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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Characterization Of The Probiotic Properties Of Yeast Strains Isolated From Different Food Sources And Unraveling The Potential Nutritional Benefits Of Fermented Date Palm Pomace With Selected Probiotic Candidates: Untargeted Metabolomics And Carbohydrate Metabolites Of In Vitro Digested Fraction, Nadia Al Kalbani Nov 2023

Characterization Of The Probiotic Properties Of Yeast Strains Isolated From Different Food Sources And Unraveling The Potential Nutritional Benefits Of Fermented Date Palm Pomace With Selected Probiotic Candidates: Untargeted Metabolomics And Carbohydrate Metabolites Of In Vitro Digested Fraction, Nadia Al Kalbani

Dissertations

The use of agricultural by-products, including date palm pomace (DPP), presents a promising opportunity for advancing sustainable food production. By fermenting DPP with novel probiotic yeast candidates, the bioactive properties of the by-product can be enhanced, potentially yielding health benefits. This dissertation aimed to (1) isolate yeast from fermented food products as well as to characterize their probiotic properties; (2) investigate the physiochemical properties of fermented DPP by selected yeast isolates; (3) evaluate the health benefits of non-fermented and fermented DPP samples both pre and post-digestion (bioaccessible portions); and (4) analyze the untargeted metabolites and carbohydrates metabolites in the bioaccessible …


Canagliflozin Ameliorates Autistic-Like Features And Mitigates Brain Oxidative Stress Levels In Valproic Acid-Induced Autism In Rats, Mohammad Moutaz Nakhal Nov 2023

Canagliflozin Ameliorates Autistic-Like Features And Mitigates Brain Oxidative Stress Levels In Valproic Acid-Induced Autism In Rats, Mohammad Moutaz Nakhal

Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease with a substantially increasing incidence rate. It is mainly characterized by repetitive behavior, intellectual difficulties, social communication and interactions deficits. Many medications, dietary supplements, and behavioral treatments have been recommended for ASD management, however, there is no cure yet. Recent studies have examined the therapeutic potential of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in neurodevelopmental diseases, based on their proved anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The main objective of this study is to assess the ability of canagliflozin in improving the behavioural characteristics of autistic rats and investigate the efficacy of canagliflozin in …


Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Eating Disorders, And Mental Stress Among United Arab Emirates University Students, Maram Braikan Alotaibi Nov 2023

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Eating Disorders, And Mental Stress Among United Arab Emirates University Students, Maram Braikan Alotaibi

Theses

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Eating Disorders (EDs), and mental stress are understudied in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), especially among university students. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of IBS, ED, mental stress, their associations, and the determinants of IBS among United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) students. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted via a 48-item online-survey shared with 14,268 undergraduate/graduate students, registered during academic year 2021-2022 in UAEU. Logistic regression models were performed to examine the predictive factors associated with IBS among UAEU students in total and by ED status. Significance was determined at p< 0.05. The prevalence of IBS was 39%, ED 55.9%, and high mental stress 53.2%, and they co-existed in 15.9% of UAEU students. Students who reported consuming trigger-food were 6 times more likely to have IBS than their counterpart [AOR: 5.859; 95% CI: 3.092–11.102, p< 0.001]. Those who reported intakes of relief-food were 4 times more likely to have IBS compared to their counterpart [AOR: 3.881; 95% CI: 1.669 – 9.022, p=0.002]. Students with family history of IBS (FHIBS) were 2.6 times more likely to have IBS than their counterpart [AOR: 2.572; 95% CI: 1.420–4.660, p= 0.002]. Students with high mental stress were 1.7 times more likely to have IBS than those with low-moderate stress, when adjusted for sex and age [AOR:1.730; 1.058–2.830, p= 0.029). No significant associations existed between IBS and ED, Socioeconomic Characteristics (SEC), lifestyle, dietary, and health-related factors. UAEU students reported high prevalence of IBS, ED and mental stress. A significant relationship was found between IBS and FH-IBS, trigger- and relieving- food. This study confirmed the prevalence of IBS, ED and mental stress. Large cohort studies on university students in the UAE are warranted to establish the relationships among IBS, ED, mental stress and their determinants.


Understanding The Intracellular Positive Regulatory Interactions In The Metabolic Network, Sultana Mohammed Al Zubaidi Jun 2023

Understanding The Intracellular Positive Regulatory Interactions In The Metabolic Network, Sultana Mohammed Al Zubaidi

Theses

Metabolism is an essential cellular process that produces essential components such as energy molecules and cellular building blocks. It is regulated by intracellular metabolite-enzyme interactions, which can increase or decrease enzyme efficiency. Each metabolic process is not evolved in nature and may not contribute to the optimal efficiency of the organism's metabolism. However, this study aims to clarify the relationship between cellular positive regulatory interactions and the cell's metabolic network, especially how these relationships regulate metabolism and how it evolved in nature. To obtain that, for each enzyme, the activation molecules from the BRENDA database were downloaded, mapped data to …


