Interleukin -33 (IL)-33 is among IL-1 cytokine superfamily , which shows promise as a biomarker predictive of mortality in diabetic and several cardiovascular disorders in vivo study.The objective of this study  is to investigate the differences in the levels of IL-33 between healthy controls and patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic cardiomyopathy and to investigate the correlation of IL-33 with HbA1C (biomarkers of type 2 diabetes), hs-CRP  and oxidant –antioxidant status.    One hundred and fifty individuals (age 40-55) were enrolled in this study which was divided into three groups as follows: G1:50 healthy control,G2: 50 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus,G3: 50 patients with dia

The effect of water stress induced by using polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) on germination of seeds and growth of seedlings of Silybum marianum was studied.  Two  concentrations  of PEG  were used to get two water stresses (-0.4 & -0.8 bar) as well as the control for comparison. The results showed a significant decrease (P<0.05) in germination  ratio compared  with  the control.  The ratio did  not slow down to less than 50% which indicates the ability of the seeds to resist water stress to some extent. Also, a significant decrease (P<0.05)  in the  length  of  shoot  and  root was  observed  compared with the control. This plant showed

Background: Saliva is one of the most important etiological host factors in relation to dental caries. It affects the carious process by its organic and inorganic constituents; in addition to its physiological functions as (flow rate, pH and buffer capacity). The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of major elements (calcium and phosphorus) and trace elements (ferrous iron, nickel, chromium and aluminum) in saliva among a group of adolescent girls, and to explore the relation of these elements, flow rate and pH with dental caries. Material & Methods: The study group consisted of 25 girls with an age of 13-15 years old. Dental caries was diagnosed by both clinical and radiographical examinations following the criteria of

(1) Background: Plant flavonoids are efficient in preventing and treating various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of hesperidin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruits, in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation, which induced lethal toxicity in vivo, and to evaluate its importance as an antitumor agent in breast cancer. The in vivo experiments revealed the protective effects of hesperidin against the negative LPS effects on the liver and spleen of male mice. (2) Methods: In the liver, the antioxidant activity was measured by estimating the concentration of glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), whereas in spleen, the concentration of cytokines including IL-33 and TNF-α was measured. The in vitro expe

Several observations have showed the synergistic effect of nutrients elements and phytoestrogens on bone resorption elimination. Zn is one of the trace elements found to increase the stimulatory effect of phytoestrogens including genestein, coumestrol and daidzein on bone formation; however the synergistic modulation of Zn, genestein, coumestrol and daidzein on proinflammatory-producing T-cells and receptor  activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) expression that implicated in osteoclast formation is still open area to debate. This study found that Zn enhanced the inhibitory effect of genistein, daidzein and coumestrol on TNF-α expression; however the same effect was shown with daidzein on IL-1β expression while there is no furthe

The Present study was aimed to evaluate the responses of sixteen species of barley Hordeum vulgar L. cultivated in Iraq against drought stress through treatments of seedling with varying concentrations of Polyethylene glycol (PEG6000) to reach the water stress(-3,-6,-9) in addition to control (without PEG 6000). The results showed variation of barley species in their ability to tolerate the drought stress. For instance, Boraq and Arefat were shown to be the most tolerable species, since  their percentage of seeds germination were non significantly affected by the highest water potential (-9)  bar, while (bawadi,amal,nor alqadsea and nomar) were shown to be moderately drought tolerable, since their percentage of  seeds germ

The study was carried out in plant tissue culture laboratory, University of Baghdad during the period 2017-2019, as factorial experiment in complete randomized design, to study the effect of PEG at (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8%) on physiological and chemical changes in callus of three sunflower (Ishaqi 1, Aqmar and Al-haga) induced by the cultivation of the young stem in vitro under water stress. The content of callus cells of SOD, POD, CAT and APX enzymes as well as content of hydrogen peroxide were determined as indicators to determine the effect of PEG in callus tissue cells cultivated on medium equipped with the PEG concentrations. The results showed that cultivars were differs significantly and Al-hajavariety was superior in increasing SOD to 24.

Background: Infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) leads to activation of T-helper cells (Th-1 and Th-2) which are involved in the synthesis and release of different cytokines which may lead to endothelial dysfunction. Objectives: To evaluate the endothelial function in patients with acute toxoplasmosis. Methods: This case-control study involved 31 patients with toxoplasmosis aged 19 - 47 years matched with 20 healthy subjects. Anti-T. gondii antibody (IgG, IgM, IgA) was determined by direct antigen-antibody reaction. Interleukin-6(IL-6), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and human malondialdehyde (MDA) serum levels were measured. Results: IgM, IgG and IgA levels were high in the infected patients compared with controls (P < 0.01). Furthermore, IL-