Doxorubicin (DOX) is an efficient antineoplastic agent with a broad antitumor spectrum; however, doxorubicin-associated cardiotoxic adverse effect through oxidative damage and apoptosis limits its clinical application. Cafestol (Caf) is a naturally occurring diterpene in unfiltered coffee with unique antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anti-inflammatory activities by activating the Nrf2 pathway. The present study aimed to investigate the potential chemoprotective effect of cafestol on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Wistar albino rats of both sexes were administered cafestol (5 mg/kg/day) for 14 consecutive days by oral gavage alone or with doxorubicin which was injected as a single dose (15 mg/kg intraperitoneally at day 14) to induce toxicity. The result showed that Caf significantly improved cardiac injury induced by doxorubicin, decreased serum levels of CK-MB, LDH, ALP, and ALT, and improved histopathological changes. In addition, cafestol significantly inhibited DOX-induced cardiac oxidative stress as seen in the reduced level of MDA and increased GSH, SOD, CAT, and Gpx-1 cardiac tissue levels; cafestol significantly enhanced Nrf2 gene and protein expression and promoted the expression of downstream antioxidant genes HO-1 and NQO-1 and downregulated Keap1 and NF-κB genes’ expression; in addition, Caf significantly reduced inflammatory mediators, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels and inhibited cardiac apoptosis by modulating Bax and Casp 3 tissue levels and reduced TUNEL-positive cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that cafestol improved the cardiotoxic effects induced by doxorubicin through the regulation of apoptosis and oxidative stress response through the Nrf2 pathway; this study suggests that cafestol may serve as a potential adjuvant in chemotherapy to alleviate DOX-induced toxicities.
Microbial activity of Ellagic acid when mixed with some types of candy toward Streptococcus mutans microorganism was studied. The main purpose of carrying out this study is to produce a new type of candy that contains Ellagic acid in addition to xylitol instead of sucrose to prevent dental caries. The results show that the inhibitory action of Ellagic acid was more effective when mixed with this type of candy for the purpose of reducing Streptococcus mutans microorganisms, while sensory evaluation was applied in this study to 20 volunteers to that candy sample evaluated which contain (5 mg/ml) Ellagic acid with 100g xylitol to determine consumers acceptability of this sample of candy. The results were expressed as mean value, slandered d
... Show MoreBackground: Dietary intakes are critical during pregnancy, because inadequate amounts of key nutrients may compromise fetal development or maternal health. In addition to that maternal diet could be one of the methods to select the gender of the baby. The aim of the study is to correlate the level of the minerals in the mother’s blood with the gender and wellbeing of the baby after delivery.Patients and Methods: Fifty women were involved in this study with a mean age (23.92 ± 4.75), collected from the labor room during labor in the period between December 2013 and May 2014, in Baghdad teaching hospital. After taking a full history from the women, 10 ml of blood was withdrawn from them, 2ml in EDTA tubes for lead estimation and 8 ml in pl
... Show MoreThe primary aim of the study was to find out the values of some biomechanical variables for the long serve skill in badminton and to identify the effect of biomechanical feedback on the performance of long serve. The present study had a single group, pre-post experimental study design. The research community was determined by the intentional method of one group with a pre-and post-test. The players of the Assyrian badminton club constituted the research community. A total of 12 players were present in the research community. The badminton players falling within the age group of 15-17 years for the season 2020-2021 were recruited as the participants for the study. A total of five players were selected as the participant
... Show MoreBackground: The interest in herbal extracts as antimicrobial agents has increased over the past few years in endodontic therapy. Nasturtium officinale (watercress) is a promising plant with great medicinal values. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of watercress oil in combination with calcium hydroxide against Candida albicans as intracanal medicament. Materials and Methods: Candida albicans was isolated from patients with necrotic root canal or failed root canal treatment. The sensitivity of Candida albicans to different concentrations of watercress oil extract was determined by using the agar well diffusion method in comparison with calcium hydroxide paste. The agar plate method was used to determine the minimum fung
... Show MorePeriodontal disease is typically treated with mechanical debridement of the tooth surface. It may, however, be insufficient to eradicate pathogenic microorganisms on its own. Because of the microbial etiology of periodontitis, systemic or local antibiotic therapy is used as an adjunct treatment. The present study aimed to determine the effects of curcumin gel on Porphyromonas gingivalis. Eleven patients with stage II and III periodontitis were registered in the study. A double-blinded split-mouth design followed. Periodontal pockets were distributed into 2 groups; the test group received scaling and root planing along with curcumin gel, while the control group received scaling and root planing along with a placebo gel. Plaque index,
... Show MoreGingival carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm affecting the oral mucosa and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum water extracts have gotten a lot of attention because of their bioactive components, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids, which have a variety of pharmacological activities, including antiproliferative actions. This study aimed to evaluate the histological and molecular effects of Allium ampeloprasum (leek) water extract on the proliferation of the murine gingival cancer cell line. Histological evaluation was conducted to examine morphological changes induced by extract treatment. Molecular mechanisms underlying the observed histological changes were investigated
... Show MoreThis research explores the obstacles teachers encounter in executing the smart schools initiative within the framework of Iraq, where educational facilities and digital preparedness are still at an early stage. Although worldwide trends reveal the growing use of smart technologies in education, Iraq has been hindered by systemic barriers, such as archaic curricula, restricted access to technologies, and an unqualified teaching staff. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire on 122 public school teachers working in Baghdad with a descriptive-analytical methodology. The study divided challenges into five areas: infrastructure, teacher preparedness, administrative support, curricular adaptation and cultural resistanc
... Show MoreMonitoring and analysing of the vertical deformations or the settlements of the structures is one of the main research fields in geodetic applications, which is considered a precise periodic measurement, made at different epochs to investigate these deformations on heavy structures.
In this research, the deformation measurements were carried out on one of Baghdad University buildings,” Building of Computers Department” of dimensions (70.0 * 81.3 m.). Due to some cracks observed in their walls, it was necessary to monitor the vertical displacement of this building at some particular monitoring points by constructing a vertical network and measured in different epochs. The first epoch (zero epoch) was carried out in April 2006, the
The research aims to identify the effect of teaching-learning design based on the constructivism theory on the life skills of middle stage students. The sample consisted of (60) students from one of the middle schools in Baghdad's governorate. The experimental group and control group consisted of 30 students for each group, the research tool was the life skills scale composed of (78) items. The scale proved its validity and reliability, which was found to be (0.85). The results showed a statistically significant difference in life skills between the two groups of research in favor of the experimental group, which studied the educational design according to models of constructivism theory compared to the usual method of teaching.