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This article was conducted to evaluate the role of therankeron and methylprednisolone on the healing and regeneration process of the damaged sciatic nerve by crushing in dogs. Eighteen adult dogs were used. The animals were divided into three equal groups. The sciatic nerve of the left hind limb in all experimental animals was damaged by crushing forceps for two minutes. In group one, the damaged nerve was left without any medical therapy, while in groups two and three, methylprednisolone and therankeron were used to treat the crushed sciatic nerve, respectively. The Clinical signs and histopathological changes depended on the 30th and 60th postoperative days to evaluate the degree of nerve repair. In group one, all animals did not use their affected limb with loss of sensation completely, while early and pronounced enhancement in the hind limb function was shown, especially in group three than in group two. In group one, the histopathological changes were characterized by the presence of areas of nerve fiber necrosis and disconnection of it, inflammatory cell infiltration with blood vessel congestion, and edema formation between the nerve fibers in both following periods. The same changes were shown in groups two and three, in addition to the presence of nerve fibers' regeneration, especially in group three, superior to group two. In conclusion, the results of this article revealed positive clinical and histopathological effects of both theranekron and methylprednisolone on the healing and regeneration of the crushed sciatic nerve, with priority for therankeron in dogs.

The Mawali at the beginning of Islam represented an important segment of the companions and followers, and they had great scientific efforts in the service of the religion of Islam in general and the Holy Qur’an in particular, and its delivery to those after them, as the masters had a prominent role in interpreting the verses of the Holy Qur’an. Those who transmitted the narrations that explain the Holy Qur’an, and some of them became an imam in interpretation, as many followers turned to knowledge, especially the science of interpretation, so many commentators emerged from the followers, such as Ataa Ibn Abi Rabah, Peacock, Mujahid Ibn Jabr and others, so God preserved his book with the people of knowledge, many of whom were from The next one, so God raised them with knowledge and the Qur’an

Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease that leads to the degradation of periodontium and results in alveolar bone loss. The development of a suitable animal model of periodontitis is a prerequisite to understanding better the mechanisms that underly this disease. This study evaluated periodontal disease induction via retentive ligature, intragingival injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and their combination in a rat model.Seventy-two Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups. The first group (control) did not receive any treatment. The second group underwent the application of 4/0 nylon ligature around the second maxillary molars. The third group was treated with an intragingival injection of Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS into the palatal mucosa of the second maxilla molars, and the fourth group was treated with a combination of ligature and LPS injection (ligature-LPS). Morphological changes in the gingival tissues were evaluated after 7, 14, and 30 days of treatment.Significant degenerative changes were observed in the periodontal tissues and alveolar bone in the third and fourth groups, which were evident as early as seven days. The lesions remained until 14 days and declined with time in the third and fourth groups. The changes induced by ligature and ligature-LPS were not different. Injection with LPS alone resulted in minimal increases in the Gingival and Plaque Indices.The ligature technique induced periodontal disease successfully, more effective than the injection of LPS. The combination of ligature with LPS injection added no significant effect compared to ligature alone.

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a heterogeneous form of hematological malignancy which comprises about 30% of lymphomas with variable outcome. Onset is usually in the sixth decade of life with male predominance. Morphological, clinical, and biological variation of DLBCL confirms the coexistence of several subtypes of the disease with distinct behavior of each type. Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the demographics and outcome of patients with DLBCL and compare these parameters with regional and international data. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 61 patients with confirmed diagnosis of DLBCL. The diagnosis was based on histopathological and immunohistochemistry which was done in the Department of Pathology, Shorsh General Hospital in Sulaimani. The cases were randomly selected according to the availability of data since March 2013–March 2017. Results: Median age at diagnosis was about 51 years with peak age of incidence between 50 and 64 years, with female predominance. The most common site of the primary tumor was nodal in which cervical lymph node is the most common site, and majority of the patients were in Stage III with predominance of B-symptoms. Vast majority of the patients have normal chest X-ray, and majority of the patients were in remission over a period of 19 months of follow-up. Conclusion: We found that there is a significant relationship between age, stage, and performance of the patients, while no significant relation between other parameters and the outcome of the patients is near to their Peers internationally.

