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.
This study aimed to get a better understanding of molecular epidemiology and genetic variation in the spike glycoprotein as a key viral component involved in viral entrance into host cells and as a potential vaccination target. Three Iraqi SARS-CoV-2 strains were investigated using whole-genome sequencing, with two of them clustering into the 20A (GH) clade, and the remaining strain is clustered in 20E (GV) clade, belonging to the B.1.36.1 and B.1.177.80 lineage, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing of the viral RNA samples revealed nine sporadic nonsynonymous uncommon mutations with freq
... Show MoreRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases which occurs as a result of unknown reasons. This study was conducted at Baghdad Teaching Hospital/City of Medicine, where blood samples were taken from 60 Iraqi patients with RA (49 females and 11 males) and these patients were matched by age and sex with 20 healthy controls (16 females and 4 males). Patients with RA were diagnosed by a consultant rheumatologist according to ACR / EULAR criteria in 2010. In this study the patients were divided into four groups as follows; the first group consisted of 12 patients treated with methotrexate (MTX), the second group consisted of 10 patients treated with etanercept, the third group consisted of 18 patients treate
... Show MoreAbstract: Two different shapes of offset optical fiber was studied based on coreless fiber for refractive index (RI)/concentration (con.) measurement, and compare them. These shapes are U and S-shapes, both shapes structures were formed by one segment of coreless fiber (CF) was joined between two single mode (SMF) lead in /lead out with the same displacement (12.268µm) at both sides, the results shows the high sensitive was achieved in a novel S-shape equal 98.768nm/RIU, to our knowledge, no one has ever mentioned or experienced it, it’s the best shape rather than the U-shape which equal 85.628nm/RIU. In this research, it was proved that the offset form has a significant effect on the sensitivity of the sensor. Addi
... Show MoreDensity Functional Theory (DFT) with B3LYP hybrid exchange-correlation functional and 3-21G basis set and semi-empirical methods (PM3) were used to calculate the energies (total energy, binding energy (Eb), molecular orbital energy (EHOMO-ELUMO), heat of formation (?Hf)) and vibrational spectra for some Tellurium (IV) compounds containing cycloctadienyl group which can use as ligands with some transition metals or essential metals of periodic table at optimized geometrical structures.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) became the most prevalent health problem. Almost half of the world's people are ignorant that have diabetes. Menopause occurs as an important alteration in women through which take place the change in sex hormones, distribution in fat،s body, and metabolism, altogether which participate in the metabolism disease such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several studies have appeared the association between the TCF7L2 gene and different diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to detect the relation of the genetic variation polymorphism for the TCF7L2 gene (rs12255372 G/T) in Iraqi women menopausal with T2DM. The outcomes indicated the increased levels of biochemical characteristics including H
... Show MoreThe goal of this investigation is to prepare zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique through Q-switching double frequency Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) wavelength, pulse frequency 6 Hz, and 300 mJ energy under vacuum conditions (10-3 torr) at room temperature. (ZnO) nano-thin films were deposited on glass substrates with different thickness of 300, 600 and 900 nm. ZnO films, were then annealed in air at a temperature of 500 °C for one hour. The results were compared with the researchers' previous theoretical study. The XRD analysis of ZnO nano-thin films indicated a hexagonal multi-crystalline wurtzite structure with preferential growth lines (100), (002), (101) for ZnO nano-thin films with different thi
... Show MoreThe results of research to reach the conditions that prevents the emergence of primary or secondary voids and achieve worker benefit from molded by almost 100%, which was the situation that cast poured in a mold heated and insulated from all sides to achieve freezing directional full starting from the region remote from the casting and ending then. Has also been compared to the microscopic structure of the resulting castings of various molding conditions, as these conditions have achieved the best sound microscopic structures.
Background: Chronic periodontitis is a bacterial infection that result in bone destruction associated with the increasing level of salivary tumor necrosis alpha and interleukin6 that affect Mother-infant bonding status. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between the Mother-infant bonding status in mothers with chronic periodontitis in relation to Salivary Tumor necrosis factor alpha and Salivary Interleukin6. Materials and Methods: The selected sample consisted of mothers with chronic periodontitis compared with mothers with healthy periodontium in postpartum period, their age ranged between 30-40 years. Both groups were subjected to postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Periodontal health status was assessed f
... Show MoreThis research is concerned with qualitatively studying the history of an ancient family, one of the most prominent noble, Alawite families, that assumed the position of the Student Union for the Alawite Supervision in the city of Nishapur in Khorasan during the centries (4-6 H./ 10-12 A.H.). Thus, the research aims to investgate the historical news, and the outstanding Zubarah figures who experience the supereme the religious, historical and scientific position in Khorasan generally and Nishapur particularily. It further aims at arriving at the true meaning of the name Zubarah, and to whom it was called, and the extent of this family’s affiliation to the noble Alawi House, and how they moved to live and settle in the cities of the East
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