The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on education models was mainly through the expansion of technology use in the different educational programs. Earlier impact of COVID-19 was manifested in the complete and sudden transition to distance education regardless of institution preparedness status. Gradually, many institutions are moving back to on-campus face-to-face education. However, others including all higher education institutions in Iraq are adopting the hybrid education model. This report presents part of the end of semester evaluation survey conducted at the University of Baghdad College of Pharmacy for the Spring 2021 semester. The survey aims to address points of strength and weakness associated with the hybrid education model and spe

                Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) is among the most serious conditions characterized by an exacerbation of inflammatory response that can result from a persistent lung infection. Carvone is chiral monoterpenoid ketone present in the essential oils of dill, caraway, and spearmint. It shows antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects among others. In this study, the lung anti-inflammatory and protective effects and potential mechanism of action of carvone were investigated in ALI induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Intestinal mucositis is referring to inflammatory or ulcerative lesions of the oral or gastrointestinal tract; one of the main reasons is treatment with cancer chemotherapy. The prodrug Irinotecan is converted by carboxylesterase to the active metabolite SN-38, conjugated by UGT enzyme to SN-38G and then deconjugated by ?-glucoronidase produced by intestinal bacterial flora to produce SN-38. Irinotecan induces intestinal mucositis and diarrhea due to increased concentration of its active metabolite (SN-38).To evaluate the protective effect of carvone, I.P injection of (75mg/kg/day) of irinotecan for 4 days to induce intestinal mucositis, carvone administered to mice orally for 6 days starting from day 1. Results showed that carvone (50mg

Objectives: acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious pathophysiology side effect of rhabdomyolysis. Inflammatory mechanisms play a role in the development of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. Citronellol (CT) is a naturally occurring monoterpene alcohol (3,7-Dimethyl-6-often-1-ol) found in aromatic plant species' essential oils. In this study, we explored the protective effects of Citronellol on glycerol-induced AKI.

Methods: Four groups of eight mice each (n=8) were formed by randomly dividing the animals into the groups, glycerol-induced AKI model group, low-dose CT-treated group (50mg/kg), high-dose CT-treated group (100mg/kg), and control group. The renal functions of mice from all groups were evalua

Autoimmune hepatitis is an inflammatory disease and its incidence has been increasing. The features of hepatitis are the release of inflammatory cytokines, the elevation of AST and ALT, and hepatocyte apoptosis and necrosis. Concanavalin A considered as essential model represents the acute immune-mediated liver damage in rodents. Thymoquinone is well known herbal compound that exert hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity. In this study, we focus on the immunoregulatory and liver protective effect of thymoquinone in a mouse model of concanavalin A-induced liver injury.

Twenty-four male mice were randomly divided into four groups each containing six animals: Negative control group, concanavalin A model group,

Education around the world has been negatively affected by the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Many institutions had to transition to distance learning in compliance with the enforced safety measures. Distance learning might work well for settings with stable internet connections, professional technical teams, and basic implementation of technology in education. In contrast, distance learning faces serious challenges in less fortunate settings with inferior infrastructure. This report aims to shed light on the immediate action steps taken at a leading pharmacy school in Iraq to accommodate for the enforced changes in pharmacy education. The University of Baghdad College of Pharmacy went from less than minimal technology impl

Myelosuppression is one of the serious adverse effects of cancer chemotherapy that lead to life threatening febrile neutropenia and considered a limiting factor for successful therapy. Cyclophosphamide a widely used anticancer drugs, induces severe bone marrow suppression by damaging hematopoietic stem cells. As cancer incidence expands globally, the demand for an effective myeloprotective therapy during cancer treatment is also increasing.Nigella sativa seed oil, a well-known plant extract that widely used for various health conditions. This study aims to evaluate the myeloprotective activity of Nigella sativa seed oil in cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression mice model. Myelosuppression induced by single intraperitoneal injection o

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a semisynthetic derivative of the antineoplastic agent camptothecin used in a wide range as an anti-cancer agent in many solid tumors because of its cytotoxic effect through the interaction with the topoisomerase I enzyme. The major limiting factors for irinotecan treatment are its association with potentially life-threatening toxicities including neutropenia and acute or delayed-type diarrhea, results from distinct interindividual and interethnic variability due to gene polymorphism.

This is a cross sectional pharmacogentics study was conducted on 25 cancer patients to estimate the prevalence of UGT1A1*93 and ABCC5 allele single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in Iraqi cancer patients treated with irinotecan

Irinotecan induced-mucositis is an inflammatory event of intestine caused by an increase in concentration of active metabolite 7­ethyl­10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN­38) in the intestine. Irinotecan must first be converted by a carboxylesterase (CES) to the active metabolite (SN­38), which is subsequently glucuronidated by the hepatic enzyme to SN38G. The SN-38G is deconjugated in the intestine to SN-38 via ?-glucuronidase produced by the intestinal bacterial flora, which accounts for SN-38 delayed intestinal mucositis of irinotecan. To study the protective effect of mentha in irinotecan-induced mucositis, intestinal mucositis induced by I.P injection of irinotecan (75mg/Kg/day) for 4 days. Mentha ethanolic extract orally administered to

Objective: The study aimed to 1) measure the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Iraqi pharmacy and medical students at a number of universities in Baghdad using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and 2) investigate the association between various sociodemographic factors and students’ HADS scores. Methods: This study was based on a cross-sectional descriptive design in four universities in Baghdad, Iraq. Depression and anxiety were screened using an Arabic version of the HADS. An online survey was administered via Qualtrics to convenience samples of students at four colleges of pharmacy and a college of medicine between March and June 2018. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated

Introduction. Epilepsy is a progressive, chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) (MP) is one of the most commonly ingested herbal teas or tisanes with a single component. Aim. We aimed to assess the potential antiepileptic and neuroprotective features of MP essential oil (MPO) in pilocarpine (P) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) models of epilepsy. Methods. The study used eight groups of mice to assess the anticonvulsant activity of MPO in both the P and PTZ acute models in mice. P (350 mg/kg, i.p.) was given 30 minutes after MPO (1.6, 3.2, and 6.4 ml/kg, i.p.). As a positive control group, diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p) was used. PTZ (95 mg/kg, i.p.) was given 30 minutes after M

The human gastrointestinal system is a complex ecosystem crucial for well-being. During sepsis-induced gut injury, the integrity of the intestinal barrier can be compromised. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria, disrupts the intestinal barrier, contributing to inflammation and various dysfunctions. The current study explores the protective effects of limonene, a natural compound with diverse biological properties, against LPS-induced jejunal injury in mice. Oral administration of limonene at dosages of 100 and 200 mg/kg was used in the LPS mouse model. The Murine Sepsis Score (MSS) was utilized to evaluate the severity of sepsis, while serum levels of urea and creatinine served as indicators of renal f