Antibiotic resistance is the major growing threat facing the pharmacological treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, bioprospecting the medicinal plants could provide potential sources for antimicrobial agents. Mimusops, the biggest and widely distributed plant genus of family Sapotaceae, is used in traditional medicines due to its promising pharmacological activities. This study was conducted to elucidate the antimicrobial effect of three unexplored Mimusops spp. (M. kummel, M. laurifolia and M. zeyheri). Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying such antibacterial activity were studied. The Mimusops leaf extracts revealed significant antibacterial activities against the five tested bacter
... Show MoreHypothyroidism is a condition in which thyroid hormones levels decreased in the blood. These hormones are necessary for energy production and body viability. In many occasions this condition is accompanied or followed by different metabolic disorders. The current study is conducted in the "Specialized center for endocrinology and diabetes" and carried on 70 hypothyroid patients and 60 randomly chosen individuals with normal thyroid function .Both groups were submitted to laboratory tests to evaluate thyroid function (T3,T4.TSH). The study involved evaluation of the relationship between hypothyroidism and insulin resistance (IR) . Health problem related to many diseases , became common lately. Insulin resistance diagnosed through
... Show MoreThe increasing use of antiseptic compounds creates selective pressure cause emergence of antiseptic resistance among Staphylococcus aureus .Resistance mechanism of antiseptic is driven mainly by multi drug resistant (MDR) efflux protein.Sixty five isolates of S.aureuswere collected from different clinical sources and subjected to 11 antibiotics most of them are recognized by efflux systems as extruded substrates. Range of efflux activity was estimated using cartwheel method. Simultaneous discrimination of antiseptic coding genes (qacA/B, smr and norA)as well as nuc and mecA genes among multidrug resistantS.aureus(MRSA) isolates was preformed using multiplex PCR assay
... Show MoreStaphylococcal enterotoxin‐B (SEB) is one of the most potent bacterial superantigens that exerts profound toxic effects by inducing a cytokine storm. Inhaled SEB can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is often fatal and with no effective treatments.
Efficacy of Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was tested in a mouse model of SEB‐mediated ARDS, in which lung inflammation, alterations in gut/lung microbiota and production of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was measured. Gene dysregulation of lung epithelial cells was studied by transcriptome arrays. F
The beet armyworm (BAW), Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a highly destructive pest of vegetables and field crops. Management of beet armyworm primarily relies on synthetic pesticides, which is threatening the beneficial community and environment. Most importantly, the BAW developed resistance to synthetic pesticides with making it difficult to manage. Therefore, alternative and environment-friendly pest management tactics are urgently required. The use of pesticidal plant extracts provides an effective way for a sustainable pest management program. To evaluate the use of pesticidal plant extracts against BAW, we selected six plant species (Lantana camara, Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Cymbopogon citratus, Nicotiana tabacum ,
... Show MoreBackground: Enterococcus faecalis is emerging as an important endodontic pathogen, which can persist in the environment for extended periods after treatment and may cause endodontic failure. It is known to produce biofilms, a community of bacteria enclosed within a protective polymeric matrix. This study aimed to establish whether the biofilm formation by Enterococcus faecalis can be inhibited with steralium, co+steralium, and 5% sodium hypochlorite in the root surface environment. Materials and Methods: Extracted human teeth were biomechanically prepared, vertically sectioned, placed in the tissue culture wells exposing the root canal surface to E. faecalis to form a biofilm. At the end of the 3rd and 6th weeks, all groups were treated fo
... Show MoreBackground The study covered thirty-three species which grown wildly in Iraq and a comparative study for all kinds of morphological characters were done. Principal Findings The most stable and important taxonomic characters were pointed out, diagrams, illustrations, scheduals, micrographs were also documented. Stamens, nutlets, basal leaves, bracts, bracteoles, calyces, corollas and their trichomes were very important taxanomic characters. The trichomes were variable in variable species therefore used as a diagnostic characters for the species. Conclusions New species Salvia margasurica Al-Musawi & Al-Hussaini was suggested to be new record for science. Keywords: Salvia, Morphology, Spec. Nov.
The general health of palm trees, encompassing the roots, stems, and leaves, significantly impacts palm oil production, therefore, meticulous attention is needed to achieve optimal yield. One of the challenges encountered in sustaining productive crops is the prevalence of pests and diseases afflicting oil palm plants. These diseases can detrimentally influence growth and development, leading to decreased productivity. Oil palm productivity is closely related to the conditions of its leaves, which play a vital role in photosynthesis. This research employed a comprehensive dataset of 1,230 images, consisting of 410 showing leaves, another 410 depicting bagworm infestations, and an additional 410 displaying caterpillar infestations. Furthe
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