Background and aim: The poultry meat and its products are considered ideal media for bacterial growth and spoilage, as they are highly nutritive with a favorable pH. The food industry has focused its attention on a great diversity of plant species as food preservatives. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157: H7, and Klebsiella pneumonia in food samples and to evaluate of the antibacterial activity of some medicinal plant extracts against these bacteria. Methods: Raw and processed meat samples (n = 60) were collected from abattoirs and local markets. S. aureus, E. coli O157: H7, and K. pneumonia were isolated, identified by phenotypic methods, and then confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The antibacterial activity and spectrum of essential oils and spices powder of cumin, black seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and marjoram was determined against the isolated strains in this study by microbial count and well-diffusion techniques. Results: A total of 33 isolates have been identified as S. aureus, 30 isolates were identified as E. coli O157: H7, and 15 isolates were identified as K. pneumonia. S. aureus, E. coli O157: H7, and K. pneumonia could be detected in both fresh and processed food with higher prevalence in the processed meat. There was a significant decrease in microbial count in treated samples either with the spices powder or essential oils of the tested medicinal plants compared to control samples during storage time period. Furthermore, while the microbial count increased in the control samples, the microbial count decreased to reach zero in almost all treated samples with essential oils after 15 days of storage. Conclusion: S. aureus, E. coli O157: H7, and K. pneumonia are associated with food from animal sources, in either fresh or processed meat samples. The prevalence of them was higher in the processed meat than in fresh meat. The essential oils and spices powder of cumin, black seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and marjoram have an in vitro wide spectrum antibacterial activity with the highest antibacterial activity for the black seeds.

Atorvastatin Calcium (At-Ca) has pleiotropic effect as anti-inflammatory drug beside its main antihyperlipidemic action. Our study was conducted to modulate the anti-inflammatory effect of At-Ca to be efficiently sustained for longer time. Single oil-water emulsion solvent evaporation technique was used to fabricate At-Ca into polymeric nanoparticles (NPs). In vitro optimization survey was performed on Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) loaded with At-Ca regrading to particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, percent entrapment efficiency (% EE), surface morphology and in vitro release pattern. In vitro drug-polymers interactions were fully scanned using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential Scanning calorimetry (DSC) proving that the method of fabrication is an optimal strategy maintaining the drug structure with no interaction with polymeric matrix. The optimized formula with particle size (248.2 ± 15.13 nm), PDI (0.126 ± 0.048), zeta potential (−12.41 ± 4.80 mV), % EE (87.63 ± 3.21%), initial burst (39.78 ± 6.74%) and percent cumulative release (83.63 ± 3.71%) was orally administered in Male Sprague–Dawley rats to study the sustained anti-inflammatory effect of At-Ca PLGA NPs after carrageenan induced inflammation. In vivo results demonstrate that AT-Ca NPs has a sustained effect extending for approximately three days. Additionally, the histological examination revealed that the epidermal/dermal layers restore their typical normal cellular alignment with healthy architecture.

This study was executed to find out the effect of the treatment soil by the fungus Trichoderma sp. to increasing the ability of the plant alfalfa to absorption copper and zinc from contaminated soils with heavy metals. The fungus Trichoderma sp. isolated from soils of possible contamination sites in Al-Ramadi city, and added to soil which treatment by four concentrations of two heavy metals copper (0,40,60,80 mg/l) and zinc (0,110,165,220 mg/l). Results showed the treatment fungus Trichoderma sp. has a clear role in increasing the percentage of absorption of copper and zinc in terms of the rate of absorption in leaves and roots, of the of plants grown in soils is treated with fungus compared with plants grown in soils is the non-treated of the fungus, as amended registered 40.4333, 25.309, 49.865, 60.719, 31.0375, 22.250, 41.790, 54.338 mg/l respectively.

The study included isolate and diagnose some fungi from possible contamination sites in Al-Ramadi city. And inoculated the liquid culture media contaminated with differing concentrations of lead and chromium by this fungus and two periods 7 and 14 days. results showed the fungus Fusarium sp. records the highest rate of removal of lead and chromium, and the duration of has no effect mentioned on the rate of removal of the lead and chromium, as the relationship between increase in lead and chromium concentration in the liquid media and the ability of fungi on removal was inverse.

