Background: The discriminative power of the classical WHO parameters in relation to male fertility is quite low, because they only address few aspects of sperm quality and function. This has led investigators to focus their attention on the male gamete and in particular its genome.Objective: To explore which of the sperm DNA damage parameters measured by comet assay are more reliable, and their relations with the standard semen parameters.Methods: Study was done on 40 infertile men selected from couples attending the Institute of Embryo Reasearch and Infertility Treatment at Al-Kadhimiya City/ Baghdad in the period between February 2009 and May 2009, with a history of infertility of ≥1 years; and 15 healthy volunteers of proven fertility serving as control. Samples were allowed to liquefy for at least 30 minutes at 37°C and then evaluated according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization, 1999. The single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay was studied in the ejaculated spermatozoa. The exclusion criteria were the presence of azoospermia and severe oligospermia. Results were compared with the standard semen characteristics (concentration, motility and morphology).Results: Compared to healthy volunteers, infertile patients had highly significantly higher values of comet parameters (P = 0.00001). In all infertile patients, comet extent did not correlate with any of the classical semen parameters; whereas, tail length (μm), % DNA in tail, tail moment and olive moment had all significant negative correlations with the standard parameters. Significant positive correlations were observed between the studied comet parameters, except for the comet extent which was not significantly correlated with tail length and % DNA in tail (P = 0.06, P = 0.7; respectively).Conclusion: Comet assay is a very useful technique in assessing sperm DNA damage. Comet tail parameters and comet extent, may clarify different aspects of DNA damage, and together give a better insight to the integrity of the male genome.Keywards: sperm, comet extent, % DNA in tail, tail moment and olive moment
Abstract: In recent times, global attention has increasingly focused on the critical issue of environmental sustainability, owing to escalating environmental degradation exacerbated by the utilization of green spaces and technological innovation. This phenomenon necessitates thorough examination, prompting the present study to scrutinize the impact of various factors, namely green spaces, technological innovation, environmental taxes, renewable energy consumption (REC), inflation, and economic growth (EG), on environmental sustainability within the context of Iraq. Secondary data extracted from the World Development Indicators (WDI) spanning the period from 1991 to 2022 served as the foundation for this investigation. Methodologically, the
... Show MoreThis research investigates the pre- and post-cracking resistance of steel fiber-reinforced concrete specimens with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars subjected to flexural loading. The purpose is to modify the ductility and cracking resistance of GFRP-reinforced beams, which are prone to early cracking and excessive deflections instigated by the low modulus of elasticity of GFRP. Six self-compacting concrete specimens (1500×240×200 mm), incorporating steel fibers of two lengths (25 mm and 40 mm) with varying distribution depths, were tested to assess their structural performance. The results indicate significant enhancements in cracking resistance, stiffness, energy absorption, ductility, and flexural strength. Tested beam
... Show MoreAt a time when the general rules in the different legal systems require the presence of two parties to the contract, one of which is issued the first expression of the will and is called the offer, and the other is issued from the other and is called the acceptance. A special type of contracts emerged in the beginning of the last century called the “unilateral contracts”. The side sparked a major jurisprudential dispute, as well as the issuance of several contradictory judicial rulings on it. Hence, this research came to highlight this special type of contract. Key words: the definition of a unilateral contract, its distinction from other legal situations, and its effects.
Background: The effect of garlic extracton fungal
growth and keratinolytic activity was studied in
Trichophytonmentagrophytes as one of the major
etiologic agents of human and animal dermatophytosis
in Baghdad and other parts of the World.
Objective: To investigated an alternative
antidermatophyte with minimum side effects which is
plant based and biodegradable natural product
Methods: Culture conditions for 30 isolates of T.
mentagrophytes isolated from human dermatophytosis
from both sexes with ages of 5-63 years in Central
Medical city for the period July 2009 to October 2009
were cultured on specific solid medium.
Results: The aqueous extract of garlic at various
concentrations inhibited the
Among the undesirable effects of soil compaction is a measurable reduction in plant growth and crop yield. The prevailing belief is that compacted tillage pans are caused by repetitive farming practices, heavy tractors, tillage tools, and field traffic. This experiment was conducted to determine and map the hardpan layers across an agricultural field through advanced technologies of precision agriculture. These valuable techniques such as data logger, yield map, and data analysis of performance indicators were linked with accurate global positioning systems (GPS) datasets. These important technologies provided the farmers and helped them to identify and manage areas of the fields with higher compacted layers. Three ground speeds 4.3
... Show MoreA cumulative review with a systematic approach aimed to provide a comparison of studies’ investigating the possible impact of the active form of vitamin D3, calcitriol (CTL), on the tooth movement caused by orthodontic forces (OTM) by evaluating the quality of evidence, based on collating current data from animal model studies, in vivo cell culture studies, and human clinical trials. Methods: A strict systematic review protocol was applied following the application of the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). A structured search strategy, including main keywords, was defined during detailed search with the application of electronic database systems: Medline/Pubmed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and
... Show MoreThe adsorption of Cr (VI) from aqueous solution by spent tea leaves (STL) was studied at different initial Cr (VI) concentrations, adsorbent dose, pH and contact time under batch isotherm experiments The adsorption experiments were carried out at 30°C and the effects of the four parameters on chromium uptake to establish a mathematical model description percentage removal of Cr (VI). The
analysis results showed that the experimental data were adequately fitted to second order polynomial model with correlation coefficients for this model was (R2 = 0.9891). The optimum operating parameters of initial Cr (VI) concentrations, adsorbent dose, pH and contact time were 50 mg/l, 0.7625 g, 3 and 100 min, respectively. At these conditions, th
In this study, an analysis of the synoptic characteristics, causes and mechanisms of Kahlaa tornado event was carried out. This tornado occurred on 10:30 UTC (1:30 pm Iraq Local Time) on 14 April 2016 to the north of Kahlaa town in Maysan governorate. We analyzed surface and upper charts, weather conditions, the damage indices, the dynamical features and the instability of the tornado. The analysis showed that there was a low pressure system which was an extension of the Monsoon low in addition to a supercell thunderstorm and a jet stream aloft. The cold trough and high relative vorticity at 500 hPa level, the humid warm wind blowing from the south and the dry cold wind from the north contributed to the initiation of the tornado. Accordi
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