Kidney damage in workers within environments of highly expected exposure to toxin, including heavy metals, could be a primary marker to expect hazards in population exposed to low levels of many environmental pollutants. The present study was designed to evaluate the possible effect of environmental exposure to cadmium and zinc on renal function among painters in Sulaimani city. Cross sectional study was performed on 37 male painting workers in Sulaimani city. Each worker was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Twenty five non-exposed healthy subjects were included as control group. Venous blood samples (10 ml) were obtained by vein puncture from both subjects and utilized for estimation of serum urea, creatinine levels, serum le

Extract from cell culture of medicinal plant like Nigella sativa have been assessed for its cytotoxic properties. Thymol is likely responsible for the theraputic effects of  Nigella sativa leaf callus extract. In this short study the inhibitory effect of Nigella sativa leaf callus extract (Thymol) has been studied on Human Lorgnx Epidrmoid Carcinoma (Hep-2) cell line during different exposure period of time (24, 48 and 72 hrs.) using different concentration of the extract (1000, 500, 400, 300, 200 and 100 µg/ml). The optical density of the Hep-2 cells has been readed on 492 nm wave length. Thymol –induced cytotoxicity was (500 µg/ml) which inhibit cell growing compared to the control and this

Olmesartan medoxomil (OLM) is a selective angiotensin II antagonist that effectively lowers blood pressure. It has a poor rate of absorption when taken orally, a maximum bioavailability of about 26%, and limited solubility in water. OLM is therefore categorized as class II in the Biopharmaceuticals Classification System (BCS), suggesting that it has high permeability and low solubility. By generating nanomicelles, this work attempts to increase the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of OLM. Mixed polymeric nanomicelles made up of soluplus (SLP) with tween 80 (TWN80) and SLP with d-α tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS), had been prepared in different gravimetric ratios. The nanomicelles holding OLM were developed us

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant benefits to biomedical research and academic writing. Nevertheless, using AI-powered writing aid tools has prompted worries about excessive dependence on these tools and their possible influence on writing proficiency. The current study aimed to explore the academic staff’s perspectives on the impact of AI on academic writing.

This qualitative study incorporated in-person interviews with academic faculty members. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner, using a predetermined interview guide consisting of open-ended questions. The interviews were done in person with the participants from May to November 2023. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis.

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Abstract 

              The condition known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) describes as an intolerance to glucoseThat first occur or progresses during pregnancy is the most common metabolic illness, and impacts up to25% of pregnant women.  It has been demonstrated that omentin-1, which originates from both human placental and adipose tissue can serve as an insulin resistance mediator. It was initially identified as a secretory factor specific to visceral fat and showed that recombinant omentin-1 administration increased insulin-stimulated glucose transport in vitro which may increase insulin sensitivity, both glucose and insulin can down regulate omentin-1 which reduces levels in o

      Recently, targeted medication delivery applications have effectively used self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs). In this study, poloxamer 407 and silk sericin protein were mixed in various proportions in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to create nine formulas of self-assembled nanostructures that could transport the hydrophobic anticancer medication paclitaxel (PTX). The produced NPs were then examined to determine their size distribution, percent of entrapment efficiency (EE%), morphology, compatibility and in vitro drug release studies. The selected formula was spherical and had a particle size (145 nm), a PDI of (0.25). and EE% of 82. The FT-IR data show that PTX and excipients are compatible, and the in

Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor-2 (NFE2L-2) is one important endogenous anti -oxidative stress signal pathway. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or genetic variants of NFE2L-2 may be accountable for the genesis of diabetic retinopathy. Glyoxalase-1 (Glo-1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the detoxification of methylglyoxal (MG) into D-lactate. The activity of GLO1 is regulated by the transcription factor NFE2L2.The goal of this study is to ascertain whether there is an association between the rs6706649 of NFE2L2 gene variant with serum GLO-1 levels in a group of Iraqi diabetic patients diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study included ninety patients diagnosed wi