Copyright of Jordan Medical Journal is the property of University of Jordan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coronary stents have saved millions of lives in the last three decades by treating atherosclerosis especially, by preventing plaque protrusion and subsequent aneurysms. They attenuate the vascular SMC proliferation and promote reconstruction of the endothelial bed to ensure superior revascularization. With the evolution of modern stent types, nanotechnology has become an integral part of stent technology. Nanocoating and nanosurface fabrication on metallic and polymeric stents have improved their drug loading capacity as well as other mechanical, physico‐chemical, and biological properties. Nanofeatures can mimic the natural nanofeatures of vascular tissue and control drug‐delivery. This review will highlight the role of nanotechnology in addressing the challenges of coronary stents and the recent advancements in the field of related medical devices. Different generations of stents carrying nanoparticle‐based formulations like liposomes, lipid‐polymer hybrid NPs, polymeric micelles, and dendrimers are discussed highlighting their roles in local drug delivery and anti‐restenotic properties. Drug nanoparticles like Paclitaxel embedded in metal stents are discussed as a feature of first‐generation drug‐eluting stents. Customized precision stents ensure safe delivery of nanoparticle‐mediated genes or concerted transfer of gene, drug, and/or bioactive molecules like antibodies, gene mimics via nanofabricated stents. Nanotechnology can aid such therapies for drug delivery successfully due to its easy scale‐up possibilities. However, limitations of this technology such as their potential cytotoxic effects associated with nanoparticle delivery that can trigger hypersensitivity reactions have also been discussed in this review. This article is categorized under:Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and ReplacementTherapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Cardiovascular DiseaseTherapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory B cells (Bregs) are unique subpopulations of B cells with immune-regulating or immune-suppressing properties and play a role in peripheral tolerance. Due to the current limitations of human Breg studies among periodontal diseases, in the present study, we tried to analyze the change in circulating Bregs, pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory cytokines in patients with periodontitis. Peripheral blood from 55 patients with stage 2 periodontitis and 20 healthy controls was analyzed using flow cytometry to evaluate the frequency of CD19+CD24+CD38+ Breg cells. ELISA was used to assess the serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukins (IL)-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and anti-inflammatory cytokines including IL-10, IL-35, and TGF-β. Increased proportions of Breg cells were observed in patients with stage 2 periodontitis compared to controls. Serum levels of cytokines were significantly higher in patients with periodontitis compared to controls. A significant positive correlation was observed between the frequencies of Breg cells and IL35 levels, IL10 levels, and TGF-β. In conclusion, our results suggest that the increase in peripheral Breg cells and serum cytokine levels among periodontitis patients seems to be closely associated with disease progression, a possible link between periodontitis, and systemic inflammatory process.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) belonging to the nanovesicles family that function as signaling molecules between cells. After their first description in the late 1960s, interest in their potential as a research target has steadily increased. They are small secreted organelles with a single membrane that are well enriched in lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and glycoconjugates. Exosomes take part in a larger communication network in which cells communicate between one another by DNA shuttling, proteins, RNA, and membrane-bound factors. The machinery of protein quality control occurs through the process termed “exosome biogenesis”. Furthermore, the pathway involved in intercellular movement of vesicles is vital in various aspects of human health and diseases. Due to their inherent properties, exosomes are currently being developed as potential therapeutic agents in a wide range of diseases including infectious and non-infectious diseases. Exosomes and other EVs sourced from Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown in different studies to possess therapeutic effects in diverse disease models either in vivo or in vitro. Some mechanisms and/or pathways that MSC-derived exosomes use to illustrate their therapeutic effect against some diseases have also been summarized. This review aims to highlight the recent findings and potential therapeutic application of exosomes in different diseases such as autoimmune, cardiovascular, obesity, neural, soft tissues, bone, and cartilage.

