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.
A theoretical study by using computer model is presented to study the energy characteristics of the vibrational – rotational levels as a function of the vibrational and rotational quantum number, respectively. The calculations were based on the basis of a multilevel model taking into account the non-equilibrium population of the rotational levels. The computational investigation has been performed to examine the vibrational-rotational characteristics of some hydrogen halides chemical laser molecules. This program takes into account the various molecules of chemical lasers such as, Hydrogen Fluoride (HF), Deuterium Fluoride (DF), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), and Deuterium Chloride (DCl). The practical difficulties associated with this
... Show MoreThis study was conducted from February 2010 to December 2010. Water Samples were collected every two months in three stations in Baghdad city. The study involved the assessment of concentrations of some heavy metals such as: Chromium, Cadmium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Nickel and Zinc. the values of chromium were undetected for the entire of the study, while the rest of the heavy metal were ranged between 0.001 -0.438 mg / l, ND -0.077 mg / L, ND -0.778 mg / l, 0.36 - 0.011 mg / l, 0.011-0 .08mg/ l, ND - 0.1985 mg / l, ND -0.0416 mg / l, respectively. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals were fluctuated during the study period, except Lead which have high concentrations and exceeded the permit limits in all statio
... Show MoreTo achieve sustainability in the field of civil engineering, there has become a great interest in developing reactive powder concrete RPC through the use of environmentally friendly materials to reduce the release of CO2 gas produced from cement factories as well as contribute to the recycling of industrial wastes that have a great impact on environmental pollution.
In this study, reactive powder concrete was prepared using total binder content of 800 kg/m3, water to binder ratio (0.275), and micro steel fibers 1% by volume of concrete. The experimental program included replacing fly ash with (8, 12, 16) % by cement weight to find the optimal ratio, which achieved the best mechanical proper
... Show MoreThe present study was conducted to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the hot water and the hot ethanolic extracts of Thuja orientalis against some pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Eschericha coli, Proteus mirrablis, Salmonilla typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilus, Acinobacter, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans). Results showed that both the water and alcoholic extracts of this plant exert marked inhibitory effect against all the bacterial isolates and yeast and at different ratio, and it was shown that ethanolic extract was more effective in microbial inhibition than the water extract. Maximum inhibition (16 mm) was recorded against Staphylococcus aur
... Show MoreBackground Alloys with the addition of zirconium and niobium eliminate the adverse effects of aluminum and vanadium on the nervous system, the possibility of metallosis and the initiation of diseases (including cancers or Alzheimer›s disease). In addition, they have better corrosion resistance, and a Young›s modulus value similar to longitudinal bone tissue. Therefore, only choosing appropriate materials does not guarantee proper functioning of the implants, the surfaces of the implants also have to be suitable to meet the requirements. The laser surface hardening process modifies the surface properties by imparting microstructural changes, whereas surface remelting induces changes in the surface topography, roughness, wettability and w
... Show MoreAbstract
The study aims to identify the common fears of preschool children and their relationship to the approaches to parental treatment in South Al Batinah Governorate from their mother’s point of view. Total of (466) mothers were selected as the study sample. The researcher used the scale of common fear and the scale of parental treatment approaches. The results of the study have shown that the most common fear among the study sample was (the fear of darkness) in the first level with a rate of 75.03%, and in the second level came the item (my child is afraid to sleep alone) by 72.74%, in the third level came to the item (fear of seeing insects) with a rate of 67.59%, and the last one was (the fear of rain) w
... Show MorePhenol oxidation by Fenton's reagent (H2O2 + Fe+2) in aqueous solution has been studied for the purpose of learning
more about the reactions involved and the extent of the oxidation process, under various operating conditions. An initial
phenol concentration of 100 mg/L was used as representative of a phenolic industrial wastewater. Working temperature
of 25C was tested, and initial pH was set at 5.6 . The H2O2 and the Fe+2 doses were varied in the range of
(H2O2/Fe+2/phenol = 3/0.25/1 to 5/0.5/1). Keeping the stirring speed of 200 rpm.
The results exhibit that the highest phenol conversion (100%) was obtained under (H2O/Fe+2/phenol ratio of 5/0.5/1)
at about 180 min. The study has indicated that Fenton's oxidation i
Physical adsorption by nitrogen gas was studied on seven commercial platinum reforming catalysts (RG-402, RG-412, RG-432, RG-451, RG 422,RG-482, PS-10), four prepared platinum catalysts (0.1%Pt/alumina, 0.2 %Pt/alumina, 0.45 %Pt/alumina and 0.55% Pt/alumina), and -alumina support. Physical adsorption was carried out by using Accelerated Surface Area and Porosimetry (ASAP 2400 device) at 77 K . The results indicate that the surface area in genaral decreases with increasing platinum percentage, high platinum loaded (0.45% and 0.55%) it was found that the percent increasing in surface area was lower than those obtained for low platinum loaded catalysts , and at very higher platinum loading 0.6 %Pt , some reduction in surface area was
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