Thyme essential oil (TEO) was extracted from dried leaves of Thymus vulgaris. The air-dried aerial parts of the plant produced 1.0% yield of TEO. The detection of this essential oil’s compounds was performed by GC-MASS. The cytotoxic activity of TEO was evaluated against two human cancer cell lines, namely HeLa (human epithelial cervical cancer) and MCF-7 (human breast carcinoma). Cells grown in 96 multi-well plates were treated with six concentrations of EO (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 ppm) and incubated at 37 °C for 72 hrs. Cancer cell lines elicited various degrees of sensitivity to the cytotoxic effect of essential oil. The TEO exhibited significant differences (p≤ 0.01) between the effects of all concentrations against these two human cell lines. The results showed the highest toxicity of TEO on HeLa cell line (78.67%) and MCF-7 cell line (83.60%) at 200 ppm concentration. Also the values of half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of TEO against HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines were 34.63 and 27.66 ppm, respectively. Cells treated with the IC50 of TEO showed a significant difference (p ≤ 0.01) in p53 fold expression between HeLa cell line (4.33±0.41 folds) and MCF-7 cell line (5.10±0.32 folds). In general, a dose-dependent decrease the survival of the two cell lines was observed. In addition, MCF-7 cell line revealed higher sensitivity against TEO than HeLa cell line.
The tunnel’s stability during construction is a very important matter. Some methods have been proposed for stability evaluation, but the hazard warning levels (HWLs) are more applicable among these methods. Despite monitoring and applying HWLs, several collapses in Shibli twin tunnels in Iran have cast doubts on the accuracy of this criterion in the presence of water. In this study, the critical strains under different water contents were measured through uniaxial compressive strength tests on 11 different shale and marl samples. A comparison of laboratory tests and numerical results shows that the influence of the moisture content on the critical strain is negligible. In addition, the results show that there is no dir
... Show MoreThe parasite E.histolytica was first isolated from a stool sample, and then cultivated and maintained in vitro using Locke-egg medium (LEM) and Liver infusion agar medium (LIAM) . Then, the effect of some types of erythrocytes (human and sheep), on the growth and activity of the parasite in the two culture media was investigated. The parasite was able to ingest and lysis erythrocytes of human and sheep that were supplemented to the culture media and such manipulation was able to augment the reproduction rate of the cultivated E. histolytica, however, such consequence was media- and concentration-dependent. The reproduction rate was significantly increased (66.0, 57.5 and 58.6%, respectively) in LEM medium containing human erythrocytes ty
... Show MoreIn this work proton exchange membranes were prepared by a modified microwave casting solution technique, using the polymers blend (polyethersulfone (PES), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylidenefluride (PVDF)). Modified casting method was used to overcome the poor compatibility between hydrophilic, (PES, PS) and hydrophobic PVDF, by cooling the substrate during the film casting process to (4.5-5.5oC). Membranes were chemically modified by three reaction types to study the differences between their effects on the required properties for microbial fuel cell application. These methods use blend organic sulfonic acid precasting process and sulfonation by sulfuric acid post-casting process (APS), blending organic
... Show MoreBackground: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Iraq and the United Kingdom. While the disease is frequently diagnosed among middleaged Iraqi women at advanced stages accounting for the second cause of cancer-related deaths, breast cancer often affects elderly British women yielding the highest survival of all registered malignancies in the UK. Objective: To compare the clinical and pathological profiles of breast cancer among Iraqi and British women; correlating age at diagnosis with the tumor characteristics, receptor-defined biomarkers and phenotype patterns. Methods: This comparative retrospective study included the clinical and pathological characteristics of (1,940) consecutive female patients who were diagnosed with invasive b
... Show MoreBackground: The study's objective was to estimate the effects of radiation on testosterone-related hormones and blood components in prostate cancer patients. N Materials and Method: This study aims to investigate the effects of radiation on 20 male prostate cancer patients at the Middle Euphrates Oncology Centre. Blood samples were collected before and after radiation treatment, with a total dose of 60- 70 Gy, The blood parameters were analyzed. The hospital laboratory conducted the blood analysis using an analyzer (Diagon D-cell5D) to test blood components before and after radiation. Hormonal examinations included testosterone levels, using the VIDASR 30 for Multiparametric immunoassay system Results: The study assessed the socio-demogra
... Show MoreArum maculatum is traditionally used for the control of many diseases and illnesses such as kidney pain, liver injury, hemorrhoids. However, the detailed biomedical knowledge about this species is still lacking. This study reports on the bioactive components and the possible mechanisms underlying the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of A. maculatum leaf extract. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for phytochemical analysis. Assay of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide ) (MTT) was used to determine the cytotoxicity in the murine cell line L20B upon exposure to different extract concentrations for 24 h. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect pro-in
... Show MoreBackground: Cleaning and shaping of root canals successfully requires high volumes of irrigation solutions that can only be applied to the apical third of root canal after enlargement with instrument, so the aim of this study was to evaluate and to compare the efficiency of Maxi-I-probe (side-vented needle), in the amount of root canal irrigant penetration for five different master apical file sizes (MAF) and four different degrees of coronal and middle thirds flaring. Materials and Methods: Two hundred resin blocks with simulated root canals were used in this study and divided into 5 major groups (40 for each) based on the size of master apical files (#20, #25, #30, #35, and #40). Each major group was subdivided into 4 subgroups depending
... Show MoreBackground: Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebic dysentery and hepatic abscesses. Despite the efficacy of metronidazole in alleviating infectious diseases, the global dissemination of drug-resistant parasites raises the possibility that Punica granatum could serve as an effective natural alternative treatment. Objective: To evaluate the effect of P. granatum methanolic and aqueous extracts of various parts against E. histolytica trophozoites in an in vitro setting. Methods: Various concentrations (0.14, 0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 mg/ml) of P. granatum extracts of the flowers, leafs, peels, and seeds were chosen for this purpose. A culture medium containing 0.05x106/ml E. histolytica trophozoites was treated with different
... Show MoreThe aim of research is to show the effect of Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3) on the electricity production and wastewater treatment, since 2.5% of Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3) (heated and non heated) nanoparticles has been used. Characterization of nanoparticles was done using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scan Electron Microscopy (SEM). The influence of acidity was also studied on both wastewater treatmenton the Chemical Oxygen demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and voltage output was studied. From the results, it was infused that the dosage of 0.025 g/l and an initial pH 7 were founded to be optimum for the effective degradation of effluents. The results concluded that the treatment of anaerobic sludge wastewater using Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3) in
... Show MoreFinancial funding of a construction firm plays an important role in all aspects of the process development. It has been noted that financial crises have a direct impact on the construction industry. The Iraqi government, whether locally or globally, has faced a severe shortage of financing which has resulted in incomplete projects. Due to the financial crisis that Iraq went through which led to the suspension of many residential complex projects and the difficulty of the use of public financing methods, we researched the private financing (public-private partnership) methods instead of public financing methods in residential complex projects implementation. This study verified the financial problems and the factors that relate to th
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