Protective effect of chamomile recutita flowers extract against Urinary tract infection induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Experimental mice models

This study was conducted to investigate the protective role of ethanolic extract of chamomile recutita flowers induced UTI in the mice by Pseudomonas aeruginosa,the flowers extracted by preparing ethanol extract .108 cfu /ml of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used to induce UTI by intra-urinary bladder injection . Thirty mice were divided into three groups .Group I: negative control (normal). Group II: positive control, mice were infected by injection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for 2, 7, 15, 21 and 30 days and left without treatment. Group III : mice infected and treated with ethanolic extract of of Chamomile (Matricaria recutica ) flowers orally by stomach tube daily after 48 h of  infection for  15 , 21 and 30 days at dose 300 mg/kg-BW. At the end of experimental period ,blood samples were taken from mice and measured some biochemical parameters such as serum Creatinine , Serum uric acid ,serum glucose and Serum total proteins .animals of all groups were killed to examine histopathological changes in urinary bladder and kidney .The result showed significant increased (P< 0.05) in serum creatinine level and serum uric acid in infected groups as compared with control .The treated group showed significant decreased (P< 0.05)  in serum creatinine level and serum uric acid level while no significant change in serum glucose level and serum total protein in infected and treated groups. Histological sections of kidney appeared damage, necrosis of renal tubule and inflammatory cell infiltration in infected groups while animals treated with ethanolic extract of Chamomile recutica flowers showed look -like normal appearance in kidney. It could be concluded that Chamomile recutica flower extract has potent protective role against UTI and appears by correction between biochemical parameters and histological studies

The role of Avidity Test in the Diagnosis of Acute and Chronic Infection with Toxoplasma Gondii

Background: Toxoplasma gondii has a worldwide distribution and is one of the most prevalent infectious agents in humans. However, primary infection during pregnancy constitutes a great diagnostic challenge, by predisposing the offspring to the risk of  congenital toxoplasmosis. Objective: To detect the Toxoplasma IgG antibodies developed at the early stage of infection in pregnant women. Methods: 80  pregnant women, who were in the 2nd to 4th month of their pregnancy, enrolled in this study. Anti-toxoplasma IgG, IgM and IgG avidity were evaluated by ELISA method. Results:The patients were categorized into three groups as follows: Group A, 2 cases; IgG+,IgM+, 2.5%; group B, 3 cases; IgM+, IgG-, 3.75%; and group C, 75 cases; IgM -, IgG +,75(93.75%). 2.5% of the pregnant women had positive IgG and IgM among which 6.25% had low avidity which revealed an active infection in the pregnant women. In the current study, 75(93.75) of pregnant women had positive IgG and negative IgM, all of which had high avidity, which is an indication that in our population the level of toxoplasmosis infection is high and most women have had contacts with this parasite before pregnancy. Conclusion: In this study, the low avidity test was 6.25% showing that the occurrence of toxoplasmosis infection is still a serious issue. Observation of 75(93.75%) high avidity among group B suggests that either IgM has a high half-life or there is a false positive IgM as a result of rheumatologic disorders. Therefore, avidity test is important to differentiate between past and acute infection and because the titer of IgG remain high for long time. Keywords: Toxoplasmosis, Avidity test, acute and chronic infection

Luminance pyramid for image generation and colorization

Many image processing and machine learning applications require sufficient image feature selection and representation. This can be achieved by imitating human ability to process visual information. One such ability is that human eyes are much more sensitive to changes in the intensity (luminance) than the color information. In this paper, we present how to exploit luminance information, organized in a pyramid structure, to transfer properties between two images. Two applications are presented to demonstrate the results of using luminance channel in the similarity metric of two images. These are image generation; where a target image is to be generated from a source one, and image colorization; where color information is to be browsed from one colored image to another but grayscale image. The results demonstrate the suitability of luminance in achieving the two selected applications

Content Based Image Clustering Technique Using Statistical Features and Genetic Algorithm

Text based-image clustering (TBIC) is an insufficient approach for clustering related web images. It is a challenging task to abstract the visual features of images with the support of textual information in a database. In content-based image clustering (CBIC), image data are clustered on the foundation of specific features like texture, colors, boundaries, shapes. In this paper, an effective CBIC) technique is presented, which uses texture and statistical features of the images. The statistical features or moments of colors (mean, skewness, standard deviation, kurtosis, and variance) are extracted from the images. These features are collected in a one dimension array, and then genetic algorithm (GA) is applied for image clustering. The extraction of features gave a high distinguishability and helped GA reach the solution more accurately and faster

Asymmetric dimethylarginine blocks nitric oxide-mediated alcohol-stimulated cilia beating.