Standardizing Sustainable Aquaponic Production Of Leafy Greens And Fish: A Comparison With Conventional Systems In The United Arab Emirates, Drishya Nishanth Jun 2023

Standardizing Sustainable Aquaponic Production Of Leafy Greens And Fish: A Comparison With Conventional Systems In The United Arab Emirates, Drishya Nishanth

Theses

The production of leafy green vegetables through aquaponics is established worldwide, but the production of herbs which are used in day-to-day life in the United Arab Emirates is not yet explored in this system in terms of production efficiency, water usage and the nutrient parameters. In the current study, basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), the two commonly used herbs, were grown in a traditional aquaponics system using tilapia fish and catfish effluent water (soil-less agriculture) and an irrigation-based greenhouse cultivation system (soil cultivation). The study's major goal is to evaluate several growth techniques for …


Biochemical Characterization Of Date Palm (Phoniex Dactylifera L) Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Space Iss, Shamma Khalid Aldhaheri Jun 2023

Biochemical Characterization Of Date Palm (Phoniex Dactylifera L) Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Space Iss, Shamma Khalid Aldhaheri

Theses

The UAE’s vision to reach space dates to 1976 when Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan met with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo group; this meeting marked the first attempt of UAE to enter the field of space science. The UAE is currently one of the top countries executing space missions and research. This research focuses on the biochemical characterization of date palm seeds that are sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in outer space. The research methodology involves biochemical analysis of seeds maintained under two different environmental conditions-microgravity and standard gravity. In total, 30–45 seeds …


Delineating The Cellular Mechanisms Of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Retained Endoglin Mutants Causing Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Type 1, Nesrin Mohammed Gariballa Jun 2023

Delineating The Cellular Mechanisms Of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Retained Endoglin Mutants Causing Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Type 1, Nesrin Mohammed Gariballa

Dissertations

Endoglin, also known as cluster of differentiation 105 (CD105), is an auxiliary receptor in the TGFβ signaling pathway. It is predominantly expressed in endothelial cells as a component of the heterotetrameric receptor dimers comprising type I, type II receptors and the binding ligands. Mutations in ENG, the gene encoding endoglin, have been associated with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1), a rare autosomal dominant inherited disorder affecting about 1 in 5000-8000 individuals, which is generally characterized by vascular malformations. Secretory and many endomembrane proteins synthesized in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) are subjected to a highly stringent protein folding and assembly …


Biohydrogen Production Of A Co-Culture Consisting Of Halophytic Cyanobacterium Phormidium Keutzingianum And Activated Sludge Bacteria Using Different Exogenous Carbon Substrates And Salt Concentrations, Maitha Mohammed Al Nuaimi Apr 2023

Biohydrogen Production Of A Co-Culture Consisting Of Halophytic Cyanobacterium Phormidium Keutzingianum And Activated Sludge Bacteria Using Different Exogenous Carbon Substrates And Salt Concentrations, Maitha Mohammed Al Nuaimi

Theses

Various studies have proved the ability of different types of cyanobacteria and algae to produce hydrogen (H2) by splitting water molecules into H2 and oxygen (O2) using specialized enzymes (hydrogenase and nitrogenase enzymes) through the biophotolysis process. However, the production of O2 acts as the main process inhibitor. Several researchers studied this O2 sensitivity and proposed effective solutions to regulate O2 concentration. By co-culturing algae with aerobic bacteria, the consumption of the resulting oxygen could be attained and thus reducing the sensitivity of the enzyme to the evolved O2. In …


Characterization And Genomic Analysis Of Two Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Bacteriophages Isolated From Pigeons, Mohamad I. Alolama Apr 2023

Characterization And Genomic Analysis Of Two Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Bacteriophages Isolated From Pigeons, Mohamad I. Alolama

Dissertations

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, also known as EHEC, is a subset of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and it has recently been identified as one of the principal foodborne pathogens. E. coli O157:H7 is the most important serotype of STEC for its role in causing foodborne illnesses. E. coli O157:H7 could cause various gastroenteritis symptoms such as diarrhea, hemolytic uremic syndrome, hemorrhagic colitis, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and may cause death. Elimination of E. coli O157:H7 during food processing and storage is a possible solution. Bacteriophages have a significant impact on bacterial populations in nature due to their ability to …


Molecular Characterization Of Germination Of Date Palm Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Pace (International Space Station), Wesam Izzeldeen Khader Mar 2023

Molecular Characterization Of Germination Of Date Palm Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Pace (International Space Station), Wesam Izzeldeen Khader

Theses

Over the past decade, the UAE has experienced unprecedented innovations in the space sector. Collaborating closely with universities and space agencies around the world, the country's efforts have advanced steadily but quietly under the public radar. The proposed research focuses on basic research to complement the UAE initiative to send date palms to Mars for future space missions. Plant growth analysis of date palm seeds was performed after maintaining at zero gravity in outer space in the International Space Station (ISS) and simultaneously under normal gravity at ground level. In this context, this work was carried out to analyze the …