University of Basrah

The unique opportunity lies in targeting tumor cells through glycolysis, a pathway that compensates for decreased ATP production by increasing sugar consumption. This strategy allows for the development of a novel therapeutic approach, targeting malignant cells with selective pharmacological inhibitors of glycolysis without harming normal cells. In this study, hexokinase, glycolytic enzyme, was targeting to selectively inhibit energy production pathways in cancer cells without harming normal cells. The anticancer mechanisms of 2 Deoxy-D-Glucose (2DG) and Mannoheptulose (MH) in esophagus adenocarcinoma (SK-GT-4) and HBL-100 normal cell lines were investigated using MTT and wound healing assays to assess their cytotoxic effects and cellular proliferation. The apoptosis effect was detected using the AO/EB assay. To confirm the effect of agents on cell energy metabolism, the levels of ATP, pyruvate, and hexokinase were assessed as glycolysis parameters. The results showed significant cytotoxic effects of 2DG and MH on the growth of cancer cells, with a strong synergistic effect when used in combination, especially in SK-GT-4 cells. The IC50 values for 2DG and MH were 278 and 440 µg/mL, respectively, in SK-GT-4 cells, while HBL-100 cells did not reach IC50 values. Wound healing outcomes indicated a decrease in proliferation and invasion of cancer cells. Measurements of ATP and pyruvate levels showed that the combined use of the two drugs more effectively reduces cellular energy compared to using them independently, suggesting a synergistic effect against cancer cells and potential for a more effective treatment approach in the future

Background. Recent years have seen increased examination of therapies targeting the activity of the incretin hormone. The incretin effect is characterized by the postprandial augmentation of insulin secretion, and enhancers of two distinct incretin-based therapeutic approaches devised for overweight, and diabetes management. The purpose of the study was to use the treatment of liraglutide that mimics the composition of incretin, and in which case it is more efficient. Materials and methods. Forty-two mature male rats were randomly divided into 7 groups (6 animals each). Group 1 (control) was injected with normal saline intraperitoneally (1 ml/kg/day for 4 weeks). Group 2 is divided into three subgroups: positive controls were injected with normal saline (1 ml/kg) daily for 4 weeks; the victoza-treated group was injected with a graduated dose (0.6, 0.8, and 1.2 mg/kg) subcutaneously daily for 4 weeks, and the saxenda-treated group was injected with a graduated dose (0.6, 0.8, and 1.2 mg/kg) subcutaneously daily for 4 weeks. Group 3 (induced type 2 diabetes mellitus) is divided into three subgroups as well: positive controls were injected with normal saline (1 ml/kg) daily for 4 weeks; the victoza-treated group was injected with graduated doses (0.6, 0.8, and 1.2 mg/kg) subcutaneously daily for 4 weeks, and the saxenda-treated group was injected with graduated doses (0.6, 0.8, and 1.2 mg/kg) subcutaneously daily for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, all animals were anesthetized and sacrificed for blood collection for the biochemical and hormonal assessment. Results. The results show a significant decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in HOMA-IR, insulin hormone, kidney function tests, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase in the victoza-treated group as compared to the saxenda-treated group. Groups of IDM victoza and HFD victoza showed a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in ALT levels as compared to the positive control DM, positive control HFD, and the same groups treated with saxenda. IDM saxenda group and HFD saxenda group showed a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in ALT levels compared to the positive control DMG and the positive control HFD groups. Conclusions. The chemical formulations and primary metabolic effects suggest that victoza may be more suitable for patients with diabetes seeking improved glycemic control and renal protection, while saxenda may be preferable for obesity management with a focus on weight loss with careful moni­toring of renal and hepatic parameters during rapid weight loss.

