Crop diseases are usually caused by inoculum of pathogens which might exist on alternate hosts or weeds as endophytes. These endophytes, cum pathogens, usually confer some beneficial attributes to these weeds or alternate hosts from protection against herbivores, disease resistance, stress tolerance to secondary metabolites production. This study was therefore carried out to isolate potential crop pathogens which exist as endophytes on weed species in the University of Ilorin plantations. Green asymptomatic leaves were collected from 10 weed species across the plantations, and processed for their endophytic fungi isolation. Isolates were purified into pure cultures and used for molecular identification using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the fungal sequences using MEGA software revealed 9 fungal genera belonging to 13 species, with species in the genera Curvularia, Epicoccum and Daldinia occurring in more than one weed species, while other genera such as Alternaria, Fusarium, Chaetomium, Macrophomina, Arthrinium and Phomopsis occurred in just one weed species each. Daldinia eschscholtzii was isolated in this study as an endophyte from Loudetia arundinacea for the first time. This plant is very abundant in Nigeria and Africa where it is used majorly for thatching and feeding livestocks. This also represents the first endophytic fungi from the genus Loudetia. Potential relationship between the occurrences of these fungi as endophytes and as pathogens are discussed. These discoveries represent the first large-scale molecular identification and several first reports of endophytes from these weed species. These results also represent the first records of some of these fungi in Nigeria.
The study aimed to reveal the possibility of predicting academic procrastination through both Cognitive distortions and time management among students of Al-Aqsa Community College, as well as to reveal the level of both cognitive distortions, time management, and academic procrastination. Additionally, it aimed to identify the size of the correlation between cognitive distortions, time management, and academic procrastination. The study sample consisted of (250) students from Al-Aqsa community college students. The results of the study concluded that the mean for each level of cognitive distortions and academic procrastination is average. The mean level of time management is high. There is a statistically significant positive relationshi
... Show MoreMolecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out in order to investigate the binding mode of axillaridine-A at the active site of human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. 2.0 nanosecond of MD simulations was made for the protein and the complex to dynamically explore the active site and the behavior of the ligand at the peripheral AChE binding site. These calculations for the enzyme alone showed that the active site of AChE is located at the bottom of a deep and narrow cavity whose surface is lined with rings of aromatic residues and Tyr72 is almost perpendicular to the Trp286 ring and forms a stable - interaction. The size of the active site of the complex decreases with time due to increase the interaction. Axillaridine-A forms
... Show MoreReishi Mushroom, Ganoderma, is considered one of important wood-decaying medicinal mushrooms. This study aimed to identify three samples of this genus in Mosul city in February and April 2019. Three species of Ganoderma were collected from three various trees including Eucalyptus, Morus, and Olea (olive) in Mosul City, Northern Iraq. Their identifications and their DNA sequences were genetically identified by using PCR techniques according to detect nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Results exhibited the finding of Ganoderma resinaceum, Ganoderma applanatum, and Ganoderma sp. This study is first attempt to identify Reishi Mushroom by molecular methods in Iraq. Thus, the current study is considered new good d
... Show MoreThe present study aims to study the correlation between visfatin levels and metabolic syndrome in Iraqi obese adolescence (with and without metabolic syndrome) and its relation with other studied biochemical parameters. Sixty obese adolescences were depended in this study (with and without metabolic syndrome), compared with (30) non-obese children as control group. This study was done in the period from April 2020 until the end of December 2020, in the National Diabetes Centre/Mustansiriya University, Baghdad/Iraq. There were no significant differences in age, height, waist circumferences (WC), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the patients' groups. In contrast, a significant increase differs (p<0.05) was recorded in the values of
... Show MoreThe risk of breast cancer development is believed to be attributed to the alterations of a number of key biological components. Within this context, elevated levels of some chemokines that act as growth factors and can promote cancer development. The current study was designed to evaluate CXCL3 (a chemokine C-X-C Motif Ligand 3) and leptin (a peptide hormone synthesized by adipose tissue with cytokine activity) serum of Iraqi breast cancer patients in comparison to healthy controls. A total of 90 participants consisted of 60 patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 30 healthy women as control group were enrolled into this case-control study. Venous blood samples were collected from all participants to evaluate CXCL3 and leptin serum levels
... Show MoreObjectives: This study aims to broaden our knowledge of the role of eDNA in bacterial biofilms and antibiotic-resistance gene transfer among isolates. Methods: Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from different non-repeated 170 specimens. The bacterial isolates were identified using morphological and molecular methods. Different concentrations of genomic DNA were tested for their potential role in biofilms formed by study isolates employing microtiter plate assay. Ciprofloxacin resistance was identified by detecting a mutation in gyrA and parC. Results: The biofilm intensity significantly decreased (P < 0.05) concerning S. aureus isolates and insignificantly (P > 0.05) concernin
... Show MoreThis work includes preparation of Az, Qz, and Tz derivatives from the reaction of Schiff base (Sb) derivative with anthranilic acid, chloroacetyl chloride, and sodium azide, as well as, the characterization via FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and 13CNMR. The anticorrosion inhibition of these compounds was studied and the measurements of carbon steel (CS) corrosion in sodium chloride solution 3.5% (blank) and inhibitor in solutions were calculated at a temperature range of 293-323 K by the technique of electrochemical polarization. In addition, some thermodynamic and kinetic activation parameters for inhibitor and blank solutions (Ea⋇, ΔH⋇, ΔS⋇, and ΔG⋇) were determined. The results showed high inhibition efficacy for all the prepared compounds,
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for serious infections. At least three different exopolysaccharides, alginate, polysaccharide synthesis locus (Psl), and pellicle exopolysaccharide (Pel) make up the biofilm matrix in P. aeruginosa . The effect of temperature on the biofilm formation and gene expression was examined by microtiter plate and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). To be able to determine the effect of temperature on biofilm formation and gene expression of P. aeruginosa, 303 clinical and environmental samples were collected. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from 61 (20.1%) and 48 (15.8%) of the clinical and e
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