خولة عبد الله سلمان الزرفي

This study was carried out to find out the infection with intestinal protozoa Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia in patients with diarrhea cases in the Tilafer General Hospital ( Ninva province) the period from Jully- October (2009) , 183 stool samples were examined using direct normal saline method , iodin solution and sedimentation method. The result of this study showed total percentage infection 40.98 % distribution as 43.30 % with E. histolytica 37.97 % and G. lamblia . It has been noticed that the percentage of infection during the study period was high in Jully 47.60 % in comparison with August and October 41.50 % and 19.10 % respectively . In the General view the percentage infection with intestinal protozoa was high in young people compared to old people. In addition to that it was found that the infection percentage in male was 53.60 % , while in female was 34.90 % .

The present study was carried out to investigate the rate at contamination of seven leafy vegetables with intestinal parasites, The leafy vegetable were collected from different places (cultures of sahala region – shopes of vegetables and the local market of Kufa city ) .A total of (396) leaf vegetable samples were collected the period January and December 2010 in microbiology labrotary at agriculture college - Kufa university. The samples were examined in the laboratory after washing them in physiological saline and then examining the sediment by sedimentation and floatation method . Result of the present study showed that (81) out of (396) samples 20.5% contained parasitic stages in the plant ,was found to be 41.5% in Leek , 30.8% in Radish , 24.7% in Lettuce , 22.6% in Garden gress , 10.4% in Parsley , 9.5% in Celery and 6.3% in Mint . The parasites which detected in vegetable was cyst of Entamoeba Coli 23.7% , egg of Ascaris 20.7% , cyst of Giardia lamblia 17.8% , egg of Ancylostoma spp. 12.6% , egg of Fasciola spp. 11.1% , egg of Hymenolepis nana 7.4% , Stronglyloides spp. 3.0%

These days instead of chemical pesticides, various natural alternatives have been used for the management of post-harvest diseases. This research was carried out to evaluate the antifungal potential of different chitosan concentrations viz., 5, 10, and 15 mg/µl against Rhizopus stolonifer by the agar dilution and well diffusion methods. The evaluation was carried out after seven days of incubation by measuring the inhibition of R. stolonifer mycelial growth. Results of the study revealed that the chitosan had a significant inhibitory effect on mycelial growth and maximum mycelial growth inhibition was reported at the 10 and 15 mg/µl concentrations and these two treatments are not significantly different. Based on these results, the best concentration (15 mg/µl) was further evaluated by the well diffusion technique. The average inhibition zones formed by the higher concentration was 25mm. Results of the study suggested that chitosan can be used for the management of post-harvesting diseases of tomatoes.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of thyme has been well established against various microorganisms. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of aqueous and alcoholic extract of thyme on beef mincemeat quality. Three differential concentrations (0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 mg/ml) of both thyme extracts were used for the beef mincemeat preservation. Untreated meat samples were considered as the control group while the extracts treated beef mincemeat are stored at 4°C for 7 to 14 days. To validate the extract's ability to prolong the storage period at 4 °C, various bacteriological indicators like total plate count, presence of total coliform, Salmonella, Shigella, and Staphylococcus aureus count were assessed. The results of the antimicrobial assay of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of thyme at different concentrations showed that the aqueous extract had significant inhibitory action on the growth of a wide range of bacteria compared to the alcoholic extract. Thus, the thyme aqueous extracts can be efficient and promising as preservatives for meat and its products, especially at high concentrations to inhibit bacterial growth.

Abstract: Background: In addition to human cells, healthy gums contain a variety of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa that may contribute to unhealthy sites. The effect of pathogens lysis or other immune cell lysis needs to be clarified in order to expand the current pathophysiological pattern of periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to survey the prevalence of E. gingivalis among patients with periodontitis and healthy individuals in order to support public health action. In addition, we investigated the relationship between the incidence rate and some parameters, such as patient age and gender. Methods and Results: This study enrolled 51 subjects divided into two groups: The case group involved 31 patients (15 females and 16 males) with periodontal disease; the control group included 20 people (10 females and 10 males) with healthy oral cavities. Biofilm and saliva samples were collected and examined for the presence of E. gingivalis. A total of 22(71.0%) patients of various ages with periodontal disease were infected with E. gingivalis. Male patients were more likely to have the amoeba than female patients. E. gingivalis was also found in the control group, albeit at a lower frequency (P=0.005). Conclusion: Infections with E. gingivalis should be considered as a potential pathological factor associated with the development of periodontal diseases. More research should be conducted to determine whether E. gingivalis is the primary cause of tissue destruction and disease progression, or if it is acting synergistically with the current pathogenic bacteria that should be investigated further.

