Selenium is naturally present in the human body, animals, and plants, and is one of the important elements in their growth and maintenance. Recently, the nanoform of selenium has attracted attention due to its low toxicity and a high degree of adsorption compared to its organic and inorganic forms. The current study aimed to examine the effect of Cress leaves (Lepidium sativum L.) extract in combination with selenium nanoparticles in alleviating polycystic ovary syndrome in letrozole-induced PCOS in adult female rats. Nonthermal or cold plasma was used in the synthesis of selenium nanoparticles. Subsequently, the produced nanoparticles were identified, the 30 rats were divided into 6 equal groups, the first group was healthy (negative control); handled with distilled water given orally. To induce PCOS, rats were given letrozole (1 mg/kg) B.W daily for 21 days, The second group was left without any treatment (PCOS group), while the rats in the other 4 groups were treated orally and daily for 30 days using the following treatments: metformin (metformin group), Cress extract only (CE group), Cress extract with SeNPs (CE+SeNPs group), and SeNPs only (SeNPs group), respectively. Biochemical tests (Follicle stimulating, luteinizing, testosterone, and estrogen hormones as well as glucose and insulin levels) and histopathological analyses were performed. The results of the current study show a significant decrease in glucose and insulin levels, and a highly significant increase in LH, FSH, and testosterone levels while a significant decrease in estrogen levels in the Cress extract, SeNPs and metformin-treated groups with respect to PCOS induced group. The present study demonstrated the effect of SeNPs and Cress extract in the treatment of PCOS. SeNPs and Cress leaves extract improved ovarian dysfunction and reduced the number of ovarian cysts.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of 940 nm diode laser in comparison to Endoactivator in elimination of smear layer in terms of radicular dentin permeability and ultra-structural changes of root canal walls by SEM evaluation. Twenty-eight single-rooted extracted lower premolars were instrumented up to size X4 (protaper Next, Dentsaply) and divided into two experimental groups according to the irrigation system, G1; activated by EndoActivator and G2; activated by Diode laser 940 nm, CW mode, 1.7 W. Afterward, the roots were made externally impermeable, filled with 2%methylene blue dye, divided horizontally into three segments representing the apical, middle, and coronal thirds then examined under stereo- micr
... Show MoreAryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent ligand for AhR and a known carcinogen. While AhR activation by TCDD leads to significant immunosuppression, how this translates into carcinogenic signal is unclear. Recently, we demonstrated that activation of AhR by TCDD in naïve C57BL6 mice leads to massive induction of myeloid derived-suppressor cells (MDSCs). In the current study, we investigated the role of the gut microbiota in TCDD-mediated MDSC induction. TCDD caused significant alterations in the gut microbiome, such as increases in Prevotella and Lactobacillus, while decreasing Sutterella and Bacteroides. Fecal transplants from TCDD-treated
... Show MoreStaphylococcal enterotoxin‐B (SEB) is one of the most potent bacterial superantigens that exerts profound toxic effects by inducing a cytokine storm. Inhaled SEB can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is often fatal and with no effective treatments.
Efficacy of Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was tested in a mouse model of SEB‐mediated ARDS, in which lung inflammation, alterations in gut/lung microbiota and production of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was measured. Gene dysregulation of lung epithelial cells was studied by transcriptome arrays. F
The filler in the asphalt mixture is essential since it plays a significant role in toughening and stiffening the asphalt. Changes in filler type can lead the asphalt mixtures to perform satisfactorily during their design life or degrade rapidly when traffic and environmental effects are considered. This study aims to assess the impact of filler types such as limestone dust (LS) and hydrated lime (HL) on Marshall characteristics and moisture damage in asphalt mixtures. Three different percentages of HL were employed in this study to partially replace the LS mineral filler: 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5% by aggregate weight. Furthermore, a control mixture was created with 7% LS by overall aggregate weight for the wearing course layer. The Marsha
... Show MoreThis experiment was performed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with linseed on egg quality of laying quail. A total of 320 9-week-old Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) 9-wk old were allocated to 4 treatment groups with 4 replicates containing 20 quail each. Birds were fed a commercial diet containing 0% (C), 2% (T1), 4% (T2), or 6% (T3) linseed. Birds received water and diet ad libitum during the total period of the experiment. Egg quality characteristics were monitored over 3 consecutive 21-d periods. Egg quality criteria involved in this experiment were egg weight, yolk diameter, yolk height, yolk weight, albumen height, albumen weight, shell weight, shell thickness, Haugh unit, albumen percentage, yolk perce
... Show MoreConstruction joints are stopping places in the process of placing concrete, and they are required because in many structures it is impractical to place concrete in one continuous operation. The amount of concrete that can be placed at one time is governed by the batching and mixing capacity and by the strength of the formwork. A good construction joint should provide adequate flexural and shear continuity through the interface.
In this study, the effect of location of construction joints on the performance of reinforced concrete structural elements is experimentally investigated.
Nineteen beam specimens with dimensions of 200×200×950 mm were tested. The variables investigated are the location of the construction joints
... Show MoreThis study investigates the ionic conduction dependence on the size of alkaline cations in gel polymer electrolytes based on double iodide can enhance by incorporating a salt having a bulky cation.
... Show MoreMoisture induced damage can cause a progressive deterioration in the performance of asphalt pavement by the loss of adhesion between asphalt binder and aggregate surface and/or loss of cohesion within the binder in the presence of water. The objective of this paper is to improve the asphalt mixtures resistance to moisture by using hydrated lime as an anti-stripping additive. For this purpose, two types of asphalt binder were utilized; asphalt grades (40-50) and (60-70) with one type of aggregate of 19.0 mm aggregate nominal maximum size, and limestone dust as a mineral filler. Marshall method was adopted to find the optimum asphalt content. Essentially, two parameters were determined to evaluate the moisture susceptibili
... Show MoreThis study was conducted according to contract with the North Refineries Company-Baiji and deals with the hydrodesulphurization of vacuum gas oil of Kirkuk crude oil, boiling range 611-833 K. A trickle bed reactor packed with a commercial cobalt-molybdenum on alumina catalyst was used. The operating conditions were: temperature range 583-643 K, liquid hourly space velocity range 1.50-3.75 1/h, hydrogen to oil ratio about 250 l/l and pressure kept constant at 3.5MPa.
The results showed that the aromatic content decreased and sulfur removal increased with increasing temperature and decreasing space velocity. The properties (viscosity, density, flash point and carbon residue) of the products decrease with temperature increasing, but the
In this work, HgBa2CaCu2-xSbxO8+δ compounds with (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) have been prepared by the solid-state reaction method. Structural, morphological, and electrical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. Using the 4-probe technique to study the effect of antimony-substitution for Copper on the electrical properties of HgBa2CaCu2-xSbxO8+δ (Hg-1212) phase was investigated by measuring the resistivity as a function of temperature. Results indicate that the addition of antimony (Sb) increases the volume fraction of the phase and changes the superconducting transition temperature Tc of the superconductor to a normal state. The dielectric loss factor and ac
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