Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor hormone that has been identified as an important factor
responsible for the development of cardiovascular dysfunctions. ET-1 exerts its vasoconstrictor activity
through two pharmacologically distinct receptors, ETA and ETB that are found in vascular smooth muscle
cells (VSMCs) and the vasodilator activity through an ETB receptor located on endothelial cells. This study
aimed to show the impact of 1µM L-arginine (LA), 100µM tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), and their combined
effect on ET-1 activity in both lead-treated and lead-untreated rat aortic rings. This means, investigating how
endothelial dysfunction reverses the role of nitric oxide precursor and cofactor. In this study, Rat aortic rings
have been pre-incubated with BH4, LA and their combination. Subsequently, the aortic rings were preincubated with 200µM N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and 0.5µM BQ-123. Then, the vascular
response to cumulative doses of rat ET-1 was analyzed in each of the above-mentioned groups (LA, BH4, LA
& BH4, L-NAME, BQ-123), in the presence and absence of lead acetate 1µM Pb (C2H3O2)2. ET-1 efficacy and
potency were significantly decreased in the presence of LA, BH4, and LA and BH4 combination in the untreated
group, while it significantly increased in the presence of lead. In the second trial of experiments ET-1 efficacy
markedly decreased in BQ-123- incubated cells in both lead-treated and untreated aortic rings. In the presence
of lead, the efficacy of ET-1 was raised with the use of L-NAME. In conclusion, LA and BH4 can be considered
pharmacological agents to alter the potency of ET-1-induced vasoconstriction and concomitantly lower blood
pressure.
This study analyses six political cartoons selected based on their relevance to current Iraqi political issues, specifically the period between 2005 and 2015, from American online newspapers (calgecartooms.com). The selection criteria included the cartoons' satirical elements, visual rhetoric, and their ability to engage with themes such as power dynamics, social issues, and public opinion. It sheds light on how these cartoons can function as mediators of meanings between the cartoonists and the readers. The data is examined using multimodal discourse analysis (MDA), which combines language study with the analysis of other visual elements, like colors, gestures, and images, to understand meaning (O’Halloran et al., 2011). The Visual Socia
... Show MoreGreywater is a possible water source that can be improved for meeting the quality required for irrigation. Treatment of greywater can range from uncomplicated coarse filtration to advanced biological treatment. This article presents a simple design of a small scale greywater treatment plant, which is a series of physical and natural processes including screening, aeration, sedimentation, and filtration using granular activated carbon filter and differentiates its performance with sand filter. The performance of these units with the dual filter media of (activated carbon with sand) in treatment of greywater from Iraqi house in Baghdad city during 2019 and that collected from several points including washbasins, kitchen si
... Show MoreIn this study, NAC-capped CdTe/CdS/ZnS core/double shell QDs were synthesized in an aqueous medium to investigate their utility in distinguishing normal DNA from mutated DNA extracted from biological samples. Following the interaction between the synthesized QDs with DNA extracted from leukemia cases (represents damaged DNA) and that of healthy donors (represents undamaged DNA), differential fluorescent emission maxima and intensities were observed. It was found that damaged DNA from leukemic cells DNA-QDs conjugates at 585 nm while intact DNA (from healthy subjects) DNA–QDs conjugates at 574 nm. The obtained results from the optical analyses indicate that the prepared QDs could be utilized as probe for detecting disrupted DNA th
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The purpose of our study was to develop Dabigatran Etexilate loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (DE-NLCs) using Glyceryl monostearate and Oleic acid as lipid matrix, and to estimate the potential of the developed delivery system to improve oral absorption of low bioavailability drug, different Oleic acid ratios effect on particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were studied, the optimized DE-NLCs shows a particle size within the nanorange, the zeta potential (ZP) was 33.81±0.73mV with drug entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 92.42±2.31% and a loading capacity (DL%) of 7.69±0.17%. about 92% of drug was released in 24hr in a controlled manner, the ex-vivo intestinal p
... Show MoreObjectives: To compare early pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, multiple pregnancy, and congenital anomalies, among women who conceived following ovulation induction with letrozole or clomiphene citrate. Methods: A prospective comparative observational study was conducted at Al-Elwiya Maternity Teaching Hospital and a private clinic in Baghdad, Iraq, from March 2023 to December 2024. One hundred infertile women aged 21–35 years who conceived after ovulation induction with either letrozole (5 mg/day) or clomiphene citrate (100 mg/day) for five days (cycle days 3–7) were enrolled. Participants were followed through early pregnancy with serial sonography at 6, 8–11, and 18–20 weeks of gestation. Data
... Show MoreThe effects of nutrients and physical conditions on phytase production were investigated with a recently isolated strain of Aspergillus tubingensis SKA under solid state fermentation on wheat bran. The nutrient factors investigated included carbon source, nitrogen source, phosphate source and concentration, metal ions (salts) and the physical parameters investigated included inoculum size, pH, temperature and fermentation duration. Our investigations revealed that optimal productivity of phytase was achieved using wheat bran supplemented with: 1.5% glucose. 0.5% (NH4)2SO4, 0.1% sodium phytate. Additionally, optimal physical conditions were 1 × 105 spore/g substrate, initial pH of 5.0, temperature of fermentation 30˚C and fermentation dura
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