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Iraq is considered to amongst those countries in the Middle Eastern region that are most exposed to the effects of climate change, which will have notable effects on wet areas and lakes. Natural or industrial water resources must be paid particular attention due to their importance in preserving environmental and biological systems, in addition to their economic and social importance. As a result of the effects of climatic change, water resources in Iraq have seen a multitude of changes. The aim of this study is to determine changes in the wetland area around AL-Razzaza Lake, Karbala province, Iraq, during the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2023. Landsat 5 satellite data from 2000, 2005, and 2010, and Landsat 8 and 9 data for 2015 and 2023, respectively, were used in this analysis, which was conducted using NDWI as a free, open-source program (ArcMap 10.8) to detect these changes; NDWI is a natural water anisotropy index used to detect the surface area of bodies of water in satellite images. The results revealed a clear decrease throughout the study period, as the wetland area of the lake in 2000 was 1189.7 km2, which represents a decrease of 34.3% compared to the total area of the lake (1810 km²); it decreased by 52.7% in 2005 (855.5 km²) and continued to decrease for 2010, 2015, and 2023, by 79.2%, 80%, and 85%, (376.5 km², 362.9 km², and 270.4 km², respectively). The wetland area of Al-Razzaza Lake decreased between 2000 and 2023 by 919.3 km², that is, an average of 40 km² per year. It was found that the lake wetland area sharply declined over the study period due to a lack of water surface resources via the Euphrates River, as well as climatic changes and poor water resource management. It is anticipated that the lake will lose more than half its current wetland area by 2040 if the current decline continues. These results are considered important in terms of preparing a strategic plan to preserve water bodies and wet areas in Iraq, including Al-Razzaza Lake. Remote sensing and GIS technologies have played a major and essential role in detecting such changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposited immune complexes (IC) promote neutrophil recruitment, but the fine tuning of this process is still unclear. Here the authors show that the cis interaction of the IC receptor, FcγRIIA and CD18 integrin, Mac-1, on the neutrophil surface modulates neutrophil adhesion, with FcγRIIA sialylation specifically implicated in this interaction.

Expression of the Bcr-Abl fusion gene in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) results in the development of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), for which hematopoietic microenvironment plays an important role. We investigated the specific effects of an HPC line transduced with Bcr-Abl, KOBA, on BM-derived OP9 stroma cells. DNA microarray analysis revealed that OP9 cells co-cultured with KOBA cells (OP9/L) show diverse changes in the gene expression. OP9/L cells showed significant down-regulation of Cdkn genes and up-regulation of Icam1, leading to the increased proliferation capacity of OP9 cells and enhanced transmigration of leukemia cells through them. The effects were attributed to direct Notch activation of OP9 cells by KOBA cells. OP9/L cells also showed a markedly altered cytokine gene expression pattern, including a robust increase in a variety of proinflammatory genes and a decrease in hematopoietic cytokines such as Cxcl12, Scf, and Angpt1. Consequently, OP9/L cells promoted the proliferation of KOBA cells more efficiently than parental OP9 cells, whereas the activity supporting normal myelopoiesis was attenuated. In mice bearing KOBA leukemia, the characteristic genetic changes observed in OP9/L cells were reflected differentially in the endothelial cells (ECs) and mesenchymal stroma cells (MCs) of the BM. The ECs were markedly increased with Notch-target gene activation and decreased Cdkn expression, whereas the MCs showed a marked increase in proinflammatory gene expression and a profound decrease in hematopoietic genes. Human CML cell lines also induced essentially similar genetic changes in OP9 cells. Our results suggest that CML cells remodel the hematopoietic microenvironment by changing the gene expression patterns differentially in ECs and MCs of BM.

An increasing number of research evidences indicate linkage between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD); the two most common diseases of aging. In addition, T2DM and AD also share some common pathophysiological features. Therefore, dual therapy that targets both the diseases can be regarded as a beneficial approach. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and beta-secretase (BACE) have been considered as potential therapeutic targets for AD. Accordingly, the piece of work presented here describes the binding of anti-diabetic drugs (Jardiance, Suiny and Nesina) with AChE and BACE so as to further investigate connecting bridges concerning the treatment of these two diseases. We have used "Autodock 4.2" for docking experiments. Both, hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions were found to be involved in the proper positioning of these diabetic drugs within the catalytic site (CAS) of AChE and BACE enzymes to permit docking. Free energy of binding (ΔG) for 'Jardiance-AChE', 'uiny-AChE' and 'Nesina-AChE' CAS interactions were found to be -9.21, -7.32 and -10.66 kcal/mol, respectively; while for 'Jardiance-BACE', 'Suiny -BACE' and 'Nesina-BACE' CAS interactions the same were determined to be -8.91, -8.58 and -10.40 kcal/mol, respectively. Hence, these diabetic drugs might act as potent dual inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes-associated neurological disorders. Consequently, the results described herein may form the basis of future dual therapy against the same.