The Association of Anti-Mullerian Hormone and Infertility Hormonal Imbalance with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Among Iraqi Patients.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> The pathogenesis of PCOS, which affects 5-15% of women of reproductive age, is still poorly understood and which characteristic might be considered essential for its diagnosis is still unknown. This study aimed to determine the significance and relationship between Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and other infertility hormones in the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> This study involves 200 women who visited Al-Ramadi Maternity and Child Teaching Hospital in Al-Ramadi, Iraq from October, 2022 to May, 2023. Study participants included 50 women as controls and 150 women with PCOS who were diagnosed using the Rotterdam criteria. The clinical history included oligomenorrhea and BMI. Laboratory investigations included blood tests for FSH, LH, prolactin and AMH levels done for all women who participated in this study. <b>Results:</b> Age and BMI were comparable for PCOS cases and controls. The AMH levels in women with PCOS increased statistically with severity compared to controls, with the mean AMH level found to be 3.53 ng mL¹ in controls, whereas it ranged from 6.19 for mild cases to 7.49 for moderate cases to 12.83 for severe cases in PCOS cases. The AMH alone had the highest diagnostic sensitivity (78.6%) and specificity (97.6%) for PCOS at a cut-off of 5.82 ng mL¹. All study participants had a positive correlation between AMH and LH (R² = 0.391, p = 0.0031). <b>Conclusion:</b> The AMH levels were noticeably higher in PCOS patients compared to controls. The AMH could not accurately diagnose PCOS when used as an independent marker. The AMH levels did, however, have good diagnostic potential in combination with current Rotterdam criteria for PCOS diagnosis.

Spices as Sustainable Food Preservatives: A Comprehensive Review of Their Antimicrobial Potential.

Throughout history, spices have been employed for their pharmaceutical attributes and as a culinary enhancement. The food industry widely employs artificial preservatives to retard the deterioration induced by microbial proliferation, enzymatic processes, and oxidative reactions. Nevertheless, the utilization of these synthetic preservatives in food products has given rise to significant apprehension among consumers, primarily stemming from the potential health risks that they pose. These risks encompass a spectrum of adverse effects, including but not limited to gastrointestinal disorders, the disruption of gut microbiota, allergic reactions, respiratory complications, and concerns regarding their carcinogenic properties. Consequently, consumers are displaying an increasing reluctance to purchase preserved food items that contain such additives. Spices, known for their antimicrobial value, are investigated for their potential as food preservatives. The review assesses 25 spice types for their inherent antimicrobial properties and their applicability in inhibiting various foodborne microorganisms and suggests further future investigations regarding their use as possible natural food preservatives that could offer safer, more sustainable methods for extending shelf life. Future research should delve deeper into the use of natural antimicrobials, such as spices, to not only replace synthetic preservatives but also optimize their application in food safety and shelf-life extension. Moreover, there is a need for continuous innovation in encapsulation technologies for antimicrobial agents. Developing cost-effective and efficient methods, along with scaling up production processes, will be crucial to competing with traditional antimicrobial options in terms of both efficacy and affordability.

Cost Consequence Analysis of Belimumab versus Standard of Care for the Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Belimumab use for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been limited, in part due to its high acquisition cost relative to the standard of care (SoC) and the uncertainties about its cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the cost and effectiveness of belimumab versus the SoC alone for the management of SLE using real-world data from the perspective of public healthcare payers in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Data were retrieved from a national prospective cohort of SLE, Saudi Arabia. Adult SLE patients (≥18 yrs.) treated with belimumab plus the SoC or the SoC alone for at least six months were recruited. The effectiveness was measured using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). Unit costs for health services and prescription drugs were retrieved from the Saudi ministry of health. Nonparametric bootstrapping with inverse probability weighting was conducted to generate the 95% confidence limits for the cost and effectiveness. RESULTS: A total of 15 patients on belimumab plus the SoC and 41 patients on the SoC alone met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were females (91.07%) with a mean age of 38 years. The mean difference in cost and SLEDAI-2K score reduction between belimumab versus the SoC were USD 5303.16 [95% CI: USD 2735.61-USD 7802.52] and 3.378 [95% CI: 1.769-6.831], respectively. Belimumab demonstrated better effectiveness but higher cost in 96% of the bootstrap cost-effectiveness distributions. CONCLUSION: Future studies should use more robust research designs and a larger sample size to confirm the findings of this study.

Anticancer activity of retinoic acid against breast cancer cells derived from an Iraqi patient.

