In this work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized from leaves of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. jujube plant in Iraq and tested against fungal pathogens. Extract of leaves of Z. mauritiana mixed with 10-3 M AgNO3exposed to slight sunlight for 3 days. Characterization of AgNPs was done using UV-visible spectroscopy, SPM (scanning probe microscopy) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The change of solution color from pale brown to dark brown and the exhibited maximum peak at 445 nm accepted as an indicator to biosynthesized AgNPs. Aqueous extract of Ziziphus mauritiana is considered as biological reduced and stabilized agent for Ag+ to Ag0. AFM showed the formation of irregular shapes of AgNPs. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles ha

This study investigated a novel application of forward osmosis (FO) for oilfield produced water treatment from the East Baghdad oilfield affiliated to the Midland Oil Company (Iraq). FO is a part of a zero liquid discharge system that consists of oil skimming, coagulation/flocculation, forward osmosis, and crystallization. Treatment of oilfield produced water requires systems that use a sustainable driving force to treat high-ionic-strength wastewater and have the ability to separate a wide range of contaminants. The laboratory-scale system was used to evaluate the performance of a cellulose triacetate hollow fiber CTA-HF membrane for the FO process. In this work, sodium chloride solution was used as a feed solution (FS) with a concentratio

The present work describes the adsorption of Ba2+ and Mg2+ions from aqueous solutions by activated alumina in single and binary system using batch adsorption. The effect of different parameters such as amount of alumina, concentration of metal ions, pH of solution, contact time and agitation speed on the adsorption process was studied. The optimum adsorbent dosage was found to be 0.5 g and 1.5 g for removal of Ba2+ and Mg2+, respectively. The optimum pH, contact time and agitation speed, were found to be pH 6, 2h and 300 rpm, respectively, for removal of both metal ions. The equilibrium data were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and the data fitted well to both isotherm modes as indicated by higher correlation of deter

Background: The use of Miswak, chewing sticks (salvadorapersica) can be traced back to Babylonians some 7000 years ago. It is commonly used throughout the world especially for the purpose of oral hygiene. Muslims are using as the religious view. Current study aimed to test the ability of aqueous siwak extract to increase the resistance of enamel surface against acid dissolution compared to sodium fluoride. Materials and Method: Twenty maxillary first premolars were treated with the selected solutions included two aqueous siwak extract concentration(5%,10%) and sodium fluoride(0.05%)as control positive for 2 minutes once daily for 20days interval, de ionized water was used as control negative. The concentration of the dissolved phosphorus i

The study searches for the possibility of using duckweed Lemna spp. to reduce the concentration of heavy metals (zinc and iron) in the wastewater of Baghdad by culturing two different densities of the plant with a fresh weights 5 and 10 g/l and without the plant under optimum uncontrolled conditions. The result showed that there was a significant differences at the possibility level of (p? 0.05) for the three treatments, as the highest percentages for zinc removal in the second day for the plant treatment of 5 g/l were 66.40%, while the highest percentage of iron removal were in the tenth days for the plant treatment 10 g/l were 80 %, and noticed that the increase of the heavy metals concentrations accumulated in the plant after bei

Background Type two diabetes (T2DM) is characterized by insufficient insulin production and secretion. Additionally, the body develops insulin resistance which affects 90–95% of diabetics. Complex cytokines, receptors, genetic pathways, and the immune system are involved in T2DM. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is one of the inflammatory cytokines associated with Type 2 diabetes. Environmental and genetic variables, including genetic polymorphisms, can increase T2DM risk and its consequences. Single nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) are important risk factors for diabetes that can be used to find the disease early and treat it better. Objective This study aimed to determine the levels of IL-18 in the serum of Iraqi patients with Type 2 diabetes