This study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with different levels of parsley on semen quality of local Iraqi ganders. A total of thirty-two local ganders were used in this study during the period from the beginning of February to the end of April. The ganders were allocated for 4 treatment groups containing 8 ganders each. The treatment groups were as follows: Control diet (free from parsley); T1: Control diet + 80 g/d parsley; T2: Control diet + 160 g/d parsley; T3: Control diet + 240 g/d parsley. Semen samples were collected twice a week, fortnightly, from each gander by the dorsal-abdominal message method. The first semen collection was used to evaluate semen volume, sperm concentration, live in total

Six isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis were isolated from Iraqi soil characterized as non- insecticidal and non- hemolytic parasporal inclusion proteins. Bacterial isolates were propagated on nutrient broth. Then, the parasporal inclusion proteins were extracted and processed with proteinase K and trypsin. The major protein segments produced of 64KDa were characterized and tested for cytocidal activity against human leukemic T- cells (CLL) (Chronic lymphoid leukemia). Results indicated that the treated parasporal proteins of four isolates (Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 and Bt6) showed strong cytotoxicity with no significant differences between normal lymphocytes and leukemic lymphocytes. Two isolates BtA1 and BtA5 show discriminative cytotoxicity between n

The biomarker significance of three chemokines (CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16) was evaluated in sera of 45 breast cancer (BC) and 28 benign breast lesion (BBL) patients, as well as 20 control women. Clinical stage and tumor expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PgR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) receptors were considered in this evaluation. The results demonstrated that CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL16 showed a significant increased median in BC and BBL patients compared to control (CXCL8: 47.3 and 25.7 vs. 15.0; CXCL10: 37.6 and 30.7 vs. 13.1; CXCL16; 27.9 and 25.2 vs. 19.2 pg/ml, respectively). The increased levels of CXCL8 and CXCL16 were more pronounced in triple-negative and HER-2 positive p

This study focuses on the use of an optimum amount of Sodium Polyacrylate (SP) for designing cement slurry with the high performance of rheological properties and displacement efficiency. A laboratory study has been carried out on the cement slurry which prepared with SP as superabsorbent polymer. SP has been providing an internal water source that helps in the hydration process, and curing and ultimately increases the cement strength. Also improves the cement performance by improving the cement stability. Several batches were prepared to determine the proper amount of SP to add it in the cement slurry. Also, we studied its effect on cement density, amount of free water in order to observe the rheological properties, and thickening time.

STAG proteins, which are part of the cohesin complex and encoded by the STAG genes, are known as Irr1/Scc3 in yeast and as SA/STAG/stromalin in mammals. There are more variants as there are alternate splice sites, maybe three open reading frames (ORFs) code for three main proteins, including: SA1 (STAG1), SA2 (STAG2) and SA3 (STAG3). The cohesin protein complex has various essential roles in eukaryotic cell biology. This study compared the expression of the STAG1 gene in four different breast cancer cell lines, including: MCF-7, T-47D, MDA-MB-468, and MDA-MB-231 and normal breast tissue. RNA was extracted from these cell lines and mRNA was converted to cDNA, and then expression of the STAG1 gene was quantified by three sets of specific prim

Some species, such as the Eurasian Collared-Dove (S. decaocto) are fast expanding around the planet, while others, such as the European Turtle-Dove (S. turtur), are experiencing precipitous population declines. Climate change, habitat loss, greater cultivated areas, and hunting pressure are the major threats to the diversity of Streptopelia. A few species require urgent conservation action. Priority for subsequent research should be to redress outstanding taxonomic uncertainties, ascertain the effect of climate change on distributions, and put in place conservation measures for declining taxa. We provide here a detailed review on how it is possible to understand the diversity of Streptopelia and how such an understanding can con

Pompe disease is a progressive, multisystemic, debilitating, often fatal neuromuscular disease caused by a pathogenic variant in the acid α-glucosidase gene leading to GAA enzyme deficiency and lysosomal glycogen accumulation. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of early onset Pompe disease in Basra, using the dried blood spot (DBS) as a screening tool, also to determine the spectrum of presentation. Materials and Methods: In a prospective study conducted in Basrah, Iraq, from October 2021 to September 2023, all infants with a family member diagnosed as a case of Pompe disease, hypotonia, or ventricular hypertrophy referred to the pediatric cardiology unit in Basra Cardiac Hospital were subjected to echocardiographic e