Background: Male infertility is a global concern and it tends to increase due to miscellaneous factors, such as environmental toxins and genetic and lifestyle choices. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) has recently attracted attention due to its involvement in male infertility mechanisms and impact on sperm production and function. AHR, a versatile receptor expressed in various tissues, including the testes, regulates the genes involved in spermatogenesis. AHR activation is associated with cell cycle regulation and chromatin condensation during spermatogenesis. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the influence of AHR activation on blood-testis barrier (BTB) integrity, focusing on the role of tight junction protein-1 (TJP1) and exploring the effects of AHR modulation on spermatogenesis outcomes in adult male rats. Methods: Forty adult male rats were divided into four groups according to their treatment regimens. Briefly, the control group was kept without any treatment, the resveratrol (RES) group received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 100 mg/kg every 72 h and the AHR antagonist (AHR‾) group received an IP injection of CH223191 at a dose of 10 mg/kg every 72 h. Finally, the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group received DMSO which was used as a solvent for preparing RES and CH223191. The study lasted for 60 d to cover the entire spermatogenesis cycle. At the study’s endpoint, sperm chromatin maturity and condensation were evaluated in addition to Tjp1 gene expression in testicular tissue, supported by BTB integrity assessment. Results: The abnormal sperm chromatin maturity (ASCM) and condensation were significantly (P<0.05) higher in AHR‾ compared to all other groups. Tjp1 gene expression was significantly upregulated in the RES group compared to the control and AHR‾ group, which tightened the BTB and maintained the testicular homeostasis for normal spermatogenesis. Conclusion: RES treatment positively influenced sperm chromatin maturity, Tjp1 expression and BTB integrity, suggesting its potential as a protective agent against male reproductive health. Conversely, AHR antagonism leads to compromised sperm chromatin integrity and BTB function, highlighting the critical role of AHR in spermatogenesis and BTB maintenance. These results underscore the importance of AHR modulation in male fertility and provide insights into potential therapeutic interventions.
Ursolic acid (UA, 3 ?-hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid) are isomeric triterpenic acids. The high quantities of pentacyclic triterpenoids in Scabiosa species seems to be obvious and there is an evidence that most of pentacyclic triterpenoids that have been isolated are saponins. This is one of the most important characteristic of the genus Scabiosa, the main aglycones are ursolic acid and oleanolic acid. In the current study, isolation from the aerial part and roots of Scabiosa palaestina L. was performed using Preparative HPLC. Furthermore, detection and quantitation of ursolic acid was performed by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The identification of isolated triterpenoid involves two methods including FT-IR coupl
... Show MoreAsthma is one of the most common chronic, non-communicable diseases affecting children worldwide. The estimated prevalence of pediatric asthma in Iraq is 15.8%. Physiologic, inflammatory and structural factors contribute to the development of asthma. Assessment and monitoring of asthma control can be done by a validated children asthma control test (CACT). Management of asthma must address three components which are an appropriate management plan, the most appropriate medication if necessary, and the use of safe and effective medication. The management plan should consider patient counseling and education about the definition of asthma, signs, and symptoms, the pathophysiology of asthma, common triggers for asthma and how can avoid them,
... Show MoreAbstract The current study is a theoretical study that aims to underline the role of picture books as a serious genre of children's literature in raising children's understanding of English literature and life concepts; especially for non-English speakers. Unfortunately, most Iraqi people have developed a social phobia of learning English since childhood. This phobia is resulted from the heavy traditional reading and writing assignments as well as hard exams. Therefore, this study suggests incorporating more interesting literary material like picture books that would bring pleasure and help in raising children's love and cognition of English Language. More significantly, it calls to replace the old curriculum with a more vital one
... Show MoreThe current study investigates the role of smart sports bracelets on physical and motor skills development among youth volleyball players, closing the research gap of wearable technology in sport training. Understanding the necessity of up-to-date training measures of handicaps for perfection of athletic performance, the research is focused on comparison of the effect of strength, agility and flexibility achieved with the use of smart sports bracelet with real time feedback (test group) and without (control group). The research adopted a quasi-experimental design through a sample of (12) players et al.-Karkh Sports Club, (6) of them were in the experimental group (who used the smart bracelet) and (6) of them were in the control group (who u
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study was to measure serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP7), Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Growth Hormone (GH), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and insulin in acromegaly patients and healthy controls. The acromegaly group had 60 patients, while the population group had 30 people who had never had acromegaly before. The concentration of IGFBP7, IGF-1, GH, IL-6, and insulin were determined. The results of the present study indicate that IGFBP7 level in the acromegaly group was significantly lower (1.690.07 ng/mL vs. 2.740.12 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.001). IGF-1, GH, IL-6, and insulin concentrations were also significantly higher in acromegaly patients. The diagnostic accuracy (2.194) was exce
... Show MoreIt is noted in the title that the paper studies the viewpoint in the novel The Dog and the Long Night by the Iranian novelist Shahranoush Parsi Pour and in the novel Alibaba's Sad Night by the Iraqi novelist Abdulkhaliq Ar-Rikabi. Both are well known novelists, and about whose stories and novels many critical books, MA theses, and Ph.D. dissertations have been written. Also, some of their literary works have won prizes. Here, the researcher shed light on the concept of viewpoint, its types, and its importance in novels in general. This was done along with tackling the two viewpoints in both novels, where similarities and differences were identified. For this end, the researcher has adopted the analytic-descriptive appro
... Show MoreSurvival analysis is one of the types of data analysis that describes the time period until the occurrence of an event of interest such as death or other events of importance in determining what will happen to the phenomenon studied. There may be more than one endpoint for the event, in which case it is called Competing risks. The purpose of this research is to apply the dynamic approach in the analysis of discrete survival time in order to estimate the effect of covariates over time, as well as modeling the nonlinear relationship between the covariates and the discrete hazard function through the use of the multinomial logistic model and the multivariate Cox model. For the purpose of conducting the estimation process for both the discrete
... Show MoreBackground: Modifications of life style are often critically important to adequately control excising hypertension.
Objective: :to determine the source of information regarding hypertension and lifestyle modification practices in the management of hypertension in a sample of Iraqi hypertensive patients.
Type of the study: Across-sectional study.:
Methods: The study was conducted over a period of two months during November and December 2015 at Primary Health Care center of Baghdad Al-GidedaAwaland Bab Al Mudhum primary health care centers. The sample included 219 hypertensive patients (102 females and 117males). They were subjected to a
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