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).
Aeromonas hydrophila is widely distributed throughout the world and causes diseases to animals and human exposed to contaminated environments such as water and soil. This study aimed to compare between isolates of A. hydrophila collected from clinical and environmental samples, through investigating the phenotype of some virulence factors in vitro, including hemolysin, protease, lipase, nuclease and biofilm formation ability. Also, the antimicrobial susceptibility for different antibiotics was determined using disc diffusion method. For genotypic identification of isolates and phylogenetic tree construction, 16S rDNA target gene was amplified and sequenced. The phenoty
... Show MoreBackground: Tympanometry findings are considered by many investigators to be associated with passive and active smoking.
Patients and methods: One hundred forty healthy adult men aged (20-50 years). 70 smokers and 70 nonsmokers were recruited for the study. The examination included otoscopy, and screening tympanometry. Smoking history was ascertained by self –report. For each subject, age, smoking status and number of cigarettes per day were noted.
Results: There is a tendency for more negative middle ear pressure in smokers than in non-smokers though this difference may not clinically significant. There were no significant differences in ear canal volume, middle ear compliance and presence of Staped
Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photosynthetic communities which are used in biofertilization of many plants especially rice plant. Cyanobacteria play a vital role to increase the plant's ability for salinity tolerance. Salinity is a worldwide problem which affects the growth and productivity of crops. In this work three cyanobacteria strains (Nostoc calcicola, Anabaena variabilis, and Nostoc linkia) were isolated from saline soil at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate; North Egypt. The propagated cyanobacteria strains were used to withstand salinity of the soil and increase rice plant growth (Giza 178). The length of roots and shoot seedlings was measured for seven and forty days of cultivation, respectively. The results of this investigation showed
... Show MoreBackground: Chronic otitis media (COM) of mucosal or squamous type is a common problem in otolaryngology practice, the active form of COM is characterized by discharge of pus and is treated by antibiotics to start with, the appropriate antibiotic should be prescribed to avoid antibiotic abuse and guarantee good outcome. Objectives:The objective of this study is to identify the causative organisms of active chronic active otitis media both (mucosal, squamous) type and test their sensitivity to various anti- microbial agents &compare with abroad studies.Methods:A prospective study was done on eighty patients, different ages and sexes were taken and carful history and examination was done, examination under microscope was done with carf
... Show MoreA series of Schiff base-bearing salicylaldehyde moiety compounds (1-4) had been designed, synthesized, subjected to insilico ADMET prediction, molecular docking, characterization by FT-IR, and CHNS analysis techniques, and finally to their Anti-inflammatory profile using cyclooxygenase fluorescence inhibitor screening assay methods along with standard drugs, celecoxib, and diclofenac. The ADMET studies were used to predict which compounds would be suitable for oral administration, as well as absorption sites, bioavailability, TPSA, and drug likeness. According to the results of ADME data, all of the produced chemicals can be absorbed through the GIT and have passed Lipinski’s rule of five. Through molecular docking with PyRx 0.8, these
... Show MoreThis research aims to test the ability of glass waste powder to adsorb cadmium from aqueous solutions. The glass wastes were collected from the Glass Manufacturing Factory in Ramadi. The effect of concentration and reaction time on sorption was tested through a series of laboratory experiments. Four Cd concentrations (20, 40, 60, and 80) as each concentration was tested ten times for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 min. Solid (glass wastes) to liquid was 2g to 30ml was fixed in each experiment where the total volume of the solution was 30ml. The pH, total dissolved salts and electrical conductivity were measured at 30ºC. The equilibrium concentration was determined at 25 minutes, thereafter it was noted that the sorption
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This research aims to study and improve the passivating specifications of rubber resistant to vibration. In this paper, seven different rubber recipes were prepared based on mixtures of natural rubber(NR) as an essential part in addition to the synthetic rubber (IIR, BRcis, SBR, CR)with different rates. Mechanical tests such as tensile strength, hardness, friction, resistance to compression, fatigue and creep testing in addition to the rheological test were performed. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)test was used to examine the structure morphology of rubber. After studying and analyzing the results, we found that, recipe containing (BRcis) of 40% from th
... Show MoreThe environmental contamination by the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) concentrations in the leaves of plant Eucalyptus camaldulensis were determined at the city of Kirkuk in 15 selected locations using GPS. The pickings up of samples were carried out in two periods October 2010 and March 2011. Compared with results of other studies, the concentration levels of determined heavy metals show values within these studies results. The average total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the leaves of Plant Eucalyptus camaldulensis indicated 37.1 ppb in October, while in March 165.2 ppb.
The mode
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