EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF A NOVEL FORMULATION FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IN OBESE SUBJECTS: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE BLIND, PLACEBO CONTROLLED, CLINICAL STUDY

Obesity is a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors, is also associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) in the management of weight in obese or overweight individuals. A randomized, mono-centric, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study was conducted by administering Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) capsules (25 mg, one capsule twice a day) and indistinguishable placebo capsules as daily supplements to 40 overweight and obese subjects for 90 days. The study participants were divided in 1:1 ratio to receive either Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20).Efficacy was assessed by measuring body weight, body mass index, leptin, adiponectin levels, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and Hs-CRP. Safety was assessed by evaluating safety parameters (vital signs and laboratory investigations) and monitoring adverse events.After 90 days, significant reduction in body weight (P< 0.0001) and body mass index (P < 0.0001) were observed in the Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) group compared with placebo. Additionally, significant change in serum biomarkers was observed between Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) and placebo groups from baseline to final visits. Adverse events were mild and were unrelated to the investigational products. Supplementation with Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) resulted in significant decrease in weight loss than placebo over 90 days. It was safe and well tolerated by all subjects

The Political Discourse and Its Impact on the Iraqi-Turkish Relations (2003-2019)

انعكس الخطاب السياسي بصورة واضحة على العلاقات الثنائية بين العراق وتركيا بعد عام 2003 , اذ وجدت تركيا في عملية التغيير للنظام السياسي العراقي والتي قامت بها الولايات المتحدة الامريكية فرصة للانفتاح تجاه العراق, الا ان اختلاف الرؤى السياسية بين حكومتي البلدين دفع هذه العلاقات الى التأزم لاسيما خلال حكومة (نوري المالكي) الاولى والثانية, على الرغم من توقيع البلدين للعديد من الاتفاقيات الثنائية خلال تلك الفترة الا انها لم تطبق بصورة كاملة, شهد الخطاب السياسي العراقي تغيراً ايجابياً تجاه تركيا مع تولي (حيدر العبادي) رئاسة الحكومة في البلاد, الا ان هذه العلاقات لم تلبث طويلاً حتى عادت الى التأزم بفعل الاجندات التركية في العراق, اعتبرت الحكومة التركية تولي (عادل عبد المهدي) رئاسة الحكومة العراقية فرصة جديدة لإعادة بناء علاقات جديدة مستندة الى خطاب متزن وعقلاني.The political rhetoric was clearly reflected in the bilateral relations between Iraq and Turkey after 2003. Turkey found in the process of change of the Iraqi political system carried out by the United States of America an opportunity for opening up to Iraq, The government of (Nuri al-Maliki) the first and second, although the two countries signed many bilateral agreements during that period, but they were not fully implemented, the Iraqi political discourse witnessed a positive change towards Turkey with (Haidar al-Abadi) assuming the premiership in the country, However, these relations were not long ago until it returned to the crisis due to the Turkish agendas in Iraq, considered the Turkish government to take (Adel Abdul Mahdi) Iraqi Prime Minister a new opportunity to rebuild new relations based on a balanced and rational speech

Diagnosing Barriers of ESL/EFL Learners’ Listening and Speaking Comprehension

تحاول الدراسة تجسيد مشاكل الاستماع والتحدث لدى متعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية بوصفها لغة أجنبية/ اللغة الإنجليزية بوصفها لغة ثانية، بالإضافة إلى الخلفية النظرية للعقبات التي تواجههم. لهذا الغرض، أجريت الأساليب الكمية والنوعية للحصول على استجابة استبيان الاستماع والتحدث أداة لجمع البيانات، وبناءً عليه، شارك في هذه الدراسة أربعون (40) طالبًا في جامعة السليمانية. تظهر إجاباتهم أن بعض المشاركين (حتى 80٪) يواجهون صعوبات في الاستماع والتحدث. وتحليل البيانات عبر برنامجSPSS     والتوصل إلى استنتاج، كانت معظم تحدياتهم مرتبطة  بخجلهم بالإضافة إلى التأثيرات الخارجية التي تنتمي إلى كل من دليل الجهاز والمعلم مع تصميم المناهج، وبناءً عليه، وتقديم بعض التوصيات لتذليل العقبات.The present study attempts to tackle problems of EFL/ESL learners’ listening and speaking comprehension, in addition tohe theoretical background of their obstacles. For this purpose, qualitative and quantitative methods have been conducted to get the response of the listening speaking questionnaire (LSQ) as a tool of data collection. Accordingly, forty (40) students participated in this study at the University of Sulaimani. Their responses show that manyup to %80) of the participants face difficulties in listening and speaking comprehension. The data is analyzed via the SPSS program and a conclusion has been drawn. Most of their challenges are internally related to their shyness as well as some external impacts belonging to both device and teacher guide with curriculum design. Accordingly, some recommendationsave been given to overcome the obstacles

