Objectives: Umbilical cord blood can be taken at birth and largely gives indication of fetal and maternal conditions. The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between sex hormones in cord blood and birth weight of newborns and pregnancy complications. Methods: Fifty cord blood samples were collected from newborns at labor room of Baghdad Teaching Hospital between May and October 2018. Blood was withdrawn from their mothers for lead analysis. Five milliliters (ml) of cord blood was taken, 3 ml was used for testosterone and estradiol analysis (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and 2 ml for lead measurement by lead care analyzer. Newborns weight and head circumference were measured. Delivered women were divided into four groups: Women with normal pregnancy, women with pre-eclampsia, diabetic women and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women. Results: There was no significant difference in age between women in all groups (P > 0.05). Birth weights, estradiol, and testosterone were significantly different between groups. Estradiol was higher in cord blood of newborns of PCOS women (P < 0.05) than others. Testosterone was higher in cord blood of babies of PCOS and pre-eclampsia women compared with those of diabetes (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between male and female neonates regarding cord estradiol (3596.27 ± 1934.69, 3714.57 ± 1581.47 pg/ml respectively), and testosterone (393.18 ± 87.14, 361.43 ± 102.14 ng/ml respectively) (P > 0.05). Maternal lead levels correlated positively with cord lead (r = 0.905, P < 0.05), which correlated negatively with head circumference (r = −0.766, P < 0.05). Birth weight correlated negatively with estradiol (r = −0.295), but positively with testosterone (r = 0.006) (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Cord blood estradiol and testosterone levels do not differ between males and females. Estradiol was high in cord blood of PCOS mothers. Testosterone was high in cord blood of PCOS and pre-eclampsia mothers. The increase in cord lead causes decrease in babies head circumference.
Leishmania parasites reproduce wherever there are cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system, almost in macrophages. These are most copious in the liver and spleen;therefore, infection leads to an expansion of both of them. This study determined the burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) infection on liver and spleen. A total of 20 mice were infected peritoneally with 2x107promastigotes of Leishmania donovani / ml and other 12 mice left without infection as a healthy control. The weight of whole body, liver and spleen were measured and the histological development using hematoxylin and eosin stains were determined after 15, 30, 45-and 60-days post infection. The results represent that the mean weights of liver and spleen were increased in inf
... Show MoreCandida Berkh. (1923) occurs naturally in the body. But it becomes opportunistic fungi, meaning that it infects humans when there is any weakening of the immune system, such as exposure to chemotherapy, diabetes, or organ transplantation. Most species of Candida grow at a temperature between 20-40 °C and have a pH of 3-8. Human pathogens of Candida species include C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis and C. utili. C. albicans has many virulence factors that facilitate injury process. Virulence factors are considered as a measure of pathogenicity, and it is in the form of fungal toxins, enzymes, or cell structures that facilitate infection, as well as pathogen resistance in different conditions. This study
... Show MoreSoil water use and water storage vary by vegetative management practices, and these practices affect land productivity and hydrologic processes. This study investigated the effects of agroforestry buffers (AB), grass buffers (GB), and biofuel crops (BC), relative to row crops (RC) on soil water use for a claypan soil in northern Missouri, USA. The experiment located at the Greenley Memorial Research Center included RC, AB, GB, and BC established in 1991, 1997, 1997, and 2012, respectively. Soil water reflectometer sensors installed at 5‐, 10‐, 20‐, and 40‐cm depths monitored soil water from April to November in 2017 and 2018. Results showed significant differences in weekly volumetric water content (VWC) among treatments for all fou
... Show MoreThe Umm Al-Naaj Marsh was chosen in Maysan province, and it is one of the sections of Mar Al-Hawza, which is one of the most prominent Iraqi marshes in the south. The marshes are located between latitudes 30 35 and 32 45 latitudes and longitudes 13 46 and 48 00. The area of the study area is 76479.432142 hectares to evaluate soil quality and health index and their spatial distribution based on measuring physical, chemical, biological and fertility traits and calculating the total quality index for those characteristics. Using an auger drilling machine, we collected 50 randomly selected surface samples, evenly distributed across the study region, from Al-Aq 0.0–0.30 m, noting their precise locations along the way. Soil health and quality w
... Show MoreBackground: Orthodontic therapy often causes external root resorption. Serum vitamin D (VD) level is important for tooth mineralization and bone remodeling. This study aimed to test the impact of vitamin D (VD) supplements on bone and root remodelling in a vitamin D (VD) deficient rat model following orthodontic retention. Methods and Material: 30 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: a control group of 10 rats and two experimental groups of 10 rats each with vitamin D deficiency (VDD) induced by a VD-free diet for 21 days. And a third group with VD supplementAll groups received orthodontic active treatment using a modified orthodontic appliance that applied 50 gm of force for 14 days to move the maxillary right first mol
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