A freshwater bivalve plays a crucial function in aquatic habitats as the filtered water and burrowing mussels mix the sediment, thus increasing oxygen content and making the ecosystem healthier. The aim of the study is to see how chlorpyrifos affects biochemical markers in freshwater mussel Unio tigridis. About 180 individuals per taxon and water samples were collected from the Qandil water resource on the Greater Zab River, Erbil Province, Iraq. Once arrived at the lab, the individuals were kept in aquaria with river water and an air-conditioned room Temperature: 25±2 and Light: 12h/12h and acclimatized to laboratory conditions for seven days in aged tap water. The mussel's identification molecularly and the DNA sequence of the mussel includes U. tigridis supplied gene bank accession number ON872361, ON872362, ON872363, and ON872364 nucleotide sequencing. The 96-h toxicity of chlorpyrifos pesticide in the freshwater mussel U. tigridis was investigated using various nominal concentrations, including 50, 100, 200, 300 and 400 ppm. The water quality of the river and aquaria was tested for physicochemical parameters including water temperature, the potential of hydrogen ion pH, electrical conductivity EC, and total dissolved solids TDS, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, total hardness, calcium ion, magnesium ion. Water quality results of aquaria revealed that most tested variables were favorable for the breeding of mussels. The mortality of the mussels was observed daily and the 96 h LC50 value for mussels was 157.99 ppm. Within the tissue of the gills, Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Glutathione S-transferase (GST), Catalase (CAT), and Malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. The chlorpyrifos exposures caused significant increases in GST, CAT, and MDA. The elevation of oxidative stress biomarkers was inversely related to the AChE inhibition in the examined species. In conclusion water pollution by chlorpyrifos lead to unsafe condition for aquatic taxa.
A solar updraft tower power plant (solar tower) is a solar thermal power plant that utilizes a combination of solar
air collector and central updraft tube to generate an induced convective flow which drives pressure staged turbines to generate electricity.
This paper presents practical results of a prototype of a solar chimney with thermal mass, where the glass surface is replaced by transparence plastic cover. The study focused on chimney's basements kind effect on collected air temperatures. Three basements were used: concrete, black concrete and black pebbles basements. The study was conducted in Baghdad from August to November 2009.
The results show that the best chimney efficiency attaine
... Show MoreZerumbone is a well-known compound having anti-cancer, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic effects. During its use for the disease treatment, the membrane of erythrocyte can be affected by consumption of this bioactive compound. The current study was the first report of investigation of the hemolytic activities on human erythrocytes and cytotoxic profile of zerumbone. The toxicity of zerumbone on human erythrocytes was determined by in vitro hemolytic assay. Brine shrimp lethality assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of zerumbone at concentrations 10, 100 and 1000 μg/mL. The human erythrocyte test showed no significant toxicity at low concentrations, whereas hemolytic effect was amplified up to 17.5
... Show MoreExposure to lead results in significant accumulation in most of vital organs, and free radical damage has been proposed as a cause of lead-induced tissue damage, where oxidative stress is a likely molecular mechanism. This study was designed to evaluate therapeutic effects of melatonin in lead-induced organ toxicity in rats. The therapeutic effects of melatonin on lead induced toxicity in rats were evaluated using 36 rats, which were allocated into 3 groups and treated as follows: Group I, includes 12 rats injected subcutaneously with 0.2 ml physiological saline for 30 days, followed by treatment with a daily dose of 20mg/kg melatonin, administrated I.P for the successive 30 da
... Show MoreFumonisin B1 is a toxic compound produced by Fusarium verticillioides. Liver and kidney are the major organs considered target to FB1 toxicity that is characterized by apoptotic, necrosis, and regeneration. Thirteen local isolates of F. verticillioides isolated form maize samples that collected from local markets and silos in Baghdad. Morphological identification are occurred and confirmed by PCR and their ability to produce FB1 was detected using ELISA techniques, Thirty six male albino mice were divided into six groups. Each group orally gavaged with different concentration of FB1. After 24hours, all treated mice were examined to determine the concentration which killed half of animals and was considered as LD50, the remaining groups w
... Show MoreA study of the effects of the discharge (sputtering) currents (60-75 mA) and the thickness of copper target (0.037, 0.055 and 0.085 mm) on the prepared samples was performed. These samples were deposited with pure copper on a glass substrate using dc magnetron sputtering with a magnetic flux density of 150 gauss at the center. The effects of these two parameters were studied on the height, diameter, and size of the deposition copper grains as well as the roughness of surface samples using atomic force microscopy (AFM).The results of this study showed that it is possible to control the specifications of copper grains by changing the discharge currents and the thickness of the target material. The increase in discharge curre
... Show MoreThe purified frog skin peptides were tested on leukemic patients lymphocytes, which revealed effects of cytotoxicity. Four frogs (Rana ridibunda) were stimulated by single intra-peritoneal injection of norepinephrine-HCl . Five different peptides;1(18) A, 2(19) L, 3(20) I,4(21) E and 5(22) Y were isolated and quantified. The peptide 3(20)I had 5.87% of hemolysis, while healthy human lymphocytes cytotoxic activity was for 2(19)L with inhibition( -10.4%).All peptides were subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results revealed peptides 1(18)A, 2(19)L, 3(20)I which appeared as low as 10 KDa marker. Theoretically, the whole polypeptide had a molecular weight 7488.61 Dalt
... Show MoreBackground: Nitric oxide ( NO) is a physiological mediator of many processes in the eye including regulation of aqueous humor dynamics. Compounds acting via NO dependent mechanisms may enhance aqueous humor outflow and reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) .
Objective: Sildenafil a cGMP specific phosphodiesterase 5inhibitor that potentiates NO production and increases cyclic GMP is tested in this study for its effects on intraocular pressure in an acute ocular hypertension model in rabbits.
Materials and methods: Newzealand albino rabbits of either sex weighing 2–2.5 Kg , were used in this study. Sildenafil was prepared in a vehicle of phosphate buffer and diluted to the required strength of 0.5%. Intraocular pressure (IOP ) was meas
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most common infections associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in Iraq.
Aim of the study: To determine the prognostic factor value of Programmed Cell Death-1 (PD-1) and Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint biomarkers among CKD patients with HCV infection under HD.
Methodology: ELISA technique was used for the measurement of the above-mentioned biomarkers in the serum of 90 Iraqi patients. The participants were divided into three groups; Group I included 30 patients infected with HCV without antiviral treatment, group II included 30 patients infected wit
... Show MoreBackground: Growth hormone has multiple effects on the overall form and function of growing body. Aside from these growth stimulating functions, it has marked effects on energy metabolism, it acts on fat cells to reduce the amount of stored fats, promotes protein synthesis in cells and plays a role in regulating the sugar levels in the blood.
Objective: to investigate the effect of growth hormone replacement on lipid profile, insulin level, glucose and calcium level in patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).
Method: A prospective study of 49 children; 37 boys and 12girls with a mean age(13.5±3.3)years attending the Children Welfare Te
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