Kidney damage in workers within environments of highly expected exposure to toxin, including heavy metals, could be a primary marker to expect hazards in population exposed to low levels of many environmental pollutants. The present study was designed to evaluate the possible effect of environmental exposure to cadmium and zinc on renal function among painters in Sulaimani city. Cross sectional study was performed on 37 male painting workers in Sulaimani city. Each worker was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Twenty five non-exposed healthy subjects were included as control group. Venous blood samples (10 ml) were obtained by vein puncture from both subjects and utilized for estimation of serum urea, creatinine levels, serum levels of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), and for the estimation of malondialdehyde. The results show that serum urea levels were significantly elevated in painters; meanwhile, no significant difference was reported in serum creatinine levels. The results indicated that both serum levels of (Cd) and (Zn) were not significantly elevated in painting workers; however, MDA levels were significantly elevated in painters compared to control group. In conclusion, the association of cadmium and zinc levels with the disturbance in renal function is not clear in painters working in Sulaimani city.
Keywords: Painting workers, Cadmium, Zinc, renal function, oxidative stress
Abrus precatorius L. is an important medicinal plant belonging to family Fabaceae. The present study was conducted to perform pre-clinical safety evaluation and study the pharmacological effects of the ethanolic seeds extract of A. precatorius in management of pain, psychiatric and neurological conditions. Acute toxicity was performed to study the general behavioural pattern of mice after treatment with the test extract (single doses of 1000, 2000, 3000,4000,5000 mg/kg, body weight) and sub-acute toxicity studies were performed to study the toxic effects of the test extract (1000,2000,3000 mg/kg, per os for 14 days) on different haematological parameters, body and organ weight and histopathology of liver and kidney. The toxicological evalua
... Show MoreThe mechanical properties and microstructure of hot-rolled steel are critical in determining its performance in industrial applications, particularly when exposed to elevated temperatures. This study examines the effects of varying temperatures and soaking times on these properties through a series of controlled experiments. The primary objective was to optimize the key response parameters, including tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation, by analyzing the influence of temperature and time. A full factorial design approach was used, applying the desirability function theory to explore all possible combinations and identify optimal processing conditions. The experimental results showed that the soaking time played a critica
... Show MoreAs asphalt concrete wearing course (ACWC) is the top layer in the pavement structure, the material should be able to sustain stresses caused by direct traffic loading. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of aggregate gradation and mineral filler type on Marshall Properties. A detailed laboratory study is carried out by preparing asphalt mixtures specimens using locally available materials including asphalt binder (40-50) penetration grade, two types of aggregate gradation representing SCRB and ROAD NOTE 31 specifications and two types of mineral filler including limestone dust and coal fly ash. Four types of mixtures were prepared and tested. The first type included SCRB specification and
... Show MoreAbstract
Corrosion-fatigue occurs by the combined actions of cyclic loading and corrosive environment. The effect of shot peening on cumulative corrosion-fatigue life of 1100-H12 Al alloy was investigated. Before fatigue testing, specimens were submerged in 3.5%NaCl solution for 71 days. Constant fatigue tests were performed with and without corrosive environment. Cumulative corrosion-fatigue tests were also carried out in order to determine the fatigue life before and after shot peening. The constant fatigue life was significantly reduced due to corrosive environment and the endurance fatigue limit was reduced by 13% compared with dry fatigue. In case of shot peening the cumul
... Show MoreOilwell cementing operations are crucial for drilling and completion, preserving the well's productive life. However, weak and permeable formations pose a high risk of cement slurry loss, leading to failure. Lightweight cement, like foamed cement, is used to avoid these difficulties. This study is focused on creating a range of foamed slurry densities and examining the effect of gas concentration on their rheological properties. The foaming agent and foam stabilizer are tested, and the optimal concentration is determined to be 2% and 0.12%, respectively, by the weight of the cement.
Furthermore, the construction of samples of foam cement with different densities (0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6) g/cc is performed to f
... Show MoreAbstract
Itraconazole is a triazole antifungal given orally for the treatment of oropharyngeal and vulvovaginal candidiasis, for systemic infections including aspergillosis, candidiasis, and for the prophylaxis of fungal infections in immunocompromised patients.
The study aimed to formulate a practical water-insoluble Itraconazole, with insufficient bioavailability as nanosuspension to increase aqueous solubility and improve its dissolution and oral bioavailability.
Itraconazole nanosuspension was produced by a
... Show MorePiezoelectric structures are nowadays used in many different applications. A better understanding of the influence of material properties and geometrical design on the performance of these structures helps to develop piezoelectric structures specifically designed for their application. Different equivalent circuits have been introduced in the literature to investigate the behaviour of piezoelectric transducers. The model parameters are usually determined from measurements covering the characteristic frequencies of the piezoelectric transducer. This article introduces an analytical technique for calculating the mechanical and electrical equivalent system parameters and characteristic frequencies based on material properties and geom
... Show MoreThe refractive indices, nD densities 𝜌, and viscosities of binary mixtures of sulfolane + n -butanol + sec- butanol + iso- butanol + tert – butanol + n-propanol and iso- propanol were measured at 298.15K. Form experimental data, excess molar volum VE , excess molar refractivity ∆nD, excess molar viscosity E and excess molar Gibbs free energy of activation of viscous flow G *E were calculated. From n-propanol – sulfolane and iso- propanol sulfolane mixtures showed negative ∆nD, n-butanol – sulfolane, sec-butanal – sulfolane, iso-butanol – sulfolane and tert- butanol sulfolane , nD was positive over the whole mole fraction rang , while VE , E and G *E show a negative deviation. The
... Show MoreEtoricoxib (EXB) is a highly selective cox-2 inhibitor which belongs to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). EXB is a class II drug according to the biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS), which possess a very low aqueous solubility in water. In the present study, many trials were made to improve the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of EXB by solid dispersion technique.
Eighteenth EXB formulas were formulated as a solid dispersion using a variety of hydrophilic polymers (as carriers) including poloxamer 407 (PXM 407), poloxamer 188 (PXM 188) and polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000) at different drug: polymer ratios (1:1, 1:3 and 1:5). These formulas were prepared by two methods; solvent
... Show More