Objective: The present work was undertaken to investigate the impact of sub inhibitory concentration of gentamicin on hla gene expression in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Methods: The bacterial isolates used in this study represent 33 MRSA strains, previously isolated form patients visiting several hospitals in Baghdad. Gentamicin, vancomycin, and oxacillin MIC were determined using broth dilution method. Microtiter plate method was adopted to investigate the biofilm forming capacity. Alpha hemolysin was detected by culturing MRSA isolates on rabbit blood agar. Furthermore, hla gene was detected in MRSA isolates using conventional PCR technique; while, qRT-PCR method was performed to assay the hla expression in planktonic and biofilm cells in presence and absence of gentamicin. Results: the present results demonstrated that 12 (36.36%) isolates were gentamicin-resistant; whereas, all isolates were resistant to oxacillin and sensitive to vancomycin. Out of 33 MRSA, 3, 23, and 7 isolates formed a weak, moderate, and strong biofilm, respectively. Phenotypically, 30 isolates produced alpha hemolysin on rabbit blood agar plates; nevertheless, hla gene was located in 29 isolates. Of considerable interest, the addition of gentamicin significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the hemolysis activity; while, insignificant fold change (less than two) of hla gene was observed in all tested isolates in the presence of sub MIC of gentamicin (16 µg/ml). Conclusion: gentamicin upregulated the hla gene expression in biofilm cells; hitherto, this increment was isolate specific.
Rutting is one of the most complex and widespread types of distress. The rutting is frequently observed on Iraqi roads, especially at the checkpoints, forming a significant hazard on the asphalt layers. Factors such as heavy loads and high temperatures contribute to this distress. Adding fibers to a hot mix asphalt (HMA) effectively improves performance and extends the lifespan of the flexible pavement. This article used glass, steel, and basalt fibers. The wheel tracking test assessed the fibre-asphalt mixture for rutting resistance and compared it with the mix without adding fibers (control HMA). Meanwhile, the microscopic structure of fibres and asphalt mixture modified with fibers was examined using the Field Emission Scanning E
... Show MoreThe High Modulus Asphalt Concrete Mixture (HMACM) or (EME) (Enrobes a Module Eleve) developed in France, since, 1980 by Laboratories Central des Ponts et Chaussees (LCPC). Due to the increasing in traffic intensity and axle loading this type of mixing were suitable for pavement subjected to heavy duty. Experiments showed that EME mixtures have an excellent moisture damage resistance permanent deformation, fatigue cracking and reducing costs of maintenance and a significant reduction in thickness of pavement. Because of the high stiffness of EME mixes, the stresses transformed to the bottom laid layer by repeated traffic wheel loads were reduced effectively. This study intend to focus the light into the possibility of producing asphalt mixtu
... Show MoreChemical pesticides have an impact on other living organisms in addition to their intended target organisms. Any chemical pesticide is therefore made safe for use by examining its biological characteristics and side effects. The present study was aimed at determining the resistance efficiency of six bacterial isolates obtained from malathion-contaminated soils. Bacteria were isolated from soil samples collected in Adhamiya, Baghdad, Iraq. Biochemical tests and VITEK 2 compact equipment were used to identify the bacterial isolates. Primary and secondary screening tests were conducted on the bacterial isolates for resistance against malathion pesticides. The optimal bacterial growth conditions were determined in malathion-contaminated media.
... Show MoreSoil-structure frictional resistance is an important parameter in the design of many foundation systems. The soil-structure interface area is responsible for load transferring from the structure to the surrounding soil. The mobilized shaft resistance of axially loaded, long slender pile embedded in dense, dry sand is experimentally and numerically analyzed when subjected to pullout force. Experimental setup including an instrumented model pile while the finite element method is used as a numerical analysis tool. The hypoplasticity model is used to model the soil adjacent to and surrounding the pile by using ABAQUS FEA (6.17.1). The soil-structure interface behavior depends on many factors, but mainly on the interface soi
... Show MoreRecycled asphalt concrete mixture are prepared, artificially aged and processed in the laboratory to maintain the homogeneity of recycled asphalt concrete mixture gradation, and bitumen content. The loose asphalt concrete mix was subjected to cycle of accelerated aging, (short –term aging) and the compacted mix was subjected to (long -term aging) as per Super-pave procedure. Twenty four Specimens were constructed at optimum asphalt content according to Marshall Method. Recycled mixture was prepared from aged asphalt concrete using recycling agent (soft asphalt cement blended with silica fumes) by (1.5%) weight of mixture as recycling agent content. The effect of recycling agent on aging after recycling process behavior
... Show MoreThe objective of this investigation was to study the effects of amixture of three arbuscular mycorrhizal species : Glomus etunicatum , G. leptotichum and Rhizophagus intraradices on the induced resistance of Lycopersicon esculentum roots infected with Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.lycopersici which is causal agent of wilt in the presence of organic matter peatmose (O). The work was achieved in aplastic house ( Shed) using pot culture planted for 10 weeks. Results indicated significant increase of all mycorrhizal colonization parameters ( F% , M% , m% , a% , A% ) . Highest percentage of mycorrhization was detected in roots infected with the pathogen 4 weeks after mycorrhizal colonization . On the other hand least colonization was shown in the dual
... Show MoreThis study investigated the prevalence of quinolones resistance proteins encoding genes (qnr genes) and co-resistance for fluoroquinolones and β-lactams among clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Out of 150 clinical samples, 50 isolates of K. pneumoniae were identified according to morphological and biochemical properties. These isolates were collected from different clinical samples, including 15 (30%) urine, 12 (24%) blood, 9 (18%) sputum, 9 (18%) wound, and 5 (10%) burn. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) assay revealed that 15 (30%) of isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (≥4µg/ml), 11 (22%) of isolates were resistant to levofloxacin (≥8 µg/ml), 21 (42%) of isolates were re
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