ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Estrogens has traditionally been known as the female hormone, but this idea has been challenged in early 1990’s and an essential physiological role for estrogen in male fertility was identified. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring non-steroidal plant chemicals that can act like the female hormone estrogen. The herbs ( anise alfalfa and vervain ) chosen in this study contain phytoestrogens. OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrated controversy of the effects of phytoestrogens on the rat testes .Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to investigate the influence of typical dose of herbs containing phytoestrogen on the rat testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four apparently normal mature male rats were divided into four groups of 6 animals each. The first "control" group received only 4ml of distilled water as a placebo. The second group received 40mg/kg of anise seed; the third group received 53.3 mg/kg of dried herb of vervain and the fourth group received 400 mg /kg of alfalfa seeds. All experimental groups received the doses through orogastric tube daily for fourteen days. Testicular histology was evaluated by light and enzyme histochemistry. Plasma FSH and testosterone concentrations were taken to support our results. RESULTS: Histological examination of anise, alfalfa and vervain – treated groups showed an increase in the height of germinal epithelia. There was marked lipoprotein lipase activity in the whole of the interstitial tissue which is more in amount in experimental groups than that in control group. Acid phosphatase granules were infiltered the seminiferous epithelia mildly in control group , moderately in anise and vervain groups and markedly in alfalfa group. The number of interstitial cells showing marked acid phosphatase activity was higher in all experimental groups than that in control group. Alkaline phosphatase exhibited intense activity in the boundary tissue of the seminiferous tubules in testes of control and experimental groups but it appeared thicker in the latter. CONCLUSION: The low dose and short duration of treatment used in our study made these phytoestrogen – containing herbs to have a stimulatory effect on leydig cell steroidogenesis. This study also demonstrated that aniseed being the most potent of the three herbs followed by alfalfa in stimulating testosterone synthesis. This is possibly attributed to the coumarin constituent of aniseed and alfalfa. KEY WORDS: phytoestrogen-containing herbs, testis, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipoprotein lipase
This research aims to the possibility of evaluating the strategic performance of the State Board for Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) using a balanced scorecard of four criteria (Financial, Customers, Internal Processes, and Learning and Growth). The main challenge was that the State Board use traditional evaluation in measuring employee performance, activities, and projects. Case study and field interviews methodology has been adopted in this research with a sample consisting of the Chairman of the State Board, 6 General Managers, and 7 Department Managers who are involved in evaluating the strategic performance and deciding the suitable answers on the checklists to analyze it ac
... Show MoreThis research aims to the possibility of evaluating the strategic performance of the State Board for Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) using a balanced scorecard of four criteria (Financial, Customers, Internal Processes, and Learning and Growth). The main challenge was that the State Board use traditional evaluation in measuring employee performance, activities, and projects. Case study and field interviews methodology has been adopted in this research with a sample consisting of the Chairman of the State Board, 6 General Managers, and 7 Department Managers who are involved in evaluating the strategic performance and deciding the suitable answers on the checklists to analyze it according to the 7-points Likert scale. Data analysis re
... Show MoreThe effect of D phase polyamide (PA6)on the rheological properties, Young Modulus and the thermal expansion coefficient of two blends groups (bitumen-polyamide) were tested. The first group was for bitumen-PA6 blends and the second group for bitumen blended with polymer resulted from the crystallization of PA6-formic acid solution in water(PAFW).The obtained results proved that adding both types of polyamide has led to a rise in toughness and softening point temperature while the penetration Index approached -3 after adding the polyamide. So, all these changes make bitumen-polyamide blends more suitable for use in hot climate regions. The blends properties were explained according to the reaction that takes place between the polyamide and
... Show MoreAbstractOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term remission efficacy and safety of isotretinoin in the treatment of Behcet's disease (BD). PATIENTS and METHODS: This single-blind, controlled therapeutic study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital from February 2011 to January 2012. Thirty patients with BD were included in this work. Each patient received isotretinoin 20 mg orally once daily for 3 months. They were assessed at week 2 and then monthly depending on the Clinical Manifestation Index (CMI) and to record any side effects. At week 12, isotretinoin was stopped and patients were given placebo therapy in a form of glucose capsules for another 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty patients were tre
... Show MoreThe self-evident truth existing in today's business environment is the continuity of change and its continuity and turmoil, also its increase over time as it is more abundant, abundant, wide and complex than ever before, and it is the dominant feature in the business environment, as different organizations and operating units can find themselves shifting from the top to the bottom. And then it requires its departments to strive to adapt to these rapid and turbulent shifts and changes by bringing about a series of organizational and adaptive changes that are not limited to one organizational aspect only but rather include all organizational components. Accordingly, this research came to determine the readiness of public organizations to chan
... Show MoreIn many organizations, employees who have high mental skills are the main source of organizational creativity. When a firm does not put creativity as a goal, cannot stand solid against the competition. Nowadays, knowledge is the path to discover the innovation and creativity aspects, This can assist the firm to stand face to face with competition in the market. The importance of this research comes from detecting and knowing the relation between creativity and knowledge to know and detect the influence of organizational creativity on backing the management of knowledge and determine the final results. The problem of research is to trace the role of organizational creativity on knowledge management processes in order to enable the
... Show MoreThe study of homomorphisms in cubic sets is considered one of the important concepts that transfer algebraic properties between different structures, so we study a homomorphism of a cubic set of a semigroup in a KU-algebra and defined the product of two cubic sets in this structure. Firstly, we define the image and the inverse image of a cubic set in a KU-semigroup and achieve some results in this notion. Secondly, the Cartesian product of cubic subsets in a KU-semigroup is discussed and some important characteristics are proved.
The shoulder and hip joints though essentially both are ball and socket joints, show structural variability to serve functional needs.
This study aims at revealing some of the structural and functional properties of each of the two joints regarding the factors that contribute to the stability of any joint in the body, namely: bone, ligament, and muscle.