Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are said to be inherited in a multifactorial fashion, i.e. genetic-environmental interaction. Maternal nutritional deficiencies had long been reported to cause NTDs, especially folate deficiency during early pregnancy. More attention had been paid to the exact mechanism by which this deficiency state causes these defects in the developing embryo. The most significant of all researches was that connecting reduced folate and increased homocysteine level in maternal serum on one hand and the risk of developing a NTD baby on the other hand. Objectives : to determine the significance of homocysteine level in Iraqi mothers who gave birth to babies with NTDs as compared to normal controls. Patients, Materials

Afamin, which is a human plasma glycoprotein, a putative multifunctional transporter of hydrophobic molecules and a marker for metabolic syndrome. Afamin concentration have been proposed to have a significant role as a predictor of metabolic disorders. Since NAFLD is associated with metabolic risk factors, e.g., dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and visceral obesity, it is considered as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study is to determine Afamin levels in hypothyroid patients with and without fatty liver disease and compare the results with controls. Also to study the relationship of Afamin level with the Anthropometric and Clinical Features (Age, Gender, BMI and Duration of Hypothyroidism) , Serum

This qualitative study was conducted on eight types of commercial baking yeast which available in local markets to estimate their fermentation activity as affecting the Bread industry and the impact of the salt added to DoughLeavening, The results showed a great variation in the fermentation capacity of yeast samples (their role in swelling the dough), most notably the sample value Y3 and least sample Y7 and reached 80% and 20% respectively, and the value of Leavening by using the two types of yeast with addition of three levels of salt (0 , 1 and 2%) have 20.0 , 19.7 and 15.7 of the sample Y3, compared with 10.5 , 10.3 and 8.8 of the sample Y7 for each of the levels of salt respectively, reflect

The education, especially higher education, is an essentially factor in the progress of any society, if we consider the higher education, represents the top  of  the education`s  pyramid which take part in developing the human  resources and provide the human staff to raise the productive efficiency, and improve the social , economic level                                  

In order to face the increasing importance of higher education, great capabilities and expenditures must be available in a continous way, such expe

This contribution reports a comprehensive investigation into the structural, electronic and thermal properties of bulk and surface terbium dioxide (TbO2); a material that enjoys wide spectra of catalytic and optical applications. Our calculated lattice dimension of 5.36 Å agrees well with the corresponding experimental value at 5.22 Å. Density of states configuration of the bulk structure exhibits a semiconducting nature. Thermo-mechanical properties of bulk TbO2 were obtained based on the quasi-harmonic approximation formalism. Heat capacities, thermal expansions and bulk modulus of the bulk TbO2 were obtained under a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The dependency of these properties on operational pressure is very evident. Cle

The present study has conducted to investigate the effect of hot aqueous extract of seeds and leaves of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) on embryonic development in Swiss albino mice morphologically , the results is showed throught dosage pregnant female orally after period 4, 8, 12days at the beginning of pregnancy by doses 100 , 200 , 300 mg/kg of body weight , the results showed normal period of pregnancy 21 days and abortion did not occur when the pregnant mice take the hot aqueous extract of leaves of fenugreek, but the pregnant mice that take the hot aqueous extract of seeds of fenugreek occurred abortion of embryos and showed some histopathological changes in ovaries and uterus such as congestion, hemorrhage, necrosis, odema,

The experiment was conducted at the plant tissue culture laboratory of the Department of Horticulture and Garden Engineering College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, in order to study the effect of some growth regulators on propagation an stimulation production of volatile oil compounds of rosemary plant Rosmarinus officinlis using two vegetative parts (apical and lateral buds). Factorial experiment was implemented in completely randomized design with twenty replications. The results indicated that culturing the apical meristem on the medium Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with 0.5 mg.l-1 (BA) with 0.1 mg.l-1 of NAA gave the highest response rate of 100%. As for the doubling stage, the levels of BAA and IAA (Indol

The present study aimed to determine the serum sex hormone levels among Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) patients before and after 3 months of oral administration of 5-α reductase inhibitor(finasteride). Forty BPH patients and 40 healthy men from Amara city were involved in this study, their ages were between 40-59 year. They were all subjected  to direct estimation of hormones by MinVidas method including Testosterone (T), Estradiol (E2), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Prolactin (PRL), and Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) before and after 3 months of treatment with 5α-reductase inhibitor (finasteride) (the healthy individuals didn’t take finasteride).The results showed that T level was significantly lo