Introduction: The objective of the study was to assess the potential of the leaf of Dicranopteris linearis in altering the CNS functions with three different extracts; aqueous, ethanol and ethyl acetate.Methods: To evaluate and compare the activities Morris maze, elevated plus maze (EPM),open field, hole cross and head dip tests were performed and many behavioral parameters wereobserved. The forced swim in Morris water maze analyzed the depression of rodents in termsof inability to self-rescue. Alongside, hole cross and open field tests assessed the inhibition oflocomotor activities. Moreover, EPM test screened the anxiolytic potential while the head dippinghole board test supported the previous experiments by evaluating both sedative, depressive andanxiolytic potentials of the extracts.Results: The results showed that the ethanol extract significantly suppressed CNS activity byreducing number of locomotor activities and increasing the stability phase (in EPM and Morrismaze) supporting mild sedation, depression and anxiolysis. Furthermore, the ethyl acetate extractalso possessed moderate to high potential in reducing locomotor activities depending on gradientdoses. Results were compared with control group and found statistically significant.Conclusion: As this plant mimic the activity of a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist, itcan be concluded that the plant may have GABA mediated involvement in central nervous system.However, the responsible compounds for these activities are yet to be investigated and this maypotentiate a new source of drug development.

Abstract Degenerative spinal stenosis is a progressive disorder that involves the entire spinal motion segment. It describes abnormal narrowing of the central canal, the lateral recesses or the intervertebral foramina to the point where the neural elements are compromised. When this occurs the patient develops neurological symptoms and signs in the lower limbs. Hemi-laminectomy is a surgical procedure, which is designed to relieve pressure on the nerves in the spine. This procedure is performed when patient has degenerative conditions leading to signs and symptoms of neural impairment, because the procedure is invasive, it is usually only recommended when other non-operative treatment approaches failed to relief the patient complain. Before the procedure can be performed, a neurological examination is conducted to determine which area of the spine is affected. We also typically order medical imaging studies of the spine so that we can clearly visualize the area that requires surgery. The patient undergoes routine blood work to check for underlying medical problems that could complicate surgery, and meets with an anesthesiologist to discuss anesthesia options and prepare for the operation. This study is a prospective analysis of a randomized collection of 22 patients who underwent surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis at the period from April to the end of July 2012. The procedures were done by orthopaedic surgeons. The period of the follow up was 1 year post-operatively. The follow up criteria depended on the distance the patient could walk uninterrupted for the assessment of the neural claudication, for the assessment of the radicular pain; we depended on the Outcome Measure in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis questionnaire (OMLSS) which is rating from 6 to 30, & for the weakness (weak dorsiflexion) we depended on the Medical Research Council (MRC) Grading of the muscle power, which is rating from 0 to 5. The patients were suspected to have spinal stenosis on the basis of a history, physical examination, & radiological imaging. The final assessment and the decision of the operation were made by the surgeons who operated them. Twenty two patients were included in the study, 15 of them were females (68%), and the rest were males (32%), with female to male ratio was approximately 2:1. Regarding the age, it was ranging from (55 - 78 years); the majority 14 of 22 of patients (63%) was between the ages of 61 – 65 years old. About the occupation, (50%) of the total number were housewives women & 18% of the total number were earners men. (77%) & (23%) of the patients were complaining of bilateral & unilateral neural claudication respectively, (64%) & (36%) of the patients had bilateral & unilateral radicular pain & paraesthesia respectively, (23%) & (13%) had bilateral & unilateral weak dorsiflexion respectively, who were in grade 3 according to the (MRC) grading system. Post-operatively, (81.8%) of the patients with neural claudication got improvement in the walking distance for up to more than 1 km uninterrupted. Regarding the radicular pain, (59%) had subsided in less than 3 months post-operatively, (27.5%) of them were relieved in the period of 3 - 6 months, & just one patient (4.5%) still had pain for the entire period of the follow up which was rated 15 of 30 according to the (OMLSS). Weak dorsiflexion was also improved post-operatively in the 1st 3 months in (33.3%) & (40%) of the unilaterally & bilaterally affected patients respectively, while (67%) & (60%) of the unilaterally & bilaterally affected patients relieved in the period up to the 6th month post-operatively respectively.

