The present study evaluates the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract as monotherapy on the glycemic status, insulin resistance (IR), body mass index (BMI), and visceral adiposity index (VAI), in addition to the inflammatory markers, oxidative status and leptin level in patients with metabolic syndrome in comparison with metformin.
The study is a randomized, double-blind pilot study conducted during the period May to September, 2020. Fifty patients were recruited in the study and they were allocated into two groups (25 per each group): Ginkgo biloba and Metformin groups, they received (120 mg Ginkgo biloba extract/ capsule) and (500 mg Metformin/ capsule) respectively; orally as a single dose for 90 days. Blood samples were taken at z
... Show MoreEndoglucanase produced from Aspergillus flavus was purified by several steps including precipitation with 25 % ammonium sulphate followed by Ion –exchange chromatography, the obtained specific activity was 377.35 U/ mg protein, with a yield of 51.32 % .This step was followed by gel filtration chromatography (Sepharose -6B), when a value of specific activity was 400 U/ mg protein, with a yield of 48 %. Certain properties of this purified enzyme were investigated, the optimum pH of activity was 7 and the pH of its stability was 4.5, while the temperature stability was 40 °C for 60 min. The enzyme retained 100% of its original activity after incubation at 40 °C for 60 min; the optimum temperature for enzyme activity was 40 °C.
This Study aimed to studying the effect of Volatile oil extracted from the leaves of Myrtus communis on the growth and activities of the following types of bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsilla pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the yeast Candida albicans. The results showed an inhibitory effect of the oil on both the growth and activity of the tested microbes. This was reflected by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsilla pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa which was: (2.5, 1.25, and 2.5,5 % respectively), and the yeast (5) %. Also, the Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) to the bacteria mentioned above was (5, 2.5,5,10 % respectivel
... Show MoreObjectives: Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized with bone mass loss and microstructure, resulting in fragility fractures. Continued secretion of Osteopontin (OPN), osteonectin (ON), osteocalcin (OCN), Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and Ca+2 lead to bone remodeling disorders, followed by bone loss and osteoporosis (OP). The current study aims to investigate the biochemical proteins OPN, OCN, and ON in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and determine whether we could use them as good indicators for OP diagnostics. Materials and Methods: Case- control study carried out between December 2022 and July 2023. OP disease was confirmed among 108 Iraqi postmenopausal women randomly selected from different Iraqi hospitals, B
... Show MoreBreast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. The metabolism of iron is closely regulated by hepcidin which exerts its action by interacting with a ferroportin.
The aim of the present study was to assess the alterations in the levels of some serum biomarkers that have a role in iron homeostasis (hepcidin and ferroportin) in addition to hematological parameters (hemoglobin, leukocyte and platelets count) in different stages of BC.
This study included 66 women with BC. The patients were categorized as follows : group 1 includes :22 patients with stage I disease ,group 2 includes: 22 patients with stage II disease ,and group 3 include: 22 patients with stage III disease .Group 4 includes :22 appare
... Show MoreThe detection of fungi contaminating maize grain and the effect of four plant extracts Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus globulus Glycyrrhiza glabra and Zingiber officinale on the growth of A. flavus and its ability to produce AflatoxinB1. The results showed that the incidence of Aspergillus spp., was 52.75% of the isolated fungi, of which 29.50% was due to Aspergillus flavus, followed by Penicillium spp., with an incidence of 21.06%, and then Fusarium spp., with a rate of 18.13%. The percentage of toxin-producing A. flavus isolates reached 70.8% out of 24 isolates. The results showed the effect of alcoholic plant extracts at a concentration of 10 mg/ml on the fungal growth activity of A. flavus, the alcoholic extract of neem leaves was superi
... Show MoreProverbs gain their importance not only from the fact that they represent a cultural record of the people of every nation, but they reveal the way they use language and how they exploit their environments as a good source of inspiration to enrich that language. Domestic animals, as part of every environment, play a major role in composing proverbs in every nation.
This study is an attempt to pragmastylistically analyse some selected English and Iraqi rural proverbs using domestic animals in their texts. It limits itself to investigate certain stylistic and pragmatic devices such as: the type of sentences, their lengths, their content and grammatical words, the part of speech used, metaph
... Show MoreAbstract Background: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2) proto-oncogene is overexpressed or amplified in approximately 15%-25% of invasive breast cancers. Approximately 35% of HER2-amplified breast cancers have coamplification of the topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A) gene encoding an enzyme that is a major target of anthracyclines. Hence, the determination of genetic alteration (amplification or deletion) of both genes is considered as an important predictive factor that determines the response of breast cancer patients to treatment. The aims of this study are to determinate TOP2A status gene amplification in a set of Iraqi patients with breast cancer that have had an equivocal (2+) and positive HER2/neu by immunohistochemistry
... Show MoreABSTRACT Background: One of the methods used in the treatment of maxillofacial fracture is intermaxillary fixation(IMF), the most common type is the Erich arch bar with interdental wiring. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of intermaxillary fixation on gingival health condition among a group of patients with facial fracture in relation to salivary physical properties. Materials and methods: Thirty patients with an age range of (17-37) years old with facial fractures and indicated for IMF. Plaque index and gingival index (Loe, 1967) were used to assess both of them before application and after removal of IMF. Unstimulated saliva sample collection was carried out under standardized conditions according to Navazesh and Kum
... Show MoreSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune disease, with a wide range of clinical symptoms. Some studies have indicated the association between RANKL, Sclerostin, PD-1, and vitamin D concentrations and the pathogenesis of SLE. The current study aimed to evaluate the role of RANKL, Sclerostin, PD-1 and vitamin D in the pathogenesis of SLE. The study included 180 females diagnosed SLE patients and healthy control (60 females as early diagnosed patients without treatment, 60 females as patients under treatment with (prednisolone, and hydroxychloroquine), and 60 females healthy as a control group, with ages ranging from 20 to 45 years. The serum concentration levels of RANKL, Sclerostin, PD-1 and vitamin D were assessed by E
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