Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are said to be inherited in a multifactorial fashion, i.e. genetic-environmental interaction. Maternal nutritional deficiencies had long been reported to cause NTDs, especially folate deficiency during early pregnancy. More attention had been paid to the exact mechanism by which this deficiency state causes these defects in the developing embryo. The most significant of all researches was that connecting reduced folate and increased homocysteine level in maternal serum on one hand and the risk of developing a NTD baby on the other hand. Objectives : to determine the significance of homocysteine level in Iraqi mothers who gave birth to babies with NTDs as compared to normal controls. Patients, Materials

In this study; the genus of Sinoxylon Duftschmid, 1825 (Coleoptera, Bostrichidae) was revised. There were 3 species registered in our investigations: S. anale Lesne, 1897; S. ceratoniae (Linnaeus, 1758) and S. muricatum (Olivier, 1790), the last species was redescribed as being found for the first time for the Iraqi faunal insects. Key to the species were constructed and supported by figures of the main diagnostic characters and some morphological features.

The research aims to identify the level of educational supervisors' practices of their supervisory duties according to the requirements of comprehensive quality from the viewpoint of teachers in Oman. Moreover, identify the differences between the responses of the sample about these practices, which are attributed to gender, and years of experience. Thus, a questionnaire was administered to teachers, consisting of (48) items distributed on (5) main fields related to the educational supervisor's practices. The sample consisted of (220) teachers who were randomly chosen from the schools in Dhofar region. Data were analyzed using means, standard divisions, T-test, and One Way ANOVA. The research concluded that the level of educational super

This study investigated the outcome of Alstonia boonei stem bark on liver enzymes after inducing the Wistar albino rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄). This effect of plant extract was compared with silymarin – a drug commonly used for the treatment of chronic hepatocyte disorder. The plant sample was extracted with ethanol; acute toxicity study of the extract was performed on eighteen Wistar mice, while 30 rats were sacrificed for liver enzymes assay. The rats were divided into six clusters: each cluster has five rats, culster 1 served as control and was given 2 mL/kg b.w - distilled water; clusters 2 – 6 were CCl₄ induced. Cluster 2 was untreated but served as the negative control while cluster 3 wa

The resort to the eloquence of the poetic image as a style reveals the poet's creativity and creativity in dealing with external influences, and reflect them with emotional images express a sense of intense emotional imagination, and this imagination stems from the experience of a poetic sense of truth, tasted by the recipient before the creator of the poetic text.

The study was conducted during spring seasons of 2000 and 2001.The aim was to study the changes in the moisture content of sunflower plants during growth stages under hardening conditions to drought tolerance .Agricultural practices were made according to recommendation. Asplit-split plots design was used with three replications. The main plots included irrigation treatments:irrigation to100%(full irrigation),75and50%of available water. The sub plots were the cultivars Euroflor and Flame.The sub-sub plots represented four seed soaking treatments: Control (unsoaked), soaking in water ,Paclobutrazol solution(250ppm),and Pix solution(500ppm). The soaking continued for 24 hours then seeds were dried at room temperature until they regained t

In this study an illustrated key for the identification of the Iraqi species of the genus Chalcophorella Kerr. is given with information about general distribution for each species. Information is also given about period of collection, plants on which the specimens were collected. The real host plant if they are available and known are also given referring to the previous works.

Regular sampling for six months from January to July 2012 were taken in small, shallow, perennial, standing ponds near the Greater Zab River, Gwer district, Erbil. A variety of physicochemical parameters were determined. Air and water temperature were falling between 15.2 - 34.7 ? C and 15.5 and 26.5 ?C. The waters are neutral (pH 7.38-8.27), hard, alkaline, salty, high in TDS and EC (892-966?S/cm, and rich in nutrients (NO3: 2.1-4.1mg/l, PO4: 0.33-0.62 mg / l , SO4: 24.7-80.2 mg / l ). The attention fixed on a filamentous blue- green algae Glaucospira Lagerheim, 1982) which is new to Iraqi flora. It is a filament (trichome), solitary, pale or yellowish blue – green, without sheath, Screw like coiled, motile, some of them are activ

This research asks what are negative social behaviours in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) raised by the talk shows on the (NRT) channel? Furthermore, it aims to identify the most significant themes addressed by talk shows on the (NRT) channel regarding negative social behaviours in the KRI by using the content analysis approach through non-random purposive sampling to understand the dialogue contents that dealt with this subject. This study has reached a set of results: through its talk shows, the (NRT) channel attempts to create a media vision about the spread of negative social behaviours in the KRI and stand up to the dangers associated with these behaviours. At the same time, those programs tried to marginalize the behaviours that