Panax ginseng (PG), one of the most widely used herbal medicines, has demonstrated various beneficial effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer impacts. Naturally occurring ginsenosides in the ginseng plant inhibit cell proliferation and significantly reduce liver damage induced by certain chemicals. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a primary mycotoxin due to its hepatotoxic, immunotoxic, and oncogenic effects in animal models and humans. In this study, we examined the effects of assorted doses of PG aqueous crude extract on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 1 and 7 (MMP-1 and MMP-7) in the kidney, spleen, and liver of experimental AFB1-exposed mice, using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mice were orally administered 6 mg/kg body weight (bw) of refined AFB1 (isolated and extracted from Aspergillus flavus, conc. 0.05 ppm) twice weekly for two weeks. We then compared the effects of three different doses (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg bw) of crude ginseng. We estimated the expression of MMP-1 and 7 in organs using IHC. We used the 6 mg/kg of purified AFB1, representing a 60% concentration, as a control group. IHC analysis showed that MMP (1 and 7) expression in the spleen, liver, and kidney of mice decreased after treatment with ginseng crude extract. MMP-1 expression was reduced in the liver by approximately 2.6 times, while the effectiveness in the MMP-1 reduction reached 9 and 8 times, respectively, in the spleen and kidney when treated with a higher dose of PG compared to the control. MMP-7 expression was reduced in the liver by approximately 13 times, while the reduction effectiveness fell to 2.3 and 5.6 times in the spleen and kidney when treated with a higher dose of PG compared to the control. The reduction in MMPs expression due to the effect of PG aqueous crude extract was observed to act against the effect of AFB1 on various living organs involved in AFB1 metabolism. IHC analysis indicated a more significant reduction efficiency observed in the expression of MMP-7 compared to both studied markers in the mice's liver.
Despite extensive investigations, an effective treatment for sepsis remains elusive and a better understanding of the inflammatory response to infection is required to identify potential new targets for therapy. In this study we have used RNAi technology to show, for the first time, that the inducible lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2 (LPCAT2) plays a key role in macrophage inflammatory gene expression in response to stimulation with bacterial ligands. Using siRNA- or shRNA-mediated knockdown, we demonstrate that, in contrast to the constitutive LPCAT1, LPCAT2 is required for macrophage cytokine gene expression and release in response to TLR4 and TLR2 ligand stimulation but not for TLR-independent stimuli. In addition, cells transfe
... Show MoreBackground: Invasion in oral cancer involves alterations in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that accompanied by loss of cell adhesion. Catenins stabilize cellular adherence junctions by binding to E-cadherin, which further mediates cell-cell adhesion and regulates proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is one of the major signaling pathways in cell proliferation, oncogenesis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Aims of the study: to detect immunohistochemical distribution pattern and different subcellular localization of β-catenin in oral squamous cell carcinoma and relate such expression to Bryne’s invasive grading system. Materials and Methods: This study included 30 paraffi
... Show MoreBackground: The prevalence of thyroid nodules rise with age and different data available about the risks of thyroid surgery in old age people. In general, old age could be a predictor of perioperative mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study is to prove if there is increased risk accompanying thyroidectomy in elderly patients.
Subjects and Methods: Prospective study of one surgeon of study sample undergoing thyroid surgery at Al-Kindy teaching hospital and Saint Raphael hospital .This study was including two groups; group (A) involved patients 65 years and older, group (B) involved patients below 65 years old who were subjected to thyroidectomy. Taking in consideration hist
... Show MoreAn experimental program was conducted to determine the residual of composite Steel Beams-Reinforced Concrete (SB-RC) deck floors fabricated from a rolled steel beam topped with a reinforced concrete slab, exposed to high temperatures (fire flame) of 300, 500, and 700ºC for 1 hour, and then allowed to cool down by leaving them in the lab condition to return to the ambient temperature. The burning results showed that, by exposing them to a fire flame of up to 300ºC, no serious permanent deflection occurred. It was also noticed that the specimen recovered 93% of 19.2 mm of the deflection caused by burning. The recovered deflection of burned composite SB-RC deck floor at 500ºC was 40% of 77.9 mm of the deflection caused by burning with a res
... Show MoreBackground: Oil refinery workers are continuously exposed to numerous hazardous materials. Petroleum contains the heavy metals as a natural constituent or as additives. These metals induce the production of ROS which associated with an oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids. This study was conducted to assess the salivary levels of heavy metals, salivary oxidative status, oral immunological activity (salivary sIgA) and assessment of the oral findings among the workers of Al-Daura oil refinery in Baghdad city. Subjects, Materials and Methods: This study was done in Al-Daura oil refinery; samples consist of 60 workers involved in refinery processes (study group) and 20 non-workers (control group). Oral examination and saliva collection
... Show MoreThe educational function of television is one of the basic functions in light of the technical development that included the specialized satellite channels in all its fields, including the educational field, as its role became parallel to the role of educational institutions. These studies are among the descriptive studies in terms of the type of study methodology that describes the phenomenon, interprets its and extract the results and relationships between the variables. The study sample was multistage (random and intentional) included the students of the sixth academic and literary preparatory stage in the city of Baghdad.
The study problem was summarized by the following main question:
( What are the motives for the exposure of
raisin on mice in comparison with negative (phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and positive Mitomycin-C (MMC) controls. Moreover, the effect on fertility hormones (follicles stimulation hormone/FSH, lutenising hormone/LH) was also measured. The effect of the extracted samples were measured by employing cytogenetic analysis which included (the mitotic index (MI), chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and micronucleus (MN)) parameters. Results showed that significant increase in MI and significant reduction in both CAs and MN percentage were seen after treatment with both alcoholic and water extracts of the two raisins and alcoholic extracts was more effective than water extracts. On the other hand both the gold and black raisin enhanced the levels of the
... Show MoreObjectives: acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious pathophysiology side effect of rhabdomyolysis. Inflammatory mechanisms play a role in the development of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. Citronellol (CT) is a naturally occurring monoterpene alcohol (3,7-Dimethyl-6-often-1-ol) found in aromatic plant species' essential oils. In this study, we explored the protective effects of Citronellol on glycerol-induced AKI.
Methods: Four groups of eight mice each (n=8) were formed by randomly dividing the animals into the groups, glycerol-induced AKI model group, low-dose CT-treated group (50mg/kg), high-dose CT-treated group (100mg/kg), and control group. The renal functions of mice from all groups were evalua
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