Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania tropica parasite. Current treatments for this parasite are undesirable because of their toxicity, resistance, and high cost. Macrophages are key players against pathogens. Nitric oxide (NO), a molecule produce by immune cells, controls intracellular killing of pathogens during infection. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against various types of infectious diseases. It has the ability to stimulate oxygen species production. This study aims to analyze the macrophages activation through NO production and estimate the cytotoxicity based on the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release upon exposure to L. tropica and Ag NPs. Serially concentrations of Ag NPs were used under two conditions during and following macrophages exposure to L. tropica. MTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of Ag NPs on L. tropica amastigotes during infection of macrophages in vitro. The results showed that by increasing the Ag NPs concentrations, the viability percentage of L. tropica amastigotes decreased and reached to 21.7 ± 0.64 % during infection compared with the control. The 50% inhibitory concentration of Ag NPs on amastigotes was 2.048µg/ml during infection. Moreover, post-phagocytosis study involved the assessment of NO and LDH release by macrophages upon exposure to L. tropica. It have shown that untreated macrophages released low levels of NO while in the presence of Ag NPs, macrophages were activated to produce higher levels of NO under all experimental conditions. On the other hand, macrophages were capable of controlling cytotoxicity and decreasing LDH levels during phagocytosis of L. tropica amastiogotes. Taking together, these findings suggest that Ag NPs can enhance macrophages NO production which provides a method for the identification of Ag NPs ligands with microbicidal and anti-cytotoxic properties against L. tropica pathogens.
In globalization, the world became open area to competition for the attractive of investment, and the abilities of each country to win the confidence of investors depend upon the preparation to optimize circumstances. The competitiveness is an essential means of expanding the capacity of developed to coexist in an international environment characterized by globalization. While competition describes the market structure, the behavior of investors and business, competitiveness is interested in the evaluation of business performance or countries and compare them in the conditions of competition available in these markets. Regarding Malaysia, which is depend on FDI-Export- Led Growth strategy, it has taking on diffe
... Show MoreDigital image is widely used in computer applications. This paper introduces a proposed method of image zooming based upon inverse slantlet transform and image scaling. Slantlet transform (SLT) is based on the principle of designing different filters for different scales.
First we apply SLT on color image, the idea of transform color image into slant, where large coefficients are mainly the signal and smaller one represent the noise. By suitably modifying these coefficients , using scaling up image by box and Bartlett filters so that the image scales up to 2X2 and then inverse slantlet transform from modifying coefficients using to the reconstructed image .
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... Show MoreThe research deals with Environmental Management and how to develop its programs with the use of Knowledge Management, the environmental programs that integrate with processes can add strategic value to business through improving rates of resource utilization , efficiencies , reduce waste, use risk management, cut costs, avoid fines and reduce insurance. All these activities and processes can improve it through knowledge management, the optimal usage for all organizations information , employ it in high value and share it among all organizations members who involves in modify its strategy . Choosing suitable environmental management information system, develop it and modify it with organization processes, can greatly serve the en
... Show MoreThis paper presents a study of wavelet self-organizing maps (WSOM) for face recognition. The WSOM is a feed forward network that estimates optimized wavelet based for the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) on the basis of the distribution of the input data, where wavelet basis transforms are used as activation function.
A fast laser texturing technique has been utilized to produce micro/nano surface textures in Silicon by means of UV femtosecond laser. We have prepared good absorber surface for photovoltaic cells. The textured Silicon surface absorbs the incident light greater than the non-textured surface. The results show a photovoltaic current increase about 21.3% for photovoltaic cell with two-dimensional pattern as compared to the same cell without texturing.
This study illustrates in vitro effect of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on the treatment of Leishmania. In addition, the study evaluated the effect of drug treatment (pentostam) and the combination treatment of pentostan and CAP at different doses and incubation time 24 h in order to assess the most effective treatment. The duration of the cold plasma doses was 1 min, 2 min and 3 min, while the pentostam doses were 2.5 µg/ml and 5 µg/ml. The combinations therapies included combining the three cold plasma doses with the pentostam doses to test 6 combinations of treated in vitro. The maximum growth inhibition was given by combination treated 46% and 44% for donovani and tropica leishamnia respectively; these results give an indi
... Show MoreThe research involves preparing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and studying the factors that influence the shape, sizes and distribution ratio of the prepared particles according to Turkevich method. These factors include (reaction temperature, initial heating, concentration of gold ions, concentration and quantity of added citrate, reaction time and order of reactant addition). Gold nanoparticles prepared were characterized by the following measurements: UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The average size of gold nanoparticles was formed in the range (20 -35) nm. The amount of added citrate was changed and studied. In addition, the concentration of added gold ions was changed and the calibration cur
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