USING BREWER’S YEAST AND GINGER IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CONSTIPATION-PREDOMINANT IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL

Objective: The objective of the present study is to confirm and/or prove the beneficial outcomes from using Brewer’s yeast and Ginger in constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) subjects compared to placebo. Methods: A total of 45 patients suffering from IBS-C were enrolled in a double-blind placebo-controlled study as defined by Rome III criteria. Parallel groups were randomly assigned in this study: A placebo group, Brewer’s yeast group, and ginger group, taken daily for 20 days. IBS severity scale and visual analog scale for IBS (VAS-IBS) were used to assess the severity of pain, abdominal distention, and constipation (IBS-C) subjects. The data were measured at 3 times: At 0 time (T0), after 10 days of treatment (T10), and after 20 days of treatment (T20) for the three treatment groups. Results: Intragroup analysis showed a clinically significant reduction in the symptoms of abdominal pain, distention, and constipation, in the Brewer’s yeast group compared to placebo after the 20 days of the study. There was also a significant reduction of abdominal distention and constipation symptoms in the ginger group throughout the study. Conclusion: This study reveals the beneficial effects of Brewer’s yeast and ginger in reducing troublesome gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects with IBS-C and holds the promise to use them in IBS-C patient

Natural solution to antibiotic resistance: bacteriophages ‘The Living Drugs’

Antibiotics have been a panacea in animal husbandry as well as in human therapy for decades. The huge amount of antibiotics used to induce the growth and protect the health of farm animals has lead to the evolution of bacteria that are resistant to the drug’s effects. Today, many researchers are working with bacteriophages (phages) as an alternative to antibiotics in the control of pathogens for human therapy as well as prevention, biocontrol, and therapy in animal agriculture. Phage therapy and biocontrol have yet to fulfill their promise or potential, largely due to several key obstacles to their performance. Several suggestions are shared in order to point a direction for overcoming common obstacles in applied phage technology. The key to successful use of phages in modern scientific, farm, food processing and clinical applications is to understand the common obstacles as well as best practices and to develop answers that work in harmony with nature

Studying HLA class I polymorphism in brain tumour patients

The present study aimed at shed light on the association between HLA-class I antigens (A, B and Cw) and brain tumours (meningioma and glioma) in the basis of their individual frequencies or two-locus association A total of 52 brain tumour patients were enrolled in this study, with an age range of 7-68 years. The patients were divided into two clinical groups; meningioma (20 cases) and glioma (22 cases), while the remaining 10 cases represented other types of brain tumour. Control samples included 47 Iraqi Arab apparently healthy blood volunteers, with an age range of 15-50 year. Three HLA antigens showed a significant increased frequency in total patients as compared to controls. They were B13 (34.6 vs. 6.5%), B40 (15.4 vs. 2.2%) and Cw3 (15.4 vs. 2.2%). In contrast, B5 was significantly decreased (15.4 vs. 34.8%). In meningioma patients, only B13 was significantly increased (35.0 vs. 6.5%), while in glioma patients, B13 (36.4 vs. 6.5%) and Cw5 (36.4 vs. 2.2%) were significantly increased. Variations between patients and controls have been also encountered for the observed and expected HLA-two locus associations (B13-Cw3, B13-Cw5 and B40-Cw5)

The Cytotoxic Effect of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Combination with 5-Fluorourasil and NO-Aspirin on Mammary Adenocacinoma Cell Line

2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) and NO-Aspirin (NO-ASA) are new anticancer agents that are under intense clinical investigation for their remarkable cytotoxic activity. Combining 2DG, which targets glucose metabolism, with other agents mainly the DNA- and the mitochondrial-damaging agents represent a promising chemotherapeutic strategy.  In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of 2DG, 5-fluorourasil (5FU), and NO-ASA on AMN3 breast cancer model, in addition to the cytotoxic effects of 2DG combination with 5FU and NO-ASA on the same cells. The cytotoxic activity of 2DG, 5FU, and NO-ASA was measured by using the MTT assay at 24, 48, and 72 hr. Then 2DG was combined with 5FU and NO-ASA in a constant concentration ratio based on their corresponding IC50s and the inhibition of cell growth was measured by MTT assay at 72hr. Median effect analysis was conducted to determine the cytotoxic activity of the combinations. 2DG, 5FU, and NO-ASA were found to exert a significant dose- and time-dependant growth inhibition on AMN3 cells. The mean combination index values reveal an additive effect for both combinations. This study demonstrated that 2DG and NO-ASA are capable of inhibiting the breast tumor growth effectively. It also shows that 2DG/5FU and 2DG/NO-ASA combinations result in mean additive effects with good dose reduction index values that have the advantages of reducing the toxicity, adverse effects, and the drug resistance in cancer patients. Key words: 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), NO-Aspirin (NO-ASA), 5-fluorourasil (5FU), Glucose metabolism, Median effect analysis, Breast cance

The Effect of Basal Diet on Lactate-Producing Bacteria and the Susceptibility of Sheep to Lactic Acidosis

