Quorum sensing (QS) is a perfectly orchestrated molecular communication system. It is a boon for Klebsiella pneumoniae, and bane for the host. This system is believed to make K. pneumoniae a leading cause of multidrug-resistant (MDR) nosocomial infections. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial and anti-biofilm potential of medicinal plant extracts through interfering with QS of K. pneumoniae. The effect of different concentrations of ethanolic extracts of cinnamon and clove on K. pneumoniae was determined by analyzing the growth curve, survival assay (MTT), Qualitative and quantitative biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, along with studying gene expression of the genes encoding the above traits, using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The low concentrations of the plant extracts did not affect neither on the bacterial growth, nor on the viability of K. pneumoniae, supported with growth curves. Additionally, the biofilm production was inhibited even by lower plant concentrations, and both cinnamon and clove extracts were able to render the MDR bacteria to be more susceptible to antibiotics. At the molecular levels, the bacterium treated with either clove or cinnamon or in combination showed under expression of the biofilm formation regulation gene (bssS), the carbapenem resistance gene (bla), as well as the QS target gene (LuxS). Both clove and cinnamon ethanolic extracts exerted potent impacts on reducing pathogenic traits regulated by QS in K. pneumoniae. Finally, the study recommends further exploration of clove and cinnamon extracts separately or in combination to develop alternative therapies against MDR K. pneumoniae infections.
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Thin films of ZnO nano crystalline doped with different concentrations (0, 6, 9, 12, and 18 )wt. % of copper were deposited on a glass substrate via pulsed laser deposition method (PLD). The properties of ZnO: Cu thin-nanofilms have been studied by absorbing UV-VIS, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopes (AFM). UV-VIS spectroscopy was used to determine the type and value of the optical energy gap, while X-ray diffraction was used to examine the structure and determine the size of the crystals. Atomic force microscopes were used to study the surface formation of precipitated materials. The UV-VIS spectroscopy was used to determine the type and value of the optical energy gap.
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In real-life problems, we use square roots in natural distributions such as (the probability density function), distances and lengths in the Pythagorean theorem, and quadratic formulas in (the height of falling objects), radius of circles, harmonic movements (pendulum and springs), and standard deviation in statistics. We have observed that using fuzzy sets in real-life problems is more convenient than ordinary sets. Therefore, they are important in algebraic structures. As a result, more effort has been made to study square root structures in fuzzy sets. This paper introduces the notion of square roots fuzzy of QS-ideals on QS-algebras and some important characteristics. Some illustrative examples have been provided which prove tha
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The possible effects of COVID-19 vaccines on reproductive health and male fertility in particular have been discussed intensely by the scientific community and the public since their introduction during the pandemic. On news outlets and social media platforms, many claims have been raised regarding the deleterious effects of COVID-19 vaccines on sperm quality without scientific evidence. In response to this emerging conflict, we designed this study to evaluate and assess the effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility represented by the semen analysis parameters.
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This study aimed to develop a stable nanosuspension of repaglinide and improve its dissolution, using the Nano-precipitation method, involving a different concentration of a stabilizer, different co-stabilizers and different solvents. Employment of a systemic approach to optimize the formulation parameters, including stabilizer concentration, solvent choice and co-stabilizer election. Soluplus® (SOL) was used as the primary stabilizer for this research, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), poloxamer 188 (PXM 188), tween 80 (TW80), and polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVP k30) were investigated as co-stabilizers to prevent particle agglomeration and ensure long-term stability. In addition to ethanol as a primary solvent, acetone and chloroform were used
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The excessive and prolonged use of any relevant material is known as substance abuse. The study’s objective is to determine the epidemiology of substance abuse’s growth in Iraq over the 4 years between 2020 and 2023.
A retrospective study was applied for the purpose of collecting the sample, as the study was epidemiological and related to substance abuse among Iraqis for 4 years from the beginning of 2020 to 2023. Participants’ data were collected from records that were available in the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment