Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease in tropical countries, including Iraq. Several studies have sought to examine chemotherapies for leishmaniasis treatment but most of them are of toxic and/or undesirable side effect, therefore, the need for investigating new fewer toxic therapies is essential. Aim of study: In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin (ART), a novel herbal compound, was screened against the two forms, promastigotes and amastigotes, of the Iraqi isolate of Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of Baghdad boil. Material and methods: Different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 and 7.8) µM of Artemisinin were screened to investigate the leishmanicidal activity of the herbal compound against the two forms of the parasite along three times of follow up (24, 48, 72) hour using MTT cytotoxicity assay. Results: The results showed that growth rate and cell viability were significantly decreased at all studied concentrations. The IC50 was measured after 72 hours of follow up and was 2.625 µM and 2.636 µM for promastigotes and amastigotes, respectively. Conclusion: These findings approved the leishmanicidal efficacy of Artemisinin against the of L. tropica and can be further studied to screen its effectiveness in vivo for exploring a safer herbal drug for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
This paper aims at exploring the impact of the Iraq-Iran war in the poetry of Adnan Al-Sayegh. Al-Sayegh participation in this war makes him a first hand witness to the atrocities of the trenches and fight in the first lines. This war did not only change his life and world view for good, it changes the nature of his poetry as well. As aresult, war becomes a central issue not only in the poetry Al-Sayegh wrote in the 1980s and 1990s Iraq, but also in the exile.
Key Words: War, Al-Sayegh, Poetry.
Antibiotic resistance is the major growing threat facing the pharmacological treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, bioprospecting the medicinal plants could provide potential sources for antimicrobial agents. Mimusops, the biggest and widely distributed plant genus of family Sapotaceae, is used in traditional medicines due to its promising pharmacological activities. This study was conducted to elucidate the antimicrobial effect of three unexplored Mimusops spp. (M. kummel, M. laurifolia and M. zeyheri). Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying such antibacterial activity were studied. The Mimusops leaf extracts revealed significant antibacterial activities against the five tested bacter
... Show MoreBackground: Arylesterase activity of Paraoxonase-1 (ARE-PON-1) exhibits an antioxidant role which protects lipoprotein from oxidation. It is known that ARE-PON-1 antioxidant activity associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) reduces the oxidative damage mediated by low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The present study was aimed to examine the level of serum ARE-PON1 in Iraqi patients with β-thalassemia minor and its relationship with lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-C), and LDL-C) and hematologic changes as a part of antioxidant system action. Methods: In the present study, the ARE-PON-1 activity was investigated in serum of patients with β-thalassemia minor. Resu
... Show MoreIn this study, a factorial experiment was conducted using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates to investigate the effects of silicon at four concentrations: 0, 2, 4, and 6 ml/L, designated as S0, S1, S2, and S3, respectively and a calcium-boron combination at three concentrations: 0, (0.5 g/L Ca-EDTA, + 10 mg/L B), and (1 g/L Ca-EDTA, + 20 mg/L B), designated as C0, C1, and C2, respectively. on the activity of antioxidant enzymes and some qualitative traits of fruits. The results indicated that the studied traits were significantly influenced by the factors. Silicon application notably increased enzyme activity, treatment S3 showed the highest activity levels for peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) rea
... Show MoreA total of 60 cotton swabs are collected from patients suffering from burn wound and surgical site infections admitted to Baghdad Teaching Hospital and Burn Specialist Hospital in Baghdad city during 9/2013 to 11/2013. All cotton swabs are cultured initially on blood agar and MacConkey agar and subjected for standard bacteriological procedures for bacteriological diagnosis. Twenty samples out of sixty are identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by conventional methods. The results of antibiotic susceptibility test illustrate that the antibiotics resistance rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates is as follows:100% (2020) for ceftriaxone, cefepime and carbencillin, 70% (14/20) for amikacin, 65%(13/20) for tobramycin, ceftazidim and gentamycin,
... Show MoreBackground: one of the complications of power bleaching is surface roughness of enamel which increases the possibility of post bleaching teeth discoloration. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of toothpaste containing nano hydroxyapatite, NovaMin and kin sense fluoride on surface roughness of human tooth enamel after laser bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide bleaching gel. Materials and Methods: Twenty human enamel incisors were cleaned and their labial surface polished up to #1200, then categorized into four equal groups; first group kept without bleaching as a control group, while the remaining three experimental groups were bleached with 35% hydrogen peroxide, and each group treated with a restore paste containing o
... Show MoreBackground: Esthetic treatment is the options of patient seeking orthodontic treatment. Therefore this study was conducted to measure the concentration of Aluminum, Nickel, Chromium and Iron ions released from combination of monocrysralline brackets with different arch wires immersed in artificial saliva at different duration, to evaluate the corrosion point on different parts of the orthodontic appliances before and after immersion in artificial saliva, and to evaluate the corrosion potential of each group of the orthodontic appliances. Material and methods: Eighty orthodontic sets prepared. Each set represents half fixed orthodontic appliance, from the central incisor to the first molar, for the maxillary arch, each set consisted of molar
... Show MoreObjective:This study involved synthesis of a new series of different five-membered heterocyclic derivatives, testing their antioxidant activity, and examining their potential in vitro antimicrobial agents. Methods: The synthesis of the derivatives involved a three-step process. Initially, succinyl chloride was reacted with methanol, followed by a reaction with 80% hydrazine hydrate through a nucleophilic addition-elimination mechanism, resulting in the formation of succinohydrazide (I). This compound was then employed as a precursor for the synthesis of Schiff bases (II), and (III) by reacting it with m-nitro benzaldehyde and p-nitro benzaldehyde. Following this, a ring closure reaction was applied using thioglycolic acid, glycolic acid,
... Show MoreBackground: The marginal seal is essential for sealant success because penetration of bacteria under the sealant might allow caries onset or progression. The aim of the present study was to estimate and compare the microleakage of pit and fissure sealant after various methods of occlusal surface preparation. Materials and methods: Thirty non-carious premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were equally divided into three groups. In group one, occlusal fissures were opened with round carbide bur, in group two, occlusal surfaces of the teeth were cleaned with a dry pointed bristle brush and samples of group three were cleaned with a slurry of fine flour of pumice in water using rubber cup. Then fissures of all teeth were etched using 35% p
... Show MoreObjectives: To assess the performance of a novel resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (pRMGIC) bonded to various tooth tissues after two-time intervals. Methods: 192 sound human molars were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n = 64): sound enamel, demineralised enamel, sound dentine. Sixty-four teeth with natural carious lesions including caries-affected dentine (CAD) were selected. All substrates were prepared, conditioned and restored with pRMGIC (30% ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP, experimental), Fuji II LC (control), Fuji IX, and Filtek™ Supreme with Scotchbond ™ Universal Adhesive. Shear bond strength (SBS) was determined after 24 h and three months storage in SBF at 37C. The debonded surfaces were examined using stereomi
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