Expanding urbanization, socioeconomic factors, and agricultural activities have led to contamination of the natural water resources in Iraq. The objective of this study was to assess the riverbank filtration (RBF) process in purifying the water of Al-Kufa River from pathogens. The riverbank filtration is a natural approach that helps in the enhancement of the quality of river water, and it is a relatively cost-effective, and sustainable process. This study utilized microbiological approaches to monitor the water quality of wells in comparison with river water. In Al-Kufa district of Al-Najaf governorate in Iraq, eight wells were constructed at different locations adjacent to Al-Kufa River. Total plate count, coliform count, fungal count, and fecal coliform count were among the microbiological parameters tested. The findings of the current study showed a difference in the pathogen count between the wells and river water, but the riverbank filtration process did not meet the World Health Organization guidelines. From this, we concluded that, if the pumping well is continuously running, RBF as a preliminary treatment of surface water would be a promising and potentially viable application in purifying water supply. Finally, in future RBF process is supposed to be taken into consideration to protect the security of water supply from waterborne pathogens.

Background:the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients treated at AL-Saddar Teaching Hospital (Najaf, Iraq). The study population consisted of 190 patients treated at AL-Saddar Teaching Hospital (Najaf, Iraq) between June 1 and August 20, 2022. Clinical signs, lung abnormalities, and a positive result from real-time PCR for nasopharyngeal swab samples have all been used to identify infection. Clinical and laboratory information on the patients was gathered for the investigation. A comparative analysis was conducted between patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) (n=67) and without AKI (n=123). The patients without acute kidney injury (AKI) frequently left the hospital in better health (80.9%), and they did not require dialysis, compared to 22.4% of those who had AKI. The percentage of patients in each group admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) significantly differed with respect to KI: 46.3% with AKI and 15.4% without AKI (P<0.0001). Furthermore, patients with AKI had a higher rate of mortality (13.4%) than those without AKI (0.8%) (P=0.0002). The results indicated that AKI is prevalent in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and is attributed to in-hospital death rates

The study carried out to coat Queso Blanco cheese with Aloe Vera gel (AVG) and evaluate its physicochemical and sensory characteristics. The acid method was used to manufacture the cheese from skimmed milk (Al-Mudhish) QM1 and full-fat milk (Anchor) QA1 for control treatments. Whereas the cheese was coated with AVG for QM2 and QA2, respectively. An increase in the yield in QA1 (14.33 %) and QA2 (14.30%) in comparison to QM1 and QM2, which were 13.47 and 13.53%, respectively. Evaporation during the storage period was reduced in chess coating AVG. Consequently, the moisture content during the third week was 54.70 and 49.70% in QM2 and QA2, respectively, compared with 51.57 and 48.20% in QM1 and QA1, respectively. As a result, during the first week after manufacturing, the composition of the various coated cheese types remained relatively constant. Furthermore, after three weeks of storage, the AVG-coated QM2 and QA2 treatments had the highest evaluator acceptability, as they recorded 87.92, 86.15, respectively, compared with the control QM1, QA1, which were 74.23, 68.92 respectively. This specifies that coating the cheese with AVG assisted in maintaining its natural state during the storage period.

