Search

Your search keyword '"Alawfi B"' showing total 4 results
Start Over Author "Alawfi B"
4 results on '"Alawfi B"'

1. SPARC 2017 retrospect & prospects : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Author

Abubaker, M, Al Somali, S, Broadley, R, Lawal, O, Obeng, JY, Khan, IM, Dinu, LI, Ohaeresaba, PIG, Langford, R, Al-Turki, RA, Qaisi, A, Chadwell, AEA, Costamagna, E, Alkarawi, KA, Gill, N, Aletaiby, A, Al-Jazaairry, A, Alogla, KD, Hammood, H, Tang, J, Al-Mukaram, NAR, Hussein, A, Mansour, F, Scaletta, KL, Adwick, S, Rufasha, E, Chuku, KI, Willcock, M, Tyler, N, Oseki, PE, Al-Wasity, A, Fakhrudeen, A, Al-Falahy, NFA, Al-doori, Q, Iredale, S, Khalil, A, Stein, M, Robertson, S, Iliyasu, U, Adeleke, AH, Okudolor, AG, Abuzukhar, M, Muhammad, M, Danjuma, AD, Ogunoye, OF, Ward, L, Bozzi, N, Oni, O, Owoeye, A, Ayadurai, C, Chang, C-C, Temile, SO, Mtonga, VJ, Fajemidagba, A, Almojahed, A, Khan, A, Harvey, VM, Al-Aaloosi, AB, Dang, B, Abba, MK, Fawkes, R, Mohammed, R, Hart, AM, Jones, LA, Hornby, S, Xu, D, Stoddart, K, Gabr, M, Frigenti, PP, Higgins, RN, Al-ani, A, Ali, A, Pace, A, Stan, DM, Al-Murshedi, S, Akarem, A, Monk, A, Hudson, A, Almania, A, Alhamaidah, A, Alshaeri, A, Qasim, A, Eshenshani, A, Zaeim, A, Alshammari, A, Alawfi, B, Allarakia, B, Nimoh, C, Jones, C, Butler, DE, Tate, D, Yaseen, DA, Corry, E, Barrow, E, Akangbou, HN, Al-ibadi, INA, Hall, J, Kevill, J, Oko Uka, JC, Abdalla, K, Odufuwa, K, Perrin, LD, Hakeem, M, Jones, M, Eshlak, MS, Rajab, M, Albelazi, MS, Hadgraft, N, Tomar, N, Al Ruwaili, M, Uwagie-Ero, O, Enya, O, Oyewale, A, Martin, P, Demonte, P, Stevens, P, Panwar, P, Heale, R, Doroh, RM, Al-Shammari, S, Almuktar, S, O'Regan, TJ, Bakare, W, Farren, W, Gou, J, Davis, D, Mollasalehi, S, Fagbola, LO, Joel, AA, and Takhtravanchi, M

Abstract

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2017 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also the 50th anniversary of Salford as a University, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 130 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the research strengths of their works, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to exploit this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas to your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research inevitably requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised by all major research funders. Therefore engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers.

Published
2017

2. The relationship between the infection of Toxoplasma gondii and Alzheimer’s disease

Author

Alawfi, B and Hide, G

Subjects
parasitic diseases
Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that commonly causes infections in a variety of warm-blooded animals including humans. This parasite causes a disease referred to as toxoplasmosis. T. gondii infections are known to have a significant impact on the host brain since the parasite can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and extensively colonize the central nervous system (CNS) for an extended period. Attacks of the brain tissue by the parasite can cause both neurological and structural damage. The parasite infects the brain, forms a cyst and affects several parts of the brain, including the amygdala, hippocampus, other cortical regions, and cerebellum; this can result in alterations in the hosts' behaviour. Studies have proposed that infections caused by T. gondii pose a risk in the development of several neuropsychiatric disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease. The aims of this study were to conduct a pilot study on the association between T. gondii infections and Alzheimer's disease using tissue samples from the Manchester Brain Bank (MBB) and to investigate the effect of the parasite on oxidative stress in cultured human brain cells\ud As a pilot study, previously prepared slides from 124 brain sections from Alzheimer’s patients and controls were examined for the presence of Toxoplasma gondii cysts. Despite a 10% prevalence of T. gondii in humans in the UK, no cysts were detected in any of the sections. It was concluded that unsustainably large tissue samples would be required from MBB to pursue an investigation using this approach.\ud Instead, a line of investigation was pursued that explored the interactions between T. gondii infections and oxidative stress (a feature of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's) using the development of a model system. SH-SY5Y cells were used as culture models for neuronal cells and flow cytometry and MTT assays were conducted to determine cell viability. To evaluate the effects of oxidative stress, differentiated and undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells, were examined for cell viability and the effects of infection by T. gondii type I and II were investigated. When high doses of H2O2 [250 and 500uM] were used for 24 hours in\ud undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells, there was a reduction in the cell viability to 8.66% and 4.66%\ud respectively. Conversely, when SH-SY5Y cells (differentiated) were subjected to high doses\ud of H2O2 (250 and 500

