COVID-19 is a unique viral infectious illness that causes a variety of symptoms and health hazards, particularly to the respiratory system and has been declared a worldwide pandemic. The disease is characterized by a cytokine release in severe conditions. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a proinflammatory cytokine, mediates an important immunomodulatory process. Also, vitamin D was identified to have a role in the innate immunity of individuals. Our study was designed to find the role of IL-6 and vitamin D in COVID-19 patients, as well as, to see whether there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and cytokine syndrome development. The study included 90 COVID-19 patients and 30 control people from Baghdad, Iraq. The age of the participants was non-s

High-performance liquid chromatographic methods are used for the determination of water-soluble vitamins with UV-Vis. Detector. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic has been developed for determination of water-soluble vitamins. Identification of compounds was achieved by comparing their retention times and UV spectra with those of standards solution. Separation was performed on a C18 column, using an isocratic 30% (v/v) acetonitril in dionozed water as mobile phase at pH 3.5 and flow rate 1.0m/min. The method provides low detection and quantification limits, good linearity in a large concentration interval and good precision. The detection limits ranged from 0.01 to 0.025µg/ml. The accuracy of the method was

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) mean microbial pathogens in the urethra or bladder (lower urinary tract). Important risk factors for recurrent UTI include obstruction of the urinary tract, use of a bladder catheter or a suppressed immune system. This study aims to isolate and identify bacteria from patients with TCC-bladder cancer or patients with a negative cystoscope and estimate antibiotic susceptibility patterns and evaluate some of the virulence factors. From a total of 62 patients with TCC-BC or negative cystoscope, only 35 favorable bacterial growths were obtained, including Escherichia coli (UPEC), a significant bacterial isolate, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The percentage of multi drug-resistance bacteria

The activation of inflammatory cells, the release of their mediators, and the excessive production of free radicals may affect circulating lipids, but no evidence supports a role for peroxidation in the pathogenesis of Brucellosis disease. The aim of this work is to study the effect of Brucellosis on lipid profile concentration and oxidant-antioxidant status. We studied 20 Brucellosis patients (18 Females and 2 males) and 15 healthy controls (age average from 16 to 60 years old). Significant differences were noted between the serum lipids of Brucellosis patients and control group. Mean total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) concentrations were higher in patients than in control group (mean ± SE 197

The aim of the present study is to formulate floating effervescent microsponge tablet of the narrow absorption window drug, Baclofen (BFN) for controlling drug release and thereby decrease the side effect of the drug. The microsponges of BFN were prepared by non-aqueous emulsion solvent diffusion method (oil in oil emulsion method). The effects of drug: polymer ratio, stirring time and type of Eudragit polymer  on the physical characteristics of microsponges were investigated and characterized for production yield, loading efficiency, particle size, surface morphology, and in vitro drug release from microsponges. The selected microsponge formula was incorporated into the floating effervescent gastro-retentive tablet. The prepared fl

  The preferred route of drug administration is the oral route, but drugs with narrow absorption window in the gastrointestinal tract are still challenging. The ability to extend and monitor the gastric emptying time is a valuable tool for processes remaining in the stomach longer than other traditional dosage forms.

The purpose of this study was to formulate and evaluate gastroretentive superporous hydrogel (SPH) of carvedilol with view to improve its solubility and increase gastric residence time in order to get sustained release formulas via utilization of various kinds and concentrations of hydrophilic polymers then after, incorporate the best prepared formula into capsules.

 Sixteenth formulae of SPH h

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a synthetic fluor-surfactant chemical used widely in ‎products that resist oil, heat, grease, stains, and water. It is also used in producing other ‎fluoropolymers. The main sources of exposure to PFOA are water, soil, and animal-‎origin food (meat, fish, and dairy products). The aim of this study to evaluate the renal ‎function following oral gavage of sub-lethal dose of PFOA in diabetic and non-diabetic ‎guinea pigs. The experiment run for 4 weeks, total of 40 male guinea pigs, ‎‎(Cavia porcellus), were randomly selected and grouped into four equal groups. The first ‎group (G1) served as the negative control; 2nd group (G2) alloxan induced diabetic, 3rd ‎group (G3) non-diabeti

The objective of the study was to develop microneedle (MN) patch, with suitable properties to ensure the delivery of a therapeutic level of lornoxicam (LXM) in a period suitable to replace parenteral administration in patients, especially those who fear needles. The used polymers were cold water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) of low molecular weight with PEG 400 as plasticizer and Tween 80 (to enhance the release) using micro molding technique. Patches were studied for needle morphology, drug content, axial fracture force measurement and drug release while the optimized formulas were further subjected to pH measurement, folding endurance, ex vivo permeation study, histopathology study, stability study and

Background: Obesity is an evolving major health problem in both developed and developing countries. Traditional obesity indices as body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip-ratio are well known measures to identify obese subjects, however, neck circumference as an index of upper-body obesity was found to be a simple and time-saving screening measure that can be used to identify obesity and the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetic patients.
Aim: to investigate the relationship of neck circumference (NC) to obesity and metabolic syndrome in Iraqi subjects with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: The study group included 90 type 2 diabetic subjects (48 men and 42 women) aged 30-68 years. The subjects were those w