The Growth Differentiation Factor -15 (GDF-15) is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily. İt represents an example of the stress response cytokines. It's mostly found in cardiac myocytes, adipocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, and vascular endothelial cells, whether they're generated normally or not. GDF-15 levels have increased and are associated with cardiovascular risk. Aim of the study: To investigate the correlation between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) with the level of plasma GDF-15 in a group of hypertensive patients. Materials and methods: A case-control study involved 90 individuals, 60 hypertensive patients (36 on ACE inhibitors and 24 on ARBs)

The impact of exposure to different sizes of particulate matter (PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₇, and PM₁₀) was evaluated in  Babylon concrete plant workers who had been exposed to concrete dust for at least 10 years.  The effects of  these particles on the hematological parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and  antioxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase ) were examined. The results exhibited that the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were higher than the acceptable limits approved by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The blood parameters, namely white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and platelets counts, demonstrated non-significant differences between w

     Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles (CeO₂ NPs) and β-carotene are natural-source products that have recently gained an increased interest as pharmaceutical additives because of their effectiveness in living systems, but the behavior of these substances varies according to factors and conditions. The above mentioned materials were evaluated in breast normal (HBL-100) and cancer cell lines (CAL-51 and MCF-7 ) by  different techniques ; MTT assay for studying cytotoxic effects, morphological changes, sqPCR, including gene expression of caspases 8 and 9, and P53. All experiments were conducted on cell lines by the use of the materials alone as well as their combination.                              

The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of the crude extracts mixture of three plants (Tribulus terrestris, Phoenix dactylifera and Nasturtium officinale) on semen quality,sex hormones and reproductive performance of mature male mice. A group of 25 male mice given 150mg/kg/day of the powder of the plants mixture with the food for four weeks and another three groups of 25 animals each given intraperitoneal injection from each of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts with a doses 75, 150, and 300mg/kg/day for two weeks. A remarkable increase in sperm concentration and motility with a decreased abnormal morphology was obtained in the experimental groups. A significant increase in hormones level were recognized in most grou

The study is sought to determine specific alteration in AVP-LI level of plasma and sites of the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial-system; supraoptic nucleus (SON), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), neurointermediate lobe (NIL), and median eminence (ME), related to effects of stress of different anesthetics and electrical stimulation of RVLM/C1area. Urethane or halothane anesthetized Wistar rats were subjected to intra-RVLM electrical stimulation of 10 sec train, 1msec pulse duration at 40 Hz, and 2V every 30s.  After 30min stimulation, AVP-LI extracted from plasma, NIL, ME, SON, and PVN and measured by RIA, were compared with that of sham-stimulated urethane- or halothane-anesthetized rats and unstimulated unanesthetized control rats. Data

The photodynamic inactivation against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using two different lasers, 532 nm diode pumped solid state laser (DPSS) in combination with safranin O and 650 nm diode laser in combination with methylene blue was investigated in the present work. A hundred swab samples were collected from patients with burn and wound infections admitted to two hospitals in Baghdad (Specialized Burns Hospital in Medical City and Al Imamein Al Jwadein Medical City Hospital) from December 2015 to February 2016 Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed by using Kirby- Bauer method. The irradiation experiments included four groups; a control group, a photosensitizer only group, a laser irradiation only group and a laser irr

Objective (s): To assess the QoL of children age from (8- lessthan13) years with acute lymphocytic leukemia undergoing chemotherapy and to find out the relationship between the QoL of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia and their illness history.

Methodology:  A descriptive study included (40) children with acute lymphocytic leukemia who were ranged between (8 - less than 13 years) at the Hematology Center in Medical City for the period from 4^th March 2021 to 1^st September 2021. The sample was non-probability (purposive) sample of children (male and female). A questionnaire designed with 2 main parts was used. The first part focused on sociodemographic characterist

     Geotechnical soil problems underneath foundation of hydraulic structures occurs due to engineering soil properties, geological setting and hydraulic properties of the projects. Two finite element programs of Geoslope 2012 software, SIGMA/W and SEEP/W, were used for analysis of in situ stresses, load deformation behavior, seepage quantity and vertical gradient below Teeb weir foundation, to compute factors of safety against seepage uplift. The site soil is a granular (gravel, sand and silt), weakly cemented soil cohered by gypsum and clay materials. The area has low lying topography, with slightly tectonic activities. The model results show that the upstream side stresses are reduced while the pore pressure are in