The present work is the study of the dark current density for porous silicon which is prepared by photo-electrochemical etching for n-type silicon by using laser power density of (10mw/cm2)and wavelength(650nm) under different anodization time(50,60)minute. ,The results obtained from this study shows different characteristics that of porous for the different porous Silicon layers. The empirical data of J-V characteristics are compared by using mathematical(a Poole-Frenkel-like, Schottky diode) models prepared the with assistance of Matlab program.

In this research the optical properties of ternary ZnIn2S4 compound thin film of thickness (0.17 0.05)μm , which deposited on glass slides by chemical spray pyrolysis at 360oC were studied, Also studied the effect of doping by Ag element on the optical properties of the prepared thin films . From the absorption and transmission spectrum of the prepared thin films in the range (300 – 1000) nm, the optical constants were calculated. The absorption coefficient (α) was found to be greater than( 104)cm-1 for all films , this means that the electronic transitions of allowed direct type and the absorption edge is (442.85)nm for thin film ZnIn2S4 but when this thin film was doped by Ag element with amount of (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)wt% the absorption edge was shifted toward the greater wavelength and arrive to (506.12)nm at 5%wt(Ag) without change in the electronic transitions type. The value of optical energy gap (Eg) for thin film ZnIn2S4 was (2.80)eV decreased non linearly with increases Ag element and arrive (2.45)eV at 5%wt(Ag).The higher value of extinction coefficient (K) were shifted toward the larger wavelength when the thin film ZnIn2S4 was doped by Ag .Also the higher values of refractive index (n) were shifted toward the larger wavelength with increases in doping ratio. The behavior of real dielectric constant (€1)and imaginary dielectric constant (€2) is similar to refractive index, and higher values shifted toward greater wavelength with increases in doping ratio . The tail width of the local states in the energy gap were calculated which was increased by adding the silver to the deposited film.

Cu0.5Ag0.5AlS2 thin film had been doped by (Cd) and (Pb) elements, with amount of (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)wt% and studied the effect of doping by Cd and Pb on the optical properties for this thin film which prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis at 360Co .When the thin film was doped by Cd ,from the absorption and transmission spectrum of the prepared thin films in the range (300 – 1000) nm, the optical constants were calculated. The absorption coefficient (α) was found greater than( 104)cm-1 for all films , this means that the electronic transitions of allowed direct type and the absorption edge was shifted toward the greater wavelength from (506.12)nm for the non-doped film and arrive to (551.11)nm at 5%wtCd and no change of the electronic transitions type . The values of energy gap were decreased from (2.45)eV for the non-doped film to (2.25)eV for the doped film at 5wt%(Cd) . Also the values of (K) were shifted toward the greater wavelengths with increases the doping ratio, the higher values of refractive index (n) were shifted toward the larger wavelength with increases in doping ratio. Also The values of (€1) and (€2) are behave in the shape with increases in doping ratio . When the thin film doped by (Pb) the energy gap values doesn't change and also the other constant for all doping ratios.

Background: urethrocutaneous fistula after hypospadias surgery repair is the most common complication and remains a frustrating problem for surgeon and the patient. The problem is exacerbated because the urethrocutaneous fistula may recur which adds more demands surgery. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate of the use of oral mucosal graft for management of recurrent urethrocutaneous fistula after hypospadias repair. Patients and Methods: twelfth patients with age ranging from 4 year to 15 years were presented with history of recurrent fistula. Most of fistula were located in proximal penile and penoscrotal region (58.3%) . those patients were repaired by using oral mucosal graft with mean postoperative follow up period up to 6 months. Results: analysis of results showed 10 out of 12 cases (83.3%) had a final successful outcome with no recurrent fistula during follow up period. The two patients with failed repair were candidate for another attempt for fistula repair later on. No donor site morbidity was observed in all patients. Conclusion: Oral mucosal graft showed very good take and promising results when used for management of recurrent urethrocutaneous fistula after hypospadias repair.

