Adherence to and invasion of mammalian cell lines by Pasteurella multocida B:2

Haemorrhagic septicemia (HS), caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2, is an economically important disease responsible for morbidity and mortality of bovines, especially buffaloes, in countries of South or Southeast Asia and Africa. A feature of this disease is the rapid spread of infecting bacteria from the respiratory tract to the blood and lymph to cause a fatal septicemia. To pass into the blood stream, the bacteria must migrate through the epithelial layer into the pulmonary interstitium. Avian serogroup A strains of P. multocida have been reported to invade cultured mammalian cells, but the behaviour of other of serogroups has not been reported. The main object of the work was to confirm that HS strains of P. multocida B:2 have the capacity to invade and survive within cultured mammalian cells, such as J774.2 cells (mouse macrophage-like cell lines) and BL-3 cells (bovine lymphoma cell line). Invasion, defined as adhesion to, followed by uptake by, or entry into, J774.2 macrophage cells or BL-3 cells was determined by: (I) counting of viable intracellular bacteria after killing extracellular bacteria with polymyxin and gentamicin, (II) Transmission electronic microscopy. Comparison of the invasiveness of a B:2 HS strain and its aroA derivative JRMT12 with that of P. multocida A:3 and E. coli XL1-Blue, showed that both P. multocida B:2 strains invaded both types of mammalian cells more readily than P. multocida A:3 and that E. coli XL1-Blue was essentially non-invasive. Both strains of P. multocida B:2 could survive within J774.2 macrophage and BL-3 cells for at least 2 h. A longer-term survival experiment (up to 6 h incubation) indicated that the numbers of intracellular bacteria declined between 4 to 6 h post-infection. It was shown by TEM that a significant proportion of the P. multocida B:2 bacteria were found within vacuoles in the cytoplasm of the mammalian cells with some free in the cytoplasm. A much reduced invasion capacity of P. multocida A:3 and E. coli XL1-Blue was detected. Different effects on the appearance and viability of J774.2 and BL-3 cells were observed by the trypan blue method and TEM when exposed to the P. multocida B:2 strains. Evaluation of cytotoxicity of P. multocida B:2 stains with J774.2 cells by the MTT assay produced unsatisfactory results

Isoprenylation and NET formation in acute pancreatitis

Acute Pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammation disease that characterized by activation of protease and the innate immune system, leading to infiltration of neutrophils and tissue damage in the pancreas. The aim of this thesis was to determine the role of isoprenylation (farnesyltransferase and geranylgeranyltransferase) as well as NET formation in regulating recruitment of neutrophils and tissue damage in severe AP. AP in mice was induced by retrograde infusion of Na-taurocholate into the pancreatic duct and intraperitoneal injection of L-arginine two times at hourly intervals. Induction of pancreatitis provoked a clear cut increase in tissue damage of the pancreas characterized by neutrophil infiltration, myeloperoxidase activity, chemokine levels, and acinar cell necrosis and edema formation in the pancreas. In paper I, farnesyltransferase mediates leukocyte sequestration and tissue injury in AP. Inhibition of farnesyltransferase attenuates infiltration of neutrophils in the pancreas and the lung and suggesting that farnesyltransferase controls both local and systemic inflammation in pancreatitis. Paper II demonstrates that geranylgeranyltransferase regulate severity in pancreatitis. Inhibition of geranylgeranyltransferase results in a reduction of neutrophil up-regulation Mac-1 and CXCL2 formation in the pancreas. Blocking geranylgeranyltransferase activity attenuated systemic inflammation and pulmonary neutrophils in animals with pancreatitis. In paper Paper III address the role of Ras-signalling in AP. Ras inhibition improves neutrophil infiltration, blood amylase, cytokine formation and and pancreatitis-associated systemic inflammation. Paper IV demonstrates that NETs are generated in the inflamed pancreas and play a critical role in the development of severe AP. Inhibition of NET decreased CXCL2 formation and neutrophil recruitment in the inflamed pancreas. Moreover, NETs regulates STAT3 activity and trypsin activation in acinar cells and histones might be important molecular mediators in these processes. These findings identify a novel role of isoprenylation and NET formation in pancreatitis and suggest that targeting these mechanisms might be a useful way to ameliorate local and systemic inflammation in severe AP

