Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent bacterial diseases affecting man with up to 90% of the global population affected. Its severe form can lead to the tooth loss in 10-15% of the population worldwide. The disease is caused by a dysbiosis of the local microbiota and one organism that contributes to this alteration in the bacterial population is Prophyromonas gingivalis. This organism possesses a range of virulence factors that appear to contribute to its growth and survival at a periodontal site amongst which is its ability to invade oral epithelial cells. Such an invasion strategy provides a means of evasion of host defence mechanisms, persistence at a site and the opportunity for dissemination to other sites in the mouth. However, previous studies have demonstrated that invasion of the mammalian cells in a population by P. gingivalis is heterogenous, with some cells becoming heavily invaded while others harbour no or only a few bacteria. An understanding of this heterogeneity may throw light on the mechanisms involved and we hypothesised that the phase of the host cell cycle may explain this phenomenon. In an attempt to study the factors influencing P. gingivalis invasion and the cell response to that invasion, a standard antibiotic protection assay was employed and an oral keratinocyte cell line, H357. The results showed that P. gingivalis NCTC 11834 invasion was significantly increased with increasing time of exposure to the cells and the cell density. This may reflect an increased host cell surface area available for bacterial attachment. No effect on invasion of P. gingivalis invasion was observed by the bacterial growth phase, H357 cell passage number or whether cells were pre-incubated with P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide. Epithelial cells did, however, respond to the presence of P. gingivalis in a number of ways. For example, the mRNA expression of endothelin-1 and urokinase receptor were upregulated with increasing P. gingivalis infection time, suggesting that these proteins could act as inflammatory mediators and possibly as useful markers of the severity of periodontal disease or in the diagnosis and treatment of periodontitis. iii Secondly, in an attempt to investigate the reason for the observed heterogeneous P. gingivalis invasion of H357 cell populations, the effect of cell cycle phase on P. gingivalis invasion was investigated. H357 cells were synchronized by serum starvation. On re-introduction of serum, characterisation of cell cycle phase distribution was performed by flow cytometry following staining with propidium idodide (PI) or by immunofluorescence using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), which specifically identifies cells in S-phase. The effect of cell cycle phases on P. gingivalis invasion was measured using the antibiotic protection assay, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry and these were correlated with gene and surface expression of the urokinase receptor and the α5-integrin subunit, which is thought to mediate P. gingivalis invasion. Results showed that the percentage invasion was enhanced with increasing serum re-introduction time, and positively correlated with the number of cells in S-phase. In addition, flow cytometry data showed that the highest association of fluorescent P. gingivalis was with PI positive S-phase cells. Moreover, BrdU positive S-phase cells were 3 times more likely to be invaded and contained 10 times more P. gingivalis than cells in other phases. Also, α5-integrin was more highly expressed in cells in S-phase than other phases, which could explain the mechanism underlying this enhanced invasion. Data presented here have suggested that P. gingivalis targeting of cells in S- phase could, in vivo, allow preferential invasion of the junctional epithelial cells which turns over rapidly. The data presented in this thesis suggest that P. gingivalis invasion is greatly dependent on several factors attributed to the host, the bacteria itself, and to the environment which the bacteria reside in. The invasion occurs within a population of host cells in a heterogeneous fashion, and is dependent on the cell cycle phase, specifically S-phase. This novel finding, in addition to the previously reported mechanisms of P. gingivalis invasion, increases our understanding of this virulence trait and suggests that such a strategy is a highly organised process which the bacteria can follow to ensure its survival within the host. Furthermore, knowledge of these mechanisms could provide novel approaches to treatment of periodontal diseases.