The present study was performed to assess the presence of Enterobacteriaceae in raw meat in Iraq using cultivation and the VITEK®2 compact system. A total of 20 chicken raw meat samples were randomly purchased from butchers and local meat retailers located in Najaf, Iraq. Five bacterial isolates were recovered from these samples. Proteus mirabilis (70%) was found to be the most abundant, followed by Enterobacter cloacae complex (15%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae (10%), and Enterobacter aerogenes (5%). The discovery of Salmonella enterica ssp. diarizonae in local chicken meat is the first of its kind in Iraq. Moreover, the presence of several Enterobacteriaceae in locally produced retail raw chicken meat raises concerns about the possibility of cross-contamination with other food items. Also enhances the danger of human infection from eating raw or undercooked meat. To lessen the danger of infection, veterinarians and public health authorities must coordinate and take synchronized action.

Several natural compounds have recently been discovered to be effective in the management of numerous pathogenic microorganisms. Kojic acid is an example of such a compound (KA). It is a byproduct of the fungal fermentation process that is commonly used in the production of food and cosmetics. The well diffusion method was used to determine the antifungal activity of various KA concentrations, viz., 20, 25, and 30 mg/μl, against the bread mold. On the seventh day of incubation, an evaluation was performed. The factors detected were the inhibition of bread mold growth with an enumerated size of diameter mycelial growth. The study's findings showed that KA inhibited mycelial growth, with the highest inhibition found at 25 and 30 mg/μl concentrations, with no significant difference between the two treatments. Based on these findings, the best concentration (30 mg/μl) was tested further using the well diffusion technique. A concentration of 30 mg/μl was found to be more effective than the others in preventing fungal growth. This concentration produced inhibitory zones with an average diameter of 23.3 mm, which was larger than the other concentrations. The results of this study showed that KA has a potential impact for preserving bread from mold.

This research was directed to determine the influence of an alcoholic extract of okra on the lessening of the destructive impact of the aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus fumigatus in white mice and its influence on some physiological blood parameters. Different food samples, (grains and fruits) such as (wheat, barley, corn, rice, citrus, strawberries, and apples) were selected for the isolation of a variety of fungi. The results showed that Aspergillus flavus 15(18.7%), Aspergillus niger12(15%), Penicillium spp 7(8.7%), Aspergillus terreus 7 (8.7%), Aspergillus fumigatus7(8.7%), Alternaria spp. 10 (12.5%), Aspergillus parasiticus 6 (7.5%) Fusarium 6 (7.5%), Penicillium chrysogenum5(6.3), Mucor spp.2(2.5%), and Rhizopus stoloinfier 3(5.5%). The identified fungi were tested for aflatoxin production, and the results revealed that Aspergillus fumigatus produced the most aflatoxin. Okra alcoholic extract was tested in vivo against the negative impact of aflatoxins using different concentrations. The findings revealed that alcoholic extracts showed reasonable influence on some blood parameters, and the results are promising.

he coronavirus (COVID-19) is the most important health problems that hasmajor threats to international public health. Covid-19 vaccines aim to protect from theinfection and/or prevent clinical symptomatic disease and therefore reduce diseaseseverity. They are being developed using various technologies. Covid-19. Peopleliving with different thought about the vaccine the current study aimed to analyse thestatistical data that obtained from questionary scanning study to Iraqi society. Thestudy focuses on how people behave towards coronavirus vaccines. In addition, thestudy emphasis on the reason behind accepted and refusing intake vaccination in bothgender and dealing with features of coronavirus disease in different educationallevels.The current study started since June till Auges 189 cases collected. The highestpercentage cases unvaccinated with Covid-19 vaccines is higher than the vaccinated82%, while cases have got vaccine very low 17%. The results for the reason behindrefusing vaccination illustrated that the greatest demand is for the percentage highlyinfluenced by social media platforms However, the high percentage with familyhistory to had infection. To conclude, Iraqi environment, misinformation andmistaken can succeed Health and organisations, academic institutions and the officialresponsible media have a responsibility and a challenge to clarify the importance ofimmunization and vaccination against this dangerous and rapidly spreading disease ofCovid 19. (3) (PDF) COVID-19 Vaccinations and Statistical analysis for vaccine Intake in Iraqi Population. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355859210_COVID-19_Vaccinations_and_Statistical_analysis_for_vaccine_Intake_in_Iraqi_Population [accessed Aug 08 2024].

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