Antibiotic resistance is the major growing threat facing the pharmacological treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, bioprospecting the medicinal plants could provide potential sources for antimicrobial agents. Mimusops, the biggest and widely distributed plant genus of family Sapotaceae, is used in traditional medicines due to its promising pharmacological activities. This study was conducted to elucidate the antimicrobial effect of three unexplored Mimusops spp. (M. kummel, M. laurifolia and M. zeyheri). Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying such antibacterial activity were studied. The Mimusops leaf extracts revealed significant antibacterial activities against the five tested bacterial strains with a maximum inhibition zone diameter of 22.0 mm against B. subtilis compared with standard antibiotic ciprofloxacin. The minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentration values against tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains ranged from 3.15-12.5 µg/ml. However, weak antifungal effect was recorded against Candida albicans with MIC value ˃25 µg/ml. The 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay showed that M. caffra was the best antioxidant (IC50=14.75±0.028 µg/ml), while M. laurifolia was the least one (IC50=34.22±0.014 µg/ml). The phenolics in plant leaves extracts were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) which revealed the presence of seven phenolic acids and four flavonoids. The abundant phenolic compounds were rutin (5.216±0.067 mg/g dried wt.) and gallic acid (0.296±0.068 mg/g) followed by myricetin (0.317±0.091 mg/g) then kaempferol (0.113±0.049 mg/g) as flavonoids. The antibacterial mechanism of M. laurifolia extract, as a representative species, induces ultrastructural changes in the model bacterium Staphylococcus aureus with cell wall and plasma membrane lysis as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Overall, Mimusops species (M. laurifolia, M. kummel and M. zeyheri) are promising natural alternative sources for antimicrobial agents.
A simple and novel method was developed by combination of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with UV spectrophotometry for the preconcentartion and determination of trace amount of malathion. The presented method is based on using a small volume of ethylenechloride as the extraction solvent was dissolved in ethanol as the dispersive solvent, then the binary solution was rapidly injected by a syringe into the water sample containing malathion. The important parameters, such the type and volume of extraction solvent and disperser solvent, the effect of extraction time and rate, the effect of salt addition and reaction conditions were studied. At the optimum conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the range of 2-100 ng mL-1 of ma
... Show MoreIn this paper, a theoretical study to the effect of journal misalignment on the static characteristics of oil filled porous journal bearing when lubricated with couple stress fluid has been carried out.
The analytical model used through this work is for a bearing with isotropic permeability. Considering isotropic permeability the Reynolds' equation for the oil film is modified to include a so – called filter term and the effect of fluid coupled stress. The pressure equation for the porous medium is obtained from Darcy's law and continuity equation. The equation which was used to evaluate the oil film thickness was modified to include the effect of possible misalignment in longitudinal and transverse directions. The governing eq
... Show MoreOver the years, the issue of inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools is controversial worldwide. Evidence from research argues that without a positive teachers’ attitude towards the inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream schools, the successful implementation of inclusion is most likely doubtable. The aim of this paper is to understand teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream schools from different perspectives and from different contexts. The conclusion drawn in this review can be that teachers’ attitude is the most important key towards the appropriate inclusion implementation in mainstream schools. The disparity of teachers’ attitudes towards th
... Show MoreCerebral palsy "is one of the diseases that afflict children, and it is a term given to the condition of a child who is exposed to a normal brain injury by accident due to its inability to grow or damage to the cells of the areas responsible for movement and knowledge of strength and balance during the stage of normal development." (116: 1999: 10) Cerebral palsy causes disruption in movement and posture due to damage to brain cells in areas that control and coordinate muscle tone, reflexes, strength, and movement. The degree and location of brain damage varies greatly between people with paralysis, as well as the severity of disability and symptoms, as they fall into severe to very simple, and cerebral palsy is one of the diseases that caus
... Show MoreThe effects of Internet use on university’s students:The effects of Internet use on university’s students:“A Study on a Sample of Jordanian University’s students "This survey aims to identify the most important effects of Internet use on Jordanian public and private universities’ students by monitoring and analyzing a set of indicators that show the quality of the effects on specific fields such as cultural, social, psychological, moral and political effects .To achieve these goals, the study attempts to answer the following questions:1. What are the effects of Internet’s use on students?2. What is the relationship between the effects and demographic variables such as gender, age, family size an
... Show MoreThis study detects the presence of the most important steroidal sapogenin “Tigogenin†in the leaves of Yucca aloifolia widely cultivated in Iraq. The absence of any study concerning the Tigogenin content of this medicinal plant in Iraq, and the industrial importance of Tigogenin depending on its role as a precursor in the synthesis of some steroidal drugs, acquired this study its value. This study concerned with extraction, identification, isolation, and purification of Tigogenin from the leaves of Yucca aloifolia. Extraction of this compound was carried out using two methods. Identification of this compound was done using thin layer chromatography (TLC) where different solvent systems had been tried. Liberm
... Show MorePatients are very concerned about the lengthy nature of orthodontic treatment. It is necessary to find a non-invasive way to quicken physiologic tooth movement. This study's objective was to assess the effectiveness of low-intensity laser therapy in shortening the time and discomfort of orthodontic treatment. Experimental work: Using a split-mouth study to compare tooth movement with conventional treatment and laser-accelerated orthodontic tooth movement. A patient presenting with a class II division I malocclusion characterized by the misalignment of the upper and lower teeth as classified by Angle’s molar classification system was indicated to undergo fixed orthodontic appliance orthodontic treatment. The treatment plan involved bila
... Show MoreBackground: Successful root canal therapy depends on thorough chemo mechanical debridement of pulpal tissue, dentin debris and infective microorganisms. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles, sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine in reducing the bacterial infection of the root canals. Materials and Methods: The root canals of 55 single-rooted teeth were cleaned, shaped, and sterilized. All the teeth samples were inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis and incubated at 37°C for 2 weeks. Then, the teeth were divided into four groups. Group I (n=15): 100 ppm silver nanoparticles, Group II (n=15): 2.5 sodium hypochlorite, Group III (n=15): 2% chlorhexidine, IV (n=10): Normal saline as a contr
... Show MoreIn the present work, poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) doped with Rhodamine 6G was prepared. The spectral properties (absorption and fluorescence) of the films were studied at different concentrations (1x10-5, 2x10-5, 5x10-5, 7x10-5, and 1x10-4mol/l). The investigated samples were made in the form of thin films. This was achieved by dissolving a certain weight of PMMA in a fixed volume of chloroform, composite films was with thickness (25.8μm) at room temperature. The achieved results were pointed out that absorption and fluorescence spectra have taken a wide spectral rang so when increased the concentratio
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