Cardiac toxicity can occur during the therapy with several cytotoxic drugs, including 5- Fluorouracil (5- FU). It is an antimetabolite that acts during the S phase of the cell cycle and is activated by thymidine phosphorylase into fluorodeoxyuridylate (5 fluoro 2'deoxyuridine 5'monophosphate, 5-FdUMP) that inhibits thymidylate synthase, thus preventing DNA synthesis that leads to imbalanced cell growth and ultimately cell death. It is still a widely used anticancer drug, since 1957. The present study aimed to evaluate the possible cardio-protective effects of ethanolic artichoke extract (Cynara scolymus L.) against 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induced cardio-toxicity in rats by evaluating serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase enzymes. Methods: Twenty -four female albino rats were randomly divided into 4 groups each group with 6 rats. Group I: (negative control) received oral daily dose of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (2 ml/kg /day) for 10 successive days. Group II: (positive control) received oral daily dose of DMSO (2 ml/kg /day) for 10 successive days and subsequently administered single dose of 5-FU (150 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection on 8th day in association with DMSO. Groups III: received oral daily dose of ethanolic artichoke extract (200 mg/kg/day) for 10 successive days. Groups IV: received oral daily dose of ethanolic artichoke extract (200 mg/kg/day) for 10 successive days with subsequently administered single intraperitoneal dose of 5-FU (150 mg/kg) on 8th day in association with ethanolic extract. Results: Treatment of ethanolic artichoke extract prior 5-FU intoxication significantly attenuate the increase of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) enzymes activities caused by 5-FU-induced cardio-toxicity in rats. Conclusions: Results of the present finding suggest that the ethanolic artichoke extract may be an effective modulator in mitigating 5-FU induced cardiac toxicity in rats.
Keywords: Ethanolic artichoke extract, 5-Fluorouracil, Cardio-protection, AST, ALT and CK.
The present study has conducted to investigate the effect of hot aqueous extract of seeds and leaves of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) on embryonic development in Swiss albino mice morphologically , the results is showed throught dosage pregnant female orally after period 4, 8, 12days at the beginning of pregnancy by doses 100 , 200 , 300 mg/kg of body weight , the results showed normal period of pregnancy 21 days and abortion did not occur when the pregnant mice take the hot aqueous extract of leaves of fenugreek, but the pregnant mice that take the hot aqueous extract of seeds of fenugreek occurred abortion of embryos and showed some histopathological changes in ovaries and uterus such as congestion, hemorrhage, necrosis, odema,
... Show MoreBackground: The interest in herbal extracts as antimicrobial agents has increased over the past few years in endodontic therapy. Nasturtium officinale (watercress) is a promising plant with great medicinal values. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of watercress oil in combination with calcium hydroxide against Candida albicans as intracanal medicament. Materials and Methods: Candida albicans was isolated from patients with necrotic root canal or failed root canal treatment. The sensitivity of Candida albicans to different concentrations of watercress oil extract was determined by using the agar well diffusion method in comparison with calcium hydroxide paste. The agar plate method was used to determine the minimum fung
... Show MoreGlobal warming has a serious impact on the survival of organisms. Very few studies have considered the effect of global warming as a mathematical model. The effect of global warming on the carrying capacity of prey and predators has not been studied before. In this article, an ecological model describing the relationship between prey and predator and the effect of global warming on the carrying capacity of prey was studied. Moreover, the wind speed was considered an influencing factor in the predation process after developing the function that describes it. From a biological perspective, the nonnegativity and uniform bounded of all solutions for the model are proven. The existence of equilibria for the model and its local stability is inves
... Show MoreBackground: The disc prolapse is a common condition especially in young adults. Different levels are affected in the lumber region; the L4/L5 disc is more susceptible to longitudinal load and is the most common site of lumbar disc prolapse. The L5/S1 disc is protected from torsion load by strong ilio-lumbar ligaments but it is more susceptible to axial compressive forces. Many factors affect the result and outcome of surgery in these levels.Objective: The aim of this study is to correlate operative data, short-term results, complications, and prognostic factors (age, gender, mobility, hospital stay, and level of pain) for one-level lumber discectomybetween different levels (L4–L5 vs. L5–S1).Methods In this prospective study, 32 patie
... Show MoreIn the present work, heterojunction diode detectors will be prepared using germanium wafers as a substrate material and 200 nm tin sulfide thickness will be evaporated by using thermal evaporation method as thin film on the substrate. Nd:YAG laser (λ=532 nm) with different energy densities (5.66 J/cm2 and 11.32 J/cm2) is used to diffuse the SnS inside the surface of the germanium samples with 10 laser shots in different environments (vacuum and distilled water). I-V characteristics in the dark illumination, C-V characteristics, transmission measurements, spectral responsivity and quantum efficiency were investigated at 300K. The C-V measurements have shown that the heterojunction were of abrupt type and the maximum value of build-in pot
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to evaluate the effect of lead exposure on hemopoetic system (through the index delta-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase ?-ALAD activity & hemoglobin concentration (Hb) ) and on iron status (levels of iron Fe, Ferritin Fr, Total iron binding capacity TIBC, percentage of transferine saturation TF%) in 44 Iraqi worker at lead batteries factory. Workers divided into two groups: smokers(n=21) mean aged (37.33±4.82 year)and non smokers(n=23) mean aged(40.78±7.89 year) and 45 healthy subjects mean aged (33.97±5.08)as control group . Activity of ?-ALAD ratio shows significant decrease (p ? 0.05) ,while Hb and hematocrit Hct were non significant (p ? 0.05) in smoker workers more than non smoker as compared to control . The r
... Show MoreCohesive soils present difficulties in construction projects because it usually contains expansive clay minerals. However, the engineering properties of cohesive soils can be stabilized by using various techniques. The research aims to elaborate on the influences of using hydrated lime on the consistency, compaction, and shear strength properties of clayey soil samples from Sulaimnai city, northern Iraq. The proportions of added hydrated lime are 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% to the natural soil sample. The results yielded considerable effects of hydrated lime on the engineering properties of the treated soil sample and enhancement its strength. The soil's liquid limit, plasticity index, and optimum moisture content were de
... Show MoreThe possible effects of COVID-19 vaccines on reproductive health and male fertility in particular have been discussed intensely by the scientific community and the public since their introduction during the pandemic. On news outlets and social media platforms, many claims have been raised regarding the deleterious effects of COVID-19 vaccines on sperm quality without scientific evidence. In response to this emerging conflict, we designed this study to evaluate and assess the effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility represented by the semen analysis parameters.