Objective: Breast cancer is one of the most lethal diseases in women, both worldwide and in Iraq. The high mortality rate is attributed primarily to the chemoresistance to conventional therapeutics. The search for effective and safe treatments is critical. One promising agent that has shown activity against various cancer types is retinoic acid (RA). Methods: RA was tested against a panel of international breast cancer cell lines and compared with Iraqi patient-derived hormone-independent breast cancer cells through MTT viability assays. Cytopathology was assessed under an inverted microscope, and apoptotic induction was evaluated with acridine orange propidium iodide assays. Results: AMJ13 breast cancer cells were more sensitive to killing induced by RA than MCF-7 and CAL-51 cells. By contrast, normal HBL-100 cells showed a negligible effect. Cytological changes were observed in all cancer cells treated with RA, whereas no changes were observed in normal HBL-100 cells. Iraqi patient-derived breast cancer cells showed a higher percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis after RA treatment than the other breast cancer cells. Conclusion: We suggest RA as a possible breast cancer treatment with potential for clinical application with high safety.

Relation between macrophage inflammatory protein-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and computed tomography findings in critically-ill saudi covid-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Several, clinical and biochemical factors were suggested as risk factors for more severe forms of Covid-19. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1α, CCL3) is a chemokine mainly involved in cell adhesion and migration. Intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) is an inducible cell adhesion molecule involved in multiple immune processes. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between baseline serum MIP-1α and ICAM-1 level in critically-ill Covid-19 patients and the severity of computed tomography (CT) findings. METHODS: The study included 100 consecutive critically-ill patients with Covid-19 infection. Diagnosis of infection was established on the basis of RT-PCR tests. Serum MIP-1α and ICAM-1 levels were assessed using commercially available ELISA kits. All patients were subjected to a high-resolution computed tomography assessment. RESULTS: According to the computed tomography severity score, patients were classified into those with moderate/severe (n=49) and mild (n = 51) pulmonary involvement. Severe involvement was associated with significantly higher MIP-1α and ICAM-1 level. Correlation analysis identified significant positive correlations between MIP-1α and age, D-dimer, IL6, in contrast, there was an inverse correlation with INF-alpha. Additionally, ICAM-1 showed significant positive correlations with age, D-Dimer,- TNF-α, IL6,while an inverse correlation with INF-alpha was observed. CONCLUSIONS: MIP-1α and ICAM-1 level are related to CT radiological severity in Covid-19 patients. Moreover, these markers are well-correlated with other inflammatory markers suggesting that they can be used as reliable prognostic markers in Covid-19 patients.

Screening of mitochondrial mutations in Saudi women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus: A non-replicative case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Among metabolic disorders, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is specified as hyperglycemia caused by glucose or carbohydrate intolerance defects. GDM is distinguished by oxidative stress, and has been connected to mitochondrial dysfunction. Previous studies have documented the relation between A12026G, A8344G and A3243G mutations in ND4, tRNALeu(UUR), and tRNALys genes in different modes of diabetes. AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate into the relationship between GDM women and common mitochondrial mutations including A12026, A8344G, and A3243G in Saudi women. METHODS: In this case-control study, we have opted 96 GDM and 102 non-GDM pregnant women and DNA was extracted using EDTA blood and based on specific primers, Polymerase Chain Reaction was followed and then Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed. Restriction enzymes was cross-checked with Lambda DNA and 10% of the purified PCR products were performed the Sanger sequencing analysis to reconfirm the RFLP analysis of the studied results. RESULTS: None of the heterozygous and homozygous mutations were not observed in our study. All the subjects were turned to be homozygous normal genotypes. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that A12026, A8344G, and A3243G mutations have no role in the Saudi women with GDM.

Attenuated measles vaccine strain have potent oncolytic activity against Iraqi patient derived breast cancer cell line.

BACKGROUND: One of the world's leading causes of death among females is breast cancer. Oncolytic viruses are promising anticancer therapy that can overcome resistance to current conventional therapies. Measles virus replicates in and destroys malignant cells without affecting healthy cells. The study aimed to evaluate the lives attenuated Measles virus vaccine against Iraqi patient derived breast cancer cells that have functional BRCA1/BRCA2 genes and compare its activity against international breast cancer MCF-7 and CAL-51 cell lines. METHODS: The virus was propagated in VERO-hSLAM slam cells. The MTT cytotoxicity assay used to test the virus's ability to kill three human breast cell lines (AMJ13), (MCF-7), and (CAL-51). The cytopathic effect of the measles virus was determined using an H&E stain. Immunocytochemistry assay using specific anti H protein monoclonal antibody for measles virus in the virally infected cells. Finally, apoptosis induction in the infected cells tested using double staining of acridine orange/propidium iodide. RESULTS: The result shown that breast cancer cells are effectively infected and destroyed by live attenuated measles virus vaccine, and it caused a significant cytopathic effect in the infected cell lines after 48-72 h of infection with remarkable effect on AMJ13 cells (IC50 was 3.527 for AMJ13, when it was 5.079 and 9.171 for MCF-7 and CAL-51 respectively). Measles virus treatment induces apoptosis significantly in breast cancer cell lines compared with control cells. CONCLUSION: MeV vaccine is useful and safe as anticancer therapy with a notable impact on the local Iraqi breast cancer AMJ13 cells.

