Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that triggers immune cells to produce cytokines and inflammatory mediators that are responsible for abnormal or aborted immune responses. This study highlights the evaluation of the Dectin-1 receptor and cytokine IL-37 in the serum of 80 patients who had miscarried in the first trimester and were infected with toxoplasmosis, as well as 40 pregnant women in the first trimester who had a successful pregnancy (control groups). The serum was first screened for the T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and then the serum levels of IL-37 and Dectin-1 were determined. The results showed that the serum level of Dectin-1 was significantly increased in anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG patients 362.382 ± 45.937 and 361.916 ± 71.993 ng/L respectively, as compared with the controls 155.702 ± 26.356 ng/L, while the serum level of IL-37 was convergent in anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG patients and controls 52.666 ± 4.272, 66.808 ± 9.132, and 51.984 ± 3.619 ng/L respectively, with no significant differences. In conclusion, Dectin-1 receptor may play a role in pregnancy loss, especially in T. gondii infection.
The specifications of lubricating oil are fundamentally the final product of materials that have been added for producing the desired properties. In this research, spherical nanoparticles copper oxide (CuO) and titanium oxides (TiO2) are added to SAE 15W40 engine oil to study the thermal conductivity, stability, viscosity of nano-lubricants, which are prepared at different concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1% by weight, and also their pour point, and flash point as five quality parameters. The obtained results show that CuO nanoparticles in all cases, give the best functionality and effect on engine oil with respect to TiO2. With 0.1 wt. % concentration, the thermal conductivity of CuO/oil and TiO2/
... Show MoreBackground and Aim: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a pivotal role in spermatogenesis through its regulatory functions in redox balance and gene expression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol (RES), a polyphenolic AhR modulator, and CH223191, a selective AhR antagonist, on male reproductive function in rats by assessing sperm quality, oxidative stress, testicular histopathology, and AhR gene expression. Materials and Methods: Forty adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups: (i) Control, (ii) dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle), (iii) RES (100 mg/kg i.p., twice weekly), and (iv) AhR⁻ (CH223191, 10 mg/kg i.p., twice weekly), treated for 60 days. Post-treatment, sperm motility, survival, viabi
... Show MoreBackground: Cardiomyopathy (CM) is a cardiac muscle disorder that can lead to heart failure (HF). It has several phenotypes, including dilated, hypertrophic, and restricted. Pro-inflammatory cytokines play a crucial part in the development and advancement of CM. Objective: This study aimed to measure the concentration of certain cytokines [Interleukin- 1β (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α)] in the serum of Iraqi patients with CM. Materials and Methods: Sixty CM patients and 30 healthy individuals with age ranged from 40 to 70 years old were enrolled in this study through their presence at Iraqi Center for Heart Diseases, Ghazy Al-Hariri Hospital for Surgical Specialties in the Medical City in Baghdad. The st
... Show MoreThe research aims to determine the effectiveness of auditing in light of the relationship between the governance of investment policy and the cost of debt in companies listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange. The problem of the research is to raise the question about the effect of the governance of investment policy and the cost of debt on the effectiveness of auditing and auditors. During the research, the most important of them were: the existence of an impact relationship on the effectiveness of auditing through the relationship between the governance of investment policy and the cost of debt. The companies listed in the Iraqi Stock Exchange lack an effective proposed guide or framework dealing with the governance of investment policy desp
... Show MoreAbstract
Value Added Tax (VAT) is one of the most important types of indirect taxes because of its advantages in achieving financial, economic and financial objectives. The introduction of VAT is part of the reform of the structure of the Lebanese public tax system aimed at reducing the fiscal deficit and resulting inflation, which still lacks a general consumption tax. There is also an urgent need to increase treasury revenues , Because of its broad tax base, as it imposes on the consumption of locally produced and imported goods, in addition to the role played by this tax in support of the local product &nbs
... Show MoreEmbedding an identifying data into digital media such as video, audio or image is known as digital watermarking. In this paper, a non-blind watermarking algorithm based on Berkeley Wavelet Transform is proposed. Firstly, the embedded image is scrambled by using Arnold transform for higher security, and then the embedding process is applied in transform domain of the host image. The experimental results show that this algorithm is invisible and has good robustness for some common image processing operations.
An investigation was conducted to suggest relations for estimating yield and properties of the improved light lubricating oil fraction produced from furfural extraction process by using specified regression.
Mass transfer in mixer-settler has been studied. Mass transfer coefficient of continuous phase, mass transfer coefficient of dispersed phase and the overall mass transfer coefficient extraction of light lubes oil distillate fraction by furfural are calculated in addition to all physical properties of individual components and the extraction mixtures.
The effect of extraction variables were studied such as extraction temperature which ranges from 70 to 110°C and solvent to oil ratio which ranges from 1:1 to 4:1 (wt/wt
... Show MoreCoronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to a massive global socio-economic tragedy that has impacted the ecosystem. This paper aims to contextualize urban and rural environmental situations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.
An online survey was conducted, 6770 participants were included in the final analysis, and 64% were females. The majority of the participants were urban citizens (74%). Over 50% of the urban residents significantly (