Abstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead levels was taken from their medical records. Results: No significant differences were noticed between the prevalence of autism and both of age (P=0.843) and gender (P=0.699). The majority of children have no family history of autism (85%). Mean blood lead level for all participants was 16.01 μg/dl. The statistically significant difference in lead level was found between autistic and non-autistic children (17.38± 1.86 μg/dl in autism group versus 14.27± 1.57 μg/dl in non-autism group) with a P value of 0.001. Discussion: Mean blood lead level was high in all participants, compared to the international values, which might indicate a high level of lead exposure in Iraqi children due to environmental pollution. Autistic children have higher lead levels than non-autistic ones and this might explain the role of lead in the etiology of autism.
A survey of entomopathogenic and other opportunistic fungi isolated from soil samples collected from insect hibernation sites in different habitats in Kurdistan region of Iraq was carried out during October to December 2009. By using dilution plate method, two entomopathogenic species (Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill.and Isaria javanica (Friedrichs & Bally) Samson & Hywel-Jones) were detected with isolation percentage (38.46%) each. Other opportunistic fungi such as Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, A.niger, Penicillium glabrum, P. digitatum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Syncephalastratum racemosum
Abstract
At any moment, the continuous usage of medications can accompanied by DNA damage and the accumulation of such damages can cause serious consequences. Antidepressants are long-term used drugs and the incidence of their genotoxic impacts cannot be excluded. Therefore, this work was designed to investigate the possible genotoxic effects of the commonly used antidepressants (fluoxetine and amitriptyline) in adult male rats.
Detection of DNA damage in individual cells was assessed by comet and micronucleus assays in three different cell populations i.e. liver, testis and bone marrow tissues of 24 swiss albino adult male rats. The animals were randomly allocated into three groups of 8 rats ea
... Show MoreObjectives The gold standard in the field of periodontal research currently is to find a valid biomarker that can reliably be used for diagnosing periodontal diseases. Given the limitations of the current diagnostic tools that stall to predict susceptible individuals and determine whether active tissue destruction is occurring, there is an increased urge to develop alternative diagnostic techniques that would compensate for the problems inherited in these available methods, such as measuring levels of biomarkers present in oral fluids such as saliva; so the aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic potential of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and IL-10 to differentiate periodontal health
Background. Colorectal cancer, ranking second place in global cancer mortality, arises from diverse causes. There is growing recognition of the substantial involvement of the epigenetic modifications of histones at the DNA level in the occurrence of CRC. Aim. To assess the expression of p53, HDAC1, and HDAC3 proteins in a cohort of CRC patients and to analyze potential relationship between their expression and the stages of CRC progression. Materials and Methods. The retrospective investigation was carried out on 95 paraffin-embedded CRC tissue samples. The expression of p53, HDAC1, and HDAC3 was assessed immunohistochemically. Results. Notably, the expression of the p53 protein in CRC tissue samples exhibited a prominent correlatio
... Show MoreIn the present study, histological study was carried out on adult chickens to shed light on the effects of GH and IGF-1 on the heart, liver, and gizzard. The microscopic examination had shown that GH and IGF1 promote protein synthesis in the heart tissue. The herein work referred to the presence of a considerable amount of adipose tissue among the bundles of cardiac muscles, which is related to the metabolic process. The results also revealed that GH and IGF-1 promote both protein synthesis and Mitosis in the tissues of the liver and gizzard Moreover, the above hormones stimulate apoptosis, regeneration and secretory activity in gizzard secretory glands
Background: Chronic periodontitis is a bacterial infection that result in bone destruction associated with the increasing level of salivary tumor necrosis alpha and interleukin6 that affect Mother-infant bonding status. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between the Mother-infant bonding status in mothers with chronic periodontitis in relation to Salivary Tumor necrosis factor alpha and Salivary Interleukin6. Materials and Methods: The selected sample consisted of mothers with chronic periodontitis compared with mothers with healthy periodontium in postpartum period, their age ranged between 30-40 years. Both groups were subjected to postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Periodontal health status was assessed f
... Show MorePhytoplankton community is a model for of monitoring aquatic systems and interpreting the environmental change in aquatic systems. The present study aimed to forecast environmental parameters that drive the change of phytoplankton community structure in the lake. The present study was carried out in Baghdad Tourist Island Lake (BTIL) for the period From October 2021 to May 2022. The study included the quality and quantity of phytoplankton, moreover, the highest and lowest value of the physical and chemical parameters were (Water temperature (13-30 °C), Light penetration (94-275cm), electric conductivity (837-1128 µS/cm), salinity (0.5-0.7 ‰), pH (7-8.2), total alkalinity (126-226 mg CaCO3/L), total Hardness (297-395 mg CaCO3/L
... Show MoreIn 2010, the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) was reported for the first time in Iraq. The larvae can feed on all parts of tomato plants and can damage all the growth stages. The main host plant is tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, but it can also attack other plants in Solanaceae family. In this study it was found attacking alfalfa plants, Medicago sativa in Baghdad Province. This finding reveals that alfalfa also serves as a host plant for T. absoluta in Iraq.