Chemical Composition and in vivo Efficacy of the Essential Oil of Mentha piperita L. in the Suppression of Crown Gall Disease on Tomato Plants.

This study was undertaken to determine the antibacterial efficacy of the essential oil (EO) of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), in vitro and in vivo, against the phytopathogenic bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A. tumefaciens). The EO composition of M. piperita L. was investigated by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with 26 identified volatile constituents. The major constituents were menthol (33.59%) and iso-menthone (33.00%). This EO exerted a bactericidal activity against multiple strains of Agrobacterium species with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 0.01 to 12.50 mg/mL. In planta experiments, M. piperita EO, tested at concentration of 200 mg/mL, completely inhibited the formation of tumors on tomato plants inoculated with pathogenic strain A. tumefaciens ATCC 23308T. These results suggest that M. piperita EO could be used to control plant bacterial disease caused by A. tumefaciens.

Tentative Characterization of Polyphenolic Compounds in the Male Flowers of Phoenix dactylifera by Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry and DFT.

Phoenix dacylifera is an ancient palm species rich in (poly)phenols. These phenolic compounds were tentatively identified by using liquid chromatography coupled with ion spray mass spectrometry in tandem mode (LC/MS/MS) with negative ion detection. Negative identification of the compounds was based on their retention times and mass spectra in full scan mode (MS), and in different MS/MS modes. For the first time, complete hypothesis, and routs for both p-coumaroylshikimic acids (CoSA) and caffeoylshikimic acids (CSA) were suggested and confirmed by Density Fonctional Theory (DFT) study. Notably, of the 53 compounds characterized, 19 hydroxycinnamates derivatives were tentativelycharacterized in male flowers of date palm and 15 of them were recorded for the first time. In addition, five organic acids, six B-type proanthocyanidins, two anthocyanidin and 21 flavonoid derivatives have been tentatively characterized. Identification of B-type proanthocyanidins were based on the diagnostic ions resulting from heterocyclic ring fission (HRF) and retro-Diels-Alder (RDA) reaction of flavan-3-ol provided information on the hydroxylation pattern and the type of inter-flavan bond proanthocyanidins. The sequence of proanthocyanidins was detected through ions extracted from quinone methide (QM) cleavage of the inter-flavan bond.

A Short Route to the Ester (±) HomoSarkomycin via Johnson-Claisen Rearrangement.

BACKGROUND: α-Methylene cycloalkanones are considered of interest because of their biological activity. Herein, in this paper the synthesis of (±) HomoSarkomycine Esters was described and characterized. METHODS: Using Bylis-Hillman adducts, triethlorthoacetate and propanoic acid, (±) HomoSarkomycine Esters could be synthesized by smoothly Johnson-Claisen rearrangement. RESULTS: A small library of target compounds was prepared under optimized reaction conditions in moderate yields. The reaction mechanism and the DFT study have been investigated. CONCLUSION: This methodology provides ready access to 2-hydroxymethyl-2-cyclopentenone 1a which can be served as the raw materials of the synthesis of (±) HomoSarkomycine Ester.

New RO TFC Membranes by Interfacial Polymerization in n-Dodecane with Various co-Solvents.

The objective of this research is to prepare and characterize a new and highly efficient polyamide TFC RO membrane by interfacial polymerization in dodecane solvent mixed with co-solvents. Three co-solvents were tested namely; acetone, ethyl acetate, and diethyl ether of concentration of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5 wt %. The modified membranes were characterized by SEM, EDX, AFM and contact angle techniques. The results showed that addition of co-solvent results in a decrease in the roughness, pore size and thickness of the produced membranes. However, as the concentration of the co-solvent increases the pore size of the membranes gets larger. Among the three co-solvents tested, acetone was found to result in membranes with the largest pore size and contact angle followed by diethyl ether then ethyl acetate. Measured contact angle increases as the concentration of the co-solvent increases reaching a constant value except for ethyl acetate where it was found to drop. Investigating flux and salt rejection by the formulated membranes showed that higher flux was attained when acetone was used as a co-solvent followed by diethyl ether then ethyl acetate. However, the highest salt rejection was achieved with diethyl ether.

Growth reference for Saudi preschool children: LMS parameters and percentiles.

