Leishmaniasis is a group of parasitic diseases caused by Leishmania spp., an endemic infectious agent in developing countries, including Iraq. Diagnosis of cutaneous lesion by stained smears, serology or histopathology are inaccurate and unable to detect the species of Leishmania. Here, two molecular typing methods were examined to identify the promastigotes of suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis samples, on a species level. The first was species-specific B6-PCR and the second was ITS1-PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using restriction enzyme HaeIII. DNA was extracted from in vitro promastigote culture followed by amplification of kDNA by B6 or amplification and digestion of LITSR/L5.8S. PCR produced bands of ~359 bp and ~450 bp for B6 and ITS1, respectively. Digestion of ITS1 by RFLP revealed two distinct bands of ~150 bp and ~300 bp size. The results reviled that the two isolates belong to cutaneous Leishmaniasis, specifically Leishmania tropica. In conclusion, the confirmation of the studied methods will improve rapid and accurate diagnosis of Leishmania species of the most prevalent Iraqi strain of cutaneous leishmaniasis, L. tropica.
Nanomaterials, including nanoparticles such as iron oxide nanoparticles, have received great attention from researchers due to their unique properties and applications. There are several diverse methods, including chemical, physical, and green biological methods, to prepare iron oxide nanoparticles. The green method was chosen because it is safer, purer, and less toxic compared to other methods. Therefore, the green method is a promising and environmentally friendly method in the near future. The aqueous extract of Iraqi orange leaves was used to prepare nano iron oxide, it was examined structurally and spectrally by several techniques (X-ray diffraction- XRD, Fourier transform infrared - FT-IR, field emission scanning electron micr
... Show MoreThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in medical education and healthcare systems worldwide. The disease can cause life-threatening conditions and it presents challenges for medical education, as instructors must deliver lectures safely, while ensuring the integrity and continuity of the medical education process. It is therefore important to assess the usability of online learning methods, and to determine their feasibility and adequacy for medical students. We aimed to provide an overview of the situation experienced by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical students regarding electronic medical education.
... Show MoreBackground: This in vitro study compares a novel calcium-phosphate etchant paste to conventional 37% phosphoric acid gel for bonding metal and ceramic brackets by evaluating the shear bond strength, remnant adhesive and enamel damage following water storage, acid challenge and fatigue loading. Material and Methods: Metal and ceramic brackets were bonded to 240 extracted human premolars using two enamel conditioning protocols: conventional 37% phosphoric acid (PA) gel (control), and an acidic calcium-phosphate (CaP) paste. The CaP paste was prepared from β-tricalcium phosphate and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate powders mixed with 37% phosphoric acid solution, and the resulting phase was confirmed using FTIR. The bonded premolars were exp
... Show MoreThe electronic characteristics, including the density of state and bond length, in addition to the spectroscopic properties such as IR spectrum and Raman scattering, as a function of the frequency of Sn10O16, C24O6, and hybrid junction (Sn10O16/C24O6) were studied. The methodology uses DFT for all electron levels with the hybrid function B3-LYP (Becke level, 3-parameters, Lee–Yang-Parr), with 6-311G (p,d) basis set, and Stuttgart/Dresden (SDD) basis set, using Gaussian 09 theoretical calculations. The geometrical structures were calculated by Gaussian view 05 as a supplementary program. The band gap was calculated and compared to the measured valu
... Show MoreIn this study, the first kind Bessel function was used to solve Kepler equation for an elliptical orbiting satellite. It is a classical method that gives a direct solution for calculation of the eccentric anomaly. It was solved for one period from (M=0-360)° with an eccentricity of (e=0-1) and the number of terms from (N=1-10). Also, the error in the representation of the first kind Bessel function was calculated. The results indicated that for eccentricity of (0.1-0.4) and (N = 1-10), the values of eccentric anomaly gave a good result as compared with the exact solution. Besides, the obtained eccentric anomaly values were unaffected by increasing the number of terms (N = 6-10) for eccentricities (0.8 and 0.9). The Bessel
... Show MoreBackground: This study evaluates transdermal delivery of tamoxifen (TXN) as an alternative to the oral route of administration in treating breast cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women globally. Oral TXN, a Class II drug, is associated with first-pass metabolism and serious side effects, including secondary cancers. Objectives: To enhance transdermal delivery, lipid-based transethosomes (TRS) were formulated using three different 24 factorial designs with various non-ionic surfactants, including Tween 20®, Span 20®, and Span 80®. Methods: Optimized TRS formulations were incorporated into HPMC-based gels and characterized for morphology, drug content, pH, viscosity, spreadability, ex vivo skin penetrat
... Show MoreIn this study, the new azo dye,5,5-[1,2-phenylenebis(2,1-biazenediyl)] bis[8-quinolino], was used to synthesize complexes with Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ ions. The compounds were characterized using 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), diffevential scanning calovimltry (DSC), CHN analysis. Further, conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, and metal and chlorine content analysis using FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that the ligand chelates as a bidentate (OH) phenol group and a bidentate (C=N) ring group. The ligand exhibited tetradentate behavior, forming tetrahedral complexe
... Show MoreThe dual nature of asphalt binder necessitates improvements to mitigate rutting and fatigue since it performs as an elastic material under the regime of rapid loading or cold temperatures and as a viscous fluid at elevated temperatures. The present investigation assesses the effectiveness of Nano Alumina (NA), Nano Silica (NS), and Nano Titanium Dioxide (NT) at weight percentages of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% in asphalt cement to enhance both asphalt binder and mixture performance. Binder evaluations include tests for consistency, thermal susceptibility, aging, and workability, while mixture assessments focus on Marshall properties, moisture susceptibility, resilient modulus, permanent deformation, and fatigue characteristics. NS notably im
... Show MoreAmid the growing demand for multifunctional and environmentally benign materials, lead-free double perovskites have emerged as a strategically important development in advanced functional materials research. This study presents the synthesis of Ba2PrMnO6 (BPMO) double perovskite nanocrystals for the first time via a hydrothermal method, and a comprehensive evaluation has been conducted using the density functional theory (DFT) framework. Structural, thermodynamic, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties were investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, FESEM/EDX, FTIR, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. XRD confirms a stable tetragonal I4/m phase with experimental lattice con
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