This study was conducted in Baghdad, Iraq from December 2021 to May 2022. The goal was to determine the effect of Toxoplasma gondii on liver function by examining the relationship between Toxoplasma infection and hormones. One hundred and twenty male patients with Chronic liver disease (CLD) (age:14-75 years) and 120 control males (age: 24-70 years) participated in this study. Serum samples were taken from all individuals and were then analysed for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. Hormonal tests were conducted for all participants which included (Cortisol, testosterone, prolactin, insulin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH). Biochemical tests included (Prothrombin time PT, international normalized ratio INR and albumin); liver enzymes
... Show MoreBackground:Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems refer to a group of heterogeneous pain and dysfunction conditions involving the mastication, reducing life quality of the patients. Arthrocentesis is a simple and less invasive surgical method for the treatment of inflammatory-degenerative disease than other conservative procedures and better than arthroscope. This clinical study aimed at evaluating the benefit of arthrocentesis with injection of hyaluronic acid in the management of inflammatory-degenerative disease of the TMJ. Material and methods: Eighty consecutive patients were enrolled in this study with pain symptoms of TMJ, insufficient masticatory efficiency during function and limitation of mouth opening; they were assessed with
... Show MoreDuring 9–10 September 2011 the ACE, Wind, and SOHO spacecraft measured the complex interaction between an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) and a corotating interaction region (CIR) associated with the heliospheric sector boundary. Except for a few short periods, the suprathermal electrons are unidirectional, suggesting that the ICME magnetic field has opened through interchange reconnection. Signatures of interaction are distributed throughout the event suggesting that the structures have become entangled or embedded. Since the ICME speed is relatively low, the strong forward shock must be caused by the ICME‐CIR interaction. Other interesting features are the upstream heating flux disc
This study aimed to explore the relationship between cyberbullying and levels of pessimism and optimism among female university students, emphasizing the significance of these variables in students' psychological well-being. The research problem was identified in the increasing rates of cyberbullying among female students and its negative impact on optimism and pessimism, alongside the lack of effective counseling programs addressing this issue. The study sample consisted of 30 third-year students from the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences for Women during the academic year 2023--2024. The participants were deliberately selected through a lottery method. The researchers employed the descriptive survey method as it suited the
... Show MoreThe purpose of this paper is to identifying the relationship between the moral climate and the decision-making of boxing referees from the standpoint of the coaches, and the research problem lies through the work of the researchers in training and managing the teams. It was noted that the role of the referees is one of the most important roles played by the workers to achieve the objectives of the federation, and that the moral climate that prevails among the administrative body the union and the referees on the one hand and between the referees and coaches on the other hand are among the factors of the success of everyone’s work and the survival and strengthening of confidence in their work and thus the continuity of success and
... Show MoreBackground: Mother-infant bonding is an important psychological step postpartum and disturbed relationship may carry dramatic consequences as a psychological disorder which may affect the periodontal health of the mother. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of the postpartum Mother-infant bonding on their periodontal condition. Materials and Methods: Mothers in the postpartum period with age range 20-35 years were subjected to postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Periodontal health status was assessed by measuring probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level. Results: The mean values of both probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were higher among disordered mothers than mothers with normal
... Show MoreThe current research tackles the self-efficacy and its relation to the cognitive assessment for the daily disturbances for the University of Baghdad students. Two criteria have been adopted to achieve the objectives of the research. The sample of this study consists of 200 male and female students who were chosen randomly. The data were analyzed statistically, revealing that the university students owned their own self-efficacy as well as a cognitive assessment for the daily disturbances and they recognized them as self-threatening. The results also indicated the existence of a prediction activity in the field of the cognitive assessment to the daily disturbances selection. In light of the acquired results, the study recommends the neces
... Show MoreThe research aims to measure the psychological security of social working in the courts, to measure the motivation of achievement for social researchers working in the courts. In addition to, identify the Psychological security and its relation to the motivation of achievement for social researchers working in the courts. To achieve these aims, the researcher adopted two scales: Maslow scale for Psychological security, which was translated to Arabic by Dwany and Dirany 1983 consisted of (75) items. The second scale is Othman scale for achievement motivation 2014 consisted of (24) items. The two scales had been applied to a sample consisted of (100) social researchers working in the courts of Baghdad with its two branches Al-karkh and Al-
... Show MoreThe objective of the research was to evaluate consumer purchasing behavior through the Internet, such as consumer behavior, reasons for buying online, purchasing advantages over the Internet, personal variables (gender, age, marital status, education level, income, and income and job type). The questionnaire was adopted as a main tool in the survey of the views of a sample of consumers in Baghdad governorate (100) people and analyzed their answers using the statistical program SPSS in calculating the mean and standard deviation Centigrade, correlation coefficient (R) and test ( ). The main findings of the research were:
- There is a positive and positive relationship between consumer purchasing behavior via the Internet and
This purpose of the research is to test liquidity ratios to assess bank liquidity risks represented by liquidity ratios (current assets / current liabilities, current assets / total deposits, current assets / total assets, cash credit / total deposits, liquidity coverage ratio LCR, net stable financing ratio NSFR). This research involves evaluating these risks in banks via these ratios, and reveal the most important means used to solve these risks, including the capital adequacy ratio under the Basel II decisions and for selected period (2017-2019).The research reached the most important conclusion, which is the bank sample did not fall into bank liquidity risks throughout the years of research. Tracking specific ratio with adequ
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