Background: Arylesterase activity of Paraoxonase-1 (ARE-PON-1) exhibits an antioxidant role which protects lipoprotein from oxidation. It is known that ARE-PON-1 antioxidant activity associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) reduces the oxidative damage mediated by low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The present study was aimed to examine the level of serum ARE-PON1 in Iraqi patients with β-thalassemia minor and its relationship with lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-C), and LDL-C) and hematologic changes as a part of antioxidant system action. Methods: In the present study, the ARE-PON-1 activity was investigated in serum of patients with β-thalassemia minor. Resu

  Foot and ankle movements are essential in various activities like walking, running, and balance, where the mechanics of these movements are affected by the muscles around the ankle joint [1,2]. In this study, the correlations between isometric ankle torque and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius (GAS) in the course of dorsiflexion and plantarflexion was investigated. Eight healthy participants were enrolled for the study, where the ankle torque and surface Electromyography (sEMG) of the main flexors were measured and analyzed. The results showed that ankle torque is higher in plantarflexion than dorsiflexion. In addition, the TA has greater muscle activity during dorsiflexion, while the GAS presents higher ac

Arum maculatum is traditionally used for the control of many diseases and illnesses such as kidney pain, liver injury, hemorrhoids. However, the detailed biomedical knowledge about this species is still lacking. This study reports on the bioactive components and the possible mechanisms underlying the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of A. maculatum leaf extract. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for phytochemical analysis. Assay of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide ) (MTT) was used to determine the cytotoxicity in the murine cell line L20B upon exposure to different extract concentrations for 24 h. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect pro-in

The synthesis and bioactivity of zinc oxide nanoparticles has been extensively studied. The antibacterial activity of different antibiotics individually (ceftriaxone (C), chloramphenicol (CRO), penicillin (P) and amoxicillin (Ax)) and Zinc oxide nanoparticles (60μg/ml) in combination with the previously mentioned antibiotics has been demonstrated in the present study by using the disk diffusion assay method. The results showed a synergistic effect between Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and both Ax and P for most of the studied Gram-positive isolates (Staphylococcus aureus1, Staphylococcus aureus2, Staphylococcus epidermidis1, Staphylococcus epidermidis2, Enterococcus faecalis1, Enterococcus faecalis2 ) and between ZnO NPs and both C

Microbial lipases today occupy a place of prominence among biocatalysts owing to their ability to catalyze awide variety of reactions in aqueous and non- aqueous media, A.baumannii were isolated from different clinical specimens from hospitalized patients from Baghdad hospitals and were detected by biochemical tests and API20E system. The percentage of isolation was (16.6%), A. baumannii is an increasingly multidrug – resistant (MDR), it showed high level of resistant to Ceftriaxon, Colistin, Piperacillin, Co-trimoxazol, Tertracycline, Carbenicillin, Amoxicillin, Penicillin G, Gentamicin and Ceftazidim , wherease the isolates were highly sensitive to Imipenem, Ciprofloxacin, Meropenem, Amikacin, and Cefotaxime.

Many previous investigations have found quercetin to be a powerful antioxidant and antitumor flavonoid, but its poor bioavailability has limited its use. This current study investigated the effects of two newly synthesized Quercetin Schiff bases containing 2-amino thiadiazole-5-thiol (Q1), and its benzyl derivatives (Q2) on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed to determine the toxic effects of Q1 and Q2. Cytotoxicity valuation showed that both compounds inhibited MCF-7 cell growth, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity increased in a dose-dependent aspect compared to the control group. Comet assay results observed that Q1 and Q2 induce more serious DNA damage than the control (untreated cell

The catalytic activity of faujasite type NaY catalysts prepared from local clay (kaolin) with different Si/Al ratio was studied using cumene cracking as a model for catalytic cracking process in the temperature range of 450-525° C, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 5-20 h1, particle size ≤75μm and atmospheric pressure. The catalytic activity was investigated using experimental laboratory plant scale of fluidized bed reactor.
It was found that the cumene conversion increases with increasing temperature and decreasing WHSV. At 525° C and WHSV 5 h-1, the conversion was 42.36 and 35.43 mol% for catalyst with 3.54 Si/Al ratio and Catalyst with 5.75 Si/Al ratio, respectively, while at 450° C and at the same WHSV, the conversion w

In the current research, an eco-biosynthesis method for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is reported using thymus vulgaris leaves (T. vulgaris) extracts. The optical and structural properties of the nanoparticles is determined using UV-visible, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). In addition, the synthesis factors such as the temperature, the molar ratio of silver nitride and thymus vulgaris leaves extract have been investigated. The XRD pattern presented higher intensity for the five characteristic peaks of silver. FESEM images for same samples indicated that the particle size was distributed between 24-56 nm. In addition, it’s observed the formation of some aggregated Ag particles

In this study, (50–110 nm) magnetic iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of iron target in dimethylformamide (DMF) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions. The structural properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–VIS absorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of laser fluence on the characteristics of these nanoparticles was studied. Antibacterial activities of iron oxide nanoparticles were tested against Gram-positive; Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative; Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens. The results sh