The applications of herbal medicine have recently acquired growing interest in range of the prophylaxis and treatment of diseases. Olibanum has been used since ancient eras and several reports studied the pharmacological characteristics of boswellic acid, particularly their effect on the inflammatory response, analgesic properties, and anti-arthritic activity mostly in cell lines, but new approaches include animal models to assess these natural derivatives effects taking into consideration of being safer than synthetic preparations.  The impact of olibanum oil on several parameters was studied in rats during this study. These included white blood cell (WBC) count, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and C reactive protein (CRP), as well a

The aim of this study is to evaluating the antibacterial activity of Laurus nobilis leaves extract on E. coli isolates. Maceration and Soxhlet apparatus were used to prepare aqueous and methanolic extracts; total phenolic content and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were conducted to determine the active compounds in the extracts. The results showed that both Laurus nobilis methanolic and aqueous extracts have a noticeable effect on scavenging free radicals. Free radical scavenging activity. The total phenolic contents were 28.60 ±0.12 and 16.58 ±0.11mg/g in 50 mg/ml, in methanolic and aqueous extracts respectively. The antibacterial activity of Laurus nobilis leaves extracts showed that the methanolic extract was more effective than

Leishmania parasites are the causative agent of leishmaniasis. Many studies are inspecting chemical drugs, including the use of miltefosine and amphotericin B, but curative values may be limited for these drugs with side effects due to the chemical origin, therefore, investigating less toxic therapies is essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of artemisinin on Iraqi strain of Leishmania tropica, by experimental macrophage ex vivo infection of amastigotes into mouse macrophage cell-line RAW264.7. Different concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400, 500)μM of artemisinin (ART) were screened to examine the susceptibility of L. tropica amastigotes to invade macrophage cell line along three times of follow up (24, 48 and

Leishmania parasites are the causative agent of leishmaniasis. Many studies are inspecting chemical drugs, including the use of miltefosine and amphotericin B, but curative values may be limited for these drugs with side effects due to the chemical origin, therefore, investigating less toxic therapies is essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of artemisinin on Iraqi strain of Leishmania tropica, by experimental macrophage ex vivo infection of amastigotes into mouse macrophage cell-line RAW264.7. Different concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400, 500)μM of artemisinin (ART) were screened to examine the susceptibility of L. tropica amastigotes to invade macrophage cell line along three times of follow up (24, 48 and

New twin compounds having four-, five-, and seven- membered heterocyclic rings were synthesized via Schiff bases (1a,b) which were obtained by the condensation of o-tolidine with two moles of 4- N,N-dimethyl benzaldehyde or 4- chloro benzaldehyde. The reaction of these Schiff bases with two moles of phenyl isothiocyanate, phenyl isocyanate or naphthyl isocyanate as in scheme(1) led to the formation of bis -1,3- diazetidin- 2- thion and bis -1,3- diazetidin -2-one derivatives (2-4 a,b). While in scheme (2) bis imidazolidin-4-one (5a,b) ,bistetrazole (6a,b) and bis thiazolidin-4-one (7a,b) derivatives were produced by reacting the mentioned Schiff bases(1a,b)with two moles of glycine, sodium azide or thioglycolic acid, respectively. The new b

          4-aminobenzenesulfonamide conjugates of ibuprofen (compound 10) and indomethacin (compound 11) have been designed and synthesized by the reaction of sulfanilamide (compound 7) with 2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propanoic acid (ibuprofen) and 2-(1-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)acetic acid (indomethacin) for the evaluation as potential anti-inflammatory agents with expected selectivity against COX-2 enzyme. In vivo acute anti-inflammatory activity of the synthesized final compounds (10 and 11) was evaluated in rats using egg-white induced edema model of inflammation in a dose equivalent to (10mg/Kg) of ibuprofen and (2mg/kg) of indomethacin. The tested compounds pr

The synthesis and properties of two new series of compounds having 1,3-Oxazepineand 1,3-thiazole rings connected through azo linkage are reported. These compounds weresynthesized by the reaction of phthalic anhydride with Schiff bases. The molecular structuresof these compounds were verified by elemental analysis, FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopy.The mesomorphic behaviors of these compounds were studied by optical polarizedmicroscopy (OPM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). All compounds of the twoseries show liquid crystalline properties. The influence of the central oxazepine and thiazolerings and the terminal substituents on the type and temperature range of the mesomorphousproperties of these compounds has been elucidated

Background: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived mitral annular displacement (MAD) utilizes the speckle tracking technique to measure strain vectors, which provides accurate estimates of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).Objectives: To validate the accuracy of mitral annular displacement (MAD), assessed by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE), as a surrogate for determination of left ventricular systolic function in comparison to 2-Dimensions Simpson method in patients with different heart diseases.Methods : This cross-sectional study included patients who referred to outpatient department of Ibn Albitar Center for Cardiac Surgery, Baghdad, Iraq, between October 2012 and April 2013. STE continuously tracked annular

Salivary peroxidases have biological functions of particular importance to oral health. The aim of this paper is to shed the light on saliva and serum total peroxidases activity as well as the activity of each of salivary peroxidase (SPO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in patients with oral tumors. The studied participants were divided into two groups: the first group included 18 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients and 20 age and gender-matched healthy controls while the second group consisted of 20 oral ossifying fibroma patients and 23 age and gender-matched healthy controls. Total peroxidases activity was determined, and its specific activity was calculated in serum and whole mixed saliva as well as in the supernatant and pellet fractions