The influence of a diet of either pasture or hay on the development of lactic acidosis in sheep was investigated using a grain challenge approach. Twenty-four Merino wethers with a mean live weight of 36.7 (s.e. 3.6) kg were used; 12 were adapted to grass pasture and 12 to hay (lucerne and oaten hay, 60 : 40) for 4 weeks before being given 1 kg of crushed barley via stomach tube. Six sheep in each group were also given virginiamycin (VM; 50 mg/kg barley) with the grain to test the efficacy of this antibiotic in controlling the bacteria responsible for the development of acidosis. Changes in volatile fatty acid (VFA), pH, lactate and bacterial count in the rumen and faecal pH and dry matter (DM) were measured for a 24-h period following administration of the barley. Daily intakes of hay were measured for a 10-day period following grain engorgement. Total ruminal VFA increased (P < 0.01) over time and tended (P = 0.08) to be higher in sheep adapted to hay than in those adapted to pasture (67.5 v. 59.8 mmol/l). The molar proportions of VFA changed (P< 0.01) over time in favour of propionate in both groups. Ruminal pH was higher (P< 0.001) in pasture-adapted sheep, but declined (P< 0.001) in both groups over time following the introduction of barley. This decline in pH was associated with increases in ruminal concentration of VFA in pasture-adapted sheep and VFA and lactate in hay-adapted sheep. The addition of VM resulted in a higher (P < 0.001) proportion of propionate and a trend towards higher (P = 0.24) faecal pH and DM content. Faecal pH and DM content declined (P < 0.001) over time and was lower for the pasture-adapted sheep. The introduction of either barley alone or barley with VM from both hay and pasture diets increased (P < 0.05) the viable counts of total bacteria, Streptococcus bovis and lactic acid bacteria. Bacterial isolates were purified and identified by complete sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to determine the predominant bacteria during the overfeeding of grain. Isolates from medium selective for S. bovis were all identified as this species when VM was not given. VM had no effect on counts of viable bacteria, but inhibited the growth of S. bovis

Effect of tail docking in Awassi lambs on metabolizable energy requirements and chemical composition of carcasses

The effect of tail docking on metabolizable energy requirements and carcass characteristics was studied using 80 weaned entire Awassi male lambs. Docking was performed within 3 days of birth and lambs were weaned at 90 days old. Docked and undocked lambs were randomly allocated to four groups, individually penned and offered different amounts of a pelleted concentrate diet. The pelleted diet was estimated to contain 11.8 MJ of metabolizable energy (ME) and 182 g of crude protein (CP) per kg dry matter (DM). Lambs on the high levels of intake were slaughtered at a target weight of approximately 45 kg. Other lambs were maintained on the diet for 149 days before being slaughtered. The right sides of all carcasses were cut into standardized commercial cuts then dissected into muscle, fat and bone. The soft tissue was pooled and analysed for DM, CP, ash and fat. Prediction of live-weight gain (LWG) and empty body gain for a given ME intake (MEI) was made using the growth and MEI data. MEI was expressed as MJ per kg metabolic body weight (M 0.75) per day. Tail docking had no effect (P> 0.05) on lamb growth from birth to weaning. During the post-weaning growth period, LWG and empty body gain were significantly higher (P 0.05) at high levels of intakes (between 0.74 and 1.1 MJ/kg M 0.75 per day). Hot and cold carcass weights were similar (P > 0.05) for the two groups. Differences in empty body weight and fleece-free empty body weight were significant (P 0.05) on food conversion efficiency (FCE). Carcasses from docked lambs had significantly lower (P 0.05) ash content

Lacking the floor of the mouth: a case study on Coptodon zillii (Cichlidae) from Shatt Al-Arab River, Basrah, Iraq

A single case of double mouth monstrosity was observed and examined in the cichlid fish Coptodon zillii collected from Shatt Al-Arab River, Basrah, Iraq on 15 May 2018. Instead, add the followings,"The floor of the mouth was ruptured, creating an extra mouth opening beneath the normal mouth. An injury may have caused this condition. Morphological examination indicates that the fish had lived with the abnormality for some time

IMPROVEMENT OF TRAFFIC CAPACITY FOR AL-MOTANABI SQUARE IN KUT CITY

The concept of capacity and level of service are the control points of the analysis of intersections and must be fully considered to evaluate the overall operation of the intersections. The objectives of the present study include the analysis, evaluation and improvement of the operation for AL-Motanabi square in Kut city and to present a best proposal to enhance the performance from the capacity point of view. To achieve these objectives, the estimated distribution of the traffic data in different direction that required for the traffic and geometrical analysis were gathered manually, while SIDRA traffic program is used for the requirements of traffic analysis process. It has been concluded that, two layer flyover is the best proposal to improve the operation ability of AL-Motanabi square

Macroscopic study of syrinx in the common bulbul (Pycnontus barbatus) and indigenous pigeon (Columba domestica)

In this study, syrinx of five male common bulbuls (Pycnontus barbatus) weighing (25.93 ±0.89 g) and five male indigenous pigeons (Columba domestica) weighing (286±0.73 g) were examined for macroscopic structure. The results showed the anatomical positions of the syrinx. The syrinx was observed ventral to the esophagus exactly on the base of heart in the common bulbul, whilst in pigeon; the syrinx was hidden by the heart. The morphological structure of the syrinx in both species could be classified as tracheobronchial type. The number of tracheo-syringeal rings could not be determined certainly in common bulbul, while in the pigeon, tracheo-syringeal part was composed of the two cartilaginous rings (T1 and T2). These two cartilaginous rings were different in diameters and joined each other at the middle. In the common bulbul, tympanum which is the middle part of syrinx has the bilateral bulla; while tympanum of pigeon does not have bulla. Furthermore, the broncho-syringeal cartilages from the caudal part of a syrinx, which is composed of five C-shaped rings in both species. The caudal syringeal part of common bulbul has intrabronchial foramen, which absents in a pigeon