Proteus mirabilis isolates have been intensively researched for their capacity to cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) and their swarming motility, although little is known about this phenomenon. Probiotic Lactobacillus species, which are beneficial bacteria, are being studied worldwide as therapeutic and preventative agents against bacterial infections. This study investigated Lactobacillus supernatants as a potential new treatment against Proteus mirabilis. In addition to testing their antimicrobial and anti-swarming activities, the research also aimed to understand the genetic mechanisms behind the observed phenotypic changes. Methods. A total of 150 urine specimens were collected from UTI patients at various hospitals in Baghdad. Direct culture was performed by streaking the specimens on differential media. RNA was extracted and purified from the bacterial isolates, and then reverse transcription and quantitative PCR were used to evaluate swarming-related gene expression. Gene expression was assessed relative to a reference gene to reveal how probiotics regulate swarming behavior at the genetic level. Gene expression patterns varied, indicating complex genomic responses to Lactobacillus exposure. Results. UTIs affected 50 males (33.33%) and 100 females (66.66%) of various ages. Proteus mirabilis was identified in 30 (20%) of the 150 samples. Resistance was observed in 25 (83.33%) isolates for azithromycin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and in 22 (73.33%) isolates for meropenem. Real-time PCR showed significant alterations in the expression of four swarming-related genes (rsbA, umoD, ZapA, and FliL). The rsbA gene showed a notable increase in expression, while another sample displayed a decrease. The umoD gene exhibited the largest change, with expression doubling in some cases. ZapA showed the greatest increase, nearly tripling in expression in one sample. FliL expression also rose in multiple isolates. Swarming activity was positively correlated with gene expression levels for rsbA (r = 0.8, p = 0.009), umoD (r = 0.635, p = 0.045), ZapA (r = 0.942, p = 0.001), and FliL (r = 0.894, p = 0.001). Conclusions. The study reveals a complex gene network regulating the swarming motility of Proteus mirabilis. It suggests that Lactobacillus acidophilus supernatants can modify gene expression and bacterial motility, potentially aiding in the treatment of UTIs.
In fish, a complex set of mechanisms deal with environmental stresses including hypoxia. In order to probe the hypothesis that hypoxia-induced stress could be manifested in varieties of pathways, a model species, mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio), were chronically exposed to hypoxic condition (dissolved oxygen level: 1.80±0.6mg/l) for 21 days and subsequently allowed to recover under normoxic condition (dissolved oxygen level: 8.2±0.5mg/l) for 7 days. At the end of these exposure periods, an integrated approach was applied to evaluate several endpoints at different levels of biological organisation. These included determination of (i) oxidative damage to DNA in erythrocytes (using modified comet assay), (ii) lipid peroxidation in liver sample
... Show MoreThe research aimed to determine the role of the agricultural extension in educating farmers about the legislation on the protection of the rural environment from pollution with chemical pesticides working in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Training and the Department of Agricultural Extension in the directorates of agriculture of Najaf and Qadisiyah, and to determine the role of the agricultural extension in the axis of farmers' use of the correct methods to protect the rural environment from pollution with chemical pesticides and the axis of the reasons that lead farmers to pollute the rural environment with chemical pesticides, and to achieve the objectives of this research prepared A questionnaire in the light of rev
... Show MoreThe current research is concerned with methods of formation and their effect on the sintering process of ceramic materials. The research is divided into a number of chapters. The first chapter addressed the research structure (the research problem, importance, objective, limits, and it also defined the terms used in the research). The second chapter addressed the theoretical framework, where the theoretical framework has been divided into three sections. The first section dealt with methods of formation of ceramic materials including: Plasticizing method 2- semi-dry pressing method 3- dry pressing method 4- extrusion method 5- casting method.
The researcher found that there is a clear difference between the methods through her formati
In this research, hand lay- up technique is used to prepare samples from epoxy resin reinforced with multi- walled carbon nanotubes in different weight fractions (0, 2, 3, 4, 5) wt%. The immersion effect by sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) at normality (0.3N) for a period of (15 days) on the thermal conductivity of nanocomposites was studied, and compared to natural condition (before immersion). The thermal conductivity of epoxy nanocomposites specimens were carried out using Lee’s disk method. The experimental results showed that thermal conductivity increased with increase weight fraction before and after immersion for all specimens, while the immersion effect leads to decrease thermal conductive values compared to thermal conductivi
... Show MoreThe effect of considering the third dimension in mass concrete members on its cracking behavior is investigated in this study. The investigation includes thermal and structural analyses of mass concrete structures. From thermal analysis, the actual temperature distribution throughout the mass concrete body was obtained due to the generation of heat as a result of cement hydration in
addition to the ambient circumstances. This was performed via solving the differential equations of heat conduction and convection using the finite element method. The finite element method was also implemented in the structural analysis adopting the concept of initial strain problem. Drying shrinkage volume changes were calculated using the procedure sug
This paper is devoted to investigate experimentally and theoretically the structural behavior of reinforced concrete hollow beams which have internal transverse ribs under effect of shear. The number of the internal ribs is the major variable adopted in this research, while, the other variables are kept constant for all tested specimens. The experimental part includes poured and test of four (200x300x1200mm) beam specimens, three of these specimens were hollow with different locations of internal ribs and one of them was solid. The experimental results indicated that the shear strength are increased (33%) to (60%) for beams containing internal ribs in comparison with reference beam. Also, the change of beam state from ho
... Show MoreThis study has been conducted to examin the effect of sodium propionate at different level of 0.03,0.06,0.10% on the number of bacteria and mold and to extend the storage life of laboratory processed biscuit. The results indicated that the use of 0.10% sodium propionate prolonged the storage peroid until the third month, while the use of 0.20% sodium propionate showed no growth of bacteria up to six month of storage, three types of bacteria has been isolated from processed biscuit, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Esherichia coli. using 0.10% sodium propionate showed no growth of mold up to three month of storage ,while using of 0.15 % and 0.20% sodium propionate prevent the growth
... Show MoreCarbon nanoparticles are prepared by sonication using carbon black powder. The surface morphology of carbon black (CB) and carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) is investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The particles size ranges from 100 nm to 400 nm for CB and from 10 nm to 100 nm for CNPs. CNPs and CB are mixed with silicon glue of different ratios of 0.025, 0.2, 0.05, and 0.1 to synthesis films. The optical properties of the prepared films are investigated through reflectance and absorbance analyses. The ratio of 0.05 for CNPs and CB is the best for solar paint because of its higher solar water heater efficiency and is then added to the silicon glue . Temperature of cold water and temperature of hot water in storage tank were ta
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