Performance Improvement of Photovoltaic Panels Using Dual Axis Sun Tracker

الطاقة المتجددة هي أكثر الطاقات المهمة في هذه الأيام. حيث انها نظيفة ومتوفرة بكثرة ويحصل عليها من الطبيعة بدون إعطاء أي تأثيرات سلبيه للبيئة. وهذا هو معاكس لما يعمله الوقود الاحفوري بانبعاث غاز ثنائي أوكسيد الكاربون الذي يسبب ضرر كبير للغلاف الجوي. الطاقة الشمسية هي واحده من الطاقات المتجددة ويمكن ان تصبح مصدر طاقة جيد وبديل لما موجود. الطاقة الشمسية يمكن الحصول عليها باستخدام الواح الطاقة الشمسية عن طريق تحويل الطاقة الشمسية الى طاقة كهربائية. منهجية هذه الورقة البحثية هو بناء متتبع ثنائي المحور ليتحكم باتجاه الالواح الشمسية للحصول على اعلى كفاءة خارجة. نظام التتبع الشمسي هذا يتكون من جزئين رئيسيين وهما جزء برمجي وأدوات ومعدات. المعدات متمثلة بمتحكم دقيق ومقاومات ضوئية لتحسس الضوء القادم من الشمس ومحرك تيار مستمر يعمل باتجاهين لتعديل اتجاه الخلية الشمسية. الجزء البرمجي متمثل بالبرنامج والشفرة البرمجية المستخدمة. نتائج البحث بينت ان المتتبع الثنائي المحور يتفوق على الخلايا الشمسية الثابتة وتم الحصول على طاقة اعلى التي سجلت باستخدام مسجل البيانات.Renewable energy is the most important type of energy sources nowadays. It’s clean, abundantly available and can be obtained from nature without giving any negative impact to the environment. This is the opposite of what fossil fuel does by giving the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and makes a huge damage to the atmosphere. Solar energy is one type of renewable energy and is considered a good effective alternative source of energy. The solar energy can be collected using solar panels from emitted radiation from the sun.  The aim of this paper is building a dual-axis solar tracker to control the direction of the panels and get the highest output efficiency compared to the fixed panels. The sun tracker system consists of two main parts, hardware, and software. Hardware represented by using a microcontroller, Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) to detect the light of the sun, servomotors use to adjust the direction of the solar panel (PV). The software represented by the application used and the codes. The results show that the dual axis tracking is more powerful than the fixed position solar cells and achieves better output power. The power measured were obtained by the data logger method

ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF IL-17A IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS; IN SULAYMANIYAH GOVERNORATE

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by joint swelling and tenderness, with destruction of synovial joints, leading to severe disability and premature mortality. The etiology and pathogenesis of RA remain unknown, it is generally considered an autoimmune pathology in which autoreactive T cells of pathogenic potential, such as Th1 and Th17 cells, are thought to play an important role. Th17 cells selectively produce the signature cytokines such as IL-17, IL-21 and IL-22, and have been demonstrated to play a critical role for the chronic inflammatory response and subsequent tissue damage in the affected joints. Objectives: To assess the role of IL-17A in RA; by estimation of the serum IL-17A levels in RA and apparently healthy controls, and assessing the association of serum IL-17A levels with disease activity and severity measured by DAS-28 by ESR. Patients and Methods: Cross-sectional analytic study carried out in the division of rheumatology/Shaheed Hemin general hospital, in Sulymaniyah city from (January 2015 to September 2015); on 45 RA patients; and 45 age and gender matched apparently healthy controls. Measurements of serum IL- 17A were done for both patients and controls by ELISA according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Disease activity was determined in the patients; according to DAS-28 by ESR. Results: A significant association was observed between serum IL-17A level and RA (p<0.001). There was a significant difference in serum IL-17A levels among RA patients on non-biological therapy and controls (p<0.001), also there was a significant difference in serum IL-17A levels among RA patients on biological therapy and controls (p<0.001), and no significant difference was observed between the serum levels of IL-17A of RA patients on biological therapy and those on non-biological therapy (p=0.4), There was a significant association between serum IL-17A level and active RA disease (p<0.001). Conclusions: Serum IL-17A has a diagnostic value in RA, demonstrated by significant differences in serum IL-17A levels of RA patients and controls. Elevated serum IL-17A levels in RA patients parallel the degree of disease activity and severity. This may highlight the usefulness of IL-17A as a possible biomarker for more aggressive joint involvement and damage, giving it an important prognostic and predictive value