Evaluating the Petroleum Contracts of Kurdistan Region in the Surveying and Applying the Deloitte Data (A Comparative Review)

A production sharing contract has been chosen by the Kurdistan Regional Government as supposedly the most appropriate contract model for the oil and gas resources of the Kurdistan Region, among several other forms of contract. In general, in terms of royalty, cost recovery, and sharing the residual sales as negotiated, the Kurdish model is similar to its foreign model, although the proportions are most likely to differ. The model of the Region specified 10 percent for the Royalty: Up to 45 percent for cost recovery, often between 7-9 percent of the company's share of the profit in the agreement. Investigating Deloitte reports and then comparing the 2017 to 2019 data shows the unstable output with a fair boost and stability at the later date as for 2017. A large contribution from the Kirkuk oil fields to the production of the overall region is noted until 16 Oct 2017. Around one-third of the revenues of oil went to the production oil companies, although as agreed for cost recovery, it is still less than 40 percent. The payment of the companies of Oil production could be explained as a collective sum between 9% of the profit oil and 25-28% of the sales oil's gross values! The cost recovery payment could not have been funded in the contract, which explains the region's claim about the debts of the companies, in its agreed manner

A CLINICAL STUDY ON IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA WITH BIOIRON

AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of BioIrontablet as a herbal iron supplement for repletion in iron deficiency anaemic patients.METHODS: Thirty subjects were evaluated in 5 sessions: screening, baseline, 14th, 28th and 56th day accompanied with a follow up assessment at least 7 days from the last visit (day 63). The efficacy parameters, such as complete blood count (CBC), red blood cell indices, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferritin were evaluated. Subjects were assessed using SF-36 Health Questionnaire and Fatigue Severity Scale. Safety of the investigational product was assessed by physical examination, vital signs and adverse events.RESULTS: BioIron showed a significant efficacy in 56 days as evaluated by an increase in haemoglobin (Hb) levels (p ≤ 0.0001) and decrease erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p ≤ 0.001). An increase in serum iron could be correlated to the immediate release of iron from BioIron in systemic circulation. This depicts the increased health status of subjects response to SF-36 Health Questionnaire (p ≤ 0.0001) and decreased fatigability (p ≤ 0.0001) assessed by Fatigue Severity Scale during the study course.CONCLUSIONS: Without any adverse events or serious adverse events, an appreciable statistical significance has been observed with respect to Hb level, total iron binding capacity and other laboratory parameters. Hence it can be reckoned that BioIron is safe and effective for the management of IDA

Analysis of Syntactic Errors in English Writing: A Case Study of Jazan University Preparatory Year Students

The present study focuses on the most common syntactic errors which Arabic speaking learners in Preparatory Year, Jazan University (Saudi Arabia) face in learning English as a foreign language. The results of this study reveal that the most common syntactic errors made by the learners are in sentence structure; subject verb agreement, tense, auxiliary verb, number, use of conjunction, preposition, article, etc. Many students in this study were categorized as slow learners who were not even aware of the importance of writing skill. Non-seriousness and less concentration of learners result errors and mistakes in their writing. In addition to that, the errors were hypothetically associated to the transfer of mother tongue and over generalization. In the Arab context, writing is not an easy task; it is, indeed, a challenging job for the teacher. Therefore, traditional methodologies do not help. Unless the teachers create interest about writing skill in the minds of the learners, the desired results can’t be achieved. For the present study, the researchers used the primary source. Different colleges at Jazan University were selected for data collection. The students were tested by asking to write compositions on different topics related to their academic or day to day life. Analysis of previous answer scripts was also a part of study to trace out a common pattern or a series of errors made by the students. Keywords: Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Writing skill, Syntactic errors, Error analysis

Histopathological Changes of Some Internal Organs of Mice Injected with Exotoxin a at Low Concentrations

Exotoxin A is the most lethal virulence factor produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It inhibits elongation factor-2 by ADP-ribosylation of EF2. This causes stop of the elongation of polypeptides. In recent study, the effect of low concentration of exotoxin A on some important internal organs of mice was studied. Four groups white mice were injected intraperitonialy with pure exotoxin A in the following manner 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 ng\ animals.  One mouse receives normal saline inrtaperitonialy as a control. After 72 hours the mice were killed and four organs were taken, liver, spleen, lung and heart from each killed mice. Histological sections were made from each organ and stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain then examined under microscope. The resultant pathological changes were included, congestion of blood vessels, degenerative and necrotic changes, and infiltration of inflammatory cells of these organs. These pathological changes increased with increase the amount of exotoxin A injection as compared with control. No mouse was dying due to injection of exotoxin A. As a conclusion, exotoxin A at low concentrations can affect important internal organs namely, liver, spleen, lung and heart, this effect increase with increasing the concentration of exotoxin A. Lethal dose50 is much higher than that of the highest concentration that causes pathological changes. Keywords:Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Exotoxin A ,Pathological change