The airway epithelium is exposed to alcohol during drinking through direct exhalation of volatized ethanol from the bronchial circulation. Alcohol exposure leads to a rapid increase in the cilia beat frequency (CBF) of bronchial epithelial cells followed by a chronic desensitization of cilia stimulatory responses. This effect is governed in part by the nitric oxide regulation of cyclic guanosine and adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinases (PKG and PKA) and is not fully understood. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, is implicated in the pathogenesis of several pulmonary disorders. We hypothesized that the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase by ADMA blocks alcohol-stimulated increases in CBF. To test this hypothesis, ciliated primary bovine bronchial epithelial cells (BBEC) were preincubated with ADMA (100  µM) and stimulated with 100 mM ethanol. CBF was measured and PKA assayed. By 1 hr, ethanol activated PKA, resulting in elevated CBF. Both alcohol-induced PKA activation and CBF were inhibited in the presence of ADMA. ADMA alone had no effect on PKA activity or CBF. Using a mouse model overexpressing the ADMA-degrading enzyme, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), we examined PKA and CBF in precision-cut mouse lung slices. Alcohol-stimulated increases in lung slice PKA and CBF were temporally enhanced in the DDAH mice versus control mice

Behavior of Reinforced Gypseous Soil Embankment Model under Cyclic Loading

The construction of embankment for roadway interchange system at urban area is restricted due to the large geometry requirements, since the value of land required for such construction is high, and the area available is limited as compared to rural area. One of the optimum solutions to such problem is the earth reinforcement technique which requires a limited area for embankment construction. Gypseous soil from Al-Anbar governorate area was obtained and subjected to various physical and chemical analysis to determine it is properties. A laboratory model box of 50x50x25 cm was used as a representative embankment; soil has been compacted in five layers at maximum dry density (modified compaction) and an aluminum reinforcement strips were introduced between layers. The model was subjected to cyclic loading and the vertical and lateral deformations were detected at different stages of loading cycles using LVDT. The reinforced soil embankment under soaking condition exhibited vertical settlement at the top surface was (12.55 mm) while the lateral displacements at (1st, 3rd layer) were (2.18, 1.32) mm respectively at (47 load cycles).For reinforced gypseous soil, embankment without soaking cured for 24 hours, the Number of load cycles was found to be (165) loading cycles with vertical displacement (9.12 mm), that means an improvement of 59%. Accordingly, the lateral displacement in 1st and 3rd layers were (3.28, 2.59) mm respectively which observes improvement by (28% and 5%) respectively. The rates of improvement are taken with respect to the reinforced pure dry soil sample

Antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-SARS-CoV Activity of Commercial Products of \u3cem\u3eXylopia\u3c/em\u3e (\u3cem\u3eXylopia aethiopica\u3c/em\u3e)

Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae) is a spice and medicinal plant that grows wild in many West African countries (from Liberia to Nigeria) and is locally known as Guinea pepper, grains of Selim, hwentia and uda. The dried fruits are used as a flavoring for soups and traditionally in decoctions as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory, as well as a treatment for infections. The medicinal properties of the fruits are associated with the presence of phenolics and essential oil constituents. We studied the total phenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in different X. aethiopica extracts using spectrophotometry. We found variation in total phenolic and flavonoids and antioxidant capacity between different samples and different extraction solvents. Antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were evaluated using a spectrophotometric assay and Kirby-Bauer test. Additionally, a pseudoviral cell-based assay was used to test the antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2). High total phenolic and flavonoid content was correlated with high antioxidant capacity. Results of antibacterial tests indicated that one Xylopia extract potentially has strong antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria B. subtilis. The pseudoviral assay showed moderate antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2

Peroxiredoxin 6 and redox-dependent changes under development of cancer drug resistance

Among the peroxiredoxin family members peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx6) not only to reduce H2O2 and phospholipid hydroperoxides but also possesses phospholipase A2 and lysophosphatidylcholine acyl transferase activities which are different exchanged in some pathologies including cancer. However, contribution of Prx6 into the regulation of oxidant/antioxidant balance, that responsible for proliferation/apoptosis switching, under tumor growth is still poor understood. Here we studied PRX6 changes as well as cellular redox state during the formation of cisplatin resistance in human ovarian carcinoma SKOV-3 cells. The development of the drug resistance found to be accompanied by the increase of PRDX6 expression and growth of GSH/GSSG ratio due to elevation of GSH level, which needs for reduction of Prx6 oxidized form, as a result of enhancement of GSH synthesis de novo. In addition, it was established that siRNA knockdown of Trx1 increased CDDP-induced death of resistant cells that was significantly rose by additively use of siRNA knockdown of Prx6. The results testify to the important role of Prx6 in redox-dependent mechanism of cancer cell resistance to cisplatin. The publication was prepared with the support of the «RUDN University Program 5-100»

Study the Effect of Using Google Classroom on the Academic Performance Under the Covid19 Pandemic Using Data Mining Technique

— In light of the pandemic that has swept the world, the use of e-learning in educational institutions has become an urgent necessity for continued knowledge communication with students. Educational institutions can benefit from the free tools that Google provide and from these applications, Google classroom which is characterized by ease of use, but the efficiency of using Google classroom is affected by several variables not studied in previous studies Clearly, this study aimed to identify the use of Google classroom as a system for managing e-learning and the factors affecting the performance of students and lecturer. The data of this study were collected from 219 members of the faculty and students at the College of Administration and Economics at the University of Baghdad in Iraq and have reached Google classroom offers all the technologies wanted by students and lecturer but there is a positive correlation between lack of knowledge of technical matters and decrease in the use of Google classroom and online education and vice versa