Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are said to be inherited in a multifactorial fashion, i.e. genetic-environmental interaction. Maternal nutritional deficiencies had long been reported to cause NTDs, especially folate deficiency during early pregnancy. More attention had been paid to the exact mechanism by which this deficiency state causes these defects in the developing embryo. The most significant of all researches was that connecting reduced folate and increased homocysteine level in maternal serum on one hand and the risk of developing a NTD baby on the other hand. Objectives : to determine the significance of homocysteine level in Iraqi mothers who gave birth to babies with NTDs as compared to normal controls. Patients, Materials and Methods: Fifty Iraqi women having babies born with NTDS, referred to the genetic clinic in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, were included in this study (the study group) as well as 37 healthy women having normal children (the control group). This study was conducted from November, 2002 till October, 2003. Analysis of total serum homocysteine level for all women was done using a computerized HPLC system. Results : the age of women in both groups was comparable (mean+SD in the study group was 26.2+5.14 years vs. 26.3+4.57 years in the controls). Among the study group, 4 (8%) had normal tHcy level; 44 (88%) had mildly elevated level, and only 2 (4%) had moderately elevated tHcy level, while all (100%) women in the control group had their tHcy level within normal level. This difference was statistically highly significant (p<0.001). Conclusions : Women become at an increased risk of delivering a baby with NTD when having an elevated tHcy level in their sera, and that tHcy level is an important marker in maternal serum that is associated significantly with pregnancy outcome.
Microfluidic devices provide distinct benefits for developing effective drug assays and screening. The microfluidic platforms may provide a faster and less expensive alternative. Fluids are contained in devices with considerable micrometer-scale dimensions. Owing to this tight restriction, drug assay quantities are minute (milliliters to femtoliters). In this research, a microfluidic chip consisting of micro-channels carved on substrate materials built using an Acrylic (Polymethyl Methacrylate, PMMA) chip was designed using a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) laser machine. The CO2 parameters influence the chip’s width, depth, and roughness. To have a regular channel surface, and low roughness, the laser power (60 W), with scanning speed (250 m/s)
... Show MoreIn this research, the dynamics process of charge transfer from the sensitized D35CPDT dye to tin(iv) oxide( ) or titanium dioxide ( ) semiconductors are carried out by using a quantum model for charge transfer. Different chemical solvents Pyridine, 2-Methoxyethanol. Ethanol, Acetonitrile, and Methanol have been used with both systems as polar media surrounded the systems. The rate for charge transfer from photo-excitation D35CPDTdye and injection into the conduction band of or semiconductors vary from a to for system and from a to for the system, depending on the charge transfer parameters strength coupling, free energy, potential of donor and acceptor in the system. The charge transfer rate in D35CPDT / the syst
... Show MoreExpanded use of antibiotics may increase the ability of pathogenic bacteria to develop antimicrobial resistance. Greater attention must be paid to applying more sustainable techniques for treating wastewater contaminated with antibiotics. Semiconductor photocatalytic processes have proven to be the most effective methods for the degradation of antibiotics. Thus, constructing durable and highly active photocatalytic hybrid materials for the photodegradation of antibiotic pollutants is challenging. Herein, FeTiO3/Fe-doped g-C3N4 (FTO/FCN) heterojunctions were designed with different FTO to FCN ratios by matching the energy level of semiconductors, thereby developing effective direct Z-type heterojunctions. The photodegradation behaviors of th
... Show MoreSynthesis of new Fe+3, Co+2, Cu+2, Ru+3, and Rh+3 complexes of azo ligand; [5-((2-(3 H-1 indol-3-yl) ethyl) diazenyl) quinolin-8-ol], of 1:2 (M: L) and characterized through various techniques. The complexes exhibited octahedral geometries. Thermogravimetric (TGA and DSC) analysis is utilized to study the thermal properties of various compounds and reveal the presence of coordinated water molecules in the complexes. The multi-stage thermal decomposition mechanisms, where the thermal breakdown is ended by the formation of metal oxide as the final stable residue. The antioxidant activity of the ligand and its metal complexes was evaluated using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay and Gallic acid as a standard substance. Among the tested co
... Show MoreThe present study explores the solar-induced photocatalytic degradation of reactive red (RR) and reactive turquoise (RT) dyes in a single system using TiO2 immobilized in xanthan gum (TiO2/XG), synthesized using the sol–gel dip-coating technique for direct precipitation. SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis were used to assess the characteristics of the resulting catalyst. Moreover, the effects of different operating parameters, specifically pH, dye concentration, TiO2/XG concentration, H2O2 concentration, and contact time, were also investigated in a batch photocatalytic reactor. The immobilized TiO2/XG catalyst showed a slight adsorption degradation efficiency and then improved the RR and RT dye degradation activity (92.5 and 90.8%
... Show MorePhosphorus‐based Schiff base were synthesized by treating bis{3‐[2‐(4‐amino‐1.5‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐pyrazol‐3‐ylideneamino)ethyl]‐indol‐1‐ylmethyl}‐phosphinic acid with paraformaldehyde and characterized as a novel antioxidant. Its corresponding complexes [(VO)2L(SO4)2], [Ni2LCl4], [Co2LCl4], [Cu2LCl4], [Zn2LCl4], [Cd2LCl4], [Hg2LCl4], [Pd2LCl4], and [PtL
... Show MoreSeveral toxigenic cyanobacteria produce the cyanotoxin (microcystin). Being a health and environmental hazard, screening of water sources for the presence of microcystin is increasingly becoming a recommended environmental procedure in many countries of the world. This study was conducted to assess the ability of freshwater cyanobacterial species Westiellopsis prolifica to produce microcystins in Iraqi freshwaters via using molecular and immunological tools. The toxigenicity of W. prolifica was compared via laboratory experiments with other dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria isolated from the Tigris River: Microcystis aeruginosa, Chroococcus turigidus, Nostoc carneum, and Lyngbya sp. signifi
... Show MorePeriodontitis is a dysbiosis-driven inflammatory disease in which a pathogenic subgingival biofilm disrupts the host–microbe equilibrium and promotes progressive loss of tooth-supporting tissues. While periodontal destruction has traditionally been explained mainly through the host immune response, increasing experimental and clinical evidence suggests that epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like changes in the gingival epithelium may contribute to barrier failure and tissue remodeling during disease progression. EMT is characterized by reduced epithelial adhesion and polarity, alongside a shift toward a mesenchymal-like phenotype with enhanced motility and impaired epithelial barrier function. This narrative review focuses
... Show MoreSome genetic factors are not only involved in some autoimmune diseases but also interfere with their treatment, Such as Crohn's disease (CD), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriasis (PS). Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) is a most important pro-inflammatory cytokine, which has been recognized as a main factor that participates in the pathogenesis and development of autoimmune disorders. Therefore, TNF could be a prospective target for treating these disorders, and many anti-TNF were developed to treat these disorders. Although the high efficacy of many anti-TNF biologic medications, the Patients' clinical responses to the autoimmune treatment showed significant heterogeneity. Two types of TNF receptor (TNFR); 1 an
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