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.
Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process comprising cellular and molecular events which result in cells shifting from an epithelial to a mesenchymal phenotype. Periodontitis is a destructive chronic disease of the periodontium initiated in response to a dysbiotic microbiome, and dominated by Gram-negative bacteria in the subgingival niches accompanied by an aberrant immune response in susceptible subjects. Both EMT and periodontitis share common risk factors and drivers, including Gram-negative bacteria, excess inflammatory cytokine production, smoking, oxidative stress and diabetes mellitus. In addition, periodontitis is characterized by down-regulation of key epithelial markers such as E-cadherin together with up-regulation of
... Show MoreThis study examines patterns of exposure of Iraqi university students to selective daily Iraqi newspapers and the motives of this exposure, as well as its associated factors that affect the average exposure. It tries to answer several questions, including those related to the levels of exposure of Iraqi university students to daily Iraqi newspapers and classification of patterns of selective exposure to daily Iraqi newspapers and the most prominent Iraqi daily newspapers that are selectively exposed by Iraqi university students. It also examines the motives of this selective exposure and factors that increase the degree of exposure to the daily Iraqi newspapers, and the most prominent stages in which Iraqi university students find their
... Show MoreAssessment of annual wind energy potential for three selected sites in Iraq has been analyzed in the present work. The wind velocities data from August 2014 to July 2015 were collected from the website of Weather Underground Organization (WUO) at stations elevation (35m, 32m, and 17m) for Baghdad, Najaf, and Kut Al-Hai respectively. Extrapolation of stations elevation and wind velocities was used to estimate wind velocities at (60m, 90m, and 120m). The objectives are to analyze the wind speed data and assess the wind energy potential for wind energy applications. Computer code for MATLAB software has been developed to solve the mathematical model. The results are presented as a monthly and annual average for wind velocities, standard deviat
... Show MoreRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with decreased antioxidant state .This study aim to investigate the status of oxidant/antioxidant in a sample of Iraqi patients with RA and the role of peroxynitrite and its natural scavenger uric acid in them .This case-controlled study was conducted at Baghdad teaching hospital /Baghdad from December 2010-May 2011 . Twenty-five patients with mean age 39 years and 25 apparently healthy subject as controls with mean age 29 years were included in the study .Investigations include estimation of serum levels of nitric oxide (NO) ,peroxynitrite (PN) , malondialdehyde (MDA) , and uric acid (UA) .Serum PN levels were significantly elevated in RA patients a
... Show MoreThe study aims to demonstrate the importance of instructional methods in teaching Arabic language as a second language or teaching the Arabic language to non-native speakers. The study is in line with the tremendous development in the field of knowledge, especially in the field of technology and communication, and the emergence of many electronic media in education in general and language teaching in particular. It employs an image in teaching vocabulary and presenting the experience of the Arabic Language Institute for Non-Speakers-King Abdul-Aziz University. The study follows the descriptive approach to solve the problem represented by the lack of interest in the educational methods when teaching Arabic as a second language. Accordingl
... Show MoreVaccination is a vital cornerstone of public health, which has saved countless lives throughout history. Therefore, achieving high vaccination uptake rates is essential for successful vaccination programs. Unfortunately, vaccine uptake has been hindered by deferent factors and challenges. The objective of this study is to assess COVID-19 vaccine uptake and associated factors among the general population.
This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in Basmaia city, Baghdad from June to October 2022. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire using multi-stag