ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Estrogens has traditionally been known as the female hormone, but this idea has been challenged in early 1990’s and an essential physiological role for estrogen in male fertility was identified. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring non-steroidal plant chemicals that can act like the female hormone estrogen. The herbs ( anise alfalfa and vervain ) chosen in this study contain phytoestrogens. OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrated controversy of the effects of phytoestrogens on the rat testes .Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to investigate the influence of typical dose of herbs containing phytoestrogen on the rat testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four apparently normal mature male rats were divided into four groups of 6 animals each. The first "control" group received only 4ml of distilled water as a placebo. The second group received 40mg/kg of anise seed; the third group received 53.3 mg/kg of dried herb of vervain and the fourth group received 400 mg /kg of alfalfa seeds. All experimental groups received the doses through orogastric tube daily for fourteen days. Testicular histology was evaluated by light and enzyme histochemistry. Plasma FSH and testosterone concentrations were taken to support our results. RESULTS: Histological examination of anise, alfalfa and vervain – treated groups showed an increase in the height of germinal epithelia. There was marked lipoprotein lipase activity in the whole of the interstitial tissue which is more in amount in experimental groups than that in control group. Acid phosphatase granules were infiltered the seminiferous epithelia mildly in control group , moderately in anise and vervain groups and markedly in alfalfa group. The number of interstitial cells showing marked acid phosphatase activity was higher in all experimental groups than that in control group. Alkaline phosphatase exhibited intense activity in the boundary tissue of the seminiferous tubules in testes of control and experimental groups but it appeared thicker in the latter. CONCLUSION: The low dose and short duration of treatment used in our study made these phytoestrogen – containing herbs to have a stimulatory effect on leydig cell steroidogenesis. This study also demonstrated that aniseed being the most potent of the three herbs followed by alfalfa in stimulating testosterone synthesis. This is possibly attributed to the coumarin constituent of aniseed and alfalfa. KEY WORDS: phytoestrogen-containing herbs, testis, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipoprotein lipase
The research aims to measure, assess and evaluate the efficiency of the directorates of Anbar Municipalities by using the Data Envelopment Analysis method (DEA). This is because the municipality sector is consider an important sector and has a direct contact with the citizen’s life. Provides essential services to citizens. The researcher used a case study method, and the sources of information collection based on data were monthly reports, the research population is represented by the Directorate of Anbar Municipalities, and the research sample consists of 7 municipalities which are different in terms of category and size of different types. The most important conclusion reached by the research i
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Objective(s): To evaluate housekeeping services staff work environment and their health status, as well as to determine the impact of the work environment upon their health status.
Methodology: A descriptive design is employed throughout the present study to evaluate housekeeping services staff work environment and their health status, as well as to determine the impact of the work environment upon their health status from November 3rd 2017 to June 30th 2018. A purposive “nonprobability” sample of (101) housekeeping staff is selected for the present study. An instrument is constructed for the purpose of the study and it is consists of (2) parts: (I) Evaluation of work environment, and (II) Evaluation of housekeeping st
A series of experiments were conducted for the first time in Iraq to evaluate the efficiency of five plant leaves extracts (Ibicella lutea, Nerium oleander, Clerodendron inerme, Allium cepa and Eucalyptus spp.) in treating the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) infected with monogenetic trematodes of genera Dactylogyrus. Five different concentrations of such extracts were used to bathe fishes for 5,10,15,20 and 25 minutes. A concentration of 15% A. cepa for 25 minutes of bath exposure was affective in trematode eradication. Extracts of both Eucalyptus and N. oleander at a concentration of 10% each were also affective for ten minutes exposure. Extracts of C. inerme had no any effect on such parasites. On the otherhand, extracts of 1. hitea caused
... Show MoreA statistical optical potential has been used to analyze and
evaluate the neutron interaction with heavy nuclei 197Au at the
neutron energy range (1-20 MeV). Empirical formulae of the optical
potentials parameters are predicted by using ABAREX Code with
minimize accuracy compared with experimental bench work data.
The total elastic, absorption, shape elastic and total compound crosssections are calculated for different target nuclei and different
incident neutron energies to predict the appropriate optical
parameters that suit the present interaction. Also the dispersion
relation linking between real and imaginary potential is analyzed
with more accuracy. The results indicate the behavior of the
dispersion c
The Voluntary Obedience has great importance for the modern taxes systems and its management and this is meant the taxpayer whom in charge to pay of his taxes obligations voluntarily , he is very known of himself whereas he prepared his finishing accountings and present them as samples prepared by taxes management and settle the tax sum directly according to specified income , which has an impact to find end to tax evasion as result lead to increase the tax income and achieve the justice for the taxpayer and the state treasury
Industrial dyes are major pollutants in wastewater and river water with an initial visible concentration of 1 mg/L. Recent studies have shown the possibility of using polyphenol oxidase in catalytic biological treatment due to its ability to oxidize a large number of dyes and pollutants in wastewater and the flexibility to work in wide ranges of temperature, pH and salinity. It is easy availability as well as the low economic cost resulting from its use in biological treatments, this enzyme polyphenol oxidase was used. The findings in this study showed that the extraction of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from potato peel was homogenized with potassium phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7) at a ratio of 1:10 (weight: volume) for two min. The res
... Show MoreAim: To determine the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-2) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the difference in its expression level between positive and negative HPV-16 (human papilloma virus- 16) OSCC patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 33 biopsies obtained from patients with OSCC and 10 normal oral mucosa as controls. In situ hybridization (ISH) was used to investigate the presence of HPV-16, while immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to estimate the expression level of TIMP-2. Results: The TIMP-2 was expressed in 27 (81.8%) of OSCC sections with no significant difference between its expression level in HPV-16 positive and HPV-16 negative OSCC cases (p=0.058). TIMP-2 was found to be hig
... Show MoreIn this work the radioactive wastes in the Old Russian
Cemetery Al -Tuwaitha site were classified according to risks for
workers who are involved in the retrieval process. The exposure
assessment results expressed as estimates of radionuclide intakes by
inhalation and ingestion, exposure rates and duration for external
exposure pathways, and committed effective dose equivalents to
individuals from all relevant radionuclides and pathways. Results
showed the presence of natural radionuclides Ra-226, Th-234 and K-
40, as well as the produced radionuclide Cs-137 and Eu-152 in the
cemetery wells. The absorbed doses from the waste were classified to
two categories; exempt waste and low level waste according to