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
BACKGROUND: Anemia during pregnancy is still a challenge throughout the world, and it may cause severe health consequences in the maternal and fetal sides. AIM: This study aims to find out the prevalence of maternal anemia and potential adverse outcomes in Iraq. METHODS: In Medical City Tertiary Center in Baghdad, singleton pregnant ladies came for delivery were involved over 6 months’ period. Based on hemoglobin (Hb) readings; they were divided into no anemia group (Hb>11 g/l) and anemia group which were further subdivided into mild, moderate, and severe (Hb =10–10.9, =7.1–9.9, and <7 g/l, respectively). Full history and examination were performed by attending obstetrician and pediatrician for the upcoming b
... Show MoreThis study was conducted at the Poultry Research Station of the Agricultural Research Department/Ministry of Agriculture in Abu Ghraib for the period from 25/2/2019 to 7/4/2019 (42 days) with the aim of using several levels of Spirulina (SP)
Business incubator is a new effective mechanism in developing small projects through its introductions of a new integral system of services. It aims at supporting and developing making new projects. Hence, there is a big number of factors that are interrelated in the processes of preparation for those projects. Those factors are: organizing the incubator and the market available for the projects attached to them and the work programs which will have to be implemented. Those small projects represent more than 98% of the total work institutions in the world. Also it has become responsible for a ration reaching half of the national output of those countries. These projects have created between 40 to 80% of job opportunities availabl
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Genetic material is the most important component of cells because it contains the genetic information; hence any disruption to the structure chromosome of cells could lead to very bad results. Genotoxicity use to evaluate the safety of any chemical compounds on genetic materials. Artificial food flavoring additive are chemical substances to produce specific placebo effects added to foods but impart specific flavor to it.
The present study evaluates the genotoxic effect of artificial food flavoring additive on structure of chromosomes at three different concentrations (50%, 100%and 150%) on both bone marrow cells and spleen cells in mice for fourteen successive days. It was found that artificial food flavoring addit
... Show MoreVancomycin Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) is a strain of S. aureus that is considered the main cause of bacterial skin and soft tissue infections. It has acquired resistance to vancomycin and represents a therapeutic challenge. The current study aimed to compare the possible therapeutic effects of VRSA bacteriocin (VRSAcin) on the treatment of skin infection in mice with those of an antibiotic (linezolid). The results showed that of the fifty swabs obtained from human skin wounds. One isolate was selected for VRSAcin extraction depending on its antibiotic resistance using an antibiotic susceptibility test.An agar well diffusion test was used to determine bacteriocin’s antibacterial activity, as well as its a minimum inhibitory concentration
... 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 MoreThis study describes the preparation of new series of tetra-dentate N2O2 dinuclear complexes (Cr3+, Co2+, Cu2+) of the Schiff base derived from condensation of 1-Hydroxy-naphthalene-2-carbaldehyde with 2-amino-5-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole. The structures of the ligands were identified using IR, UV-Vis , mass, elemental analysis and 1H-NMR techniques. All prepared complexes have been characterized by conductance measurement, magnetic susceptibility, electronic spectra, infrared spectrum, theromgravimatric analysis (TGA) and metal analysis by atomic absorption. From stoichiometry of metal to ligand and all measurements show a octahedral geometry proposed for all complexes of the (Cr3+, Co2+, Cu2+). conductivity measurement shows t
... Show MoreThis study describes the preparation of new series of tetra-dentate N2O2 dinuclear complexes (Cr3+, Co2+, Cu2+) of the Schiff base derived from condensation of 1-Hydroxy-naphthalene-2-carbaldehyde with 2-amino-5-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole. The structures of the ligands were identified using IR, UV-Vis , mass, elemental analysis and 1H-NMR techniques. All prepared complexes have been characterized by conductance measurement, magnetic susceptibility, electronic spectra, infrared spectrum, theromgravimatric analysis (TGA) and metal analysis by atomic absorption. From stoichiometry of metal to ligand and all measurements show a octahedral geometry proposed for all
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