Antibiotic-resistant E. coli from food and water sources is a public health concern because it may contribute to the dissemination of resistance outside the clinical settings. This study investigated the antibacterial and antibiotic-potentiating activities of methanolic extracts of garlic (Allium sativum) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) on a resistant isolate of E. coli. Food and water samples were collected, cultured and screened for E. coli. The isolate was characterized by standard microbiological methods, and its resistance profile was determined by the disc diffusion method. Soxhlet extraction with methanol was used to prepare garlic and turmeric extracts. Antibacterial activity was determined by disc diffusion method with streptomycin and gentamicin alone and in combination with plant extracts. Also, a 96 well plate inhibition assay was performed, and bacterial growth was followed at OD600 for 13 hours. Streptomycin and gentamicin alone gave very weak inhibition zones of about 0–1 mm. Combination treatments, however, increased antibacterial activity. Maximum zone of inhibition was observed in turmeric extract with streptomycin (20 mm) followed by garlic extract with streptomycin (18 mm). The combination of gentamicin with turmeric and garlic gave inhibition zones of 14 mm and 12 mm respectively. In the 96-well assay, the lowest final absorbance was observed for the streptomycin–turmeric combination, indicating stronger growth inhibition. Overall, the results suggest that extracts of garlic and turmeric may enhance antibiotic activity against resistant E. coli. Further studies are necessary to confirm the mechanism of this potentiating effect.

Background: White blood cell malignancy classified by an overabundance of lymphoblasts is known as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The current study aimed to investigate the alteration in mean level of some biochemical, hematological and inflammatory markers in patients with acute lymphoblastic Leukemia. Methods: The study included forty ALL patients (20 newly diagnosed with ALL patients and 20 under treatment ALL patients) with 20 healthy control persons from February to May 2026 from ages 2-70 years of both genders. Lipid profile (Cholesterol, Triglyceride, High Density lipoprotein and low Density lipoprotein), Liver function test (Aspartate aminotransferase and Alanine aminotransferase), Hematological profile, C-reactive protein, Interleukein-6 (IL-6) and Tumer necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α) was measured in serum of studied groups. Results: Results of the study revealed noteworthy alterations in hematological, chemical and inflammatory markers in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) patients compared to control. Patients in treatment had higher cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels than newly diagnosed and control patients, with triglyceride levels being elevated in newly diagnosed patients. It was also found that liver enzymes increased significantly. Patients under treatment with HIV had higher levels of ALT and patients with newly diagnosed had higher levels of AST than the patients under treatment and the control group. The study demonstrated a significantly lower level of Hb and PLT and higher WBC count in ALL patients in comparison with control. Hb and platelet level improved and the number of WBC decreased in patients under treatment as compared to newly diagnosed patients showing relative improvement in some of the blood parameters in the treated patient. As for inflammatory indicators, levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α showed an increase in newly diagnosed patients compared to patients under treatment and the control group. These indicators decreased more in patients being treated, reflecting the inflammatory response with the course of the disease and reduction with treatments. Conclusion: The results confirm the potential of these biomarkers to be used as adjunctive indicators in assessing physiological and inflammatory changes in ALL and treatment related changes.

Objective: The molecular genetic and phenotypic relationship between four populations of Iraqi worker honeybees (Apis mellifer) was studied. These four populations are from northern Iraq, specifically from four districts in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Materials and Methods: Fifty worker honeybees were collected from the Sulaymaniyah Governorate for the purpose of studying and determining their genetic and phenotypic structure. The phenotypic characteristics of the honeybees included in this study are: forewing length, forewing width, wing venation, number of cells per wing, presence of wing reticulum, dorsal abdominal color, ventral abdominal color, eye color, head length and width, and the extent of genetic similarity and difference between honeybee strains by determining the DNA sequence of the mitochondrial gene region (COX2). Gas chromatography (GG-Mass) was also used to analyze honeydew tissue from the honeybees. Results: The analysis showed that the molecular weight of the COX2 DNA amplification product in worker honeybees (A. mellifera) was 715 bp base pairs in 12 samples from the population. The results indicated slight genetic diversity in the form of point mutations of the deletion and substitution types. A total of 27 mutations were found in the COX2 gene, distributed across the districts of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. These mutations were translocations and substitutions. Regarding the phenotypic study, the results showed that head length was highest in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, reaching 5.1 mm. The genetic distance values revealed that the highest genetic distance was 0.021 between the districts of Juwarta in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, while the lowest was 0.002 between the districts of Sulaymaniyah City Center and Chamchamal in Sulaymaniyah Governorate. The remaining values varied. As for the honey material, the results of the gas chromatography (GC-Mass) showed that (19) organic materials were separated and identified in all the samples. The samples varied in their content of some of these materials or not, as well as in their percentages in the samples. The carbohydrate materials (sugars) mostly constitute a percentage exceeding 80%, meaning that the percentages in the table represent the percentage in the remaining 20% and not within the total percentage of materials in the honey.

