Background: Gallstone disease (GSD) is a significant global health burden with variable prevalence influenced by metabolic, genetic, and infectious factors. Increasing evidence suggests that Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus species, contribute to gallstone pathogenesis through enzymatic activity and biofilm formation. Objectives: To characterize Gram-positive bacteria within gallstones from Iraqi patients, evaluate their biofilm-forming capacity, and analyze the relationship between bacterial colonization, gallstone type, and cholesterol levels. Methods: A total of 100 gallstones were obtained from patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy between October 2024 and March 2025. Stones were aseptically processed for bacterial isolation and identification using selective culture media and the VITEK® 2 Compact System. Serum cholesterol levels were determined by enzymatic colorimetric assay. Biofilm formation was quantified via the 96-well microtiter plate method, and statistical correlations between gallstone type, cholesterol level, and bacterial presence were analyzed. Results: Cholesterol stones (57%) were more prevalent than pigment (40%) and mixed stones (3%). Bacterial growth was observed in 43% of gallstones, with Enterococcus species (31 isolates) predominating over S. aureus (12 isolates). Species-level identification revealed E. faecalis (n= 16), E. faecium (n= 9), and E. gallinarum (n= 6), marking the first reported isolation of E. gallinarum from gallstones. Cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in sterile stones (median 235 mg/dL) compared to bacteria-positive stones (173-186 mg/dL) (P < 0.0001). Biofilm analysis showed all S. aureus isolates as strong producers, whereas E. faecalis exhibited predominantly moderate-to-strong formation, while E. faecium and E. gallinarum displayed weaker capacities. Conclusion: A significant interplay between microbial colonization and gallstone composition. Strong biofilm-producing Gram-positive bacteria, particularly S. aureus and E. faecalis, may facilitate stone maturation and persistence. The novel isolation of E. gallinarum expands the spectrum of biliary microbiota.
This study evaluated yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae meal as an alternative animal-protein ingredient in diets for common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings. Two diets were compared for 60 days: a conventional fish-meal diet (T1; 32.09% crude protein) and a diet in which the animal-protein component was replaced weight-for-weight with T. molitor meal (T2; 23.88% crude protein). Each treatment was tested in duplicate tanks containing 28 fingerlings per tank, and growth was assessed over three consecutive 20-day phases. The initial mean body weight was 3.21 g. Weight gain differed significantly between treatments (p < 0.05), with the highest total value recorded in T2 (4.87 ± 0.47 g). The T2 diet produced a significantly higher fee
... Show MoreAccurate land use and land cover (LU/LC) classification is essential for various geospatial applications. This research applied a Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classifier on the Landsat 7 (ETM+ 2010) & 8 (OLI 2020) satellite scenes to identify the land cover materials of the Shatt al-Arab region which is located in the east of Basra province during ten years with an estimate of the spectral signature using ENVI 5.6 software of each cover with the proportion of its area to the area of the study region and produce maps of the classified region. The bands of these datasets were analyzed using the Optimum Index Factor (OIF) statistic. The highest OIF represents the best and most appropr
Research on the effects of supplementing broiler diets with Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) was conducted in the field from March 22, 2022, to April 18, 2022, by the Department of Animal Production in the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences at the University of Baghdad in Abu Ghraib. There were a total of 210 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks employed in this study (10 birds per replicate), and they were fed a starter diet for the first 10 days, a growth diet for the next 11-24 days, and a final diet for the last 25-42 days. The birds were randomly assigned to one of seven treatments, with three replicates per treatment and ten bir
Flexible molecular docking is a computational method of structure-based drug design to evaluate binding interactions between receptor and ligand and identify the ligand conformation within the receptor pocket. Currently, various molecular docking programs are extensively applied; therefore, realizing accuracy and performance of the various docking programs could have a significant value. In this comparative study, the performance and accuracy of three widely used non-commercial docking software (AutoDock Vina, 1-Click Docking, and UCSF DOCK) was evaluated through investigations of the predicted binding affinity and binding conformation of the same set of small molecules (HIV-1 protease inhibitors) and a protein target HIV-1 protease enzy
... Show MoreIn this study, several ionanofluids (INFs) were prepared in order to study their efficiency as a cooling medium at 25 °C. The two-step technique is used to prepare ionanofluid (INF) by dispersing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in two concentrations 0.5 and 1 wt% in ionic liquid (IL). Two types of ionic liquids (ILs) were used: hydrophilic represented by 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [EMIM][BF4] and hydrophobic represented by 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [HMIM][PF6]. The thermophysical properties of the prepared INFs including thermal conductivity (TC), density and viscosity were measured experimental
Industrial development has recently increased, including that of plastic industries. Since plastic has a very long analytical life, it will cause environmental pollution, so studies have resorted to reusing recycled waste plastic (sustainable plastic) to produce environmentally friendly concrete (green concrete). In this research, producing environmentally friendly load-bearing concrete masonry units (blocks) was considered where five concrete mixtures were compressed at the blocks producing machine. The cement content reduced from 400 kg/m3 (B-400) to 300 kg/m3 (B-300) then to 200 kg/m3 (B-200). While (B-380) was produced using 380 kg/m3 cement and 20 kg/m3 nano-sil
... Show MoreIn this study, Zizphus spina-christi leaf powder was applied for the adsorption of methyl orange. The effect of different operating parameters on the Batch Process adsorption was investigated such as solution pH (2-12), effect of contact time (0-60 min.), initial dye concentration (2-20 mg/L), effect of adsorbent dosage (0-4.5 g) and effect of temperature (20-50ᵒC). The results show a maximum removal rate and adsorption capacity (%R= 23.146, qe = 2.778 mg/g) at pH = 2 and equilibrium was reached at 40 min. The pseudo- second-order kinetics were found to be best fit for the removal process (R2 = 0.997). Different isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubini-Radushkevich,Temkin) were applied in this stud
... Show MoreWater stress has a negative impact on the yield and growth of crops worldwide and consequently has a global impact on food security. Many biochemical changes occur in plants as a response to water stress, such as activation of antioxidant systems. Molybdenum (Mo) plays an important part in activating the expression of many enzymes, such as CAT, POD, and SOD, as well as increasing the proline content. Mo therefore supports the defence system in plants and plays an important role in the defence system of mung bean plants growing under water stress conditions. Four concentrations of Mo (0, 15, 30, and 45 mg·L−1) were applied to plants, using two approaches: (a) seed soaking and (b) foliar application. Mung bean plants were subject
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