Al-Kufa University Journal for Biology

Microbiota are present everywhere in human existence and have an impact on every facet of it. Many species can be found within the human mouth. The human oral cavity is home to a variety of habitats. The combination and cooperation of the modified oral microbes protect the human body from the intrusion of external stimuli. On the other hand, systemic and oral illnesses are linked to an imbalance in the microbial flora. The human microbial community is significantly influenced by oral microbiomes. The use of recently noticed molecular tools has significantly improved our understanding of the makeup and roles of the oral microbiome in both wellness and sickness. Research on oral microbiomes and their relationships to microbiomes in different body locations and health conditions is essential to understanding our bodies and understanding how to improve human health. The purpose of this review is to go over the most recent information that explains the possible mechanisms underlying the relationships between oral and overall systemic health. The theory is that the influence of oral diseases on overall health may be partially explained by the oral microbiota. We will discuss the basic principles, the primary techniques in microbiology for describing oral organisms, and the most important information pointing to a biologically tenable connection between systemic illnesses and the oral microbiota.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is the most serious diabetic complication. Gangrene is caused by successive bacterial infections invading diabetic wounds and may lead to limb amputation for the diabetic patient. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the most prevalent bacterial pathogens recovered from diabetic foot infections (DFIs). It is found worldwide and is a leading cause of disease. Many methods have been used for identifying the associated strains in clinical specimens. Sequencing by 16SrRNA methods is achieved in the identification. The current study aimed to detect s aureus isolated from Diabetic foot ulcers by 16SrRNA. One hundred clinical samples were collected from patients with diabetic foot ulcers at Faida Primary Health Center, Mosul City, Iraq. The bacterium was identified using Gram stain, colony morphology, biochemical tests, selective differential media, and molecular analyses. A total of 60 S. aureus isolates were obtained out of 100. In the molecular study, 10 isolates from 60 were selected for PCR assay. Selected isolates were confirmed by PCR assay that successfully produced amplified product 16SrRNA gene with size 164 bp. Our results support the recent view that gram-positive organisms, depending on the geographical location, may be predominantly DFIs

Lung cancer possesses the most significant worldwide mortality rate among all types of tumors, and the majority of current treatments exhibit a broad spectrum of adverse reactions. This requires investigating novel drugs that can inhibit the growth of cancer cells while minimizing harm to normal cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors can effectively suppress the growth of cancer cells in several types of malignancies, including colorectal, prostate, and kidney cancers. Hence, this study evaluated the effectiveness of sitagliptin in suppressing the proliferation of lung carcinoma cells (A549) alone as well as in conjunction with cisplatin.
A549 cells were divided into four groups: control (untreated cells), cells treated with cisplatin, cells treated with sitagliptin, and cells treated with cisplatin plus sitagliptin combination (ratio 1:1). After incubation for 72 hours, a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test was utilized to evaluate cell viability percent and concentration of 50% inhibition for cell viability (IC50) for each group. Then, A549 cells were cultured into four flasks and exposed to the IC50 concentration. The resulting cell pellets were gathered and subjected to lysis to assess the malondialdehyde (MDA) level using ELISA kits.
The vitality of A549 cells was significantly reduced by Sitagliptin therapy compared to the control (P < 0.0001). When the combination of sitagliptin and cisplatin was administered, it exhibited markedly superior anticancer effectiveness compared to their usage alone. Significantly, sitagliptin reduced MDA levels, whether used individually or in combination with cisplatin.
As a result, sitagliptin exhibited significant anticancer and antioxidant properties against A549 cells. This suggests a possible synergistic anticancer effect with cisplatin.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a bone marrow-originating form of leukaemia that is capable of metastasizing to multiple organs. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of serum biomarkers associated with immune responses that fluctuate in Iraqi patients with AML and to assess the changes in these biomarkers. The present study enrolled a total of 100 participants, including 50 males and 50 females, of which 50 had been identified as having AML and the remaining 50 were in good health. Serum levels of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were estimated in patients with AML. The findings indicated that serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, and LIF were significantly elevated (p<0.05) in patients with AML relative to healthy individuals. The results provide evidence in favor of the view that the these biomarkers might play a substantial role in the advancement of AML.

The virulence factors in C. albicans such as biofilm formation, germ tube, adhesion, hydrolytic enzymes, such as lipases, proteases, phospholipases, and hemolysin and catalase enzyme that allow successful colonization and infection of the host under suitable predisposing conditions. A total of 151 clinical specimens were collected from immunocompromised patients suffering from underlying diseases included cancer, diabetes, and thalassemia. All the collected specimens were cultured on yeast selective media. From the total clinical specimens 111 (73.50%) specimens were positive for yeast growth, among them the most predominant species was C. albicans at 64 (57.65%). There was a difference in the prevalence of yeast species isolates according to the patient’s gender, which it was higher in females 76 (68.46%) than in males 35 (31.53%), The virulence factors results showed that all isolates belonging to the species C.albicans form the germ tube when incubated at a temperature of 37°C for 3 hours in 0.5 ml of human serum while all the isolates of C. albicans showed a positive result to adhesion test after incubation for 1h at 37Cº The test results showed that from 64 C. albicans isolates, there were 16 (25%) strong biofilm producers, 6 (14.28%) were considered as weak biofilm producers. The studies described here form the basis for investigations into the mechanisms of Candida biofilm formation and provide the means to design novel therapies for biofilm-based infections.