3. Prevalence of Myopia and Its Related Factors Among University Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Author

Makhdoum H, Alrehaili A, Albelowi A, Aljabri GH, Alamri RA, Alawfi B, Alsaedi S, and Garah RA

Abstract

Background: Myopia, a common refractive error, is a growing global health burden influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Despite its high prevalence, studies on its prevalence and risk factors among university students are lacking., Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of myopia and its associated factors among college students in Saudi Arabia's Madinah region., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, from February to June 2023, utilizing a survey that was distributed to college students through a social media application., Results: A total of 433 university students from Al-Madinah province were enrolled in this study; 66.3% were females and 33.7% were males. Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 33 years with a mean of 21.3 ± 2.0 years. The prevalence of myopia among college students in Al-Madinah and its provinces was 57.3%, and 87.9% of them had myopia in both eyes. Respondents with an electronic screen time of more than three hours and a reading distance of less than 15cm were at significant risk of myopia with p-values of 0.037 and 0.019, respectively., Conclusions: A significant prevalence of myopia has been observed among university students in Madinah. Studying in scientific and medical fields, having eye diseases, prolonged use of digital devices, limiting daily outdoor activities to one hour, and having a reading distance of less than 15 cm significantly increased the risk of myopia. Encouraging education and screening programs for myopia prevention and control is crucial., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Makhdoum et al.)

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

4. Biphasic zinc compartmentalisation in a human fungal pathogen.

Author

Crawford AC, Lehtovirta-Morley LE, Alamir O, Niemiec MJ, Alawfi B, Alsarraf M, Skrahina V, Costa ACBP, Anderson A, Yellagunda S, Ballou ER, Hube B, Urban CF, and Wilson D

Subjects
Adaptation, Physiological, Animals, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides genetics, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides metabolism, Calgranulin B genetics, Calgranulin B metabolism, Candida albicans genetics, Candidiasis, Invasive metabolism, Candidiasis, Invasive microbiology, Carrier Proteins genetics, Carrier Proteins metabolism, Cation Transport Proteins genetics, Cation Transport Proteins metabolism, Cell Compartmentation, Female, Fungal Proteins genetics, Fungal Proteins metabolism, Gene Deletion, Genes, Fungal, Host-Pathogen Interactions genetics, Host-Pathogen Interactions physiology, Humans, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex genetics, Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex metabolism, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Virulence genetics, Virulence physiology, Zinc toxicity, Candida albicans metabolism, Candida albicans pathogenicity, Zinc metabolism
Abstract

Nutritional immunity describes the host-driven manipulation of essential micronutrients, including iron, zinc and manganese. To withstand nutritional immunity and proliferate within their hosts, pathogenic microbes must express efficient micronutrient uptake and homeostatic systems. Here we have elucidated the pathway of cellular zinc assimilation in the major human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Bioinformatics analysis identified nine putative zinc transporters: four cytoplasmic-import Zip proteins (Zrt1, Zrt2, Zrt3 and orf19.5428) and five cytoplasmic-export ZnT proteins (orf19.1536/Zrc1, orf19.3874, orf19.3769, orf19.3132 and orf19.52). Only Zrt1 and Zrt2 are predicted to localise to the plasma membrane and here we demonstrate that Zrt2 is essential for C. albicans zinc uptake and growth at acidic pH. In contrast, ZRT1 expression was found to be highly pH-dependent and could support growth of the ZRT2-null strain at pH 7 and above. This regulatory paradigm is analogous to the distantly related pathogenic mould, Aspergillus fumigatus, suggesting that pH-adaptation of zinc transport may be conserved in fungi and we propose that environmental pH has shaped the evolution of zinc import systems in fungi. Deletion of C. albicans ZRT2 reduced kidney fungal burden in wild type, but not in mice lacking the zinc-chelating antimicrobial protein calprotectin. Inhibition of zrt2Δ growth by neutrophil extracellular traps was calprotectin-dependent. This suggests that, within the kidney, C. albicans growth is determined by pathogen-Zrt2 and host-calprotectin. As well as serving as an essential micronutrient, zinc can also be highly toxic and we show that C. albicans deals with this potential threat by rapidly compartmentalising zinc within vesicular stores called zincosomes. In order to understand mechanistically how this process occurs, we created deletion mutants of all five ZnT-type transporters in C. albicans. Here we show that, unlike in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, C. albicans Zrc1 mediates zinc tolerance via zincosomal zinc compartmentalisation. This novel transporter was also essential for virulence and liver colonisation in vivo. In summary, we show that zinc homeostasis in a major human fungal pathogen is a multi-stage process initiated by Zrt1/Zrt2-cellular import, followed by Zrc1-dependent intracellular compartmentalisation.

Published
2018
Full Text
View/download PDF

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results