The aim of this study is the determination of the anti-adhesion activity of active compounds extracted from plants in the inhibition of adhesion ability of C. albicans that is used as a virulence factor for infection. Adherence to host surfaces is a primary factor in the colonization of human tissues by fungi, which can also adhere to the surfaces of medical devices and form biofilms. Medicinal plants possess therapeutic properties or beneficial pharmacological effects on the body. A total of one hundred samples were collected from female patients with vaginal infection in two hospitals in Baghdad city for three months. The fungi were isolated and identified by microscopic morphology, morphological features on culture media, and Vital Index of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (VITEK 2) System. Extraction and purification of plant active compounds, vasicine from Adhatoda vasica and gallic acid from Punica granatum L. , were performed. The active compounds were used as anti-adhesion factors and the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) against Candida albicans was determined. We also used the antifungal drug fluconazole for comparison as a control. The results of vaginal discharge characterization of clinical samples showed that 30% of the infections are caused by fungi (100% were Candida albicans), 47% by Gram negative bacteria, and 23% by Gram positive bacteria. The results of MIC assays showed that the plant extract and the antifungal drug do not seem to have fungicidal effects on the isolates of C. albicans tested. The ability of C. albicans isolates for adhesion to the epithelial cells was detected by the calculation of the number of adherent C. albicans cells under light microscope. The activity of vasicin and gallic acid appeared to be approximately equal on the number of C. albicans adherent on epithelial cells. Vasicin concentration activity used in mg/ ml was higher than that used in µg/ ml, with less numbers of C. albicans adhered on epithelial cell. However, treatment with fluconazole showed that more than half of the number of C. albicans were non-adherent on epithelial cells when added to the suspension, in contrast to the control (C. albicans without the extracts or antifungal drug).
Background: Vulvovaginal candiddiasis is an opportunistic mucosal infection caused by Candida albicans that affects large number of otherwise healthy women of child bearing age. Acute episodes often occur during pregnancy.
Patients and methods: This study was done on 50 pregnant women with Candida vulvovagnitis who were diagnosed by direct microscopic examination, culture technique, germ tube production, chlamydospore, and Api 20 candida system, at Baghdad Teaching Hospital in the period between October 2008 to February 2009.
Results: The study group included 50 pregnant women with Candida vulvovaginitis . The percentage of pregnant women with Candida albicans infection who their age is higher than 30
Turbidity is a visual property of water that expresses the amount of suspended substances in the water. Its presence in quantities more significant than the permissible limit makes the water undrinkable and reduces the effectiveness of disinfectants in treating pathogens. On this basis, turbidity is used as a basic indicator for measuring water quality. This study aims to evaluate the removal efficiency of AL- Muthanna WTP. Water turbidity was used as a basic parameter in the evaluation, using performance improvement evaluation and data from previous years (2016 to 2020). The average raw water turbidity was 26.7 NTU, with a minimum of 14 NTU, with a maximum of 48 NTU. Water turbidity value for 95% of settling daily reading data was
... Show MoreTurbidity is a visual property of water that expresses the amount of suspended substances in the water. Its presence in quantities more significant than the permissible limit makes the water undrinkable and reduces the effectiveness of disinfectants in treating pathogens. On this basis, turbidity is used as a basic indicator for measuring water quality. This study aims to evaluate the removal efficiency of AL- Muthanna WTP. Water turbidity was used as a basic parameter in the evaluation, using performance improvement evaluation and data from previous years (2016 to 2020). The average raw water turbidity was 26.7 NTU, with a minimum of 14 NTU, with a maximum of 48 NTU. Water turbidity value for 95% of settling daily readi
... Show MoreBackground: Cataract is a major cause of visual impairment and blindness around the world. This study evaluated the in vitro antioxidant and anti-cataract activities of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius leaves extract and fractions. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), total reducing power, and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. Anti-cataract potential was evaluated in vitro using goat lenses divided into eight groups of different treatments and incubated in artificial aqueous humor at 37 °C for 72 hours. Glucose-induced opacity in the lenses was observed and biochemical indices quantified (cata
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa is considered as a developing opportunistic nosocomial pathogen and is well-known for its multidrug resistance that can be efficiently treated by a combination of antibiotics andefflux pump inhibitors (EPI). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of curcumin as an EPI for the enhancement of the effectiveness of antibiotics against multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates ofP. aeruginosa. Susceptibility patterns of suspected bacteria was determined using the disc diffusion method andresistant bacteria were identified using chromogenic agar and 16S rDNA. The effectsof curcuminon the enhancement of antibiotics’s activity was evaluated usingthe broth microd
... Show MoreBackground: Proper cleaning and shaping of the whole root canal space have been recognized as a real challenge, particularly in oval-shaped canals.This in vitro study was conducted to evaluate and compare the efficiency of different instrumentation systems in removing of dentin debris at three thirds of oval-shaped root canals and to compare the percentage of remaining dentin debris among the three thirds for each instrumentation system. Materials and methods: Fifty freshly extracted human mandibular molars with single straight oval-shaped distal root canals were randomly divided into five groups of ten teeth each. Group One: instrumentation with ProTaper Universal hand instruments, Group Two: instrumentation with ProTaper Universal rotary
... Show MoreAmygdalin (d-Mandelonitrile 6-O-β-d-glucosido-β-d-glucoside) and its semi synthetic product is Laetrile ( also called vitamin B17): a natural cyanogenic glycoside occurring in the seeds of some edible plants, such as bitter almonds and peaches. Early in the 19th century, Amygdalin was first isolated in 1830 by two French chemists, Robiquet and Boutron-Charlard, as active components in various fruit pits and raw nuts. However, the systematized study of vitamin B17 started when chemist Bohn (1802) discovered that a hydrocyanic acid is released during distillation of the water from bitter almonds. The various pharmacological effects of Laetrile include antiatherogenic, activity in renal fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, immune regulation, ant
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