In fish, a complex set of mechanisms deal with environmental stresses including hypoxia. In order to probe the hypothesis that hypoxia-induced stress could be manifested in varieties of pathways, a model species, mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio), were chronically exposed to hypoxic condition (dissolved oxygen level: 1.80±0.6mg/l) for 21 days and subsequently allowed to recover under normoxic condition (dissolved oxygen level: 8.2±0.5mg/l) for 7 days. At the end of these exposure periods, an integrated approach was applied to evaluate several endpoints at different levels of biological organisation. These included determination of (i) oxidative damage to DNA in erythrocytes (using modified comet assay), (ii) lipid peroxidation in liver samples by measuring the malondialdehyde production using the 2-thiobarbituric acid [i.e. thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay] and (iii) histopathological changes in gills. In addition, transcriptional expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF-1α) and genes involved in the repair of oxidative damage to DNA (i.e. ogg1) and base excision repair (i.e. xrcc1) using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in liver samples were also determined. The results suggested significantly enhanced expression of these genes in response to hypoxia compared to concurrent normoxic controls. While the expression of HIF-1α reverted to control values within 7 days exposure to normoxic condition (P < 0.05), the transcriptional expression of the two genes involved in DNA repair process remained significantly high under the recovery period, which complemented the induction of oxidative damage to DNA. Hypoxic groups showed significantly increased values for TBARS level (~2-fold) and histopathological changes in gill tissues compared to both normoxic and recovery groups. Overall, oxidative damage to DNA determined by modified comet assay reflected the observed biological responses in other tissues of the fish. Along with other parameters, this integrated experimental design further strengthens the applications of the comet assay as an important technique to assess stress-induced DNA damage in ecotoxicological studies. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society.
Burdock ( Arctium lappa), is among the most popular plants in traditional medicine and it is associated with several biological effects. Literature survey revealed the presence of phenylpropanoid compounds .The most widespread are hydroxycinnamic acids ( mainly caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid) and lignans (mainly arctiin and arctigenin). This work will confirm the presence of these compounds in Arctium lappa, cultivated in Iraq, in both root and leaf samples. The dried plant samples were extracted by soxhlet with 80% methanol then separated the main constituents by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Identification of the isolated compounds wa
... Show MoreThe study aims to follow modern methods in teaching rhythmic gymnastics skills by directing learners to develop their perceptions and absorb what the world deals with today and develop intelligence among learners, the researchers searched for the strengths of the learner by providing them with an opportunity to form their kinetic formation, hence the problem came by introducing a method of self-intelligence and social to guide the learner in the search for ways and solutions to overcome boredom and economy Time and effort in the educational process in learning and give them the freedom to express their ideas And their skills and here came the role of social and self-intelligence to teach the individual and collective kinetic formati
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to know the characteristics of both variables in order to be able the to construct the integrated framework of its paragraphs through the available information on both inspirational leadership and organizational health. as fundamental variables of research, as well as the extent of the influence of the inspirational variable as an independent variable in the organizational health variable as a variable in its three physical, mental and social dimensions. The research is important to stimulate the behavior side of the staff. Which is one of the top concerns of senior management in the ministry, because of its great importance in increasing the effectiveness of the performance of e
... Show MoreChronic periodontitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease affecting tooth supporting structures in response to bacterial dental plaque causing irreversible tissue destruction. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an effective mediator in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Polymorphisms in the COX-2 gene may contribute to its overexpression and increased disease susceptibility. To evaluate the association between -1195 A/G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promotor area of the cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) gene and severity of chronic periodontitis in a sample of Iraqi population. -1195A/ G COX-2 SNP was investigated in 70 chronic periodontitis (CP) cases and 30 healthy controls. CP cases composed of 2 subgroups (35 moderate CP cases and 35 severe CP
... Show MoreBackground: Although various imaging modalities are available for evaluating suspicious breast lesions, ultrasound-based Shear-Wave Elastography (SWE) is an advanced, non-invasive technique complementary to grayscale sonography. This technique evaluates the elasticity of a specific tissue by applying sonic pressure to that tissue.
Objective: The aim is to assess the role of SWE in evaluating solid breast masses in correlation to histopathological study results.
Subjects and Methods: This prospective study was done in a tertiary care teaching hospital from September 2019 to August 2020. A study population of 50 women aged 18 years or above with an
... Show MoreThe present study was conducted to determine the effect of different concentrations of putrescine and spermidine at all stages of regeneration (callogenesis, somatic embryos multiplication, germination and rooting)) of date palm cultivar Barhee. Shoot tips were eradicated from 2-3 years old offshoots, surface sterilized and inoculated onto Murashiege and Skoog, 1962 (MS) medium supplemented with 20 mg/L 2,4-D and 3 mg/L N6-2-isopentyl adenine (2ip). Primary callus was obtained after 24 weeks on the nutrient medium. Calli were then transferred onto fresh MS medium containing 0.0, 50, 100 or 150 mg/L of putrescine or spermidine individually. Results were recorded after 12 weeks. A significant increase in embryonic callus fresh weights reached
... Show MoreMolecular barcoding was widely recognized as a powerful tool for the identification of organisms during the past decade; the aim of this study is to use the molecular approach to identify the diatoms by using the environmental DNA. The diatom specimens were taken from Tigris River. The environmental DNA(e DNA) extraction and analysis of sequences using the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) method showed the highest percentage of epipelic diatom genera including Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki, 1994 (21.1%), Cocconeis placentula Ehrenberg, 1838 (21.3%) and Nitzschia palea (Kützing) W. Smith, 1856 (16.3%).
Five species of diatoms: Achnanthidiu
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study was to determine the influence of environmental pH on production of biofilms and virulence genes expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Among 303 clinical and environmental samples 109 (61 + 48) isolates were identified as clinical and environmental P. aeruginosa isolates, respectively. Clinical samples were obtained from patients in the Al-Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad city, Iraq. Waste water from Al-Yarmouk hospital was used from site before treatment unit to collect environmental samples. The ability of prod