of HgCl2 at a dose of 1 mg/kg for 30 consecutive days along to oral gavage of DMSO; and finally H
... Show MoreHerbal remedies are used in induction of lactation. In view of that .Borage Officinalis was employed to ensure an abundant milk supply or rectify milk insufficiency .However, this remedy has not been scientifically tested .The animals were treated with the aqueous extract of Borage Officinalis flowers at a daily concentration of 100 mg / kg body weight /ml for each rat through Oro-gastric tube for 14 days. Animals were subdivided into subgroups according to their physiological status. Mammary glands of these animals were processed for histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies. Parameters indicated that the aqueous extract of Borage Officinalis flowers induced lactogenesis in the mammmary glands of virgin and pregnant rats
... Show MoreEphedra alata. is a plant that widely available around the world and long used in folk medicine as a natural medication, was employed in the current work to prepare extracts rich in alkaloids and to test their cytotoxic potential. Alkaloids-rich and crude extracts of E.alata were compared to pure ephedrine medication for mitosis on Allium cepa. test system. Alkaloids and crude aqueous extracts of A. cepa root tips were examined for a total of five hours at five different concentrations compared to ephedrine standard. Mitotic index, phase index, and chromosomal aberration as part of the study. IC50 values of 35 mg/ml were found for each extract, indicating a sub-lethal influence on cell viability. (Toxic and sublethal effects are thought to
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