An investigation of the antimicrobial activity of the aqueous, dichloromethane, ethanol and methanol extract of the seeds and whole plant of Ipomoea nil

Ipomoea nil (Linn) Roth, (morning glory / kaladanah; Convolvulaceae), is frequently grown in gardens and lawns for its ornamental flowers and often runs wild in hedges and wastelands. Plant is documented to possess beneficial effect in erectile dysfunction, impotence and also have antispasmodic, bronchodilator, blood purifier, diuretics, astringent, anti-inflammatory and hepato-protective etc. In this study, disc diffusion method was adopted to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial activity of the aqueous and organic (DCM, ethanol, methanol) extracts of the seeds and whole plant (leaves, flower and bark) of Ipomoea nil, in order to know the best extract and plant part having the beneficial activity against pathogenic bacteria species of both G +ve strains, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pumilus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, G -ve strains, i.e., Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii and Klebsiella pneumoniae and two species of fungi (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger). Methanolic and ethanolic extract of the seeds of the Ipomoea nil showed significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (G +ve) having the relative percentage of inhibition of 89.88 % and 85.67 % respectively, while methanolic extract of the whole plant also have relative percentage of inhibition of 83.96%, whereas ethanolic extract of the whole plant have good antibacterial activity. Aqueous and DCM extract of seeds and whole plant showed weak inhibitory response. Modified agar well diffusion method was adopted to measure the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and MIC values for G +ve, lies within the range of 30 to 60 ?g /ml (seeds), 60 to 90 ?g /ml (whole plant) and for the Gram –ve, it lies within the range of 90 to 250 ?g /ml (seeds), 180 to 500 ?g /ml (whole plant)  and for the fungi, it varies from 500  to 2000 ?g /ml. Present study clearly indicate that the antimicrobial activity varies from part to part and the plant material used and it also indicate that the methanolic extract of Ipomoea nil is a potentially good candidate for the therapy of antibacterial-resistant bacteria and would therefore require further study

Resistance exercise training lowers HbA1c more than aerobic training in adults with type 2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 10 weeks of resistance or treadmill exercises on glycemic indices levels prior to and immediately following exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Research Design and Method</p> <p>Twenty inactive subjects (mean age 53.5 years) with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the study. Baseline HbA1c, blood glucose levels, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured for each subject prior to the initiation of the exercise program. Subsequently, subjects were matched to age, waist circumference and sex and assigned to either isocaloric resistance or treadmill exercise groups, which met 3 times per week for 10 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both groups showed a reduction in pre and post-exercise blood glucose and HbA1c values. There was no change in resting blood pressure or heart rate in either group during the course of the 10 week intervention. The group receiving resistance exercises showed significant differences in the daily pre-exercise plasma glucose readings between the beginning and end of the exercise protocol (p < 0.001). There were significant improvements in the mean HbA1c reading pre and post training in both groups (p < 0.001). However, the greater reduction was noted in the resistance exercise group, and at 10 weeks their HbA1c levels were significantly lower than the group that received treadmill exercises (p < 0.006).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ten weeks of resistance exercises were associated with a significantly better glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes compared to treadmill exercise.</p

An Anthropometric Study of Cranio-Facial Measurements and Their Correlation with Vertical Dimension of Occlusion among Saudi Arabian Subpopulations

BACKGROUND: Determining and restoring physiological vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) is the critical step during complete mouth rehabilitation. The improper VDO compromises the aesthetics, phonetics and functional efficiency of the prosthesis.  Various methods are suggested to determine the accurate VDO, including the facial measurements in the clinical situations with no pre-extraction records. The generalisation of correlation between the facial measurements to VDO is criticised due to gender dimorphism and racial differences. Hence, it is prudent to verify the hypothesis of facial proportion and correlation of lower third of the face to remaining craniofacial measurements in different ethnic groups. The objective of the study was to evaluate the correlation of craniofacial measurements and OVD in the Saudi-Arabian ethnic group.METHODOLOGY: Total of 228 participants from Saudi-Arabian Ethnic group were randomly recruited in this cross-sectional study. Fifteen craniofacial measurements were recorded with modified digital Vernier callipers, and OVD was recorded at centric occlusion. The obtained data were analysed by using the Spearman’s correlation and linear regression analysis.RESULTS: The Mean OVD in male participants was higher (69.25 ± 5.54) in comparison to female participants (57.41 ± 5.32).  The craniofacial measurement of Exocanthion-right labial commissure and the Mesial wall of the right external auditory canal-orbitale lateral had a strong positive correlation with VDO. The strong correlation was recorded with a trichion-upper border of right eyebrow line and trichion-Nasion only in males. Meanwhile, the length of an auricle recorded the positive correlation in female participants.CONCLUSIONS: Being simple and non-invasive technique, craniofacial measurements and linear equations could be routinely utilised to determine VDO