Copyright of Anbar Journal of Agricultural Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Covid-19 pandemic is the most significant public health emergency of the 21 st century. However, the infection of social media with fact-less, false, and misleading informationconcerning Covid-19 has direct and detrimental effects on millions of people’s healthandwell-being, often with deadly consequences. With the introduction of Covid-19 vaccines, an end to the pandemic is in sight. Yet, theunsubstantiated and damaging claims about the vaccine remain prevalent throughout society. As a result, a large segment of the population is hesitant to be vaccinated. As social media is used to sow false information. It also can be used to temper or eradicatethecascading and self-perpetuating flow of misinformation and misperceptions bydisseminating truthful, timely, and action-oriented information. And in doing so, promotethe efficacy and safety of the vaccines and highlight the responsibility we get vaccinatedforCovid-19. Therefore, it is the ethical and moral obligation of every powerful entity – healthcareproviders, pharmaceutical companies, social media platforms, and individual users –tostopthe spread of misinformation and promote fact-and evidence-based information throughout the media that they control or participate in. Pathways to overcoming vaccine hesitancyanda return to a sense of normalcy depend on these efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpinia zerumbet is a medicinal and ornamental plant of the Zingiberaceae family cultivated in many parts of the world. The plant is medicinally important and often misidentified with closely related species. The objective of this work was to establish its DNA-based identity and a protocol for highfidelity micropropagation to support the medicinal plant industry. PCR amplification and subsequent sequencing of RuBisCO large subunit (rbcL) and Maturase K (matK) gene successfully report its DNA barcode. In vitro shoots were induced the best from rhizome buds on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6.0 mg L-1 6-benzyl amino purine and 30 g L-1 sucrose. Microshoots were rooted well in MS medium amended with 1.5 mg L-1 naphthalene acetic acid. Plantlets were satisfactorily acclimated to soils maintained in a growth chamber and subsequently in the open air for 10-20 days. Analyzing eight random amplified polymorphic DNA and eight inter-simple sequence repeat primers resulted in 53 and 60 distinct bands, respectively. Uniform banding patterns suggest the genetic uniformity of the micropropagated plants. The results offer an accurate identification of A. zerumbet from any plant tissue. The micropropagation protocol would be helpful for economically feasible and environmentally sustainable exploitation of this valuable plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Wilson’s disease (WD) is an inherited disorder of copper metabolism that is characterized by tremendous variation in the clinical presentation. Objective: To assess demographic distribution, clinical presentations, diagnostic evaluation, and any association between clinical presentations and other studied variables of a sample of Iraqi patients with WD. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study with analytic elements was conducted during 2011, from the 1st of February till the 10th of June. The sampling method was a convenient non-random one, carried out through consecutive pooling of registered WD patients. A questionnaire-form paper had been developed for the process of data collection. Results: The study had enrolled 29 patients, with a male to female ratio of (1.07:1), their mean age was 27.12±12.18 years. 82.8% of them lived in urban area. 48.3% were singles. Only 20.7% of patients had a positive family history of WD. 69% of patients had consanguineous parents. The main initial clinical presentations were; hepato-neurologic (31%), pure hepatic (27.6%), neuro-psychiatric (13.8%) and other presentations (27.6%). Hepatic manifestations were seen in (82.8%) of patients; jaundice was the most frequent (89.7%). Ophthalmologic manifestations in (55.1%) of patients including; Kayser-Fleischer rings (51.7%), diplopia (6.9%) and cataracts (3.4%). Neurologic manifestations existed in 44.8% of patients; tremors were the most frequent (41.4%). Psychiatric manifestations existed in 31% of patients; depression was the commonest (27.6%). Joints manifestations existed in 20.7% of patients. The diagnosis delay was 11.26±8.2 months. Conclusion: The higher percentage of patients were of hepato-neurologic and pure hepatic presentations. Patients with hepato-neurologic type are diagnosed in older age, while those with neuro-psychiatric type are diagnosed in younger age and with longer diagnosis delay.

