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.
The interest in calcium phosphates arises from the fact that bones contain a high percentage of mineralized calcium phosphate . In this study, pure and biocompatible hydroxyapatite (HAP) powder was successfully synthesized using hen’s egg shell as calcium source and phosphoric acid by precipitation method.The precipitate obtained was subjected to ripenning process for 24 hours, filtered, air dried, and calcined at temperatures of 400,800,900,and 1000 ºC.
X-Ray diffraction(XRD) technique was used to investigate the formation of HAP powder, XRD results revealed the HAP formation and also indicate no occurrence of secondary phases. Fourier Transform Infrared(FT-IR) spectrum shows the characterstic peaks for phosphate and hydroxyl grou
This work includes two steps of synthesis, the first one is the synthesis of indole which was prepared according to literature of the reaction of phenyl hydrazine with acetaldehyde in glacial acetic acid afforded phenyl hydrazone of acetaldehyde , this product was fused with zinc chloride to give the indole.Reaction of cyclohexanone with phenyl hydrazine using the same procedure for the preparing giving 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydrocarbazole.Second step involved synthesis of a series of (17) of mannich bases derivatives of indole and 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydrocarbazle. Mannich reaction involves the condensation of aldehyde usually formaldehyde with different secondary amine and with compound containing an activated hydrogen.The reaction illustrated by the fo
... Show MoreDuring a survey on the helminthic parasites of three species of turtles in the north part of Iraq, five species of nematodes were recorded for the first time in Iraq. They were all found in the intestine. These are, Camallanus microcephalus (Dujardin, 1845) recorvered from the turtle Clemmys caspica; Spironoura japonensis (Yamaguti, 1935) from Triopyx eup¬hraticus and Angusticaecum holopterum (Rudolphi, 1819), and Tachygonetria nicollei (Seurat, 1918) from the turtle Testudo graeca. All of the localities and hosts are newly recorded in Iraq.
Crude soybean peroxidase (SBP), isolated from soybean seed coats (hulls) at unusually low concentrations, catalyses the oxidative polymerisation of hazardous aqueous benzidine and its 3,3′-dichloro, 3,3′-dimethyl and 3,3′-dimethoxy derivatives in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The optimum operating conditions for oxidation of 0·10 mM benzidine were investigated. At pH 5, the hydrogen peroxide-to-substrate concentration ratio was 1·5 and the minimum SBP concentration required to achieve at least 95% conversion of the benzidine in synthetic wastewater was 0·43 mU/ml. Progress curves were established for the conversion of the four substrates, and apparent first-order rate constants were derived. Enzyme-catalysed polym
... Show MorePolyvinyl alcohol, (PVA) was prepared using polyvinyl acetate emulsion (manufactured by Al-Jihad factory,
That-Al-Sawary Company) as a local raw material. In this investigation, polyvinyl acetate emulsion was converted to
solid form by coagulation the polymer from its emulsion using sodium sulphate salt as coagulant aid, then alcoholyzed
the solid polyvinyl acetate in methanol using sodium hydroxide as catalyst, polyvinyl alcohol produced by this method is
a dry, white to yellow powder.
Three affecting variables on the degree of hydrolysis of PVA were studied, these variable are Catalyst to
polymer weight ratio in the range of 0.01 – 0.06, reaction time in the range of 20 – 90 min, and reaction temperature in
the
Used vegetable oil was introduced to transesterfication reaction to produce Biodiesel fuel suitable for diesel engines. Method of production was consisted of filtration, transesterfication, separation and washing. Transesterfication was studied extensively with different operating conditions, temperature range (35-80oC), catalyst concentration (0.5-2 wt. % based on oil), mixing time (30-120 min.) with constant oil/methanol weight ratio 5:1 and mixing speed 1300 rpm. The concentration of Fatty acid methyl esters (Biodiesel) was determined for the transesterficated oil samples, besides of some important physical properties such as specific gravity, viscosity, pour point and flash point. The behavior of methyl esters production and the phys
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The present work aimed to study the efficiency of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) process for water recovery from electroplating wastewater and study the factors affecting the performance of two membrane processes. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are made from polyamide as spiral wound module. The inorganic materials ZnCl2, CuCl2.2H2O, NiCl2.6H2O and CrCl3.6H2O were used as feed solutions. The operating parameters studied were: operating time, feed concentrations for heavy metal ions, operating pressure, feed flow rate, feed temperature and feed pH. The experimental results showed, the permeate concentration increased and water flux decreased with increase in time from 0 to 70 min. The permeate concentrations incre
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