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
Light has already becomes a popular means of communication, and the high-bandwidth data into free space without the use of wires. A great idea took us to design a new system for transmitting sound through free space at (650, 532) nm wavelengths using reflective mirrors under different atmospheric conditions. The study showed us the effect of various weather factors (temperature, wind speed and humidity) on these wavelengths for different distances. As well as studying the attenuation caused by long-distance laser and beam divergence, A reflective dish was used to focus the spot of the laser beam on the photocell. Results were discussed under the effect of these factors and the attenuation resulting from the beam divergence. Thus, the sys
... Show MoreThe present research was conducted to reduce the sulfur content of Iraqi heavy naphtha by adsorption using different metals oxides over Y-Zeolite. The Y-Zeolite was synthesized by a sol-gel technique. The average size of zeolite was 92.39 nm, surface area 558 m2/g, and pore volume 0.231 cm3/g. The metals of nickel, zinc, and copper were dispersed by an impregnation method to prepare Ni/HY, Zn/HY, Cu/HY, and Ni + Zn /HY catalysts for desulfurization. The adsorptive desulfurization was carried out in a batch mode at different operating conditions such as mixing time (10,15,30,60, and 600 min) and catalyst dosage (0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8,1, and 1.2 g). The most of the sulfur compounds were removed at 10 min for all catalyst types. The maximum
... Show MoreIn this study, silver-tungsten oxide core–shell nanoparticles (Ag–WO3 NPs) were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquid employing a (1.06 µm) Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, at different Ag colloidal concentration environment (different core concentration). The produced Ag–WO3 core–shell NPs were subjected to characterization using UV–visible spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy, electrical analysis, and photoluminescence PL. The UV–visible spectra exhibited distinct absorption peaks at around 200 and 405 nm, which attributed to the occurrence of surface Plasmon reson
Most reinforced concrete (RC) structures are constructed with square/rectangular columns. The cross-section size of these types of columns is much larger than the thickness of their partitions. Therefore, parts of these columns are protruded out of the partitions. The emergence of columns edges out of the walls has some disadvantages. This limitation is difficult to be overcome with square or rectangular columns. To solve this problem, new types of RC columns called specially shaped reinforced concrete (SSRC) columns have been used as hidden columns. Besides, the use of SSRC columns provides many structural and architectural advantages as compared with rectangular columns. Therefore, this study was conducted to explain the structura
... Show MoreThis research foxed on the effect of fire flame of different burning temperatures (300, 400 and 500)oC on the compressive strength of reactive powder concrete (RPC).The steady state duration of the burning test was (60)min. Local consuming material were used to mixed a RPC of compressive strength around (100) MPa. The tested specimens were reinforced by (3.0) cm hooked end steel fiber of (1100) MPa yield strength. Three steel fiber volume fraction were adopted in this study (0, 1.0and 1.5)% and two cooling process were included, gradual and sudden. It was concluding that increasing burning temperature decreases the residual compressive strength for RPC specimens of(0%) steel fiber volume fraction by (12.16, 19.46&24.49) and (18.20, 27.77 &3
... Show MoreMethotrexate (MTX) is widely used chemotherapeutic agent with different side effects including germ cells toxicities. Silibinin is one of the structural isomers of silymarin, with different phytotherapeutic applications, and its possible protective effects against MTX induced germ cells damage were investigated in this work. Twenty five male mice were divided into five groups (n=5) allocated as follows: Group 1 received buffer for five days given by single intraperitoneal (IP) injection per day; Group 2 in addition to buffer for five days, animals received at day five single dose of 20mg/kg of MTX IP. Groups (3, 4, and 5) received respectively, (50, 100, or 150mg/kg body weight) of silibinin IP single daily dose for five days then at day fi
... Show MoreIn this study, geopolymer mortar was designed in various experimental combinations employing 1% micro steel fibers and was subjected to different temperatures, according to the prior works of other researchers. The geopolymer mortar was developed using a variety of sustainable material proportions (fly ash and slag) to examine the influence of fibers on its strength. The fly ash weight percentage was 50%, 60%, and 70% by slag weight to study its effect on the geopolymer mortar's properties. The optimal ratio produced the most significant results when mixed at a 50:50 ratio of fly ash and slag with 1% micro steel fibers at curing temperature 240oC for 4 hours through two days. The compressive strength of the geopolymer mortar increas
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to identify the learning gap between classroom-based education and artificial intelligence (AI)-based education among students of Colleges of Physical Education and Sports Sciences. It also sought to determine the effectiveness of classroom education and AI-based education in reducing the learning gap among these students. The research problem addressed the following questions: Are there statistically significant differences in the learning gap between students who learn through traditional classroom education and those who learn through AI-based education in Colleges of Physical Education and Sports Sciences? What is the nature of the learning gap between classroom education and AI-based educati
... Show MoreBackground: The purpose of this study was to compare regional bond strength at middle and cervical thirds of the root canal among glass fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) endodontic posts cemented with different cements, using the push-out test to compare the performance (retention) of two types of luting cements; polycarboxylate cement and Zinc phosphate cement used to cement translucent fiber post and to compare the result of the push-out test at different storage times;1 week ,1month and 2 months. Materials and methods: Ninety caries-free, recently extracted single-rooted human teeth with straight root canals was used in this study, The root canals were endodontically instrumented at a working length of 0.5 mm from the apex by m
... Show MoreABSTRACT
The study evaluated the effect of adding quercetin to some characteristics of the sperm of the ram. This study was conducted in the animal field, Department of Animal Production, College of Agricultural Engineering Science, University of Baghdad for the period 5/12/2021 to 20/2/2022. In this experiment, 3 rams were used at the age of 2-2.5 years and weighed 50-55 kg. The semen was collected early in the morning and once a week and the semen was pooled to remove the individual differences. The treatments were divided: quercetin-free control group, treatment T1 (3 µL/mL quercetin), T2 treatment (6 µL/mL quercetin), T3 treatment (9 µL/mL quercetin). The result of the study showed
... Show More