Bovine colostrum (BC) is rich in many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant substances. Its supplementation provides health benefits, particularly for athletes. This systematic review was carried out to update on the benefit of BC or its formulations (e.g., colostrinin) on the cognitive functions or their related biomarkers in experimental and human studies. Full texts or abstracts of 219 articles as reports of narrative or systematic reviews, randomized controlled clinical trials, observational studies, and experimental studies (in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo) were included after searches in PubMed, Europe PMC, Google scholar databases. The full texts of eligible articles (25 articles) were assessed and their results were summarized in different categories according to the study design. Bovine colostrum or its related formulations have been shown to be useful as they improve cognitive functions and their biomarkers. Compatible results were observed in experimental and human studies. Further studies are mandatory to elucidate the rationale for using (BC) in healthy subjects and patients with impaired of cognitive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a disorder in which vascular thrombosis and / or recurrent pregnancy losses occur in a patient who has laboratory evidence of antibodies against phospholipids or phospholipids binding protein cofactor. Usually the patient presents at an age between 35- 45 years, with equal male to female ratio. Mostly they present with thrombosis or pregnancy complication. A quarter of the patients have thrombocytopenia and about one fifth have hemolytic anemia. The diagnosis rests on the criteria set as the Revised classification criteria for the Antiphospholipid syndrome Patients and Methods; During the period from 1st Jan. 2002 until the 1st Jan. 2006,24 patients who met the criteria of APS (according to Revised classification criteria for the Antiphospholipid syndrome) were included in the study. The diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was done by using Doppler study of the selected organ, while brain CT and magnetic resonance imaging were used to diagnose cerebrovascular thromboses.Serological evidence of APA were either an abnormal KCT and KCT index and/or a positive aCL antibody test on 2 occasions. Results : Three quarter of our patients were females, more than half of them aged 21-30 years ,54.16% of our patients presented with thrombosis the commonest site of which was DVT of lower extremities. Abortion alone was the presenting problem in two patients and two patients presented with thrombosis following abortion Another two patients presented with bleeding problems. Gathering the history; follow up abortion occurred in ten of the thirteen premenapausal married ladies, of whom five had more than three abortions.\Laboratory evaluation revealed anemia in 8 patients (33.33% ) and thrombocytopenia in 5 patients (20.8% ).The KCT and KCT index were suggestive of APS in 14 of the 23 patients tested (60.86%)and the aCL was positive in 15 of the 19 tested patients (78.94 %). Conclusion, We think that our study, although small, highlights some of the clinical and laboratory findings of this syndrome in Iraqi patients, larger studies are needed for better evaluation.

