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.
Pharmaceutical companies assign a budget for activities and promotions that aim to change the prescription habits of the physicians to choose the most suitable medications for their patients, which will eventually grow their sales. The study's objectives were to explore physicians' and medical representatives' perspectives on the criteria of impactful professional PP and the factors influencing the interaction between physicians and medical representatives. Qualitative in-depth interviews with flexible probing techniques were carried out in 2023. A semi-structured, open-ended interview questionnaire was used to interview physicians and medical representatives (MRs) from different private clinics in several governorates in Iraq. Ten physicia
... Show MoreThe study was performed to isolate and identify the Myxococcus fulvus from the one hundred samples of soils of farms. Special growth conditions had been used to support the growth of M.fulvus local isolates and suppressed the growth of other microorganisms like (Drying , High Temperature , High concentration of antibiotics and specific growth media ) M.fulvus isolates had been subjected to the morphological, cultural , biochemical examination for identification , as well as , study the inhibitory activites of cells and filtrates of localized isolates against some pathogenic fungi include (Trichophyton mentagrophytes , Microsporum gypseum , Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxyporum ) by using three methods :- Cup assay , well diffusio
... Show MoreExperiments have been conducted to study the local and average heat transfer by mixed
convection for hydrodynamically fully developed, thermally developing and fully developed
laminar upward air flow in an inclined annulus with adiabatic inner cast iron tube and uniform
heated outer aluminum tube with an aspect ratio ( Ω = 0.72) and (L/Dh≈40) for both calming and
test sections). A wide range of Reynolds number from 859 to 2024 has been covered, and heat
flux has been varied from 159 W/m2 to 812 W/m2 (these values of heat flux and Reynolds
number gave Richardson number range from 0.03 to 0.٣٨), with angles of annulus inclination
φ =0o (horizontal position), φ =60o (inclined position), and φ =90o (vertical posi
Background :Atherosclerosis is the most
frequent underlying cause of ischemic heart
disease and a major cause of death all over the
world. This study was carried out to analyze and
compare the angiographic findings in patients
with diabetes mellitus versus non diabetics with
coronary heart disease , and to correlate these
findings with some risk factors for coronary
heart disease.
Methods: A total of 100 patients were studied,
50 with diabetes mellitus, and 50 non diabetics.
This study was carried out at Al-Sadr teaching
hospital in Basrah, Southern Iraq during the
period April 2009- September 2009. All patients
were known to have coronary heart disease. Risk
factors for coronary heart disease
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Inflammation leads to joint damage and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a measure of inflammation in many diseases. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of NLR to detect inflammation in RA, and its correlation to RA disease activity indices and some hematological parameters. A cross-sectional study involving 24 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are using MTX participated in this study. All patients were clinically evaluated using disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) and simplified disease activity index (SDAI), whereas functional disability was assessed by health assessment questionnaire di
... Show MoreMultiplesclerosis(MS)isachronic,inflammatory,immune-mediateddiseaseof the central nervous system (CNS). More than 2 million people worldwidehave MS. The goal of the present study was to compare Iraqi patients' treat-ment satisfaction with three different disease-modifying therapies (DMTs),administeredorally,subcutaneously,andbyslowinfusion;namely,fin-golimod, interferon beta-1b (IFNβ-1b), and natalizumab, respectively. Aswell as to assess the individual differences among these therapies about theireffectiveness, convenience and global satisfaction also to assess the role ofcertain predictors on treatment satisfaction. Patient satisfaction with medi-cation assessed by the Treatment Satisfaction Questi
... Show MoreThe study aimed to identify the importance of time in the Faculties of Physical Education and Sports Sciences atthe University of Baghdad, as well as to identify the relationship between time management and the level of staff functionalperformance. The research population consisted of the staff members who work in the Faculties of Physical Education andSports Sciences for Girls in Al-Jadriya for the academic year 2017-2018. A random sample of 50 staff members from eachfaculty were selected, that is the total number was (100) staff members. The researchers identified the concept of timemanagement and functional performance, after that a questionnaire consisting of (39) statements and (6) parts presented to aspecialized group of experts. The
... Show MoreThe study aimed to identify the importance of time in the Faculties of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the University of Baghdad, as well as to identify the relationship between time management and the level of staff functional performance. The research population consisted of the staff members who work in the Faculties of Physical Education and Sports Sciences for Girls in Al-Jadriya for the academic year 2017-2018. A random sample of 50 staff members from each faculty were selected, that is the total number was (100) staff members. The researchers identified the concept of time management and functional performance, after that a questionnaire consisting of (39) statements and (6) parts presented to a specialized group of experts
... Show MoreResearch summary: The current research aims to identify:
1-Mental wandering among university students 2- Attentioncontrol among universitey students. 3- The relationship between mental wandering and attention control among university students. 4- The difference in the relationship among university students: accoerding to a- the gender variable (males - females) b- according to the specialization variable) Scientific-human), and the results of the current research reached the following: 1- University students have mental wandering associated with the task, and mental wandering that is not related to the task. 2- University students have attentive control 3- There is no relationship between mental wandering associated with task and
... Show MoreThe human being is a social being and human communication is a fundamental axis in the process of social interaction, and the characteristic of social shyness grows through the interaction of the individual with his environment. Identifying the level of shyness among university students, and identifying the differences in shyness among university students according to specialization (scientific, humanities). In order to achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher prepared a measure of shyness based on Zimbardo's theory, and the components that he identified are the (behavioral, cognitive, and emotional components). The validity and reliability were calculated using the Cronbach's alpha method, reaching (0.94), and the scale in
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