BACKGROUND: Previous growth charts for Saudi children have not included detailed tables and parameters needed for research and incorporation in electronic records. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this report is to publish the L, M, and S parameters and percentiles as well as the corresponding growth charts for Saudi preschool children. DESIGN: Community-based survey and measurement of growth parameters in a sample selected by a multistage probability procedure. SETTING: A stratified listing of the Saudi population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Raw data from the previous nationally-representative sample were reanalyzed using the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) methodology to calculate the L, M, and S parameters of percentiles (from 3rd to 97th) for weight, length/height, head circumference, and body mass index-for-age, and weight for-length/height for boys and girls from birth to 60 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Length or height and weight of Saudi preschool children. RESULTS: There were 15601 Saudi children younger than 60 months of age, 7896 (50.6 %) were boys. The LMS parameters for weight for age from birth to 60 months (5 years) are reported for the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, and 97th percentiles as well as the corresponding graphs. Similarly, the LMS parameters for length/height-for-age, head circumference-for-age, weight-for-length/height and body mass index-for-age (BMi) are shown with the corresponding graphs for boys and girls. CONCLUSION: Using the data in this report, clinicians and researchers can assess the growth of Saudi preschool children. LIMITATIONS: The report does not reflect interregional variations in growth.

Detection of sarcocystosis in goats in Malaysia by light microscopy, histology, and PCR.

A number of methods have been used for the detection of the presence of microsarcocysts in animals, but little information exists on the value between the various methods. This study therefore examined for Sarcocystis spp. using three different methods in 105 samples of skeletal muscle collected from goats slaughtered in an abattoir in Selangor, Malaysia from January to February 2014. Three methods were used, direct light microscopy of squashed fresh muscle tissues; histological examination of fixed, sectioned, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained samples of muscle; and molecular identification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the 105 tissue samples, 55 (52.38 %) were positive by light microscopy (LM), 46 (43.8 %) by histology, and 95 (90.48 %) by PCR. Only 29 (27.6 %) and 5 (4.76 %) samples were positive and negative, respectively, by all three methods. The cysts were elongated to a spindle shape with a mean size of 393.30 × 81.6 µm and containing banana-shaped bradyzoites of size 12.32 × 2.08 µm. The wall of the cyst was radially striated with a thickness of 2.83 µm. Samples were tested for the presence of Sarcocystis-specific 18S rRNA and were identified as Sarcocystis capracanis. Of the three methods used, the PCR test appears to be the most useful method for the diagnosis of sarcocystosis especially for species identification.

A new and efficient method for the synthesis of novel 3-acetyl coumarins oxadiazoles derivatives with expected biological activity.

This paper presents the design of some novel 3-acetylcoumarin derivatives, based on minimal inhibitory concentration values (MICs) previously obtained against some microorganism cultures, Gram positive and negative bacteria and fungi. Some of these molecules exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus, comparable to that of the standard used (impinem). The in vitro antioxidant activities of the novel 3-acetylcoumarin oxadiazoles were assayed by the quantitative 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity method. The compounds 5c,d proved to be the most active, showing the highest capacity to deplete the DPPH radicals. Structure elucidation of the products has been accomplished on the basis of IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, NOESY and HMBC NMR data.

Synthesis and characterization of new thiazolidinones containing coumarin moieties and their antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

New coumarin derivatives, namely (2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)-N-(4-oxo-2-phenylthiazolidin-3-yl)acetamide, N-(2-(3-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)acetamide, 2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)-N-(4-oxo-2-(2,3,4trimethoxyphenyl)thiazolidin-3-yl)acetamide and N-(2-(4-bromophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)acetamide) were synthesized starting from 4-methyl-7-hydroxycoumarin. The structures of the obtained compounds were confirmed by analytical IR and NMR spectra to elucidate the different positions of protons and carbons and as well as theoretical studies (DFT/B3LYP). The new compounds were screened for antibacterial activity. Most of them are more active against E. coli S. aureus and B. subtilis than standard references.

Synthesis of new substituted chromen[4,3-c]pyrazol-4-ones and their antioxidant activities.

A series of new coumarin derivatives 4 containing a 4-arylbut-3-en-2-one moiety were synthesized by condensation of 3-acetylcoumarin 1 with aryl aldehydes 2 in chloroform in the presence of piperidine. The interactions of 3-formyl-4-chlorocoumarin (3) with nitrogen-containg nucleophiles leading to the corresponding substituted chromen-[4,3-c]pyrazol-4-ones 5 are described. The structures of the obtained compounds were established on the basis of 1D NMR, 2D NMR and IR and further the compounds were evaluated for possible antioxidant activities. The coumarinic chalcone 4a has been found to be the most active (IC50 = 2.07 µM) in this study.