Hyperandrogenism in Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) negatively affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Anti-androgens may improve both biochemical and patient-related outcomes. To evaluate the impact of combined finasteride and spironolactone on HRQOL in married and unmarried women with PCOS using PCOSQOL-47 and PCOSQOL-42, respectively. A total of 263 married and 236 unmarried women with PCOS were enrolled from two tertiary centers. All received finasteride (5mg) and spironolactone (100mg) daily and were followed every four months over a year. HRQOL was assessed using PCOSQOL-47 for married and PCOSQOL-42 for unmarried women, alongside evaluating their biochemical and clinical hyperandrogenism. After one year, significant reductions were observed in total and free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, body mass index (BMI), and a decrease in modified Ferriman-Gallwey (mFG) scores. Both groups showed marked HRQOL improvement, greater in unmarried women. In PCOSQOL-47, psychological and emotional domains improved most, while fertility and sexual domains improved least. In PCOSQOL-42, menstrual and fertility domains had the highest gains, while coping improved least. Both groups had a 25% reduction in mFG score and 5% reduction in BMI. This is the first study to evaluate combined finasteride and spironolactone on HRQOL domains in PCOS using PCOSQOL-47 and PCOSQOL-42. Prior studies assessing anti- androgens used other tools, without distinction between married and unmarried women. Combined finasteride and spironolactone significantly improved all HRQOL scales and reduced hyperandrogenism within the first four months in women with PCOS, supporting its role alongside lifestyle measures.

Opportunistic infections are a major clinical concern in individuals with impaired immune systems. More widespread organ transplantation, chemotherapy, biologic therapies and long-term corticosteroids had created a population at greater risk of such infections. Consequently, a variety of patients including not only those with late-stage HIV infection have been affected by opportunistic pathogens. The type and degree of immune deficiency affect the range of potential infections. Neutropenia, for example, is known to come with severe bacterial and invasive fungal infection; defects in T-cell immunity led to increased susceptibility to viral reactivation and infections by intracellular pathogens. Early recognition and application of appropriate diagnostic strategies are key to maximizing patient outcomes. New diagnostic tools, including molecular tests and metagenomic sequencing have enhanced pathogen diagnosis in the immunocompromised. Successful management requires early initiation of antimicrobial therapy, targeted adjustment of immunosuppression and supportive clinical care. Other critical preventive strategies include vaccination, antimicrobial prophylactic measures, screening for latent infections and establishing infection-control practices. This review describes the common pathogens, risk factors, diagnostic approaches and preventive measures relevant to opportunistic infections in modern immunocompromised populations.

This paper focuses on the essential role of the quasi-conformal curvature tensor in developing the theoretical foundation and applications of quasi-contactmetric geometry. The quasi-conformal curvature tensor of NC10-manifolds using the space associated with G structures (AGS-space) has been investigated. By deriving explicit expressions for the tensor components, the necessary and sufficient conditionsfor considering the quasi-conformal NC10-manifold as flat quasi-conformal have beendetermined. Noteworthy, it indicated that any flat quasi-conformal NC10-manifold is locally isometric to the product of the Kähler manifold and the real line, thus connecting abstract tensor properties to classical geometric structures. Moreover, theconditions for the NC10-manifold that yield the η-Einstein structure are established. New analogues of Gray’s identities for the quasi-conformal curvature tensor havebeen introduced for NC10-manifold.

Date palm is commonly propagated through tissue culture techniques; however, this method often encounters complications, particularly fungal contamination. The effects of varying pH levels on fungal development and explant response in vitro are the focus of the research. Morphological and molecular assessments led to the identification of three fungal species: Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl., Chaetomium globosum Kunze and Nigrospora osmanthi Mei Wang & L. Cai were the most prevalent, with A. alternata being the most frequently observed. Among the tested pH levels, pH 5 had the most pronounced impact on the radial expansion of the fungi. In terms of shoot development within the tissue culture environment, overall shoot growth of date palm was not significantly influenced by pH levels. However, shoot length exhibited notable differences at pH 5, 5.5, and 6, measuring 4.2 cm, 4.6 cm, and 5.1 cm, respectively. Furthermore, the amino acid concentration in leaf tissues varied with pH, peaking at 50.6 mg per 100 g of tissue at pH 5. Carbohydrate levels in the leaves were also pH-dependent, with the highest value of 29.26 mg g-1 at pH 6 and the lowest (0.34 mg g-1) at pH 5.

