Obesity is a risk factor associated with age-related disorders that accelerate aging, and it increases the risk of metabolic diseases. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the association of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with the presence of higher body weight in middle-aged females and males. The study subjects comprised 160 (80 control and 80 higher body mass index BMI groups) with ranging ages of 30-50 years included and stratified for BMI. The physio-biochemical analysis was measured using enzymatic determination. Mean telomere length was determined by using the southern blotting technique. The association analysis revealed a significant variance (P < 0.01) in biochemical parameters between higher BMI groups and control including waist, lipid profile, and the level of estradiol, testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone. Mean telomere length was shorter in middle-aged males compared to the females of higher BMI groups and control groups for both age groups. LTL was shorter in the overweight and obese patients compared with the control group, and these differences in LTL obese group were shorter compared to the overweight group. In conclusion, shorter telomere length was observed in middle-aged males associated with higher body weight and lipid abnormalities. Lipid/lipoprotein abnormalities can be used as a predictor for the shortened telomere length and the reduction in adiposity indices can improvement the telomere length in both overweight and obese subjects.
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) causes up to 40% mortality in humans and is difficult to treat. ARDS is also one of the major triggers of mortality associated with coronavirus-induced disease (COVID-19). We used a mouse model of ARDS induced by Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), which triggers 100% mortality, to investigate the mechanisms through which Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) attenuates ARDS. SEB was used to trigger ARDS in C3H mice. These mice were treated with THC and analyzed for survival, ARDS, cytokine storm, and metabolome. Additionally, cells isolated from the lungs were used to perform single-cell RNA sequencing and transcriptome analysis. A database analysis of human COVID-19 patients was also performed t
... Show MoreDifferent frequency distributions models were fitted to the monthly data of raw water Turbidity at water treatment plants (WTPs) along Tigris River in Baghdad. Eight water treatment plants in Baghdad were selected, with raw water turbidity data for the period (2008-2014). The frequency distribution models used in this study are the Normal, Log-normal, Weibull, Exponential and two parameters Gamma type. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the goodness of fit. The data for years (2008-2011) were used for building the models. The best fitted distributions were Log-Normal (LN) for Al-Karkh, Al-Wathbah, Al-Qadisiya, Al-Dawrah and, Al-Rashid WTPs. Gamma distribution fitted well for East Tigris and Al-Karamah
... Show MoreSince cancer is becoming a leading cause of death worldwide, efforts should be concentrated on understanding its underlying biological alterations that would be utilized in disease management, especially prevention strategies. Within this context, multiple bodies of evidence have highlighted leptin’s practical and promising role, a peptide hormone extracted from adipose and fatty tissues with other adipokines, in promoting the proliferation, migration, and metastatic invasion of breast carcinoma cells. Excessive blood leptin levels and hyperleptinemia increase body fat content and stimulate appetite. Also, high leptin level is believed to be associated with several conditions, including overeating, emotional stress, inflammation, obesity,
... Show MoreTrue random number generators are essential components for communications to be conconfidentially secured. In this paper a new method is proposed to generate random sequences of numbers based on the difference of the arrival times of photons detected in a coincidence window between two single-photon counting modules
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Benson Relaxation Technique (BRT) in reducing pain during femoral artery sheath removal after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and Materials: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at three cardiac centers in Iraq. A total of 58 patients undergoing therapeutic PCI were randomly assigned into two groups: intervention (n=27) and control (n=31). The intervention group received BRT for 10 minutes before and after sheath removal. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) immediately after the procedure. Demographic data and clinical variables were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26 and non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Krus
... Show MoreThe research aims at shedding light on the impact of the organizational commitment on the performance of the Iraqi insurance company as a service company that provides many services to customers both internal (individuals working) or external, Whenever the company was able to adopt new concepts to increase the understanding and knowledge of how their attention to individuals working and to provide an appropriate working environment, and to clarify the objectives and strategies for them, and create a sense of their importance, as reflected on job performance in attracting new customers, and build long-term relationships with them . In order to achieve this, the research relied on the questionnaire as a main tool for collecting data and in
... Show MoreSeek Iraqi insurance companies to face the global changes today that may affect the overall performance of the company, it must find an effective means of providing everything you need company information, and by increasing attention to administrative operations in general, especially the marketing process, which from its core focus on activities related to elements of the marketing mix, as the success of any company in achieving the planned objectives, linked to its ability to make sound decisions in the context of the above elements, for the latter of great importance, especially if based on facts and indicators obtained from th
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