Assistant Professor Dr. Sabah Saad Abdul Sahib from the Biomedical Engineering Department participated as a member of the thesis defense committee at the Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology for Postgraduate Studies, University of Baghdad.

Dr. Sabah Saad Abdul Sahib participated as a member of the thesis defense committee at the Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology for Postgraduate Studies, University of Baghdad.

The thesis defense was conducted by Master's student "Marwa Jawad Kazem"

on the topic: "The effectiveness of Cynanchum acutum plant extract as an antioxidant and antibacterial and its effect on the gene expression of Klebsiella and Staphylococcus aureus virulence genes in pneumonia bacteria."

This took place in the institute's discussion hall.

The study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effectiveness and analyze the active ingredients in the ethanol extract of the leaves and stems of the Cynanchum acutum plant and test them as inhibitors for both the enterotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase enzymes.

The results showed that 34 out of 50 samples were positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 37 isolates out of 50 samples were positive for Staphylococcus aureus, most of which were multidrug-resistant (MDR) to 12 antibiotics used in the study.

The study recommended that the leaf extract was more efficient than the stem extract in inhibiting bacterial growth and biofilm formation. When the leaf extract was mixed with the antibiotic levofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus, it was more efficient in inhibition than the antibiotic alone with a value of 15.600 (extract + 64 LEV) micrograms per milliliter. Similarly, against Klebsiella pneumoniae, the leaf extract mixed with cefepime showed inhibition with a value of 3.9 (extract + 16 CFE) micrograms per milliliter. As for antioxidant activity, the results were below average compared to ascorbic acid.