Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates T cell function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of AhR ligands, 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and 6-Formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (FICZ), on gut-associated microbiota and T cell responses during delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction induced by methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) in a mouse model. Mice with DTH showed significant changes in gut microbiota including an increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreased Firmicutes at the phylum level. Also, there was a decrease in Clostridium cluster XIV and IV, which promo

Our aim was to investigate the changes in the myocardium stiffness index for patients suffering from systemic hypertension, and to assess their left ventricular performance. We studied 263 hypertensive patients and 166 healthy subjects as a control group. By using conventional Doppler echocardiography, the following parameters were measured—Left ventricular end diastolic diameter, left ventricular end systolic diameter, transmitral early velocity, isovolumic relaxation time, and isovolumic contraction time. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was used in the measurements of the early mitral annular velocity (Ea) and the diastolic stiffness was obtained by calculating the ratio E\Ea\LVIDd. Index myocardial performance (IMP) was calculated

An experimental and theoretical works were carried out to model the wire condenser in the domestic refrigerator by calculating the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop and finding the optimum performance. The two methods were used for calculation, zone method, and an integral method. The work was conducted by using two wire condensers with equal length but different in tube diameters, two refrigerants, R-134a and R-600a, and two different compressors matching the refrigerant type. In the experimental work, the optimum charge was found for the refrigerator according to ASHRAE recommendation. Then, the tests were done at 32˚C ambient temperature in a closed room with dimension (2m*2m*3m). The results showed that th

    This study was based on the determination of aphid species that infested Chrysanthemum sp. (Asterales, Asteraceae) in the middle of Iraq; five aphid species belong to subfamily Aphidinae were recorded: Aphis fabae Scopoli, 1763, Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877,  Coloradoa rufomaculata (Wilson, 1908), Macrosiphoniella sanborni (Gillette, 1908) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776). A. gossypii was the most dominant species throughout the study period while M. persicae  is the lesser species.

    A summary of  the main taxonomic characters is presented here and a pictorial key which was designed to separate aphi

Birds of prey (Raptors) are top predator avian species that many migrate annually through Mesopotamian marshes in southern Iraq toward their wintering grounds in Arabia and Africa, while others are breeding residents; however, information on their current status is scarce. From January 2016 to April 2019, a total of 20 field expeditions were conducted in the geographical zone of the Mesopotamian marshes, wetlands of international importance. The survey covered the Central Marshes, Al-Hammar and Hawizeh Marsh. One of the objectives of the field surveys is to list the raptors species that wintering and/or migrating through the Mesopotamian marshes and to understand their current spatial and temporal distribution. In the present study, a to

Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are the two most important types of anemia in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Functional iron deficiency in ACD can be attributed to overexpression of the main iron regulatory hormone hepcidin leading to diversion of iron from the circulation into storage sites resulting in iron-restricted erythropoiesis. The aim is to investigate the role of circulating hepcidin and to uncover the frequency of IDA in RA. The study included 51 patients with RA. Complete blood counts, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, and hepcidin- 25 were assessed. ACD was found in 37.3% of patients, IDA in 11.8%, and combined (ACD/IDA) in 17.6%. Serum hepcidin was higher in ACD than in con

In this paper, turbidimetric and reversed-phase ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) methods were described for the quantitative determination of ephedrine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical injections form. The first method is based on measuring the turbidimetric values for the formed yellowish white precipitate in suspension status in order to determine the ephedrine hydrochloride concentration. The suspended substance is formed as a result of the reaction of ephedrine hydrochloride with phosphomolybdic acid which was used as a reagent. The physical and chemical characteristics of the complex were investigated. The calibration graphs of ephedrine were established by turbidity method. While the second method (UFLC) was conducted using the

Recently, there has been an increase in the prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) worldwide, especially in certain recently industrialized countries like China and In¬dia. Globally, the prevalence of UC, a chronic illness that affects the large intestine, is rising. Fifty adherent invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) isolates were identified from ulcerative colitis biopsy samples originating from the Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and Hepatology teaching hospitals/medical city in Baghdad City. The test’s results demonstrated that the AIEC isolates had a high level of resistance to the majority of the an-tibiotics under investigation. Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC-PCR) and m