Al-Kufa University Journal for Biology

Eight isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were identified among one hundred fifty of Gram-negative bacteria grown on MacConkey agar that was isolated from different clinical skin specimens in Al-Najaf Al- Ashraf province hospitals. A.baumannii identification depends on morphological ,microscopic examination and biochemical tests and confirmed by Api20E .The results showed that 60% of all A.baumannii isolates produce biofilm and carry csuE gene while 40% of all A.baumannii isolates carry ompA gene .
The outcomes showed 70 % of A.baumannii isolates carry blaTEM gene and 40% of A.baumannii isolates carry blaSHV gene while none carry of blaNDM-1gene..The results of blaTEM, blaSHV genes become 77.7% and 44.4% respectively.

Background : Although evaluation and maintenance of antioxidant defence can be useful in protecting β-thalassemia patients from more serious complications of the disease, there are limited studies about assessment of antioxidant capacity in beta-thalassemic patients particularly in saliva.
Methodology:Thirty patients with β thalassemia major were involved in this study in thalassemia center / Ebn- Albalady hospital in Baghdad, and fifteen normal subjects with matched age and sex were also involved and considered as control group. Age, gender, blood groups, BMI, secretory status, and antioxidant markers were determined in the saliva of normal and diseased subjects, however the status of HCV infection, liver and spleen are evaluated in beta-thalassemic patients.
Results: Frequency of non-secretors patients (43.3%) is significantly higher than those in control group (20%), while there is no significant difference in the distribution of ABO blood groups among subjects in both groups. Serum ferritin is significantly elevated from (34 ± 4.4 ng/ml) in control group up to (4442 ± 875 ng/ml) in patients, while the level of all antioxidant markers in the saliva reveals non-significant differences between patients and control group except albumin marker which is significantly dropped in the saliva of patients in comparison with control. Ferritin is negatively correlated with hepatomegaly (r = - 0.169), splenectomized (r= - 0.199), HCV-infected (r= - 0.095), and obese (r= - 0.159) patients. On the contrary, albumin shows positively association with all these pathologic condition, and its level is non-significantly increased in patients with hepatomegaly (r = 0.031), splenectomy (r= 0.177), HCV infection (r= 0.133), and obesity (r= 0.170).
Conclusion:Non-secretory trait may participate in exacerbation the severity of complication in TM patients, and salivary level of albumin marker may be serve as a predictive value that reflect the antioxidant status.

Diabetes Mellitus type 1 (T1D) occurs due to disturbance intolerance of the immune system and invasion of β-cells by auto-reactive immune T cells and inducing deterioration of β-cells activity and viability and a prolong therapy with external insulin. This study was aimed to detect the predictive power as well as the degree of correlation of defined glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody (GADA), protein tyrosine phosphatase type A2 (IA-2A) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) biomarkers on β-cells stress and/or death in T1D individuals as well as their first degree relatives (FDRs). Three groups of T1D patients, FDRs and apparently diseases free subjects had been enrolled in this work and evaluated for their serum GADA, IA-2A, C-peptide and TAC. The results revealed positive GADA and IA-2A in 88.6% and 40%, respectively, of T1D patients. The frequency of normal level and mean titer of C-peptide were significantly low among T1D and their FDRs, also the frequency of normal level and mean titer of TAC was significantly low among T1D patients. However, no significant difference in C-peptide level was noticed between the GADA+ and GADA- subjects with no significant effect of TAC level on the concentration of C-peptide. Finally, the concentration of C-peptide was significantly lower in IA-2-A positive than IA-2-A negative individuals. In conclusion, GADA, IA-2A and C-peptide combination can suggest the most powerful and cost-effective diagnostic approach in patients with T1D and their FDRs. In addition, IA-2A in T1D patient’s serum can be predicted for β-cell death and/or stress, however, GADA and TAC was found of no effect on the C-peptide level.

Background: Nephrotoxicity is a serious & common side effect of aminoglycoside and is induced by generation of reactive oxygen species. Emerging evidence reveals that curcumin possesses antioxidant activity, therefore, this research was undertaken to evaluate the potential protective effects of curcumin in amiloration of nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin in male rats.
Materials and Methods:
Eighteen male Spraque-Dawley rats were included in this study. They were divided randomly into three equal groups (six rats each). Groups I (Control) received only normal saline i.p, Groups II (GN) received gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day), Group III (GN+CUR) received a combination treatment gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day, i.p) & curcumin (200 mg/kg/day p.o). The duration of treatment was eight days and at the end of the study, animals were sacrificed and the blood sample was collected for assessment of renal function, blood urea & serum creatinine. Both kidneys were removed and prepared for a histopathology examination.
Results: blood urea and creatinine were significantly higher (P < .05) in gentamycin treated group (group II) as compared to the control group (group I). However, the levels of these parameters in group 3 (co-treatment of gentamicin and curcumin) were significantly lower than those in group 2 (P < .05). Further, the histological score of renal damage was higher in the gentamicin group than in the control group. Combination treatment of curcumin and gentamicin (groupIII) significantly attenuated the histopathological damage.
Conclusion: Curcumin attenuated gentamicin-induced renal injury in rats’ models.

The phylogeny of the species of Potentilla in Kurdistan Region-Iraq was investigated by using six in-group species and one out-group related genus Sibbaldia parviflora, based on trnL-F intergenic region of chloroplast DNA and internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA. In addition, the pollen morphology of the six species of Potentilla was examined by using Light Microscope (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Individual and combined analysis of trnL-F and ITS sequence data indicated monophyly of the genus Potentilla, the results of bayesian and maximum parsimony displayed three clades of Potentilla with high supports (bs=100%, pp=1.00). The pollen grains appeared tricolporate and prolate-spheroidal, oblate-spheroidal, or oblate; their sizes were small to medium; the outlines varied from circular to ellipsoid; the exine sculpturing type was striate and consists of shallow, fingerprint-like ridges and predominately parallel arranged.