Multi-drug-resistant uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is considered a significant challenge due to its ability to resist antibiotics and form biofilms. UPEC biofilm formers are well protected and largely inaccessible to antibiotics, which leads to persistent infections and evasion of the host immune system. Understanding how ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole affect biofilm formation is essential for improving treatment strategies for urinary tract infections (UTIs). A total of 76 UPEC isolates were obtained from Iraqi patients and identified using morphological and biochemical characteristics, as well as the Vitek®-2 Compact system. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using the Vitek®-2 system, which is based on CLSI standards, followed by agar diffusion assays to determine MIC, sub-MIC (SMIC), and sub-sub-MIC (SSMIC). A 96-well microtiter plate assay was used to quantify the biofilm-forming ability of UPEC isolates and to evaluate the effects of ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole on UPEC biofilms. The MICs of ciprofloxacin were ≥ 4 µg/mL for resistant isolates and ≤ 0.25 µg/mL for sensitive ones. For trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, MICs were ≥ 320 µg/mL for resistant isolates and ≤ 20 µg/mL for sensitive isolates. Ciprofloxacin inhibited biofilm formation at SSMIC (1 µg/mL) and SMIC (2 µg/mL). Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole also showed inhibitory effects, although to a lesser extent than ciprofloxacin. In pre-formed biofilms, ciprofloxacin influenced biofilm integrity at MIC (4 µg/mL), SMIC (2 µg/mL), and SSMIC (1 µg/mL), while trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole showed variable effects. Both ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were capable of inhibiting biofilm formation; however, their efficacy varied. Despite their ability to inhibit initial biofilm formation, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole appeared to promote the persistence of already formed UPEC biofilms. Determining the precise concentrations of these antibiotics is essential for effectively managing UTIs caused by
As a well-known oral and intravenous antifungal, voriconazole (VRN) has an extensive history of usage in the medical field. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have been produced to treat ocular fungal keratitis in the eye. A 32Box-behnken design was used to produce a variety of new formulas for hot-melt extrusion. The SLNs were evaluated by entrapment efficiency (EE percent), particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP). A series of in-vitro and in-vivo studies were carried out on the new formula. The produced vesicles’ EE, PS, PDI, and ZP values were all good. SLNs eye drops were numerically adjusted to include carbopol, a stabilizer, lipids, and a surfactant, among other substances. ZP of -36.5 ± 0.20 m
... Show MoreIn this work, the possibility to use new suggested carriers (D= Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Tramal) is discussed for diclofenac drug (voltarine) by using quantum mechanics calculations. The calculation methods (PM3) and (DFT) have been used for determination the reaction path of (O-D) bond rupture energies. Different groups of drugs as a carrier for diclofenac prodrugs (in a vacuum) have been used; at their optimized geometries. The calculations included the geometrical structure and some of the physical properties, in addition to the toxicity, biological activity, and NLO properties of the prodrugs, investigated using HF method. The calculations were done by Gaussian 09 program. The comparison was made for total energies of reactan
... Show MoreDandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) are common skin disorders affecting the scalp and extending to other body sites in the case of SD. They are associated with pruritus and scaling, causing an esthetical disturbance in the population affected. Treatment of such conditions involves using a variety of drugs for long terms, thus optimizing drug formulation is essential to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Conventional topical formulations like shampoos and creams have been widely used but their use is associated with disadvantages. To overcome such effects, novel topical nanotechnology-based formulations are currently under investigation. In the following article, we highlight recently published formulatio
... Show MoreThe national pharmaceutical industry is pivotal for both the health sector and the national economy. This study aims to identify determinants of national drug products acceptance. The objectives of this study were to quantitatively measure the level of patient and community pharmacist acceptance of national drug products available in community pharmacies and to qualitatively explore the barriers facing national pharmaceutical companies and investigate the suggested solutions.
This cross-sectional study used an explanatory mixed method design. It was conducted in Baghdad, Iraq from July through October 2018. The stud
Objective: The goal of this research is to load Doxorubicin (DOX) on silver nanoparticles coupled with folic acid and test their anticancer properties against breast cancer. Methods: Chitosan-Capped silver nanoparticles (CS-AgNPs) were manufactured and loaded with folic acid as well as an anticancer drug, Doxorubicin, to form CS-AgNPs-DOX-FA conjugate. AFM, FTIR, and SEM techniques were used to characterize the samples. The produced multifunctional nano-formulation served as an intrinsic drug delivery system, allowing for effective loading and targeting of chemotherapeutics on the Breast cancer (AMJ 13) cell line. Flowcytometry was used to assess therapy efficacy by measuring apoptotic induction. Results: DOX and CS-Ag
... Show MoreThe optimization of artificial gas lift techniques plays a crucial role in the advancement of oil field development. This study focuses on investigating the impact of gas lift design and optimization on production outcomes within the Mishrif formation of the Halfaya oil field. A comprehensive production network nodal analysis model was formulated using a PIPESIM Optimizer-based Genetic Algorithm and meticulously calibrated utilizing field-collected data from a network comprising seven wells. This well group encompasses three directional wells currently employing gas lift and four naturally producing vertical wells. To augment productivity and optimize network performance, a novel gas lift design strategy was proposed. The optimization of
... Show MoreBig data analysis has important applications in many areas such as sensor networks and connected healthcare. High volume and velocity of big data bring many challenges to data analysis. One possible solution is to summarize the data and provides a manageable data structure to hold a scalable summarization of data for efficient and effective analysis. This research extends our previous work on developing an effective technique to create, organize, access, and maintain summarization of big data and develops algorithms for Bayes classification and entropy discretization of large data sets using the multi-resolution data summarization structure. Bayes classification and data discretization play essential roles in many learning algorithms such a
... Show MoreBig data analysis is essential for modern applications in areas such as healthcare, assistive technology, intelligent transportation, environment and climate monitoring. Traditional algorithms in data mining and machine learning do not scale well with data size. Mining and learning from big data need time and memory efficient techniques, albeit the cost of possible loss in accuracy. We have developed a data aggregation structure to summarize data with large number of instances and data generated from multiple data sources. Data are aggregated at multiple resolutions and resolution provides a trade-off between efficiency and accuracy. The structure is built once, updated incrementally, and serves as a common data input for multiple mining an
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