The effect of the geographical origin on the polyphenolic composition of peppermint was investigated. Three independent biological replicates were used for Erbil and Tikrit respectively, and the pre-flower leaves of Mentha × piperita L. were analyzed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Diode-Array Detection (HPLC–DAD). Eleven major compounds were detected, such as Eriocitrin, Luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, Luteolin-7-O-β-glucuronoside, Narirutin, Isorhoifolin, Diosmin, Hesperidin, Lithospermic acid, Rosmarinic acid, Caffeic acid and Eriodictyol. The overall levels of the identified compounds were significantly higher in Erbil than in Tikrit, with a value of 491.31 ± 3.50 mg/g dry extract compared to 455.88 ± 3.41 mg/g dry extract, which represents a 7.21% decrease. Eriocitrin was the most abundant compound in both regions with 291.31 ± 3.12 mg/g in Erbil and 266.83 ± 3.08 mg/g in Tikrit. The second one was rosmarinic acid with 58.31 ± 0.87 and 51.87 ± 0.76 mg/g respectively. The levels of six compounds were significantly lower in the Tikrit samples compared with the Erbil samples, and four of the compounds were significantly higher in the Tikrit samples than in the Erbil samples; Eriodictyol was not significantly different. The largest increase was seen for Lithospermic acid (+20.48%) while the greatest decrease was observed for Hesperidin (-13.32%). The same compounds were found in both areas, but the amount of each compound was much higher in one area than the other. These findings show that geographical and environmental factors have a significant influence on the polyphenolic profile of peppermint and the importance of the use of multiple chemical markers for quality assessment and extract standardization.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxic effects of methamphetamine on the histological structure of the heart muscle in adult male white rats, to assess the potential protective effects of vitamin E against the toxic effects of methamphetamine, and to evaluate the anti-oxidative effects of vitamin E. Three hundred and two white adult Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly allocated to four major groups, 8 rats per group. Each main group was then split into two subgroups according to length of treatment (15 or 30 days). The control group received daily doses for 15 days while the first group of experimental animals were given daily doses of methamphetamine (0.1 mg/kg, 1 mL/day) and the third group daily doses of vitamin E (0.1 mL/day) for 30 days. The animals were hyperactive and moved around more in the cages, were very agitated and eating and drinking less after being treated with methamphetamine. Heart samples were taken at the end of each experimental period and subjected to histopathology. Observed were coronary blood vessels, an infiltration of inflammatory cells, hemorrhage, and some muscle fiber atrophy, also with loss of the nuclei, and increase in the intramuscular connective tissue, the degree of the latter changing with the duration of the exposure. Some histological changes also were observed in the vitamin E group, which may be due to dose or time of administration. Group treated with methamphetamine and vitamin E had a lesser reduction in the severity of some histological lesions than the methamphetamine only group, but the pathological changes were not completely prevented. The study found that methamphetamine creates progressive tissue toxicity in the heart muscle, with the severity of the toxicity increasing as the amount of time the body was exposed to the drug, indicating a cumulative effect of the drug on cardiac tissue. The outcomes further suggest a partial protection of vitamin E against cardiac toxicity induced by chronic methamphetamine exposure, but not enough to prevent all histological changes, thus necessitating further research to determine the optimal dose and mechanism of protection during chronic methamphetamine exposure.

Background: Resistance to β lactamase by Escherichia coli is one of the principal molecular mechanisms leading to failure of extended spectrum cephalosporin antibiotics. Nevertheless, family-based PCR results are often considered evidence of ESBL phenotype despite the non-ESBL parent gene identified by sequencing. Objectives: Analysis of clinical isolates collected from Iraq using a molecular genetic approach considering alleles, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing, multiplex PCR, partial gene sequencing, phylogenetic analysis and ERIC PCR fingerprinting. Methods: Fifty two isolates were characterized by conventional identification, disk diffusion, phenotypic ESBL and AmpC tests, multiplex PCR targeting bla TEM, bla SHV, bla CTX M, bla OXA, and six plasmid mediated AmpC families, partial Sanger sequencing, and ERIC PCR. Data were analyzed using Wilson 95% confidence intervals, Cohen's κ, and exact McNemar tests. Results: The highest resistance frequencies were observed for tetracycline (67.3%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (55.8%), and nalidixic acid (42.3%); 40.4% of isolates met the definition of multidrug resistance (MDR; resistance to ≥3 antimicrobial classes). Thirty five isolates (67.3%) carried at least one screened β lactamase family marker. blaTEM was detected in 29 isolates (55.8%), blaOXA in eight (15.4%), blaSHV in one (1.9%), blaDHA in three (5.8%), and blaCTX M in none. Sequencing assigned the detected alleles to TEM 1, SHV 1, OXA 1, and DHA 1. Consequently, the molecular results demonstrate β lactamase gene carriage but do not justify labeling all PCR positive isolates as ESBL producers. Phenotype–marker concordance was poor for the ESBL comparison (42.3%; κ = −0.03; p = 0.0014) and limited for AmpC (71.2%; κ = 0.025; p = 0.0074). ERIC PCR resolved 16 profiles among 35 gene positive isolates at 50% similarity, indicating substantial clonal heterogeneity. Conclusion: Allele discrimination essentially alters the way family level PCR results should be analyzed. In order to properly classify resistance and perform surveillance in an Iraqi medical setting, both current phenotypic criteria and allele discrimination sequencing must be used.

Background: Leishmaniasis is a globally widespread parasitic infection, and the resistance of the parasite causing this infection to commonly used drugs has become a serious problem. Therefore, it has become necessary to conduct studies on the role of alternative medicines as a treatment for this disease. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of using Capparis spinosa extract on the gene expression of HSP70 and LACK genes in promastigote. Method: The parasite was cultured in RPMI-1640 culture medium in the laboratory under suitable working condition. Subsequently, the parasite was exposed to different concentration of Capparis spinosa extract, and then the gene expression of the parasites HSP70 and LACK was measured by used RT-PCR assay. Results: Exposure of promastigote to different concentrations of Capparis spinosa extract resulted in a significant increase in the Gene expression of HSP70 and LACK genes compared to the control group suggesting the potential use of this extract as a treatment for leishmaniasis. Conclusion: The current study showed that Capparis spinosa extract has an effect on HSP70 and LACK genes expression through the effect of some chemical compounds of the plant extract on protein synthesis and iron chelation.