Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Lack of blood supply to the brain can cause tissue death if any of the cerebral veins, carotid arteries, or vertebral arteries are blocked. An ischemic stroke describes this type of event. One of the byproducts of methionine metabolism, the demethylation of methionine, is homocysteine, an amino acid that contains sulfur. During myocardial ischemia, the plasma level of homocysteine (Hcy) increases and plays a role in many methylation processes. Hyperhomocysteinemia has only recently been recognized as a major contributor to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) owing to its effects on atherothrombosis and improvement of oxidative stress-induced endothelial dysfunction, joining the ranks of other known risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and advanced age. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between elevated serum total homocysteine (tHcy) levels and an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in an Iraqi population of patients with ischemic heart disease. Methods This study was conducted at Madinat al-Imamain Al Kadhmain Hospital’s Cardiology Department in Baghdad, Iraq. The study lasted for six months and was designed as an observational case-control study from November 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024. Results Cases and controls had similar characteristics but differed significantly in serum homocysteine concentration. The mean homocysteine level in case group was 40.21±14.47 mmol/L and 9.23±2.41 mmol/L in control group with p value <0.001. Conclusion In young individuals, hyperhomocysteinemia is positively associated with coronary artery, even when other traditional risk factors are not present.
Introduction and Aim: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for a wide range of infections, including respiratory tract infections (RTIs). This research was aimed to study the antibacterial and antibiofilm effect of AgNPs produced by Gram positive and negative bacteria on RTIs associated with K. pneumoniae. Materials and Methods: The biofilm formation of K. pneumoniae was determined by tube method qualitatively from select bacterial species characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy. The antibacterial susceptibility of the bacteria AgNPs was tested for their antibacterial and antibiofilm activity on a clinical isolate of K. pneumoniae. Results: K. pneumoniae isolated from RTIs were strong biofilm producers. The ant
... Show MoreAluminum oxide thin films were prepared by dc reactive sputtering technique using different mixing ratios of argon and oxygen gases (90:10, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, and 10:90). These films were characterized to introduce their crystalline structures, surface morphology, and elemental composition. A progressive transition occurs from a predominantly amorphous to a highly crystalline Al2O3 film as the oxygen content in the Ar:O2 gas mixture is increased. Increasing the oxygen content leads to a progressive decrease in surface roughness, resulting in smoother and more uniform films with finer granular features. The oxygen-rich environments yield the smoothest surfaces, while argon-rich environments result in significantly rougher surfaces. These f
... Show MoreLithium-rich layered oxide cathodes have attracted considerable attention due to their high energy density, but have suffered from voltage drop, structural instability, and limited electrical conductivity. In this study, the electrochemical performance of the lithium-rich cathode material Li[Li0.20Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13]O2 was evaluated after modification by zinc doping and composition with graphene oxide or graphene. The zinc-doped powders were synthesized by the sol-gel method, while the graphene-based composites were prepared by the hydrothermal route. The structural, morphological and electrochemical characteristics of the modified materials were examined using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scann
... Show MoreNew series of 4,4'-((2-(Aryl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole1,3(2H)-diyl)bis(methylene))Diphenol(3a-g) was successfully synthesized from cyclization of the reduction product of bis Schiff bases (2) with aryl aldehydes bearing phenolic hydroxyl in the presence of acetic acid. The structure of these compounds was identified from FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and EIMs. The Antioxidant capability was screened by DPPH and FRAP assays. Both assays showed antioxidant capability more than BHT as well. Compounds 3b and 3c showed antioxidant capacity slightly less than ascorbic acid. The docking study for theses compound was carried out as III DNA polymerase inhibitor. The results of docking demonstrated that the increase in hinderances around phenolic hy
... Show MoreBackground: Lack of durability of the bond of the dental adhesive systems to tooth structure is one of the most important problems in tooth colored restorative work. This in vitro study was performed to evaluate the effect of 2% chlorhexidine gluconate(CHX) on dentin bond strength by using total etch adhesive system at twenty-four hours and three months of water storage. Material and methods:A flat dentin surface was prepared for forty sound human maxillary premolar teeth which were acid etched with 36% phosphoric acid gel after being divided randomly into four groups of ten teeth each according to storage time and CHX application, theCHX was applied for 60 seconds before adhesive application for groups I and III which were tested after twe
... Show MoreThis experiment was conducted to examine the effects of injected gibberellic acid GA3 in subcutaneous of hens neck and supplemental vitamin D3 to control basal diet on productive performance and egg shell thickness ,relative weight of egg shell of aged laying hens. Two hundred and seventy Lohmann Brown laying hens at 73 weeks of age were randomly assigned to three treatments groups. Each treatment consist of three replicates (30 hens / replicate). The treatments were : T1 control were injected subcutaneous with 0.2 ml / kg of body weight of ethanol: sesame oil solution, T2 and T3 were injected subcutaneous with 0.2 ml / kg of body weight of ethanol: sesame oil solution which contained 400 μg GA3/ kg of body weight /week during 8 weeks (tre
... Show MoreBackground Commonly heard statements such as “Christmas comes around more quickly each year” suggest that the passage of time between annual events can become distorted, leading to the sensation of time passing more quickly than normal. At present however, it is unclear how prevalent such beliefs are and, what factors are predictive of it. Aim To explore the prevalence of beliefs that annual events such as Christmas (Study 1 UK sample) and Ramadan (Study 2 Iraqi sample) feel like they come around more quickly each year. To establish the association between distortions to the passage of time between annual events and emotional wellbeing, event specific enjoyment, memory function and self-reported attention to time. Methods Participants c
... Show MorePure cadmium oxide films (CdO) and doped with zinc were prepared at different atomic ratios using a pulsed laser deposition technique using an ND-YAG laser from the targets of the pressed powder capsules. X-ray diffraction measurements showed a cubic-shaped of CdO structure. Another phase appeared, especially in high percentages of zinc, corresponding to the hexagonal structure of zinc. The degree of crystallinity, as well as the crystal size, increased with the increase of the zinc ratio for the used targets. The atomic force microscopy measurements showed that increasing the dopant percentage leads to an increase in the size of the nanoparticles, the particle size distribution was irregular and wide, in addition, to increase the surfac
... Show MoreKnowledge of permeability is critical for developing an effective reservoir description. Permeability data may be calculated from well tests, cores and logs. Normally, using well log data to derive estimates of permeability is the lowest cost method. This paper will focus on the evaluation of formation permeability in un-cored intervals for Abughirab field/Asmari reservoir in Iraq from core and well log data. Hydraulic flow unit (HFU) concept is strongly related to the flow zone indicator (FZI) which is a function of the reservoir quality index (RQI). Both measures are based on porosity and permeability of cores. It is assumed that samples with similar FZI values belong to the same HFU. A generated method is also used to calculate permea
... Show MoreBackground: Bone mineral density (BMD) has been assessed using Dual-Energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). This procedure is considered to be of vital importance in assessing the general condition of individuals concerning their skeletal mineralization. BMD is measured according to the results of the DEXA examination of the vertebral column and pelvis. Although diabetes mellitus (D.M.)is known to affect BMD, the information regarding this relationship is not currently particularly clear. Objective: This study concentrates on the point that the assessment of BMD for the vertebral column is insuffi-cient to give a realistic and correct picture of the mineralization of the remaining part of the skeleton. Besides, this study elicited a gen
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