The synergistic effect of the bergenin compound, derived from the Crassula ovata plant, and the docetaxel drug in vitro cell line was assessed in this study. The bergenin compound was extracted using a Soxhlet device and 85% ethanol, then was identified and isolated using a high-performance liquid chromatograph. Docetaxel is regarded as a potent chemotherapy treatment that was licensed in 1996 to treat a variety of cancers, including prostate cancer, by preventing microtubular depolymerization and reducing the impact of bcl-2 and bcl-xL gene expression. It is considered one of the most effective chemotherapy treatment for prostatic cancer. However, it has adverse effects, including febrile neutropenia or myelosuppressio

Oral anticancer medicines are frequently administered to patients with cancer. Regrettably, many medications are administered without appropriate recommendations about handling practices. This study aims to assess the handling, storage, and disposal practices of oral anticancer medication among cancer patients at home. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024 on adult cancer patients who were administered oral anticancer at the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Center in Iraq using pre-validated questionnaire. In total, 300 patients were interviewed, with (57%) being male and approximately (47%) falling within the age range of 40 to 60 years. Regarding handling practices, most patients (96.7%) never w

          Murraya paniculata, sometimes known as orange Jessamine, is a significant decorative plant found in tropical and subtropical regions. It belongs to the Rutaceae family. The distribution of this species extends from South Asia to Australia. This plant possesses a multitude of applications in traditional medicine for the treatment of several ailments. The plant demonstrates an extensive array of pharmacological actions, involving antinociceptive, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, and analgesic effects. This study aims to conduct Preliminary Phytochemical Screening, Phytochemical investigation of some bioactive constituents, and isolation of new compounds from Iraqi Murray

The plant known as Portulaca grandiflora L belongs to the family of flowering plants known as (Portulacaceae). It is a resilient plant that grows well in harsh environments and serves as a traditional remedy in various nations. Eleven O'clock, Moss-rose, Sunplant, gaddi roja, and Neelakeera are just a few of the popular names that are used to refer to this plant across the globe. The primary concern of the present investigation was establishing the presence of lupeol as a new metabolite in the Iraqi Portulaca grandiflora plant, which is triterpenes, have shown significant efficacy as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, cholesterol-lowering, wound healing, and antidiabetic agents. One hundred grams of the ent

Paclitaxel (Taxol) belongs to the initial taxane category and is employed for treating diverse types of cancers, including ovarian, lung, and breast cancers. Paclitaxel is associated with the highest prevalence of peripheral neuropathy. The detection of PIPN may necessitate a reduction in dosage or discontinuation of treatment, which can have consequences for cancer care. Activation of AT2R has shown neuroprotective effects in different rodent models. this study aims to assess the potential impact of candesartan in mitigating the deleterious effect on human neuron cells. The methods involved in Immunocytochemistry to characterize the neuron cells depend on the expression of the B tubulin III protein. WST-8 test was used on human neuron c

Drug nanocrystals are nanoscopic crystals of the parent compound with dimensions less than 1 µm. A decrease in particle size will lead to an increase in effective surface area in the diffusion layer, which, in turn, increases the drug dissolution rate. Drug nanocrystals are one of the most important strategies to enhance the oral bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs.

Cefixime is the first member of what is generally termed the third generation orally active cephalosporins. These third generation cephalosporins are distinct from the older β-lactam antibiotics in their intensive antibacterial activity against a wide range of gram-negative bacteria.

The aim of this study is to prepare nanocrystals of cefixime as a caps

Hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, two common metabolic disorders associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, are the main causes of metabolic abnormalities that result in a wide range of complications, such as cardiac dysfunction, nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. Substance-P is an 11-amino acid neuropeptide that is highly conserved and secreted by sensory nerve endings as well as different types of non-neural cells. It was believed that substance P would reduce inflammation triggered on by diabetes, interrupting the development of complications associated with this disease. The current study aims to investigate whether serum levels of substance P are associated with glycemic measures &/or lipids profile in patients with type

The isatin molecule is present in many natural substances, like plants and animals, and it is utilized to prepare compounds with various biological activities. A series of Schiff and Mannich bases derived from isatin were synthesized in this research. First, acetylenic Mannich bases (IIa-e) were prepared by a reaction of isatin with propargyl bromide and different secondary amines (morpholine, piperidine, pyrrolidine, dimethylamine, and diphenylamine) separately, and cuprous chloride (CuCl) was used as a catalyst. Second, these Mannich bases were treated with 2-aminothiazole to obtain the desired final compounds (AM1-AM5). The synthesized compounds were characterized on the basis of their spectral (FT-IR