Digital images are suffering from the stair-step effect because they are built from small pixels. This effect termes aliasing and the method uses to decrease so-called anti-aliasing. This paper offers a hardware accelerator of an antialiasing algorithm using HLS (high level synthesis) along straight-line segments or edges. These straight-line segments are smoothed by modifying the intensity of the pixel. The hardware implementation of two different architectures which is based on Zynq FPGA are presented in this work. The first architecture is built from one core while the second architecture is built from multi-core and uses a parallel technique to speed up the algorithm by dividing line segments into sub-segments and drawing them after smoothing instantaneously to formulate the main line. This parallel usage leads to a very fast execution of Wu's algorithm which is represented one-tenth hardware runtime for one core only. Also, the optimized resource utilization and power consumption for different cores have been compared, through single-core design which utilizes 8% and consumes 1.6 W, while utilized resources using 10 cores are 77% with a power consumption of 2 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zaleplon (ZP) is a sedative and hypnotic drug used for the treatment of insomnia. Despite its potent anticonvulsant activity, ZP is not commonly used for the treatment of convulsion since ZP is characterized by its low oral bioavailability as a result of poor solubility and extensive liver metabolism. The following study aimed to formulate specifically controlled release nano‐vehicles for oral and parenteral delivery of ZP to enhance its oral bioavailability and biological activity. A modified single emulsification–solvent evaporation method of sonication force was adopted to optimize the inclusion of ZP into biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) using poly (dl‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA). The impacts of various formulation variables on the physicochemical characteristics of the ZP‐PLGA‐NPs and drug release profiles were investigated. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacological activity of ZP‐PLGA‐NPs were studied using experimental animals and were compared with generic ZP tablets. Assessment of gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) level in plasma after oral administration was conducted using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The maximal electroshock‐induced seizures model evaluated anticonvulsant activity after the parenteral administration of ZP‐loaded NPs. The prepared ZP‐PLGA NPs were negatively charged spherical particles with an average size of 120–300 nm. Optimized ZP‐PLGA NPs showed higher plasma GABA levels, longer sedative, hypnotic effects, and a 3.42‐fold augmentation in oral drug bioavailability in comparison to ZP‐marketed products. Moreover, parenteral administration of ZP‐NPs showed higher anticonvulsant activity compared to free drug. Oral administration of ZP‐PLGA NPs achieved a significant improvement in the drug bioavailability, and parenteral administration showed a pronounced anticonvulsant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevalence and risk factors including socio-demography among diabetics by estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) rather than serum creatinine (sCr). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 15, 2019 through August 15, 2020, among 800 diabetics attending tertiary diabetes centers, Baghdad. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire. SPSS was used for data analysis by (mean, standard deviation and t-test) for quantitative variables and (frequency, percentage, Chi-square test and Kappa index) for qualitative variables. p-Value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results 800 diabetics for last 5-40 years, 95.6% with type 2. Aged 52.1±13.2 years, with male:female ratio of 1.03:1, 63.6% were with no income, sCr level was 0.86±0.3 mg/dl, and eGFR by Cockcroft Gault (CG) and CKD-EPI equations was 100.4 ± 36.5 & 92.2 ± 25.5 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively. CKD prevalence based on sCr, and eGFR assessed by above equations was 13.3%, 20% and 15.9%, respectively (p<0.001). Those with CKD were hypertensive, females, and living in peripheries. Conclusions Diabetic patients, mainly those with risk factors are more likely to develop CKD. It is better to detect CKD initially by estimating the GFR, rather than sCr level alone. Furthermore, using CKD-EPI equation might be better than the CG formula to estimate the GFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Bacillus species are widely distributed microorganisms in nature that are responsible for outbreaks of food poisoning and a common cause of food spoilage. This study aimed to isolate and identify foodborne Bacillus species from meat and to determine the antimicrobial activities of commercial essential oils and spices powder extracted from certain medicinal plants. Methods: Sixty meat samples were collected in Assiut city and subdivided into raw meat and processed meat. Bacillus spp were isolated and identified according to their cultural characters, biochemical reactions, serological typing, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The antibacterial activity of essential oils and spices powder was measured by using well-diffusion and microbial count techniques. Results: The prevalence of Bacillus spp. in the examined raw meat samples and processed meat samples was 13.34%, and 26.67%, respectively. There was a marked decrease in the total Bacillus species count after treatment of minced beef with essential oils and spices powder compared to the untreated one. Black seed oil was the most potent antibacterial essential oil among the tested oils present in this study. Conclusion: Essential oils and spices powder of certain medicinal plants (cumin: Cuminum cyminum, black seeds: Nigella sativa, cloves: Syzygium aromaicum, cinnamon: Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Marjoram: Origanum majorana) have a potential in vitro antimicrobial activity against Bacillus spp. Furthermore, Nigella sativa oil exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity against Bacillus spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) belonging to the nanovesicles family that function as signaling molecules between cells. After their first description in the late 1960s, interest in their potential as a research target has steadily increased. They are small secreted organelles with a single membrane that are well enriched in lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and glycoconjugates. Exosomes take part in a larger communication network in which cells communicate between one another by DNA shuttling, proteins, RNA, and membrane-bound factors. The machinery of protein quality control occurs through the process termed "exosome biogenesis". Furthermore, the pathway involved in intercellular movement of vesicles is vital in various aspects of human health and diseases. Due to their inherent properties, exosomes are currently being developed as potential therapeutic agents in a wide range of diseases including infectious and non-infectious diseases. Exosomes and other EVs sourced from Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown in different studies to possess therapeutic effects in diverse disease models either in vivo or in vitro. Some mechanisms and/or pathways that MSC-derived exosomes use to illustrate their therapeutic effect against some diseases have also been summarized. This review aims to highlight the recent findings and potential therapeutic application of exosomes in different diseases such as autoimmune, cardiovascular, obesity, neural, soft tissues, bone, and cartilage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]