Global concerns are rising due to complications associated with the use of chemical agents and antibiotic resistance. Consequently, research focus has shifted towards the quest for effective agents of biological origin. The aim of the present study was to assess the antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of aqueous and organic extracts derived from various parts of Alcea kurdica. Different parts of A. kurdica were obtained and prepared into leaf, flower and root powders. The powders were extracted with aqueous and organic solvents. The antimicrobial activity of these extracts was assessed against bacterial pathogens using the agar well-diffusion assay. Additionally, the antioxidant effects of the extracts were evaluated using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and resazurin dye scavenging assays. The results showed dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for both the organic and aqueous leaf and floral extracts. Furthermore, an antioxidant effect (>80%) was also observed for the organic and water extracts of the flowers, leaves and roots of the plant at the highest concentration (500 µg/ml), as compared to ascorbic acid, which served as the positive control using both the DPPH and resazurin methods. The findings of this study highlighted that A. kurdica can be considered a rich source of potential antioxidant and antibacterial agents, warranting future investigation to identify its active ingredients.
Background: Successful root canal therapy depends on thorough chemo mechanical debridement of pulpal tissue, dentin debris and infective microorganisms. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles, sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine in reducing the bacterial infection of the root canals. Materials and Methods: The root canals of 55 single-rooted teeth were cleaned, shaped, and sterilized. All the teeth samples were inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis and incubated at 37°C for 2 weeks. Then, the teeth were divided into four groups. Group I (n=15): 100 ppm silver nanoparticles, Group II (n=15): 2.5 sodium hypochlorite, Group III (n=15): 2% chlorhexidine, IV (n=10): Normal saline as a contr
... Show MoreThis study was aimed to investigate the response surface methodology (RSM) to evaluate the effects of various experimental conditions on the removal of levofloxacin (LVX) from the aqueous solution by means of electrocoagulation (EC) technique with stainless steel electrodes. The EC process was achieved successfully with the efficiency of LVX removal of 90%. The results obtained from the regression analysis, showed that the data of experiential are better fitted to the polynomial model of second-order with the predicted correlation coefficient (pred. R2) of 0.723, adjusted correlation coefficient (Adj. R2) of 0.907 and correlation coefficient values (R2) of 0.952. This shows that the predicted models and experimental values are in go
... Show MoreBy reading the book (Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo) by Sean B. Carroll, new horizons opened up about the nature of the formation of the living organism. Although he presented the idea that the artist was influenced by the material assets of nature in his holographic art formations, the new science of Evo-Devo (Evolutionary Developmental Science) provided models worth standing on when comparing the similarity of the formation of living organisms on the one hand, and the formation of works of art with holographic organic bodies on the other. But the excitement lies in the fact that the formation of living natural organisms is often driven by subtle intelligent mechanisms that are different from the mechanisms us
... Show MoreThe activity of the aqueous extract of Olea europaea was tested at concentrations of 8, 15 or 20 mg/kg of body weight on lipid profile in twenty female local rabbits. These animals were randomly divided into four groups (five animals in each group). Three groups were dosed orally with the concentrations mentioned above, while the last was administered with distilled water and considered as a control group. These animals were orally dosed by aqueous extract using a micropipette for 30 days. The results showed that there was a significant (P<0.05) decrease in cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL-cholesterol), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-cholesterol) concentrations and atherosclerosis index means for the three trea
... Show MoreBackground. Endodontic infections caused by remaining biofilm following disinfection with chemical fluids encourage secondary bacterial infection; hence, employing laser pulses to activate the fluids is advised to improve microbial biofilm clearance. This study investigated the performance of Er,Cr:YSGG laser in photon-induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) agitation of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) to enhance the removal of mature Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) biofilms in complex root canal systems. Methods. The mesial roots of the lower first and second molars were separated and inoculated with E. faecalis bacteria for 30 days. The roots were irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl, some of them were agitated with passive ultrasonic
... Show MoreThe plant Zizyphus spina-christa grows wildly in the middle and southern of Iraq locally named Nabag. In this study the antibacterial activity of several different plant extract (alcoholic hot and cold extract 80%, aqueous hot and cold extract) was tested against some gram negative bacteria that related to Enterobacteriacea as follow; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherchia coli Proteus mirabilis, Serratia mercesence,. Aeromonas sp, Klebsiella pneumoniae ,Shigella sp, Salmonella enteritidis (134), S. typhi(97), S. typhimurium (300) , S. typhi, . The results showed that efficient method of extract was alcoholic hot extract from other extract methods that are used in this study. The detection of active compound in crude extracts of the leaves show
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In this study, mucilage was extracted from Malabar spinach and tested for drag-reducing properties in aqueous liquids flowing through pipelines. Friction produced by liquids flowing in turbulent mode through pipelines increase power consumption. Drag-reducing agents (DRA) such as polymers, suspended solids and surfactants are used to reduce power losses. There is a demand for natural, biodegradable DRA and mucilage is emerging as an attractive alternative to conventional DRAs. Literature review revealed that very little research has been done on the drag-reducing properties of this mucilage and there is an opportunity to explore the potential applications of mucilage from Malabar spinach. An experi
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