Leishmaniosis is a tropical neglected parasitic disease that is endemic in many countries, including Middle East, with no existing effective vaccines. The bite of female sand-fly transmits the causative agent, Leishmania spp., to humans. High toxicity, resistance and treatment failure of the available chemotherapy against visceral leishmaniosis demands the investigation of new anti-leishmanial compounds. Lupeol is a form of triterpene isolated from several medicinal plants and possesses an antimicrobial property. In this study, cytotoxic effect of lupeol was screened against the mammalian amastigotes form and insect promastigote form of Leishmania donovani, following three cycles of incubation at different concentrations by MTT assay. Results revealed the in vitro anti-leishmanial effect of lupeol on both forms of the parasite where significant decline in promastigotes and amastigotes growth was observed. This was conducted along three times of follow up (24, 48, 72) hours, in comparison to the classical sodium stibogluconate treatment. Cell viability was calculated and the minimum IC50 was detected after 48 hours for amastigotes and 24 hours for promastigotes, 12.125 µM, 102.78 µM, respectively. Given the severity of visceral leishmaniosis and the toxicity of conventional chemotherapies, the anti-leishmanial activity of lupeol suggested a promising compound for additional clinical trials
Background׃ Halitosis is a common condition and is most often caused by a buildup of bacteria in the mouth because of gum disease, food, or plaque. It can result in anxiety among those affected, it is also associated with depression and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. The aim of this study isto assess the prevalence of self-reported halitosis and associated factors (dental plaque, gingival condition and dental caries) in 15 years old male students in Karbala city in Iraq. Additionally, we studied adolescents’ concern with their own breath and whether anyone had ever told them that they had halitosis. Methods׃ A cross sectional observational survey was conducted to15 years old high school students from public and p
... Show MoreMefenamic acid was esterified with starchwith[1:1] Molar ratio, as drug substituted with natural polymer, to prolongthe period of hydrolysis of drug polymer with other advantages. The new prodrug starch was characterized by FT-IR and UV-Visible and 1H-NMR spectroscopies. The physical properties were studied and controlled drug release was studied in different pH values at 37oC. The stability of drug was carried out by measuring the absorbance of mefenamic starch which hydrolyzed in HCl solution of pH 1.1 (artificial gastric fluid) and phosphate buffer of pH 7.4 (simulating intestinal fluid SIF) at 37oC for several days. The thermal analysis such as DSC was studied.
Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease in tropical countries, including Iraq. Several studies have sought to examine chemotherapies for leishmaniasis treatment but most of them are of toxic and/or undesirable side effect, therefore, the need for investigating new fewer toxic therapies is essential. Aim of study: In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin (ART), a novel herbal compound, was screened against the two forms, promastigotes and amastigotes, of the Iraqi isolate of Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of Baghdad boil. Material and methods: Different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 and 7.8) µM of Artemisinin were screened to investigate the leishmanicidal activity of th
... Show MoreItraconazole (ITZ) is an antifungal drug (BCSII) used for the treatment of local and systemic fungal infections. Furthermore, ITZ used as an antifungal prophylaxis for immunocompromised patients.
The objective of the study is to overcome the two problems of low and pH dependent solubility of ITZ by its preparation as floating microparticles.
Firstly, pH-dependent floating microparticles were prepared using oil in water solvent evaporation method, from which the best one (F7) selected as a best pH-dependent formula with composition of ITZ (200mg),EC (800mg), HPMC 15cps (200mg) and safflower oil (2ml) .Then, F7 was compared with the selected Relatively pH-independent ITZ floating microparticles formula wit
... Show MoreSelexipag is an orally selective long-acting prostacyclin receptor agonist, which indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is practically insoluble in water ( class II, according to BCS). This work aims to prepare and optimized Selexipag nanosuspensions to achieve an enhancement in the in vitro dissolution rate. The solvent antisolvent precipitation method was used for the production of nanosuspension, and the effect of formulation parameters (stabilizer type, drug: stabilizer ratio, and use of co-stabilizer) and process parameter (stirring speed) on the particle size and polydispersity index were studied. SLPNS prepared with Soluplus® as amain stabilizer (F15) showed the smallest particle size 47nm wi
... Show MoreBackground: Temporomandibular joint disorders refer to a group of heterogeneous pain and dysfunction conditions involving the masticatory system, reducing life quality of the sufferers. Arthrocentesis is simple and less invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of internal derangement than arthroscopy and better than other conservative procedures such as drugs, occlusal appliances and physiotherapy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of arthrocentesis with injection of hyaluronic acid in the treatment of internal derangement of temporomandibular joint for the restoration of its function, reducing pain and preventing further deterioration of the temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Materials and methods: This study was perfo
... Show MoreSolar module operating temperature is the second major factor affects the performance of solar photovoltaic panels after the amount of solar radiation. This paper presents a performance comparison of mono-crystalline Silicon (mc-Si), poly-crystalline Silicon (pc-Si), amorphous Silicon (a-Si) and Cupper Indium Gallium di-selenide (CIGS) photovoltaic technologies under Climate Conditions of Baghdad city. Temperature influence on the solar modules electric output parameters was investigated experimentally and their temperature coefficients was calculated. These temperature coefficients are important for all systems design and sizing. The experimental results revealed that the pc-Si module showed a decrease in open circuit v
... Show MoreThe possible effects of COVID-19 vaccines on reproductive health and male fertility in particular have been discussed intensely by the scientific community and the public since their introduction during the pandemic. On news outlets and social media platforms, many claims have been raised regarding the deleterious effects of COVID-19 vaccines on sperm quality without scientific evidence. In response to this emerging conflict, we designed this study to evaluate and assess the effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility represented by the semen analysis parameters.