Cohesive soils present difficulties in construction projects because it usually contains expansive clay minerals. However, the engineering properties of cohesive soils can be stabilized by using various techniques. The research aims to elaborate on the influences of using hydrated lime on the consistency, compaction, and shear strength properties of clayey soil samples from Sulaimnai city, northern Iraq. The proportions of added hydrated lime are 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% to the natural soil sample. The results yielded considerable effects of hydrated lime on the engineering properties of the treated soil sample and enhancement its strength. The soil's liquid limit, plasticity index, and optimum moisture content were de

The possible effects of COVID-19 vaccines on reproductive health and male fertility in particular have been discussed intensely by the scientific community and the public since their introduction during the pandemic. On news outlets and social media platforms, many claims have been raised regarding the deleterious effects of COVID-19 vaccines on sperm quality without scientific evidence. In response to this emerging conflict, we designed this study to evaluate and assess the effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility represented by the semen analysis parameters.

Molecular farming has become one of the most significant implementations of modern biotechnology to generate modified plant crops to produce medicinal proteins. Agrobacterium is one plant genetic engineering tool that integrates genes of interest inside a host plant.  In recent years, the need to produce recombinant proteins as therapeutics has growing rapidly, and human glucocerebrosidase is one of the proteins that is need to treat disease. In this study, specific primers were designed to amplify Hu-GBA1 gene from constructed pGEM-GBA plasmid which was cloned into the plant expression vector pCAMBIA1304. The generated recombinant pCAMBIA1304-GBA plasmid was used to transform A. tumefaciens LBA4404

Gastrointestinal diseases and especially chronic gastritis are mainly induced by Helicobacter pylori infection, and provides the basis for gastric carcinogenesis and colorectal cancer. The study involved the detection of serum anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA antibody of  and some serum biomarkers ;CEA and CA19-9 in patients with gastrointestinal diseases. Fifty eight serum samples were collected from 25 males and 33 females .Peripheral venous blood was collected from each patient and sera obtained  by centrifugation. Serum anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA ,serum CEA and  CA19-9 were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays (ELISA).Forty eight serum samples were positive for IgG (82.7% ) divided int

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are man-made derivatives of the male sex hormone testosterone, originally designed for therapeutic uses to provide higher anabolic potency with lower androgenic effects. Increasing numbers of young athletes are using these agents illicitly to enhance physical fitness, appearance, and performance despite their numerous side effects and worldwide banning.  Today, their use remains one of the main health problems in sports because of their availability and low price.  The present study focuses on investigating the adverse effects of anabolic androgenic steroid abuse on sex hormones, liver and renal function tests, fasting glucose levels and lipid metabolism in Iraqi male recreational bodybuilders

Objective Tea lovers are increasing worldwide. We hope that this report is the first to discuss the possible impacts of high black tea consumption on gestational weight gain (GWG) and birth parameters. Methods Throughout one year, a total of 7,063 pregnant ladies coming for first antenatal visit were screened in a major tertiary center. Of them, 1,138 were involved and divided according to their preference into 3 groups: excessive tea (ET), usual tea (UT), and mixed beverages group. The study included women who gave birth to healthy neonates. Results The rate of ET consumption was 4.13% with a total of 41 cases. The UT group (controls) comprised 94 women. ET was significantly associated (P<0.05) with maternal age, parity, occupation, smokin

Eriobotrya japonica Lindl., named as loquat, is a subtropical fruit tree of the family Rosaceae which is well known medical plant originated in  Japan and China. Loquat portions, like leaves, peels and fruits have been shown to possess various health usefulnesses.  In Chinese classical medicine, it is vastly utilized in many illnesses, like gastroenteric disorders, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary inflammatory diseases and chronic bronchitis. Loquat plant contain many active constituents, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, polyphenolic compounds, other that have many biological effects like anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, antiviral, antitussive, hepatoprotective and hypoli

Molasse medium containing different concentrations of (NH4)2 SO4, (NH4)3 PO4, urea, KCI, and P2O5 were compared with the medium used for commercial production of C. utilis in a factory south of Iraq. An efficient medium, which produced 19. 16% dry wt. and 5. 78% protein, was developed. The effect of adding various concentrations of micronutrients (FeSO4, 7T20, MnSO4. 7H20, ZnSO4. 7E20) was also studied. Results showed that FeSo4. 7H20 caused a noticeable increase in both dry wt. and protein content of the yeast.