Background: Oocytes are susceptible to alterations in the various fatty acid contents of follicular fluid (FF), which may influence maturation and embryogenesis. Different fatty acids exert various effects on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which needs further studies to uncover the involved mechanisms. Objectives: To assess FF fatty acids in women undergoing ICSI and to correlate them with ICSI parameters, namely the total count of aspirated oocytes, oocyte maturation rate, fertilization rate and percentage of good-quality embryos. Methods: Fifty women undergoing ICSI were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. FF samples were collected during oocyte retrieval and were analyzed for fatty acids using gas chromatography. Fatty acids were calculated as percentages of the total fatty acids. Results: The most common fatty acids found in the FF of women who underwent ICSI were palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid, with median (interquartile range) of 58.61%(21.66%), 26.27%(14.31%), and 20.13%(31.05%), respectively. Palmitic acid correlated inversely and significantly with oocyte maturation rate, fertilization rate, and percentage of good-quality embryos, with p=0.003, 0.037, and 0.028, respectively. Stearic acid correlated negatively and significantly with oocyte maturation rate (p=0.037) and fertilization rate (p=0.041). Furthermore, an inversely significant correlation was noticed between propionic acid and the percentage of good-quality embryos, as indicated by p=0.014. Conclusions: Palmitic, stearic, and propionic acids in the FF might influence ICSI parameters; thus, they might be used as markers of oocyte developmental competence. Nevertheless, further research is warranted.
The effect of air injection angle on the performance of airlift pump used for water pumping has been studied analytically and experimentally. An airlift pump of dimensions 42mm diameter and 2200 mm length with conventional and modified air injection device was considered. A modification on conventional injection device (normal air-jacket type) was carried out by changing injection angle from 90 (for conventional) to 45 and 22.5 (for modified). Continuity and one-dimensional momentum balance for the flow field with basic principle of two-phase flow and expressions of slip ratio and friction factor as function of flow rates were formulated. The analytical and experimental investigations were carried out f
... Show MoreIn this study, biodiesel was prepared from chicken fat via a transesterification reaction using Mussel shells as a catalyst. Pretreatment of chicken fat was carried out using non‐catalytic esterification to reduce the free fatty acid content from 36.28 to 0.96 mg KOH/g oil using an ethanol/ fat mole ratio equal to 115:1. In the transesterification reaction, the studied variables were methanol: oil mole ratio in the range of (6:1 ‐ 30:1), catalyst loading in the range of (9‐15) wt%, reaction temperature (55‐75 °C), and reaction time (1‐7) h. The heterogeneous alkaline catalyst was greenly synthesized from waste mussel shells throughout a calcin
In this study, biodiesel was prepared from chicken fat via a transesterification reaction using Mussel shells as a catalyst. Pretreatment of chicken fat was carried out using non‐catalytic esterification to reduce the free fatty acid content from 36.28 to 0.96 mg KOH/g oil using an ethanol/ fat mole ratio equal to 115:1. In the transesterification reaction, the studied variables were methanol: oil mole ratio in the range of (6:1 ‐ 30:1), catalyst loading in the range of (9‐15) wt%, reaction temperature (55‐75 °C), and reaction time (1‐7) h. The heterogeneous alkaline catalyst was greenly synthesized from waste mussel shells throughout a calcin
Antiviral medications may be the best choices for COVID-19 treatment until particular therapeutic treatments become available. Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is a neuraminidase inhibitor licensed for the management and defense against influenza types A and B. Oseltamivir-based medication combinations are currently being used to treat COVID-19 patients who also have the new coronavirus 1 SARS-CoV-2. 1 Oseltamivir administration was related with a less time spent in the hospital, quicker recovery 1 and discharge, and a decreased mortality rate. Docking is a modern computational method for identifying a hit molecule by assessing the binding ability of molecular medicines within the binding target pocket. In this work, we chose 21 ligand compounds that
... Show More<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of our study was to compare between flavonoids and phenolic acids contents of leaves and fruits of <em>Melia azedarach</em> since no phytochemical investigation had done previously in Iraq.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The leaves and fruits of <em>Melia azedarach </em>were extracted by soxhlet using 80% ethanol then the dried extract was suspended in water and fractionated using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The n-butanol fraction was hydrolyzed by acid and partitioned with ethyl acetate. The different fractions containing flavonoids and phenolic acids were analyzed by HPLC and HPTLC.</p><
... Show MoreGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing health concern that usually appears during the second and third trimester stage of pregnancy and is characterized by carbohydrate intolerance of variable severity. The aim of the present study was to scrutinize the relationship between the G972R polymorphism of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) gene with GDM in the Iraqi female population. One hundred and twenty of blood samples taken from healthy women (control) and women with gestational diabetes mellitus in 3rd trimester stage of pregnancy, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c% measured to diagnose GDM, lipid profile (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, and VLDL), insulin concentration, insulin resistance and beta cell function to
... Show MoreThis paper deals with the Magnetohydrodynyamic (Mill)) flow for a viscoclastic fluid of the generalized Oldroyd-B model. The fractional calculus approach is used to establish the constitutive relationship of the non-Newtonian fluid model. Exact analytic solutions for the velocity and shear stress fields in terms of the Fox H-function are obtained by using discrete Laplace transform. The effect of different parameter that controlled the motion and shear stress equations are studied through plotting using the MATHEMATICA-8 software.
Abstract Background: Articular cartilage lesions in the knee joint are frequently seen,its treatment represents a challenge for orthopedic surgeons especially in young age patients and if left untreated,then they can progress to advanced osteoarthritis that may affect the functional status of the patients.Many treatment modalities had developed for these lesions, in the current study arthroscopic micro fracture plus intra articular whole bone marrow(WBM) injection was used as modality of treating these lesions. Objectives: to assess the effectiveness of arthroscopic micro fracture plus WBM intra articular injection as a treatment modality for knee articular cartilage lesions. Patients and Methods : a prospective experimental study was perf
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