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a class of proteins that responsible of the hydrolysis of N-acetyl lysine residues in histones as well as non-histone protein substrates. This phenomenon may provide an explanation for the involvement of these enzymes in a wide range of clinical situations, encompassing cancer, metabolic, cardiovascular problems, and neurological diseases. Most of HDAC inhibitors are often used in clinical settings consist of a hydroxamate group (ZBG) that binds to zinc ion inside the active site. The poor selectivity and pharmacokinetic characteristics of numerous medicines belonging to the hydroxamates group have prompted the exploration of non-hydroximic ZBG HDAC inhibitors with a potential selectivity and potency prof

Targeting histone deacetylase enzymes (HDACs) is an effective way to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer. A number of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have been clinically used. Most of the clinically used HDACi are pan-inhibitors and have poor pharmacokinetic properties. Therefore, several attempts are ongoing to develop new HDACis with optimum structural features to overcome the structural limitations. In this work, six new triazole-based compounds (k1-k6) were proposed via special modification of common pharmacophores of HDACi using 1,2,4-triazole as a zinc-binding group (ZBG), diverse group in CAP group, and hydrophobic linker. These compounds were analyzed by docking study

Psoriasis is a common chronic skin condition characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells into the epidermis and altered keratinocyte differentiation.

In this work, psoriasis was induced by an imiquimod 5% cream, an immune response modifier that can induce psoriasis-like skin inflammation when applied topically in mice. Guggulsterone prepared as a suspension and has been orally given to mice before imiquimod application. The results of the current study showed that guggulsterone suspension can significantly reduce psoriasis area and severity index in (guggul suspension+imiquimod group as compared with both control group and (vehicle suspension+imiquimod ) group.

    The current study performed in order to detect and quantify epicatechin in two tea samples of Camellia sinensis (black and green tea) by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Extraction of epicatechin from black and green tea was done by using two different methods: maceration (cold extraction method) and decoction (hot extraction method) involved using three different solvents which are  absolute ethanol, 50% aqueous ethanol and water  for both extraction methods using room temperature and direct heat respectively. Crude extracts of two tea samples that obtained from two methods were fractionated by using two solvents with different polarity (chloroform and

Abstract

A sensitive, precise and reliable indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of chlordiazepoxide (CDE) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms is described. The method is based on oxidative coupling reaction between amino group resulting from acidic decomposition of CDE with phenothiazine in the presence of sodium periodate to produce an intense green soluble dye that is stable and shows a maximum absorption at 602 nm. The calibration plot indicates that Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.1?50 µg/mL, with a molar absorptivity of 1×10⁴ L/mol cm and correlation coefficient of 0.9994.All the conditions that affecting on the stability and sensitivity of the fo

The exact mechanism of action and which rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients might benefit from Rituximab (RTX) are still questionable. One of the key elements in assessing the performance of a healthcare facility is patient satisfaction, which is a measure of how satisfied a patient is with the medical care he receives. This study aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life and treatment satisfaction and their association with the responsiveness to RTX in RA patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Center of Rheumatology in Baghdad- Iraq. The study enrolled 90 patients diagnosed with RA and receiving RTX intravenous infusion, for at least six months. The 28-joints disease activity score (DAS28) and clinical disease

  COVID-19 disease is a clinical syndrome caused by an envelope RNA virus, called SARS-COV-2., which causes infection with wildly clinical pictures. Through COVID-19 infection several components of humoral and cellular immune response have an important role in the progression of the infection. Chemokines are one of the inflammatory mediators that play an essential role in the immune pathogenesis of COVID-19. It is secreted by respiratory virus-infected cells in the upper respiratory tract, causing stimulation and recruitment of inflammatory cells such as neutrophils, NK, eosinophils, and macrophages from the bloodstream to the site of the infection. This study strives to determine the impact role of inflammatory mediat

