One of the crucial public health problems worldwide is the urinary tract infections (UTIs) that are derived from uropathogenic bacteria (UPBs). Slime layer is known to have the ability to permit bacteria to achieve smooth surfaces attachment like catheters and prosthetic implants which in turn, facilitate biofilm formation and may cause lethal infections. On the other hand, Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production is considered a growing concern among UPBs due to the limiting of the treatment options and contributes to resistance toward antibiotics. The principal study's point is the finding out the slime layer and ESBL production in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae of uropathogenic origin. Ten ready isolates (five isolates for each bacterial type) are gained from Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad. Disk diffusion method is employed to detect their antibiotic susceptibility towards Ciprofloxacin (CRO 10μg), Ceftazidime (CAZ 30μg) , Imipenem (IPM 10μg), Meropenem (MEM 10μg), Amoxicillin/ clavulanate (AMC 20/10 μg) and Aztreonam (ATM 30μg). Congo Red method is used to detect the production of slime layer for both types of bacteria. Black colonies mean slime layer production and pink colored colonies are not productive. Results show that all the tested bacterial isolates had ability to form slime layer even in different degrees. By using disk replacement method, ESBL production is detected. Results showed that two isolates (40%) of both Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are ESBL producers, while (60%) of both types are unable to produce these enzymes.
A large number of natural or synthetic dyes have been removed from both national and international lists of permitted food colors because of their mutagenic or carcinogenic activity. Therefore, this study aimed to use the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-Based Polymerase Chain Reaction (RAPD-PCR) assay as a feasible method to evaluate the ability of some food colors as genotoxin-induced DNA damage and mutations. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was used as a bioindicator to determine the genotoxic effects by RAPD-PCR using M13 primer after treatment with some synthetic dyes currently used as food color additives, including Sunset Yellow, Carmoisine, and Tartrazine. Besides qualitative analysis, the bioinformatic GelJ software was used for clus
... Show MoreBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive airflow limitation that is preventable but not curable. It is associated with persistent symptoms that cause a considerable burden on individual productivity at work, and daily activities, and reduced quality of life, also burdening the healthcare system and society. Objectives: The study aims to measure the burden of COPD on patients in terms of daily activities and work productivity. It also seeks to investigate some inflammatory biomarkers' levels and their correlation with selected outcomes. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study on 120 stable COPD patients who were diagnosed and treated according to the GOLD guidelines at Kirkuk General Hospital's
... Show MoreThis study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From
... Show MoreThe study aimed to know the degree to which Islamic education teachers employ the strategy of directed discovery in teaching to develop higher thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) among sixth-grade students at the basic stage in East Nile Province, Khartoum State - Sudan. The researcher used the descriptive-analytical method, and adopted a questionnaire that consisted of (15) indicators representing the skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as a tool of the study. A random sample of (175) Islamic education teachers was selected, from the Department of Basic Education. The data were analyzed according to the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) program, and the results of the study have shown that the u
... Show MoreThe biological activities of some ternary nickel complexes with a Schiff base obtained from 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and 2-aminophenol have been reported. The Schiff base ( HL1) acts as a primary ligand whereas, anthranilic acid ( HL2), 2-nitroaniline ( HL3), alanine ( HL4) and histidine ( HL5) act as secondary ligand or co-ligand. The anticancer activity of these compounds was studied against human colon carcinoma (HCT-116), human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (HEPG-2) and human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines. As per the results, the compounds were active against the cell lines. The antioxidant activity of the same compounds was evaluated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) radical scavenging and compared with ascorbic aci
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