Activation of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) markedly attenuates development of atherosclerosis in animal models. However, the underlying mechanism is not well elucidated. Here, we show that the FXR agonist, obeticholic acid (OCA), increases fecal cholesterol excretion and macrophage reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) dependent on activation of hepatic FXR. OCA does not increase biliary cholesterol secretion, but inhibits intestinal cholesterol absorption. OCA markedly inhibits hepatic cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) and sterol 12α‐hydroxylase (Cyp8b1) partly through inducing small heterodimer partner, leading to reduced bile acid pool size and al

Abstract: Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) bioactive materials have been used to enhance healing and improve dental implant stability. This study aimed to compare the effect of rhBMP-2 and PRF bioactive materials on dental implant stability at different intervals and to evaluate the correlation of implant length and diameter with implant stability. Two bioactive materials were compared to evaluate their effect on dental implant stability. A total of 32 patients (102 dental implants) were divided into 3 groups: 24 dental implants with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), 27 dental implants with PRF, and 51 dental implants without BMP or PRF (control group). Data were statistically analyzed

menopause is the most common cause of accelerated bone loss in women. Omentin-1 is secreted by the visceral adipose tissue and it isdonated in the regulation of bone metabolism in postmenopausal women which is related with decreased bone mineral density. The current study aims to investigate the role of serum omentin-1and some bone metabolism markers in osteoporosis among postmenopausal Iraqi women. This study was performedin the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Unit, Baghdad Teaching Hospital/ Baghdad medical city, during the period from November 2019 to July 2020 with a total of 60 postmenopausal women(30 with osteoporosis and 30 without osteoporosis), their ages ranged from 52 to 62 years. They were compared with 30 healthy premenopausal

Iraqi calcium bentonite was activated via acidification to study its structural and electrical properties. The elemental analysis of treated bentonite was determined by using X-ray fluorescence while the unit crystal structure was studied through X-ray diffraction showing disappearance of some fundamental reflections due to the treatment processes. The surface morphology, on the other hand, was studied thoroughly by Scanning Electron microscopy SEM and Atomic Force Microscope AFM showing some fragments of montmorillonite sheets. Furthermore, the electrical properties of bentonite were studied including: The dielectric permittivity, conductivity, tangent loss factor, and impedance with range of frequency (0.1-1000 KHz) at different temperatu

Cloud Computing is a mass platform to serve high volume data from multi-devices and numerous technologies. Cloud tenants have a high demand to access their data faster without any disruptions. Therefore, cloud providers are struggling to ensure every individual data is secured and always accessible. Hence, an appropriate replication strategy capable of selecting essential data is required in cloud replication environments as the solution. This paper proposed a Crucial File Selection Strategy (CFSS) to address poor response time in a cloud replication environment. A cloud simulator called CloudSim is used to conduct the necessary experiments, and results are presented to evidence the enhancement on replication performance. The obtained an

The modification of hydrophobic rock surfaces to the water-wet state via nanofluid treatment has shown promise in enhancing their geological storage capabilities and the efficiency of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) containment. Despite this, the specific influence of silica (SiO2) nanoparticles on the interactions between H2, brine, and rock within basaltic formations remains underexplored. The present study focuses on the effect of SiO2 nanoparticles on the wettability of Saudi Arabian basalt (SAB) under downhole conditions (323 K and pressures ranging from 1 to 20 MPa) by using the tilted plate technique to measure the contact angles between H2/brine and the rock surfaces. The findings reveal that the SAB's hydrophobicity intensif

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania tropica parasite. Current treatments for this parasite are undesirable because of their toxicity, resistance, and high cost. Macrophages are key players against pathogens. Nitric oxide (NO), a molecule produce by immune cells, controls intracellular killing of pathogens during infection. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against various types of infectious diseases. It has the ability to stimulate oxygen species production.  This study aims to analyze the macrophages activation through NO production and estimate the cytotoxicity based on the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release upon exposure to L. tropica and