Background: Infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) leads to activation of T-helper cells (Th-1 and Th-2) which are involved in the synthesis and release of different cytokines which may lead to endothelial dysfunction. Objectives: To evaluate the endothelial function in patients with acute toxoplasmosis. Methods: This case-control study involved 31 patients with toxoplasmosis aged 19 - 47 years matched with 20 healthy subjects. Anti-T. gondii antibody (IgG, IgM, IgA) was determined by direct antigen-antibody reaction. Interleukin-6(IL-6), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and human malondialdehyde (MDA) serum levels were measured. Results: IgM, IgG and IgA levels were high in the infected patients compared with controls (P < 0.01). Furthermore, IL-

In this article, Pb2Ba1.7Sr0.3Ca2Cu3O10+δ superconductor material was synthesized using conventional solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated one dominant phase 2223 and some impurities in the product powder. The strongest peaks in the XRD pattern were successfully indexed assuming a pseudo-tetragonal cell with lattice constants of a = 3.732, b = 3.733 and c = 14.75 Å for a Pb-Based compound. The crystallite size and lattice strain between the layers of the studied compound were estimated using several methods, namely the Scherrer, Williamson-Hall (W.H), sizestrain plot (SSP) and Halder Wagner (H.W) approach. The values of crystallite size, calculated by Scherrer, W.H, SSP and H.W methods, were 89.454077

Background: Placenta is a chief cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and significant factor in fetal growth retardation. It undergoes different variations in weight, volume, structure, shape and function continuously throughout the gestation tosupport the prenatal life. Cautious examination of placenta can give information which can be useful in the management of complications in mother and the newborn. Objective: The present work has been attempted towards determination of the morphological ( macroscopic and microscopic) parameters of human full-term placentae and their relation with different parity and age group of mothers. Patients and Methods: A whole of 40 placentae were recently collected.They were divided into four groups

This study was designed to investigate the effect of thyroid hormone disturbance on lipids profiles and liver functions. Eighteen mature male rats Rattus norvegicus were divided into three groups. The first and the second groups were injected subcutaneously with thyroxine (T4) and carbimazol (both at 600 µg/kg BW) respectively on alternate days, to produce recurrent periods of hyper and hypothyroidism .The control group which is the third group was injected with physiological saline. The process continued 4 weeks, after that, injection, blood specimens were collected to estimate serum levels of T3 and T4, Total cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) an

The present study investigated the total content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of water extracts oat (Avena sativa) and basil (Ocimum basilicum), medicinal plants. The Folin-ciocalteu reagent assay was used to estimate the total phenolic content of plants extract. The antioxidant capacity of the plants extract was tested by ferric reducing/antioxidant power Assay (FRAP) and ferric reducing scavenging activity using DPPH method, and the antimicrobial activity was measured against [Staphylococcus epidermidis; Staphylococcus aureus; Proteus spp.; Klebsiella spp.; Escherichia coli; Candida albicans] as tester strains. The total phenolic content of Avena sativa and Ocimum basilicum extracts revealed that the

The aim of present study was to develop solid and liquid  self-microemulsifying drug  delivery system of poorly water soluble drug mebendazole using Aerosil 200 as solid carrier.  Microemulsions are clear, stable, isotropic liquid mixtures of oil, water and surfactant, frequently in combination with a co-surfactant having droplet size range usually in the range of 20-250 nm. Oleic acid, tween 80 and polypropylene glycol were selected as oil, surfactant and co-surfactant respectively and for preparation of stable SMEDDS, micro emulsion region was identified by constructing pseudo ternary phase diagram containing different proportion of surfactant: co-surfactant (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1), oil and water. In brief S/ CoS mix means su

Background׃ Halitosis is a common condition and is most often caused by a buildup of bacteria in the mouth because of gum disease, food, or plaque. It can result in anxiety among those affected, it is also associated with depression and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. The aim of this study isto assess the prevalence of self-reported halitosis and associated factors (dental plaque, gingival condition and dental caries) in 15 years old male students in Karbala city in Iraq. Additionally, we studied adolescents’ concern with their own breath and whether anyone had ever told them that they had halitosis. Methods׃ A cross sectional observational survey was conducted to15 years old high school students from public and p

The research aims to shed light on the ethics of information systems and their role in achieving banking excellence for a sample of private banks in the province of Baghdad. It is important to focus on studying the ethics of banking information systems, which has become one of the most important basic and strategic resources that banks rely on to achieve outstanding performance. Achieving banking leadership in the Iraqi banking market. The researchers adopted the descriptive analytical approach to the research, and the questionnaire was considered as a main tool for collecting information in addition to personal interviews. The research reached the most important results that there is an acceptable correlation relationship between the ethic