Escherichia coli has been recognized worldwide as the most common causative agent for severe infections of the urinary tract. Colibactin is a genotoxin produced through a gene cluster called polyketide synthase (pks) island by members of Enterobacteriaceae. Limited information is available about the frequency of colibactin in E. coli isolates in Iraq. Hence, this study aimed to examine the frequency of some colibactin genes (CIbA and CIbQ) in clinical isolates of E. coli obtained from urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Iraq. Between October 2023 and January 2024, 120 urine samples were collected from females diagnosed with UTIs in Iraqi hospitals. 70 E. coli isolates were isolated after identification by biochemical methods and confirmed by molecular technique. In particular, the 16S rRNA gene was targeted using specific primers to confirm their identity. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect the CIbA and CIbQ genes and confirm the presence of colibactin. The findings of this study revealed a high prevalence of colibactin-producing isolates (40%, 28/70) compared to colibactin-non-producing isolates (60%, 42/70) with non-significant differences (p>0.05). In conclusion, the frequency of colibactin genes is high in E. coli strains isolated from UTIs in Iraq. The presence of pks-positive isolates at a high frequency is concerning, as it suggests the spread of a highly genotoxic strain in urinary tract infections in Iraq that could potentially lead to the development of urinary tract cancer diseases.
The current study was conducted to find out the effect of the sediment source (sedimentary of Iraqi-Iranian borderline and Tigris River) on the content and distribution of feldspar minerals and their effect on the optical properties of these minerals in some soils of Wasit and Maysan province. Eight pedons were chosen to represent the study area, five of them represented sediments coming from the borderline, which included pedons of (Badra, Taj Al-Din, Al-Shihabi, Jassan, and Galat), while two of them represent the sediments of the Tigris River (Essaouira, Al-Dabouni). Finally, the pedon of Ali Al-Gharbi represented the mixing area of sediments of all the torrents coming from borderline and the sediments of the Tigris River. The diagnostic
... Show MoreThis study was conducted for evaluating the cytotoxic effect of heat stable enterotoxin a (STa) produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli on the proliferation of primary cancer cell cultures, obtained from tumor samples that were collected from (13) cancer patients and as follows: (five colon cancer patients, two bladder cancer patients, two breast cancer patients, two stomach cancer patients and two lung cancer patients), and on normal cell line (rat embryonic fibroblast / REF) (in vitro) with the use of different concentrations starting from (1) mg/ml and ending with (0.0002) mg/ml by making two fold serial dilutions by using the 96- well microtiter plate, and in comparison with negative (PBS) and positive (MMC, at concentration
... Show MoreThe aim of this research is to diagnose the impact of competitive dimensions represented by quality, cost, time, flexibility on the efficiency of e-learning, The research adopted the descriptive analytical method by identifying the impact of these dimensions on the efficiency of e-learning, as well as the use of the statistical method for the purpose of eliciting results. The research concluded that there is an impact of the competitive dimensions on the efficiency of e-learning, as it has been proven that the special models for each of the research hypotheses are statistically significant and at a level of significance of 5%, and that each of these dimensions has a positive impact on the dependent variable, and the research recommended
... Show MoreThe study aimed to identify the E-leadership practice at Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman University and to explore the obstacles that are facing the leaders in the implementation of E-leadership, in addition to find mechanisms to improve the practice of electronic driving at the university in light of the Corona pandemic. A descriptive analytical approach was used by depending on a questionnaire to collect the needed data. The study sample consisted of (139) heads of departments, attorneys' colleges and support Deanships universities. The study results showed that E-leadership employment recorded a medium to high degree. Especially at university, that publishing decisions electronically and uses technical means in providing its services.
... Show MoreSpecialized Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates, called uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), cause most of urinary tract infections (UITs). Once bacteria reached the urinary tract of the host, they have to adhere to the host cell for the colonization. For this purpose, bacteria have different structures including fimbrial adhesins. Most of the UPECs contain type 1 fimbriae encoded by fim operon (fimB, E, A, I, C, D, F, G, H) which is responsible for the adhesive ability in these isolates. Ninety-four isolates of UPEC were obtained from UTI patients in Baghdad hospitals and their diagnosis were confirmed by the PCR method using 16srDNA as a housekeeping gene. The UPEC isolates were tested for their ability of adherence to the urothelial cells obtai
... Show MoreThe electro-optic coefficient r63 and r41 are determined in congruent KDP crystals, using an experimental method based upon the direct measurement of material. Sénarmont system for electro-optic coefficient measurement and characterization of crystals was modified. This modification allowed us to obtain on the frequency dispersion dependence of the electro-optic coefficients within a frequency range up to 20 MHz and on a new version of modulation depth method. To the best of our knowledge, by using this system, the electro-optic coefficients r63 and r41 in different configurations (transverse and longitudinal) have been measured for the first time within a frequency range up to 20 MHz. The measurements have been investigated as a functi
... Show MoreThis research was conducted to measure the safety of heat stable enterotoxin a (STa) produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, through studying its toxic effect on mice since it showed a promising effect in reducing the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells. The cytogenetic effect was determined after giving five different doses (100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600)μg/Kg in comparison with negative (phosphate buffer saline / PBS) and positive (mitomycin C/ MMC, at doses of 2 and 5μg/Kg) controls on mouse bone marrow cells by employing the following parameters: mitotic index, chromosomal aberrations and micronucleus, also, the serum level of liver functional enzymes (GOT, GPT, ALP) was recorded. In addition, lethal dose 50 (LD 50) with cert
... Show MoreAmmi species belong to the family Umbellifereae that provide a host of bioactive compounds (mainly coumarins and flavonoids) of important biological activities, like prevention and treatment of heart and vascular disease and some types of cancer. Literature survey revealed that there was no study concerning Ammi flavonoids in Iraq. Ammi majus and Ammi visnaga, which are wildly grown in Iraq, were chosen for this study. This study concerned with extraction, identification, isolation, and purification of some biologically important flavonols quercetin and kaempferol from the fruits of Ammi majus and Ammi visnaga. Extraction of these flavonols was carried out using 85% methanol and 90% e
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