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.
Previous studies in Euro-American countries have shown that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection have increased levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms. While chronic hepatitis C virus infection has been reported in Arab countries such as Iraq, there is little studies about the neuropsychological burden associated with chronic hepatitis C among patients in the Arab region. The aim of the current study was to measure the prevalence and level of severity of depression, anxiety and stress among a sample of chronic hepatitis C patients in AL-Najaf province /Iraq. The current study was cross-sectional study carried out on (110) already diagnosed chronic viral hepatitis C patients who attended the Gastroenterology and Hepatology
... Show MoreThe Gullfaks field was discovered in 1978 in the Tampen area of the North Sea and it is one of the largest Norwegian oil fields located in Block 34/10 along the western flank of the Viking Graben in the northern North Sea. The Gullfaks field came on stream in 1986 and reached a peak of production in 2001. After some years, a decrease in production was noticed due to the decrease in pressure in the well. The goal of this paper is to improve the production of a well located in Gullfaks field by injecting CO2 through coiled tubing. The use of the CO2 injection method is due to the fact that it is a greenhouse gas, and its production in the atmosphere contributes to global warming. It is important to reduce its emission
... Show MoreIn this paper, a polymer-based composite material was prepared by hand Lay-up method consisting of epoxy resin as a base material reinforced by magnesium oxide powder once and silicon dioxide powder again and with different weight ratios (3, 6, 9 and 12) wt %. The three-point bending test was performed in normal conditions and after immersion in sulfuric acid. The results showed that the bending value decreased with the increase of the weighted ratio of the reinforcement material (MgO, SiO2). The Bending of samples reinforced by SiO2 was found to be less than the bending of samples reinforced by particles (MgO). For example, the bending of the SiO2 sample (0.32 mm) at the weighted ratio (3%) and for the MgO (0.18mm) sample at the weight
... Show MoreBackground: Assessment is an important part of the learning cascade in education. Students realize it as an influential motivator to direct and guide their learning. The method of assessment determines the way the students reach high levels of learning. It has been documented that one of factor affecting students’ choice of learning approach is the way how assessment is being performed. Many methods of assessment namely multiple choice questions, essay questions and others are mainly used to assess basic science knowledge in undergraduate education. Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare multiple choice questions (MCQ) and essay questions (EQ) (record the success and failure rate of multiple choice questions (MCQ) and essay quest
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to evaluate the hepato-protective property of (Arachis hypogea L.) peanut skin extracts in CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The antioxidant activity was measured utilizing 2, 2-diphenyl-1-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity. The results showed that the methanolic extract was the highest free radical scavenging activity than the aqueous extract with values (92.34 ± 0.45 and 87.62 ± 0.44) respectively in 12 mg/mL compared to 89.61 ± 0.34 for Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and 93.25 ± 0.06 for vitamin C, which means that the methanolic extract of peanut skin is superior to BHT. Furthermore, the total phenolic content was analyzed by using Folin-Ciocalteu method, the amount of total phenol in a
... Show MoreAbortion is a condition that occurs due to one of the pathological injuries, often one of the members of the TORCH is the real cause. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of toxoplasmosis, HSV-2 infections with abortion, and also, the identification of immunogenetics marker (interleukin-10) that may be associated with abortion. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG, IgM, Herpes simplex virus-2 IgM, human soluble leukocyte antigen class I–G and interleukin10 were estimated by ELISA technique, while the expression of IL-10 gene was investigated by using the real-time PCR. The results showed that among aborted women the rate of anti-Toxoplasma and HSV-2 IgM antibodies occurred within the age groups (21–30) years and (31–40) years 32(100.0%) a
... Show MoreBackground: Enforcement of sustainable and green chemistry protocols has seen colossal surge in recent times, the development of an effective, eco-friendly, simple and novel methodologies towards the synthesis of valuable synthetic scaffolds and drug intermediates. Recent advances in technology have now a more efficient means of heating reactions that made microwave energy. Efforts to synthesize novel heterocyclic molecules of biological importance are in continuation. Microwave irradiation is well known to promote the synthesis of a variety of organic and inorganic compounds. The aim of current study was to conceivea mild base mediated preparation of novel Schiff base of 2-Acetylpheno with trimethoprim drug (H2TPBD) and its complexes w
... Show MoreThe freedom to promote ideas is one of the freedoms protected by constitutions and laws, and it is exercised by individuals through traditional and electronic media. However, this freedom must be exercised according to certain limits, represented by the necessity of respecting human rights, just as individuals have the freedom to exercise their right to publish and express their opinion in every way. Frankly, in return, she must respect the rights of others . Perhaps the development that has occurred in the various media, including journalism, radio, television, and the emergence of a new medium represented by the Internet, has contributed significantly to harming the security of individuals through the promotion of extremist ideas. This be
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