Abstract This study aims to comprehend solar and interplanetary (IP) phenomena generating solar energetic particle (SEP) events with proton energies exceeding 90MeV and identify the locations and commencement times of proton acceleration during such events. Forty energetic proton events, with intensities surpassing 10\((^{-3})\) cm\((^{-2})\) sr\((^{-1})\) MeV\((^{-1})\) at \(({\sim })\) 94MeV, were meticulously selected from observations by the {\it Energetic and Relativistic Nuclei and Electrons} (ERNE) instrument onboard the {\it Solar and Heliospheric Observatory} (SOHO) during solar cycle 23. Using the fixed path length method (1.2AU) and velocity dispersion analysis (VDA), we estimated particle injection times, cross validating results with the height of radio type II/IV burst emission and comparing them with flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) characteristics. All analyzed proton events were associated with CMEs and 27 of the proton events were associated with on-the-disk soft x--ray flares. Of the 13 other events, six did not have a GOES flare reported but in eleven events evidence exist of behind the limb flaring. Only two events were void of any flare signatures. Radio type II/IV burst emission association was also significant. Of the non associated two events, only one was completely void of radio emission and one showed metric continuum and tilted type III burst lane emission. Most of the first protons were injected when the CME leading edges were below 5R\((_{\odot})\), and most of the protons reached their maximum intensity while the CMEs were above 10R\((_{\odot})\). The maximum proton intensities were achieved much earlier than the possible passage of an interplanetary shock near Earth, suggesting that the majority of high energy protons at 90 MeV were accelerated as a result of earlier processes. In roughly half of the events the CME front was above the estimated type II burst location. We suggest that in these cases the type II bursts may be related to CME interaction processes and shocks at the CME flanks.

ABSTRACT Recently, the infrared‐based retort (RIR) was developed for sustainable food production in the canning process. However, its industrial applications require assessing its effects on product properties during storage. This study aims to comparatively evaluate the novel RIR and conventional retort (CR) for canned Talang Queenfish's quality parameters and to define optimal processing conditions by altering sterilization temperature (110°C–121°C) and time (10–20 min) to minimize peroxide value (PV), acid value (AV), free fatty acid (FFA), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile nitrogen (TVN), and maintain acceptable pH. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and sensory evaluation were also performed, and the products were assessed monthly during a 1‐year storage period. The optimal product was achieved at 116.5°C/15.6 min, with significantly ( p < 0.05) extended shelf‐life and reduced PV, AV, FFA, TBA, TVN, with a slight decrease in pH compared to CR. SEM revealed that the RIR product exhibited more organized cellular structure with a smoother surface. Despite the similarity of spectra, FTIR analysis indicated differences in functunal group characteristics between RIR and CR samples, particularly in hydroxyl and carbonyl regions. RIR‐sterilized fish achieved higher overall acceptance sensory score than CR (8.9 ± 0.6 vs. 7.4 ± 0.8). Results indicate RIR capability for practical applications and contribution to food quality enhancement and waste reduction.

In this paper, the first non-vanishing cohomology of the Orlik-Solomon algebra, for a graph having no triangles was investigated where l is the number of edges in a graph G. Particularly, the third cohomology of the Orlik-Solomon algebra did not vanish if has chordless -cycles that contain the edges e1 and e2.

This paper presents a hybrid machine learning model to analyze user behavior patterns in educational mobile applications for engagement frequency, session lengths, and interaction events. The new model combines Decision Trees and Neural Networks into a unique system that predicts learning outcomes accurately rather than deviating toward accuracy-guided prediction models. The research data has been collected over the past six months with approximately 10,000 middle school students aged 12-15 using the educational app, all of which contributed to a dataset of 50,000 user sessions. So extensive data collection was, as discussed in the Data Collection section, that it enabled our model to outperform standard methods such as logistic regression, k-NN, and support vector machines at an accuracy of 91 percent. This approach can be applied to app design to personalize learning experiences and teacher training approaches, focusing on the frequency of engagement and range of interaction diversity. The findings will facilitate the development of enhanced, student-centered educational apps, while personalized learning environments will provide useful information to the developers and educators on optimizing use for learning in mobile educational App development.