Background: Smoking is considering a major risk factor for development and progression of periodontal disease. Investigations regarding the association between smoking and periodontal disease have consistently demonstrated negative periodontal effects and greater probabilities of established periodontal disease among smokers in comparison with non smokers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of smoking on periodontal health status and on the salivary levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), and to correlate the clinical parameters of periodontal health with the biochemical findings in smokers and non-smokers. Materials and methods: Unstimulated saliva sample was collected from 25 smokers and 25 non-smokers for biochemical analysis of salivary enzymes. Periodontal parameters including: plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level were recorded. Results: statistical analysis revealed that ALP in saliva was significantly higher in smoker than the non smoker group and there was a highly significant difference in the salivary LDH and CK levels between smokers and non-smokers groups. Plaque index (PLI), probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were higher in smokers compared with non smokers, while there was decrease in the number of bleeding sites. Conclusions: smokers group revealed more periodontal tissue destruction than non-smokers group represented by deeper pockets and more clinical attachment level. Salivary enzymes (ALP, LDH and CK) are considered as good biochemical markers of periodontal tissue destruction and can be used to evaluate the effect of smoking on periodontal health status.
DNA methylation is one of the main epigenetic mechanisms in cancer development and progression. Aberrant DNA methylation of CpG islands within promoter regions contributes to the dysregulation of various tumor suppressors and oncogenes; this leads to the appearance of malignant features, including rapid proliferation, metastasis, stemness, and drug resistance. The discovery of two important protein families, DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and Ten-eleven translocation (TET) dioxygenases, respectively, which are responsible for deregulated transcription of genes that play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis, led to further understanding of DNA methylation-related pathways. But how these enzymes can target specific genes in different malignancies;
... Show MoreThis study included the determination of mercury level in twelve samples of skin whitening cream available in local market in Baghdad by atomic absorption spectrophotometer ,all the samples analyzed was contained a detectable amount of mercury. The lowest concentration of mercury in the sample C (Top Shirley) was 0.482 μg/g, and the higher concentration was 29.54 μg/g in the sample J (Norseen) .It was also noted that the samples H (whitening speckle removing day cream) and K (whitening speckle removing night cream) did not mention in the label significance the name of the country of origin and date of the validity of the product.
Light is an important factor that influences the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of microalgae; however, little is known about how light intensity together with the wavelength affect the photosynthetic capacity and growth of marine microalgae. In the present study, the growth of the marine green microalga Dunaliella parva was studied and optimized under different light intensities (25 ~ 70 μmol m-2 s-1) and qualities (blue, green, and red) in comparison with white light at 40 μmol m-2 s-1 as a control. The growth was monitored by counting the cell number, pigment content, Chl a, Chl b, and carotenoids concentrations. The optimal growth and highest photosyntheti
... Show MoreInitially-produced isotopes during the course of the
CR-39 is a solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) that has been used in many research areas. In spite of the assumption that the CR-39 detectors are insensitive to beta and gamma rays, irradiation with these rays can have significant effects on the detector properties. In this study, beta and gamma rays mass attenuation coefficients μ/ρ (cm2 g-1) for the CR-39 detector have been measured using NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometer along with a standard geometrical arrangement in the energy region of (0.546-2.274) MeV beta rays and standard gamma sources having energy 0.356, 0.5697, 0.6617 and 1.063 MeV. The total atomic cross-section (σtot), total electronic cross-section (σT E) and the effective atomic number (Zeff) of gamma rays a
... Show MoreBackground: Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections of the gingiva, bone and attachment fibers that support the teeth and hold them in the jaw. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein and it is the main component of neutrophil polymorphonuclear leukocytes that activated during inflammatory processes such as Periodontal diseases Aims of the study: Determine the salivary levels of Lactoferrin and pH and their correlations with clinical periodontal parameters(Plaque Index , Gingival Index , Bleeding on Probing , Probing Pocket Depth , and Clinical Attachment Level ) and the correlation between Lactoferrin with potential of hydrogen ion (PH) ,flow rate and α-amylase of study groups that consisted of patients had gingivitis and pa
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