: Cigarette smoking is a lifestyle behavior that causes significant adverse health effects. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals, many of which are lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can lead to apoptosis and autophagy. To estimate the association of Cigarette smoking with the autophagy and immunity, technology of real time polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) for gene expression of (LC3A, LC3B, LC3C, myd88) was used. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was utilized to measurement the amount of TNF-α protein. The ratios of LC3A/LC3B and LC3B/LC3C were calculated to estimate the autophagy flux. The results indicate the expression of LC3B, LC3C and Myd88 genes in smokers is increased significantly (p

Abstract: Tin oxide thin films were deposited by direct current (DC) reactive sputtering at gas pressures of 0.015 mbar – 0.15 mbar. The crystalline structure and surface morphology of the prepared SnO2 films were introduced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These films showed preferred orientation in the (110) plane. Due to AFM micrographs, the grain size increased non-uniformly as the working gas pressure increased.

Background: The bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebra has been assessed according to the results of the Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Although anemia is known to affect bone mineral density, at the present time, it is not clear which vertebra is more affected by this disease. Objective: To evaluate the effects of anemia on the bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebra in comparison with a normal subject and determine which part of the lumbar vertebra is more affected by anemia. Methods: All 205 participants in this study complained of bone pain (90 males and 105 females). 95 patients, including both sexes, suffered from anemia. Additionally, the study included 110 seemingly healthy volunteers as the control group

The present study was conducted to estimate the antimicrobial activity and the potential biological control of the killer toxin produced byD. hanseniiDSMZ70238 against several pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the effects of NaCl, pH, and temperature, killer toxin production, and antimicrobial activity were studied. The results showed that the optimum inhibitory effect of killer toxin was at 8% NaCl, and the diameters of clear zones were 20, 22, 22, 21, 14, and 13 mm forStaphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans,andCandida neoformans, respectively. The largest inhibition zones were

To determine the association between cigarette smoking and oxidative stress, a study was conducted in the period from January 2020 to April 2021, at College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq. The Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was utilized for measurement the antioxidant enzymes including: Glutathione superoxide (GPX) and catalase (CAT) and the biomarker of lipid peroxidation Malondialdehyde (MDA). Also, the gene expression of Nrf2 and HO-1were determined by using RT-PCR technique. The results indicate lower level of both GPX and CAT (p ≤ 0.001) in smokers compared with non-smokers. While the result of MDA indicate higher level in smokers (p≤0.001) compared with nonsmokers. The Nrf2 and HO-1 gene exp

Specific microorganisms can produce bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), with acetic acid bacteria (AAB) being the most active producer. The family Acetobacteraceae includes the obligate aerobic, motile acetic acid bacteria. The BNC has attracted a lot of interest across a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, due to its flexible characteristics, properties, and advantages. The present study was conducted to purify and characterize BNC produced from AAB isolated from apple vinegar. Bacterial nanocellulose was synthesized using a natural date palm liquid medium at pH 6 at 30°C for 8–10 days. The bacterial cellulose produced was then purified using a technique involving 0.1 M sodium hydroxide. To ascertain the surface mor

Many faces are exposed to degradation, discoloration, changes in humidity. The primary objective has improved some properties of hybrid nanocomposites materials that used for restoring of the function maxillofacial prosthesis and improving the esthetic. In the present research different lengths chopped and continuous of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber was added at selected percentage (0.0, 0.2% and 1%) to polymer blend composite (95%SR /5%PMMA: 0.2% Pomegranate Peels Powder (PPP)) for developing the properties of silicone rubber used for the maxillofacial prosthesis applications. Some mechanical and physical properties were done on the all prepared samples. The results showed that all properties have improved when add

     In the present investigation two different types of fiber reinforced polymer composites were prepared by hand lay-up method using three different parameters (curing temperature, pressing load and fiber volume fraction). These composites were prepared from the polyester resin as the matrix material reinforced with glass fibers as first group of samples and mat Kevlar fibers as the second group, both with different volume fractions (4%, 8%, and 12%) of fibers. They were then tested by tensile strength and impact strength. The main objective in this study is to use Taguchi method for predicting the better parameters that give the better tensile and impact strength to the composites, and then preparing composites at