The compound 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), an environmental contaminant, is a potent ligand for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). In the current study, we made an exciting observation that naive C57BL/6 mice that were exposed i.p. to TCDD showed massive mobilization of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the peritoneal cavity. These MDSCs were highly immunosuppressive and attenuated Con A–induced hepatitis upon adoptive transfer. TCDD administration in naive mice also led to induction of several chemokines and cytokines in the peritoneal cavity and serum (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL11, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL9, G-CSF, GM-CSF, VEGF, and M-CSF) and chemokine receptors on MDSCs (CCR1, CCR5, and CXCR2). Treatment with CXCR2 or AhR antagonist in mice led to marked reduction in TCDD-induced MDSCs. TCDD-induced MDSCs had high mitochondrial respiration and glycolytic rate and exhibited differential microRNA (miRNA) expression profile. Specifically, there was significant downregulation of miR-150-5p and miR-543-3p. These two miRNAs targeted and enhanced anti-inflammatory and MDSC-regulatory genes, including IL-10, PIM1, ARG2, STAT3, CCL11 and its receptors CCR3 and CCR5 as well as CXCR2. The role of miRs in MDSC activation was confirmed by transfection studies. Together, the current study demonstrates that activation of AhR in naive mice triggers robust mobilization of MDSCs through induction of chemokines and their receptors and MDSC activation through regulation of miRNA expression. AhR ligands include diverse compounds from environmental toxicants, such as TCDD, that are carcinogenic to dietary indoles that are anti-inflammatory. Our studies provide new insights on how such ligands may regulate health and disease through induction of MDSCs.
African-American writers during the 19th century wrote in the shadow of the prominent romance, sentimental, and domestic fiction. Harriet Wilson’s Our Nig (1859) reflects an “alternative social character”, for the female protagonist suffers racism in the free North, because she is a mulatto child. Through depicting the life of free blacks, who supposedly lives a better life than Southern slaves, Wilson exposes how she has actually lived and sensed life in antebellum America. According to Raymond Williams (2011), there are two kinds of literary writings. The first represents the general tendency of the age, and he calls it “dominant social character”; representing the majority content of both the public writing and speaking. But, a
... Show MoreThe manifestations of climate change are increasing with the days: sudden rains and floods, lakes that evaporate, rivers that experience unprecedentedly low water levels, and successive droughts such as the Tigris, Euphrates, Rhine, and Lape rivers. At the same time, energy consumption is increasing, and there is no way to stop the warming of the Earth's atmosphere despite the many conferences and growing interest in environmental problems. An aspect that has not received sufficient attention is the tremendous heat produced by human activities. This work links four elements in the built environment that are known for their high energy consumption (houses, supermarkets, greenhouses, and asphalt roads) according t
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the most common cancer among women over the world. To reducing reoccurrence and mortality rates, adjuvant hormonal therapy (AHT) is used for a long period. The major barrier to the effectiveness of the treatment is adherence. Adherence to medicines among patients is challenging. Patient beliefs in medications can be positively or negatively correlated to adherence. Objectives: To investigate the extent of adherence and factors affecting adherence, as well as to investigate the association between beliefs and adherence in women with breast cancer taking AHT. Method: A cross-sectional study included 124 Iraqi women with breast cancer recruited from Middle Euphrates
... Show MoreThe inflammatory reactions cause nasal polyposes (NPs), which contained the paranasal sinuses and the nasal mucous membrane. They consist of recurrent multiple masses originating in the paranasal sinuses then spread from the middle meatus to the nasals cavity, which leads to the nasal blockage that causes the restriction of airflow to the olfactory area. This study aims at clarifying the role of IL-12RB2 polymorphism by using PCR technology in nasal mucosal stem cells in nasal polyps of Iraqi patients and use it as a biomarker. Fifty-eight cases of this study are referred to as nasal surgery, which selected from Dept.of Otolaryngology, Baghdad City, Iraq from May 2013 to January 2014. They were grouped into Control group (022 samples
... Show MoreBackground: Preeclampsia occurs in 3-5% of
pregnancies and is a major cause (12-20 %) of
maternal mortality in developed countries. It is the
leading cause of preterm birth and intra-uterine
growth restrictions (IUGR).
Objective: The study was designed to determine and
demonstrate the ultra structural changes of
endothelial cells in placenta of women suffering from
hypertensive disease.
Patients & Methods: Placental samples were
obtained from two groups of pregnant women
groups (preeclamptic and normal pregnant women).
The specimens were fixed in 2.5% gluteraldehyde
and preceded for electron microscopic examination.
Results: Placenta of women with preeclampsia has
shown marked degenerative
ABSTRACT:In this paper, Cd10–xZnxS (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5) films were deposited by using chemical spray pyrolysis technique, the molar concentration precursor solution was 0.15 M/L. Depositions were done at 350°C on cleaned glass substrates. X-ray dif- fraction technique (XRD) studies for all the prepared film; all the films are crystalline with hexagonal structure .The optical properties of the prepared films were studied using measurements from VIS-UV-IR spectrophotometer at wave- length with the range 300 - 900 nm; the average transmission of the minimum doping ratio (Zn at 0.1%) was about 55% in the VIS region, it was decrease at the increasing of Zn concentration in the CdS films, The band gap of the doped CdS films was varied as 3.7, 3
... Show MoreCompelling evidence proved that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disproportionately affects minorities. The goal of the present study was to explore the effects of intersected discrimination and discrimination types on COVID-19, mental health, and cognition. A sample of 542 Iraqis, 55.7% females, age ranged from 18 to 73, with (M = 31.16, SD = 9.77). 48.7% were Muslims, and 51.3% were Christians (N = 278). We used measures for COVID-19 stressors, executive functions, intersected discrimination (gender discrimination, social groups-based discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and genocidal discrimination), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, status and death, existential anxieties, and health. We conducted in
... Show MoreThe main objective of this research is to identify the role of job satisfaction in influencing strategic agility through knowledge sharing. The researcher used the descriptive as well as the analytical approach in the completion of this research by collecting data by means of the questionnaire as the main tool on a sample of the General Company for Food Industries' employees, whose number reached (76) individuals. Moreover, some statistical methods were employed to process the data; including the arithmetic mean, Standard deviation, simple linear correlation coefficient (Pearson), simple linear regression, and the median variable test. It was represented that there is a significant and essential impact of job satisfaction in influen
... Show More