Background: Pumpkin seeds are a valuable source of high-quality protein and can be utilized as functional food ingredients due to their properties, such as solubility, foam formation, and stability. This study aims to produce protein isolate and its enzymatic hydrolysates from local pumpkin seeds to study their properties. Methodology: Preparing defatted pumpkin seeds for protein extraction, followed by the enzymes’ hydrolysis using Trypsin and Pepsin enzymes separately and together in two methods. The determination of amino acids and the degree of hydrolysis was conducted; moreover, protein properties were studied, including solubility, emulsifying activity, stability index, foaming capacity, and stability. Results: A protein sample was

New twin compounds having four-, five-, and seven- membered heterocyclic rings were synthesized via Schiff bases (1a,b) which were obtained by the condensation of o-tolidine with two moles of 4- N,N-dimethyl benzaldehyde or 4- chloro benzaldehyde. The reaction of these Schiff bases with two moles of phenyl isothiocyanate, phenyl isocyanate or naphthyl isocyanate as in scheme(1) led to the formation of bis -1,3- diazetidin- 2- thion and bis -1,3- diazetidin -2-one derivatives (2-4 a,b). While in scheme (2) bis imidazolidin-4-one (5a,b) ,bistetrazole (6a,b) and bis thiazolidin-4-one (7a,b) derivatives were produced by reacting the mentioned Schiff bases(1a,b)with two moles of glycine, sodium azide or thioglycolic acid, respectively. The new b

Background Psoriasis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin conditions; its prevalence ranges from 1 to 3%. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine that enhances inflammation, is overexpressed in synovium and skin plaques in psoriasis. TNF-α plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-10 is the most crucial cytokine for reducing excessive immune responses and decreasing pro-inflammatory reactions in all autoimmune disorders.   Objective To evaluate the effect of Apremilast on ILـ10, TNFـα, and BMI in obese psoriatic patients.   Methods Thirty patients included in this investigative study to measure the concentrations of TNFـα, ILـ10 and BMI, before and after receiving Apremilast. TNFـα and

Lung cancer is the most common dangerous disease that, if treated late, can lead to death. It is more likely to be treated if successfully discovered at an early stage before it worsens. Distinguishing the size, shape, and location of lymphatic nodes can identify the spread of the disease around these nodes. Thus, identifying lung cancer at the early stage is remarkably helpful for doctors. Lung cancer can be diagnosed successfully by expert doctors; however, their limited experience may lead to misdiagnosis and cause medical issues in patients. In the line of computer-assisted systems, many methods and strategies can be used to predict the cancer malignancy level that plays a significant role to provide precise abnormality detectio

The aim of this study is to find a relationship between oxidative stress and adiponectin in Iraqi patients with acromegaly. The present study included 30 patients with acromegaly disease attending at Al-Yarmuk teaching hospital , and 30 healthy individuals as a control group.The two groups with ages ranging (30-55) years. The results revealed a highly significant elevation in all parameters (GH,IGF-1 , adiponectin , malondialdehyde , and peroxynitrite ) levels in sera of patients when compared with healthy control .It can be concluded that oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and peroxynitrite ) may be valuable in detecting of endocrine diseases like acromegaly .

A localized stenosis or aneurysm is a discontinuity that presents the pulse wave produced by the contracting heart with a reflection site. However, neither wave speed ( c) in these discontinuities nor the size of reflection in relation to the size of the discontinuity has been adequately studied before. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study the propagation of waves traversing flexible tubes in the presence of aneurysm and stenosis in vitro. We manufactured different sized four stenosis and four aneurysm silicone sections, connected one at a time to a flexible ‘mother’ tube, at the inlet of which a single semi-sinusoidal wave was generated. Pressure and velocity were measured simultaneously 25 cm downstream the inlet of th

Background: Human semen contains high concentrations of fructose, zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in bound and ionic forms for Zn and Cu. The presence of abnormal levels of fructose and those trace elements may affect spermatogenesis with regard to production, maturation, motility and fertilizing capacity of the spermatozoa.Objective: To evaluate the levels of fructose, Zn and Cu in seminal plasma in different groups of male infertility and to correlate their concentrations with various sperm parameters.Methods: The concentrations of fructose, Zn and Cu were measured in 114 semen samples from normozoospermic, oligozoospermic, astheno-zoospermic, and azoospermic men using the electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry for Zn and Cu determinatio

    Alice Walker (1944) ranks among the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. Through her novels Meridian and the color Purple, Alice outlines many issues concerning the effect of authoritarian thinking upon its often innocent victims, and the possibility of meaningful, productive resistance. Walker's texts aim at giving a voice to those who have no voice especially those poor, rural black women who are robbed of power and the right to make decisions about their own lives by a range of forces standing against them. These texts also aim at clarifying how Walker's female protagonists, Meridian and Celia try to free themselves from oppression, misery , fear and underestimation