Background and objectives Uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC) are major causative agents of urinary tract infection (UTIs), they often possess strong biofilm-forming abilities, and capable of resisting many antibiotics, making catheter associated UTIs (CAUTIs) difficult to treat. Essential oils such as tea tree oil (TTO) have emerged as natural alternatives to antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial, adhesion, and biofilm-forming efficacy of TTO against UPEC, while analyzing its effect on the gene expression of csgA gene and determining its cytotoxicity. Methods Four UPEC isolates collected from different UTIs patients from Baghdad Province. The Antibacterial activity of TTO evaluated using agar wells diffusion assay and micro dilution using resazurin. Anti-adhesion and anti-biofilm were assessed using silicon Foley catheters. The csgA encode to curli fibers determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene expression measured using qPCR. Cytotoxicity of TTO measured against renal carcinoma (A498) and normal fibroblast (HdFn) cell lines via MTT assay. Results TTO inhibited UPEC with inhibition zone diameter of 12–25 mm (p < 0.0001) and MIC value was 0.25%. In Foley catheter model, the concentrated TTO reduced adhesion and biofilm formation (p < 0.0001). csgA harbored within all subjected isolates. Real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) revealed significant (p < 0.0001) upregulation within susceptible isolates (2.2) fold change. Cytotoxicity via MTT assay reveled selective activity of TTO on (A498, IC50= 265.8 µg/mL) over (HdFn, IC50 = 852.5 µg/mL; p < 0.0001). Conclusion TTO demonstrated potential antibacterial, anti-adhesion and anti-biofilm activity against UPEC along with modulations of csgA gene expression and selective cytotoxicity
The work reported in this study focusing on the abrasive wear behavior for three types of pipes used in oil industries (Carbone steel, Alloy steel and Stainless steel) using a wear apparatus for dry and wet tests, manufactured according to ASTM G65. Silica sand with
hardness (1000-1100) HV was used as abrasive material. The abrasive wear of these pipes has been measured experimentally by measuring the wear rate for each case under different sliding speeds, applied loads, and sand conditions (dry or wet). All tests have been conducted using sand of particle size (200-425) µm, ambient temperature of 34.5 °C and humidity 22% (Lab conditions).
The results show that the material loss due to abrasive wear increased monotonically with
In this work, fluid catalytic cracking of vacuum gas oil to produce gasoline over prepared faujasite type Y zeolite was investigated using experimental laboratory plant scale of fluidized bed reactor.
The catalytic activity of prepared faujasite type NaY, NaNH4Y and NaHY zeolites was investigated. The cracking process was carried out in the temperature range 440 to 500 oC, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) range 10 to 25 h-1 ,and atmospheric pressure . The catalytic activities of the prepared faujasite type NaY , NaNH4Y and NaHY zeolites were determined in terms of vacuum gas oil (VGO) conversion, and gasoline yield . The conversion at 500oC and WHSV10 hr-1 by using faujasite type NaY, NaNH4Y and NaHY zeolite were 50.2%, 64.1% and 6
The expression of the Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 gene (PCSK9) is inextricably related to lipid levels and a risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (ASCAD). The present study aims to measure the quantity of PCSK9 gene expression and the effect of methylation on its expression level taking part in the pathogenesis of acute coronary artery disorder.
A current study included 150 subjects from the Iraqi population, 100 ASCAD patients and 50 healthy controls. The concentration of PCSK9 in each serum sample was determined by the ELISA technique, the expression levels of the PCSK9 gene in whole blood were estimated by RT-qPCR – Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR method, and DNA
... Show MoreThe increasing demand for energy has encouraged the development of renewable resources and environmentally benign fuel such as biodiesel. In this study, ethyl fatty esters (EFEs), a major component of biodiesel fuel, were synthesized from soybean oil using sodium ethoxide as a catalyst. By-products were glycerol and difatty acyl urea (DFAU), which has biological characteristics, as antibiotics and antifungal medications. Both EFEs and DFAU have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The optimum conditions were studied as a function of reaction time, reactant molar ratios, catalyst percentage and the effect of organic solvents. The conversion ratio of soybea
... Show MoreNaturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) contaminated sites at Al-Rumaila Iraqi oil fields have been characterized as a part of soil remediation project. Activity of radium isotopes in contaminated soil have been determined using gamma spectrometer High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) and found to be very high for Al-Markezia, Al-Qurainat degassing stations and storage area at Khadhir Almay region. The activity concentration of samples ranges from 6474.11±563.8 Bq/kg to 1232.5±60.9 Bq/kg with mean value of 3853.3 Bq/kg for 226Ra, 843.59±8.39 Bq/kg to 302.2±9.2 Bq/kg with mean value of 572.9 Bq/kg for 232Th and 294.31±18.56 Bq/kg to 156.64±18.1 Bq/kg with mean value of 225.5 for 40K. S
... Show MoreIn this study, oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) with H2O2 as an oxidant was studied, whereas the catalyst used was zirconium oxide supported on Activated carbon (AC). Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) was impregnated over prepared activated carbon (AC) and characterized by various techniques such as XRD, FTIR, BET, SEM, and EDX. This composite was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for oxidation desulfurization of simulated oil. The results of this study showed that ZrO2/AC composite exhibited significant catalytic activity and stability, effectively lowering sulfur content under mild conditions. Factors such as reaction temperature (30, 40, 50, 60°C), time (5, 10, 15,20,30,60, 80 100 min), catalyst dose (0.3, 0.5,
... Show MoreThe laboratory experiment was conducted in the laboratories of the Musayyib Bridge Company for Molecular Analyzes in the year 2021-2022 to study the molecular analysis of the inbreed lines and their hybrids F1 to estimate the genetic variation at the level of DNA shown by the selected pure inbreed lines and the resulting hybrids F1 of the flowering gene. Five pure inbreed lines of maize were selected (ZA17WR) Late, ZM74, Late, ZM19, Early ZM49WZ (Zi17WZ, Late, ZM49W3E) and their resulting hybrids, according to the study objective, from fifteen different inbreed lines with flowering time. The five inbreed lines were planted for four seasons (spring and fall 2019) and (spring and fall 2