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants among travelers crossing the northern international border checkpoint in Duhok province, Iraq

Background: Variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected along with the worldwide COVID-19 transmission. Insufficient data exists regarding SARS-CoV-2 variants in Iraq, particularly concerning travelers at Iraqi border crossings. This study aimed to screen SARS-CoV-2 variants among individuals entering Iraq from Turkey through the Ibrahim Khalil international border checkpoint.  Methods: A total of 116 (52 females, 64 males) COVID-19-positive cases from June 6, 2021, to July 30, 2021, were randomly selected from the Ibrahim Al-Khalil border crossing point between Turkey and Iraq. The patients were Iraqis tested positive for COVID-19 through nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab collections. The confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 cases involved RNA extraction and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), following the World Health Organization guidelines. All samples were subjected to variant detection using the reverse transcription RT-PCR method. The RNA was extracted using a Zybio nucleic acid extraction kit and the RT-PCR was conducted using SARS-CoV-2 S-gene mutation detection RT-PCR kit. Results: In the 116 patients, we detected variants B.1.1.7, B.1.617.1.2, B.1.617.1.3, and Omicron sub-lineages (B.1.1.529, BA.1) at frequency rates of 13, 16, 45, and 36 cases, respectively. The highest prevalence rate was the delta variant among the tested subjects (38.8%) followed by the Omicron sub-lineages (B.1.1.529, BA.1) at 31%. Conclusion: This finding, which is the first of its kind at the northern Iraqi border checkpoint, suggests that these two variants could be a source of COVID-19 circulating in the Duhok province in Iraq. Additional studies are warranted across the country’s border entry points

Evaluation of wind-solar hybrid power generation system based on Monte Carlo method

The application of wind-photovoltaic complementary power generation systems is becoming more and more widespread, but its intermittent and fluctuating characteristics may have a certain impact on the system's reliability. To better evaluate the reliability of stand-alone power generation systems with wind and photovoltaic generators, a reliability assessment model for stand-alone power generation systems with wind and photovoltaic generators was developed based on the analysis of the impact of wind and photovoltaic generator outages and derating on reliability. A sequential Monte Carlo method was used to evaluate the impact of the wind turbine, photovoltaic (PV) turbine, wind/photovoltaic complementary system, the randomness of wind turbine/photovoltaic outage status and penetration rate on the reliability of Independent photovoltaic power generation system (IPPS) under the reliability test system (RBTS). The results show that this reliability assessment method can provide some reference for planning the actual IPP system with wind and complementary solar systems

Implementing GIS and linear regression models to investigate partial building failures

One of the most dangerous field problems in the civil engineering discipline is the suddenly developed cracks in the building, which could be caused by the swelling of the subsurface soil. Thus, this work has focused on employing a procedure in the geographic information system known as the inverse distance weighted (IDW) technique, to analyze the extent of cracks in a residential complex in the city of Kirkuk in Iraq using the physical and chemical soil data for seven boreholes from the field of the study. Physical soil parameters such as liquid limit (LL), gravel, sand, silt and clay percentages were characterized first, followed by chemical properties such as gypsum content (GYP), total suspended solids (TSS), potential of hydrogen (pH), and organic content (ORG). Furthermore, statistical studies such as plasticity index (PI) and soil characteristics association, linear single, and various linear multi-regression models were used. The data analysis shows that there are significantly positive and negative relationships between PI as a swelling indicator and the physical and chemical soil properties, although weak to moderate correlations were observed between PI and these variables. The PI values were accurately predicted by the proposed linear multi-regression models of the physical and integrated physical and chemical soil characteristics, with multiple R values of 0.92 for both models. As a result, the suggested statistical models can provide complete geographic and mechanical explanations for the crack sources in the investigated residential complex

