The alterations in glyoxylate reductase and hydroxy-pyruvate reductase concentrations in the sera and the genetic alterations associated with calcium oxalate kidney stones in Iraqi patients were not studied previously so this study aimed to focus on these points. This study included 80 subjects; they were 50 patients with calcium oxalate stones compared to 30 apparently healthy controls. Biochemical investigations for kidney functions (creatinine, urea, and uric acid), were performed on the sera of both groups. Also, complete blood count, random blood sugar, and blood group tests. Furthermore, urine had been collected for General Urine Examination to visualize oxalate crystals in the urine of the patient. Also, the GRHPR enzyme concentration was measured by ELISA for both groups. The DNA was isolated from whole blood and the target DNA was amplified by PCR then the pathogenic mutations at c.295C>T (rs119490108), c.165G>A (rs180177314) and c.904C>T (p. Arg302Cys) rs180177322 were investigated by direct sequencing of the product, and then the results were analyzed. This study found that the concentration of the enzyme in the controls (4.78 ± 1.06 mg/dl) was significantly higher than its concentration in the patients (0.411 ± 0.02mg/dl). The pathogenic mutations were not found in both studied groups, but other positions were found polymorphic; at exon 4 the rs2768659 (A>G), rs1294628807 (G>A) and rs2736664 (C>T), at exon 6: c.579A>G (p. Ala193=) rs309458 and c.494-68A>G rs309459 and at exon 9 c.*146A>G rs1057507. In conclusion, this study found that calcium oxalate stones were associated with decrease GRHPR enzyme concentration in the patients compared to the control group which may be caused by mutations or epigenetics masking of the gene expression.
Fisetin is a plant flavonoid found in strawberries and other fruits and vegetables such as apples, persimmons, and onions. It has many pharmacological effects like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-carcinogenicity which are attributed to its ability to reduce oxidative stress which considers the main reason for different disease conditions. Genotoxicity refers to the genetic material destruction within the cell which can be caused by different chemicals as well as radiation. The present study evaluates the effect of orally-administered fisetin daily for seven constitutive days on genotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide in rats’ bone marrow and spleen cells. Results showed that fisetin exh
... Show MoreMauddud Formation (Albian stage-the Early Cretaceous) is an important oil reservoir in Ratawi field of southern Iraq. Four wells, R T-2, R T-3, R T-6, and R T-7, located 70 km northwest of Basra, were selected to study microfacies properties and petrophysical associations with the probability of oil production. Seventy-seven core samples are collected, and thin sections for petrographic analysis. The self-potential, Gamma-ray, resistivity, and porosity logs are used to determine the top and bottom of the Mauddud Formation. Water saturation of the invaded and uninvaded zones, shale volume, and porosity were calculated. The study area results showed that the quantity of shale is less than 15% for most of the wells, and the dominant po
... Show MoreThe inhibition ability of the new derivative (quinolin-2-one), namely (1-{[5-(2-Chloro-phenylazo)-2- hydroy-benzylidene]-amino}-4,7-dimethyl -6-nitro- 1H-quinolin-2-one (CPHAQ2O)) towards carbon steel corrosion in (3.5% NaCl) and (0.5M HCl) solutions were evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization at different inhibitor concentrations. Polarization curves showed that the evaluated compound acted as mixed inhibitors, and the adsorption of the evaluated inhibitor obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm in both salt and acid solutions. The results revealed that the percentage inhibition efficiency (%IE) in the salty solution (90.55%) is greater than that in the acidic solution (77.62%). The surface changes of the carbon steel and the film per
... Show MoreLovastatin is one of the most important compounds that is produced from some filamentous fungi, being employed in the reduction of hypocholesterolemia. The results of screening, after the collection of seventy-three local fungal isolates from different areas, demonstrated that the local isolate Aspergillus terreus A50 was the best isolate for lovastatin production, with a concentration of 12.66 µg/ml, through the submerged fermentation. Lovastatin produced from A. terreus A50 showed antimicrobial activities against a Candida albicans isolate. Solid state fermentation (SSF) was the best system to produce the highest yield of lovastatin by A. terreus A50 as compared to the submerged fermentation (SmF)
... Show MoreA theoretical and protection study was conducted of the corrosion behavior of carbon steel surface with different concentrations of the derivative (Quinolin-2-one), namly (1-Amino-4,7-dimethyl-6-nitro-1H-quinolin-2-one (ADNQ2O)). Theoretically, Density Functional Theory (DFT) of B3LYP/ 6-311++G (2d, 2p) level was used to calculate the optimized geometry, physical properties and chemical inhibition parameters, with the local reactivity to predict both the reactive centers and to locate the possible sites of nucleophilic and electrophilic attacks, in vacuum, and in two solvents (DMSO and H2O), all at the equilibrium geometry. Experimentally, the inhibition efficiencies (%IE) in the saline solution (of 3.5%) NaCl were st
... Show MoreLiquid-crystalline organic semiconductors exhibit unique properties that make them highly interesting for organic optoelectronic applications. Their optical and electrical anisotropies and the possibility to control the alignment of the liquid-crystalline semiconductor allow not only to optimize charge carrier transport, but to tune the optical property of organic thin-film devices as well. In this study, the molecular orientation in a liquid-crystalline semiconductor film is tuned by a novel blading process as well as by different annealing protocols. The altered alignment is verified by cross-polarized optical microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. It is shown that a change in alignment of the