Organophosphorus insecticide and growth regulator namely Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) are widely used as a ripening process accelerator and a cultivation duration inhibitor. Pomegranate extract (PPE) has recently been taken into consideration due to its pharmacological effects especially those associated with renal diseases. Thus, this study aims to investigate the possible protective effect of PPE against ethephon-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. In this study four groups of adult male rats were divided into control group, PPE 400 mg/kg group, Ethephon 250 mg/kg group, and finally, PPE + Ethephon group (treated with the same dose of PPE group and Ethephon group). In the current study, kidney function parameters (KIM-1, creatinine, and urea) along with oxidative stress markers, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), glutathione (GSH) and its correlated enzymes, nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) were estimated. Additionally, mediators of renal inflammation: interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were measured. Apoptotic biomarkers (Bax, caspase 3, and Bcl2) in addition to renal histopathological data were also investigated. Results revealed that Ethephon elicited a significant increase in oxidation markers and reduced antioxidant levels, accompanied by oxidative renal tissue injury. Consequently, administration of Ethephon was reported to provoke secretion of the pro-inflammatory mediators. Moreover, histopathological results showed that deformities in the renal tissues were noticed which is attributed to Ethephon exposure. Interestingly, co-administration of PPE and Ethephon resulted in significantly ameliorated the biochemical and histopathological alterations produced by Ethephon. Current results propose the potential effect of PPE in the protection of renal tissue from Ethephon induced nephrotoxicity in rats.
Asphalt Hot Mix (HMA) is mainly applied in highway construction in Iraq because of its economic advantage and easy maintenance. Various factors impact the performance of HMA in the field. It is one of the significant impacts on aggregate gradation. The Universal Specification for Roads and Bridges in Iraq (SCRB) limits the different types of asphalt layers and allows for designed tolerance aggregate gradation. It is quite hard for contractors in the present asphalt industries to achieve the required job mix because of sieves' control problems. This study focuses on the effects on the required specification performance of aggregate deviations by using original and modified asphalt binder with AC(40-50) and
... Show MoreIn recent years, the positioning applications of Internet-of-Things (IoT) based systems have grown increasingly popular, and are found to be useful in tracking the daily activities of children, the elderly and vehicle tracking. It can be argued that the data obtained from GPS based systems may contain error, hence taking these factors into account, the proposed method for this study is based on the application of IoT-based positioning and the replacement of using IoT instead of GPS. This cannot, however, be a reason for not using the GPS, and in order to enhance the reliability, a parallel combination of the modern system and traditional methods simultaneously can be applied. Although GPS signals can only be accessed in open spaces, GP
... Show MorePhase change material (PCM) is considered as one of the most effective thermal energy storage (TES) systems to balance energy supply and demand. A key challenge in designing efficient PCM-based TES systems lies in the enhancement of heat transmission during phase transition. This study numerically examines the privilege of employing twisted-fin arrays inside a shell-and-tube latent heat storage unit to improve the solidification performance. The presence of twisted fins contributes to the dominating role of heat conduction by their curved shapes, which restricts the role of natural convection but largely aids the overall heat-transfer process during solidification. The heat-discharge
Morus alba, member of the Moraceae family, is a perennial tree utilized in folk medicine, preparing the modern drug, and considered the main food for silkworms. However, data on chemical content in the leaves is still limited; the main objective of this study is to detect the presence and determine the concentration of different polyphenolic constituents in the leaves of the Morus alba plant by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and evaluate the cytotoxic effect of ethyl acetate extract of this plant on human breast cancer (AMJ-13) cell line. Phytochemical analysis of the Morus alba leaves ethyl acetate extract led to identifying and quantification of six polyphenolic constituents designated as phenolic a
... Show MoreThe research seeks to highlight the importance of digital finance in banking by providing financial and banking services and its role in improving the access of financial services to customers at the farthest possible point by using modern technology to finance their needs by granting them cash credits through electronic payment tools to facilitate them and shorten time and effort as well as Low cost, and this cannot be achieved without concerted efforts and the provision of basic infrastructure that includes connecting the Internet to all targeted areas, whether cities or rural areas, as well as distributing the largest possible number of ATMs and sending specialized teams to those areas that develop in customers the culture of digital
... Show MoreThis study deals with the subject of art criticism by using Erwin Panofsky's theory to analyze a few Saudi artists' works. The study aims to identify Panofsky's theory and provide criticism of some Saudi artworks using it. The importance of the study is that it enriches the field of art criticism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and helps critics and artists in using Panofsky’s theory to analyze artworks.
The study sample consists of six artworks produced in 2021 by six contemporary Saudi artists. In the theoretical section, the study dealt with several topics; first, is art criticism, the second part presents Panofsky’s theory with its three stages, the final part deals with the beginning of Saudi art until present time and its
Mutans streptococci (MS) are a group of oral bacteria considered as the main cariogenic organisms. MS consists of several species of genus Streptococcus which are sharing similar phenotypes and genotypes. The aim of this study is to determine the genetic diversity of the core species of clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus downei by using repitative extragenic palindromic (REP) primer. The DNA of the clinical strains of S. mutans (n=10), S. sobrinus (n=05) and S. downei (n=04) have been employed in the present study, which have been previously isolated from caries active subjects. The DNA of the clinical and reference strains was
... Show MoreThe herbal remedy individually or in combination with standard medicines has been used in diverse medical treatises for the cure of different diseases. Pumpkin seed oil is one of the recognized edible oil and has substantial medicinal properties due to the presence of unique natural edible substances. Inflammation is an adaptive response that is triggered by noxious stimuli and conditions, which involves interactions amongst many cell types and mediators, and underlies many pathological processes. Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) can influence inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, and have been indicated as alternative anti-inflammatory agents to treat several inflammatory skin disorders. Pumpkin seed oil is rich in (UFAs), that its t
... Show Moreتشهد بیئة الأعمال المعاصرة جملة من التغیرات والتطورات التكنولوجیة وتزایداً في حدةالمنافسة، وأتساع الفجوة بین العاملین والإدارة ، وقدرة الإدارة على التمییز بین الموظفین، والمشاركة فيإتخاذ القرارات، الامر الذي یلقي على عاتق شركة التأمین إجراء التغییر التنظیمي لتحقیق تطور فيالخدمات التأمینیة التي تقدمها للجمهور من تنوع التغطیات التأمینیة )الوثائق( والسرعة في تسویةالتعویضات وغیرها من الانشطة التي تمارسه
... Show MoreThis study aims to measure and analyze the direct and indirect effects of the financial variables, namely (public spending, public revenues, internal debt, and external debt), on the non-oil productive sectors with and without bank credit as an intermediate variable, using quarterly data for the period (2004Q1–2021Q4), converted using Eviews 12. To measure the objective of the study, the path analysis method was used using IBM SPSS-AMOS. The study concluded that the direct and indirect effects of financial variables have a weak role in directing bank credit towards the productive sectors in Iraq, which amounted to (0.18), as a result of market risks or unstable expectations in the economy. In addition to the weak credit ratings of borr
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