Heavy metal (HM) pollution has long been a significant source of environmental deterioration and a problem for the safety of food. Iraqis prefer rice over any other food, and since heavy metals have a direct impact on health, their traces in rice have drawn particular attention. Before cooking rice, it is usual in Iraq to wash and soak it. Some 55 varieties of imported and local rice were sampled from Erbil city markets in 2022 with the aim of determining the concentration of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb before and after soaking. Standard procedure of acid digestions was applied on the raw and soaked samples. The solutions were analyzed using ICPE-9820 Shimadzu. The mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb (in mg/kg) in the rice samples before soaking was 0.655, 0.170, 0.160, 0.387, 0.489, respectively and after soaking 0.421, 0.109, 0.115, 0.124 and 0.336, respectively. The concentration of As and Pb was found to be beyond the optimum level of 0.2 mg/kg codex standards for rice; whereas Cd and Cr were within the proposed level of codex standards. Moreover, local rice showed higher concentration of (Cd and Cr), whereas (AS and Pb) concentration in imported rice was higher. Further, results validated that rice soaking can decrease levels of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb (32.5%, 40.2%, 27.9%, 61.6% and 31.3%, respectively). These findings suggest that soaking as a kitchen practice has efficiency to evaporate metals and has a great influence on the reduction of toxic heavy metals and thus reduces exposure to toxic metals in rice
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), also known as a common polygenic endocrine condition, affects the ovaries and results in infertility and abortion. Dyslipidemia, Diabetes, hypertension, endometrial cancer, and other illnesses may all be made more likely by PCOS. Various drugs are used to treat PCOS, but they have several drawbacks and cannot effectively cure the condition. Therefore, and due to its strong antioxidant activity, anti-obesity, anti-inflammation, and other actions, the flavonoid quercetin has been proven to have health-promoting properties. The purpose of the study was to assess quercetin's impact activity in the treatment of PCOS - induced rats. A PCOS rat model was developed using testosterone. Female albino Wistar
... Show MoreDue to the deterioration of water quality within the last few years because of the increase of water consumption and the waste water production and disposal into the river The water quality in both surface and ground water resources was negatively affected .The concept of water quality index is used as a tool for water quality classification in Tigris River within Baghdad City .Twenty two parameters of pollution were selected to measure the water quality indices of Tigris river within Baghdad city .Those parameters were measured during (2000-2004)as average monthly values ,three water treatment plants were selected out of the eight water treatment plants that exist along the river.Al Kharkh water treatment plant to reflect the water quality
... Show MoreThe research addresses smart city concept as it is the latest urban design trends, by the investment of the capabilities of human, and artificial intelligence for the sake of the advancement of the city. The concept of a smart city is described as one of the most important manifestations of the information revolution, with the end of the twentieth, and the beginning of twenty – first century, The research attributes the emergence of the concept to: deficiencies of means, and traditional methods in building and development of cities, as well as The significant increase in the number of city and global metropolises dwellers. So, smart city approach has been adopted, along with innovative principles and methods which cons
... Show MoreEvaluating the part of historical center in Baghdad City
The practice of self medication is continuously increasing worldwide due to its important roles in curing minor conditions or symptoms. This study was conducted to evaluate the factors associated with self medication practice of Iraqi respondents residing in Baghdad City. This study was designed as cross sectional study in which data was collected via direct interviews with respondents using a previously prepared questionnaire. This study investigated 348 respondents from different age groups. The majority of respondents were male aged between 30-60 years, married with secondary or academic level of education and employed with accepted monthly income. The main reason for practicing self medication was previous experience with the same condi
... Show MoreLoud noise can be extremely harmful to the auditory system as well as to human health. Noise pollution is primarily caused by traffic noise. The study's goal was to determine how various vehicle types and speeds affected the amount of noise generated by traffic. The two factors were investigated at seven different arterial streets throughout Kirkuk city to measure the noise levels. The measurements were performed during peak hours to compare the result with WHO standards for noise specification. Traffic volume and vehicle speed are shown to be the key elements that determine an increase in noise level.
Spinach, Spinacia oleracea L is a popular vegetable belonging to the family Chenopodiaceae. This study was concerned with extraction of compounds in Iraqi spinach leaves, preliminary phytochemical evaluation, identification of two biological important flavonols, quercetin and kaempferol in spinach leaves and evaluation of the protective effect of aqueous spinach extract on methotrexate (MTX) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The percentage yield of extraction procedure, identification of spinach by chemical tests and identification of flavonols by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were fully described in this study. The results indicate that the percentage of quarce
... Show MoreIt is well known that monotherapy does not provide therapeutic response in all hypertensive. Somepatients show an excellent response, while in others there is a poor response. Combinationantihypertensive therapy is administered when blood pressure is inadequately controlled bymonotherapy to achieve a balanced and additive antihypertensive effect with minimum adverse effects.Both angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and dihydropyridine type of calcium antagonistsare well established and widely used in monotherapy. An understanding of differences in themechanism of action of these agents allows a logical approach for the use of these agents as acombination therapy. This study was designed to evaluate the possible beneficial
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