Analysis of serum lipid profile in adult female smokers in Erbil city, Kurdistan region of Iraq

Background: There are few studies demonstrated the association between smoking and lipid profile in female adult smokers. Materials and Methods: This study conducted to determine and compare the serum lipid profile of female adult smokers with non-female smokers, known as controls. In 180 female subjects, the level of serum lipid profile measured. Results: Of these, 110 were smokers and 70 non-smokers (control) aged between 25 and 50 years. The study involved only smokers who had smoked for more than 5 years. Our result revealed that mean serum of total cholesterol (275.2 ± 32.6 mg/dl), triacylglycerol (188.4 ± 56.42 mg/dl), very low density lipoprotein (36.6 ± 14.2 mg/dl), low density lipoprotein (133.21 ± 9.81 mg/dl) were significantly higher in female smokers as compared to non-female smokers with mean of serum total cholesterol (172.3 ± 18.6 mg/dl), very low density lipoprotein (21.8 ± 9.6 mg/dl), triglyceride (108 ± 8.84 mg/dl), low density lipoprotein (94.54 ± 8.5 mg/dl). However, the mean of serum value for high density lipoprotein cholesterol in chronic female smokers was lower (44.6 ± 4.6 mg/dl) than in non-female smokers (55.3 ± 8.2 mg/dl). Conclusion: This study indicated that smoking cigarettes in female cause’s dyslipidemia, resulting in increased risk of cardiovascular disease among smokers

Analysis of cytokines in SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 patients in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The emergence of the novel coronavirus and then pandemic outbreak was coined 2019- nCoV or COVID-19 (or SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019). This disease has a mortality rate of about 3·7 percent, and successful therapy is desperately needed to combat it. The exact cellular mechanisms of COVID-19 need to be illustrated in detail. This study aimed to evaluate serum cytokines in COVID-19 patients. In this study, serum was collected from volunteer individuals, moderate COVID-19 patients, severe cases of COVID-19 patients, and patients who recovered from COVID-19 (n = 122). The serum concentrations of interleukins such as IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The concentrations of IL-1 and TNF-α were did not differ significantly among groups. However, the concentration of IL-6 was significantly higher in moderate COVID-19 and severe cases of COVID-19 groups compared to control and recovered groups indicating it to be an independent predictor in the coronavirus disease. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were significantly lower in the recovery group than the severe case of the COVID-19 group. In contrast, the level of IL-10 in recovered COVID-19 patients was significantly higher in compare to severe cases, COVID-19 patients. Varying levels of cytokines were detected in COVID-19 group than control group suggesting distinct immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis. However, additional investigations are needed to be to be performed to understand the exact cellular mechanism of this disease

Review: Healthcare Informatics , Nurses And Assistant, And Healthcare Management Responsibilities In Facilitating Obstacles Facing Patients Centred Care

Healthcare systems, organizations, and providers, including healthcare informatics, nurses, assistants, and healthcare administration, face the challenge of arranging patient care within limited resources. In order to effectively implement patient-centred care (PCC), it is necessary to remove any obstacles or hindrances that may arise. Thus far, there has been a dearth of thorough examinations on potential factors influencing patient-centered care (PCC) in diverse health and social care organizations (HSCOs). The findings underscored the patient\u27s uniqueness, cultural beliefs, comprehensive care, the significance of robust healthcare provider-patient connections, and a patient-focused setting. The nursing, administrative, and informatics staff regarded PCC as having a good impact on the quality of nursing care and the job satisfaction of nurses. The findings provide detailed insights into the viewpoints of nurse managers regarding patient-centeredness and identify specific areas that require improvement