Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) causes up to 40% mortality in humans and is difficult to treat. ARDS is also one of the major triggers of mortality associated with coronavirus-induced disease (COVID-19). We used a mouse model of ARDS induced by Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), which triggers 100% mortality, to investigate the mechanisms through which Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) attenuates ARDS. SEB was used to trigger ARDS in C3H mice. These mice were treated with THC and analyzed for survival, ARDS, cytokine storm, and metabolome. Additionally, cells isolated from the lungs were used to perform single-cell RNA sequencing and transcriptome analysis. A database analysis of human COVID-19 patients was also performed to compare the signaling pathways with SEB-mediated ARDS. The treatment of SEB-mediated ARDS mice with THC led to a 100% survival, decreased lung inflammation, and the suppression of cytokine storm. This was associated with immune cell apoptosis involving the mitochondrial pathway, as suggested by single-cell RNA sequencing. A transcriptomic analysis of immune cells from the lungs revealed an increase in mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes following THC treatment. In addition, metabolomic analysis revealed elevated serum concentrations of amino acids, lysine, n-acetyl methionine, carnitine, and propionyl L-carnitine in THC-treated mice. THC caused the downregulation of miR-185, which correlated with an increase in the pro-apoptotic gene targets. Interestingly, the gene expression datasets from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of human COVID-19 patients showed some similarities between cytokine and apoptotic genes with SEB-induced ARDS. Collectively, this study suggests that the activation of cannabinoid receptors may serve as a therapeutic modality to treat ARDS associated with COVID-19.
Greywater is a possible water source that can be improved for meeting the quality required for irrigation. Treatment of greywater can range from uncomplicated coarse filtration to advanced biological treatment. This article presents a simple design of a small scale greywater treatment plant, which is a series of physical and natural processes including screening, aeration, sedimentation, and filtration using granular activated carbon filter and differentiates its performance with sand filter. The performance of these units with the dual filter media of (activated carbon with sand) in treatment of greywater from Iraqi house in Baghdad city during 2019 and that collected from several points including washbasins, kitchen si
... Show MoreThis investigation reports application of a mesoporous nanomaterial based on dicationic ionic liquid bonded to amorphous silica, namely nano-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-N-(silican-propyl)-N′-sulfo-ethane-1,2-diaminium chloride (nano-[TSPSED][Cl]2), as an extremely effectual and recoverable catalyst for the generation of bis(pyrazolyl)methanes and pyrazolopyranopyrimidines in solvent-free conditions. In both synthetic protocols, the performance of this catalyst was very useful and general and presented attractive features including short reaction times with high yields, reasonable turnover frequency and turnover number values, easy workup, high performance under mild conditions, recoverability and reusability in 5 consecutive runs without lo
... Show MoreUrinary tract infections are mainly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli, which represent a significant global issue along with the rising of antibiotic resistance and treatment challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate ciprofloxacin efficacy as a treatment in animal models following infection with multidrug-resistant UPEC and multidrug-susceptible UPEC and to determine the nephrotoxic effect of these antibiotics on the renal cortex. Up to 76 E. coli isolates were collected from UTI patients in Baghdad province, characterized by morphological and biochemical features, and confirmed using the Vitek-2 compact system. Mice were orally infected via gastric gavage with G33 using a bacterial load of 107 cells/ml, followed by p
... Show MoreCompounds of (ZnO)1-x(SnO 2 ) x were prepared with various proportions of tin oxide (SiO 2) (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0) by mixing zinc oxide (ZnO) with highpurity tin oxide and then sintering the mixture in an oven at a temperature of 1000 °C for a period of 1 h. The resulting powders were ground and pressed into tablets of 1 cm diameter and 0.5 cm thickness. The properties of (ZnO) 1-x(SnO 2 ) x composites flms were prepared and studied as sensitive to the diferent gases NO2 and H2 S. Thin flms were prepared from (ZnO) 1-x(SnO 2 ) x via pulsed laser deposition method using glass and single crystal silicon for investigation the morphology and gas sensing properties with a thickness of 150 nm. The morphology examinat
... Show MorePoly(ethylene oxide) is a promising material for solid-state lithium batteries due to its safety, ease of processing, and compatibility with lithium. However, conventional linear PEO falls short of practical requirements due to its limited ionic conductivity, a consequence of the high crystallinity of its ethylene oxide chains. This crystallinity hinders the movement of lithium ions, limiting its performance in solid-state battery applications. In this study, we successfully prepared the plasticized solid polymer electrolytes (PSPEs) based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/ tetracyanoethylene (TCE) complexed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt and studied the effect of TCE on structural, mechanical, electrical and elec
... Show MoreThis research explores the use of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) as a conductive medium for sodium ions in sodium‐ion batteries, presenting a possible alternative to traditional lithium‐ion battery technology. The researchers prepare SPEs with varying molecular weight ratios of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and sodium tetrafluoroborate (NaBF4) using a solution casting method with dimethyl formamide as the solvent. Through optical absorbance measurements, we identified the PAN:NaBF4 (80:20) SPE composition as having the lowest energy band gap value (4.48 eV). This composition also exhibits high thermal stability based on thermogravimetric analysis results. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy re
... Show MoreLaboratory studies were conducted at the biological control unit, college of Agriculture, University of Baghdad to evaluate some biological aspects of the predator Chilocorus bipustulatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), which is considered one of the most important predators on many insect pests, especially the scale insect, Parlatoria blanchardi, (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on date palms. The results showed that biological parameters of the predator were varied according to different degree of temperature. Egg incubation period was significantly different and reached to 7.5 and 5.44 day at 25 and 30°C respectively, Fertility was the same 100% at both temperature degrees. Larval growth periods were 17.41 and 16.12 day as well as the mortality
... Show MoreTransition metal complexes of Y(III), La(III) and Rh(III) with azo dye 2,4-dimethyl-6- (4-nitro-phenylazo)-phenol derived from 4-nitroaniline and 2,4-dimethylphenol were synthesized. Characterization of these compounds has been done on the basis of elemental analysis, electronic data, FT-IR,UV-Vis and 1HNMR, as well as conductivity measurements. The nature of the complexes formed were studies following the mole ratio and continuous variation methods, Beer's law obeyed over a concentration range (1x10-4- 3x10-4). High molar absorbtivity of the complex solutions were observed. From the analytical data, the stoichiomerty of the complexes has been found to be 1:3 (Metal:ligand). On the basis of Physicochemical data octahedral geometries were as
... Show MoreIntroduction Oral biopsy is a fundamental diagnostic procedure in dentistry, essential for the early detection of oral cancer and other pathologies. While theoretical knowledge is a core component of dental education, the translation of this knowledge into clinical confidence and practical ability is critical for patient care. Objective: : evaluate the awareness, knowledge, and self-perceived ability to perform oral biopsies Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students. Participants (n=110) comprising 14 multiple-choice questions assessing key variables: knowledge of biopsy principles, techniques, lesion identification, specimen preservation, and ability to perform the procedure Results: While theoretica
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