Single Walled Carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), as nano-needle structures, are good candidates as nanocarrier delivery systems that carry drug to the site of action. They are good due to their unique pharmaceutical properties. Teniposide is an anticancer drug, which is widely used, but it has a problem of low solubility. In this study, to improve the properties of carbon nanotubes, pre-functionalization of carbon nanotubes via carboxylation with strong acids has been performed and then functionalized through attaching them to the polymer and copolymer. Concurrently, a proper polymer-copolymer combination has been selected by the UV-Visible spectrometer at 880nm. It is selected based on the qualitative dispersibility analysis, the visual observa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of nosocomial infections worldwide, and infections caused by this bacterial organism are difficult to eradicate because it is intrinsically resistant or less susceptible to several antimicrobial agents. The study aimed to identify the genotype distribution or frequency of virulence factors genes (algD, pilA, and pilB) involved in alginate and the type 3 system of carbapenem-resistant of  P. aeruginosa local isolates. The genotype distribution of 25 carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa involving the alginate was noted with the highest frequency (100%), the genes that encoded for pilin structural subunits were noted with the lowest frequency (4%) for <

               Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory condition that primarily affects the skin, hair, and joints and is associated with significant humanistic and economic consequences. Psoriasis was induced in mice in this work using an imiquimod 5% cream, an immune response modifier that can cause psoriasis-like skin inflammation when given orally. Paquinimod is prepared as a suspension and has been orally given to mice before imiquimod application. The current study found that paquinimod suspension reduced psoriasis area and severity index, spleen index, skin thickness ,TNF-α,IL-23,IL17 level and gene expression of TN

Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It is practically insoluble in water. It is associated with gastrointestinal side effects at high doses on long  term treatment. The aim of this investigation to formulate and evaluate gellified nanoemulsion of meloxicam as a topical dosage form to enhance meloxicam therapeutic activity and reduce systemic side effect.

The pseudo ternary phase diagrams were made, including  the oil mixture which is composed of almond oil and peppermint oil at a ratio (1:2), variable surfactant mixture (S mix) which are tween 80 and ethanol at ratios of (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1) and double distilled water. Slow dripping of double distilled water to the combination  of the oil mixtu

Curcumin is a yellow pigment produced from the rhizomes of the Curcuma longa plant and a primary chemo preventive component of turmeric is used as a spice and food coloring ingredient. Curcumin has a large number of pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-infectious, and anti-inflammatory properties.Investigation of the geno-protective effect of curcumin on methotrexate induces chromosomal aberrations of spleen and bone marrow cells. In this study, 32 mice were used and divided into four groups (eight mice at each group) as follows: Group1 (negative control): Dimethyl sulfoxide was given intraperitoneally to mice every day for ten days.Group2 (positive control): Mice were received a single dose (2

This study concerned with phytochemical investigation and methods of extraction and separation of active constituents from Valeriana officinalis plant cultivated in Iraq. Due to the large number of active constituents in Valeriana officinalis, it was necessary to make analytical study of its constituents to determine the chemical nature of these constituents and then determine the main classes (terpenes and iridoids) using chemical reagents specific for each class. Different organic solvents like ethanol (70%) used in soxhlet apparatus and hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol were used separately to extract the main active constituents by maceration. Through comparison between these solvents using thin layer chromatograph

Medication safety is an important part of the comprehensive patient safety term. Medication safety is gaining more attention as the World Health Organization set the goal of decreasing medication harm by (50%) for the next 5 years when launching the third global challenge. Studying medication safety in the risk groups such as young ages, children are crucial to learn more about the effect of medicines in this risk group since they are not included in the clinical trials. Adverse drug reaction is defined as any harm resulted from the drug itself during medical process journey, while medication errors are any harm resulted from the treatment process rather than the drug or it is the result of the failure in a step of the treatment process

Primary amide derivatives as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are very rare. This paper describes the synthesis of primary amide derivatives (compounds 6 and 7) that have the requirements to be histone deacetylase inhibitors of the zinc-binding type. Both of them exhibited good cytotoxicity against the tested cancer cell lines with much lower cytotoxicity against normal cell line.