Scrophularia. striata from Scrophulariacea family has been used in Iranian folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this study we evaluated the synergistic effect of S. striata hydroalcoholic extract (SSE) and commercially available antibiotics against P. aeroginosa and Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The resazurin-based microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of plan extract and standard antibiotics. The interaction between standard antibiotics and SSE was evaluated by using checkerboard method. The results of this study revealed that SSE enhance the antibacterial activity of antibiotics. The combination of SSE and Vancomycin had synergistic to additive effects against MRSA. SSE in combination with Gentamicin had synergistic to additive effects against P. aeruginosa. The interaction between Ceftazidime and SSE was additive against P. aeruginosa. The best result was the synergistic effect between SSE and Piperacillin-Tazobactam against P. aeruginosa. In conclusion the results of this research indicated that S. striata has the potential to enhance the antibacterial activity of antibiotics and could be a source to the designing new compounds with synergistic effect in combination with standard antibiotics.
The objective of this study is to estimate the effect of the hydro-ethanolic catechin extract toward blood glucose, lipid profile and liver functions in alloxan diabetic mice. 50 healthy mice (25-30 g) were divided into five groups of ten animals for each. Group A received normal saline as normal control group. To induce diabetes, alloxan (150 mg/kg), intraperitoneal (i.p.) single dose was injected to groups B, C, D and E. Group B represents diabetic control group. Groups C, D and E received ethanolic catechin extract (30 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg) for different periods of 1, 2 and 3 weeks as treated groups. Blood glucose, serum lipids [Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TGs) and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)], asparagine transaminase (AST),
... Show MoreThis study was aimed to extract the effective material from the dry nests of termites and detect its antibacterial activity against some pathogenic bacterial isolates and inhibit synthesis of its biofilm. Termites dry nests were collected and the effective material was extracted then the antibacterial activity was detected using the disc diffusion assay. Results were showed that the extract have antibacterial material from the Termites dry nests, this extract showed antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) at (21.5mm) and Gram negative bacteria ( Enterobacter sp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) at (26 mm and 20 mm) respectively by inhibiting their growth, as well as its effect on biofilm production o
... Show MoreNeonatal sepsis refers to the bacterial bloodstream infections of the newborn during the neonatal period as usually the first twenty-eight days of life. The current study was done in the laboratories of AL-Batool Teaching Hospital for Gynecology and Pediatrics in Baqubah, Diyala Governorate, including 140 blood specimens collected from the neonates admitted to the hospital with suspected sepsis, the ages of the both groups was ranged from 1 day to 28 days. Out of the total cultured samples, 32.14% (45 of 140) were positive and 67.86% (95 of 140) were negative blood culture. 45 of 140 samples were negative to the blood culture chosen as control group. The results showed highest isolates were Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) 19 (42.2%
... Show MoreBackground: Disinfection and shaping of the canal with a combination of chem¬ical agents and endodontic instruments play an important role in the success of endodontic therapy. Eliminating the microorganisms within the pulp space is a critical and important objective in treating a tooth with apical periodontitis. This study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial properties of herbal alternatives (Green tea and siwak extracts) as possible irrigants during endodontic treatment compared with the conventional irrigation solutions. Materials and methods: Salvadora Persica (siwak) and Green Tea solutions were prepared.An agar diffusion test was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar using the well diffusion method. The tested solutions (5.25% N
... Show MoreThe result showed that hot water and ethanol extracts of Nigella sativa contain alkaloids ,saponins, flavonoids,tannins,glycosides,terpins and steroids. Albino mice were administered orally with 0.1 of the extract at dose of 100 mg/kg, body weight the results showed high level of white blood cell ,total and differential count of WBC,phagocytosis index, mitotic index, Arthus and delayed type hypersensitivity. The result, also showed high level of hemoglobin (Hb) and the packed cell volume (PCV) the alcoholic extract has been found more efficient than hot water extract on mice.
Enhancing asphalt binder performance against anticipated distresses is a critical focus in pavement engineering. This study investigates the synergistic influence of nano titanium dioxide (NT) and nano zinc oxide (NZ) on asphalt binder performance. Nine NT:NZ combinations (1:1 to 3:3) were prepared with 1–3% by binder weight, in addition to a reference binder (RB). The performance test program included; conventional tests (penetration, softening point, viscosity, and ductility), Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) for performance grading, Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) for rutting evaluation, and Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) for fatigue resistance. Furthermore, Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was performed to determine the significa
... Show More