The present research was performed using animals at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Tikrit University during the period between September 1, 2025, and December 1, 2025, in the animal house of the college under standard laboratory conditions of rearing animals. This study used male laboratory rats. The males were selected because they are larger and having a more stable weight than the females hence reducing hormonal interference that would have influenced the outcome of the study. At the beginning of the experiment, the weight of the rats was 250 to 300 grams. Pre-weighing of the animals was done prior to feeding to find out the initial weight of each rat. Monitoring was done over the 60 day period of rearing whereby under appropriate environment they received free access to water and feed. ELISA was used to measure liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP), total cholesterol and triglycerides in serum, according to the laboratory standards. The levels of GOT (AST) and GPT (ALT) were significantly raised at the end of the feeding period, which means that the cells of the liver were damaged by the fat accumulation inside of the cells and increased the cell membrane permeability. Conversely, the level of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP) did not show any significant change, which means that the pathological effect of obesity was not serious at the initial stages and did not spread to the bile ducts. The findings also presented the fact that the total cholesterol and triglyceride levels had been significantly increased. It may be concluded that dietary induced obesity is one of the key causes of lipid imbalance and hepatocellular damages, and can be one of the initial phases in the evolution of metabolic liver diseases in the event that exposure to causative factors is sustained.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers are long-term wounds that are marked by persistent inflammation, impaired immune response, bacterial infection, and slowed down tissue repair. The capability of forming biofilms, resisting antimicrobial treatment, and persisting in the wound microenvironment make Pseudomonas aeruginosa an important pathogen in diabetic foot infections. Interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL8) is a neutrophil chemoattractant, which could be indicative of excess inflammation and immune dysregulation in chronic infected wounds. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess IL-8 as a biomarker of immune dysregulation, the biofilm burden and delayed healing in diabetic foot ulcer infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Materials and Methods: It is an analytical case-control clinical study, which was performed on 120 diabetic subjects who were recruited in the private clinics between the period between January 2026 and April 2026. They were separated into four groups: diabetic foot ulcer patients infected with P. aeruginosa (n = 40), diabetic foot ulcer patients infected with bacteria other than P. aeruginosa (n = 40), culture-negative diabetic foot ulcer patients (n = 20), and diabetic controls with no active ulcer (n = 20). Aseptic collection of wound samples was done to test them against bacteria in terms of culture, identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and biofilm formation. The ELISA was used to measure serum IL-8. Where possible, the IL-8 levels of exudates in wounds were measured in ulcer groups. Clinical variables, inflammatory markers, wound severity and healing progress after four weeks were documented. The statistical analysis involved group comparisons, correlation analysis, regression analysis and ROC curve analysis. Results: The P. aeruginosa group had a significant higher level of serum and wound-exudate IL-8 as compared to the non-Pseudomonas-infected group, culture-negative ulcer group and the diabetic control group. Isolates of P. aeruginosa that are strong biofilm-producing were linked to the highest levels of IL-8. The biofilm optical density, the severity of the wound, CRP, WBC count, NLR, wound size and wound duration were positively correlated with IL-8 levels. There was a negative relation between IL-8 and the decrease in the area of the wound after four weeks. Not only MDR P. aeruginosa infection was linked to significantly higher levels of IL-8 as compared to non-MDR infection. The IL-8 was found to be an independent predictor of delay wound healing. Analysis of ROC curve revealed that IL-8 was a good predictor of delayed healing. Conclusion: There is a close association of IL-8 with immune dysregulation, biofilm burden, antimicrobial resistance, wound severity, and delayed healing of diabetic foot ulcers infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The IL-8 can be employed as supportive biomarker in risk assessment and clinical follow-up of diabetic wounds which are chronic.

Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp, known as Indonesian bay leaf, is a plant widely used by many ethnic groups in Southeast Asia as a traditional medicinal plant. This study aims to reveal the regenerative effects of bay leaf extract on histopathological damage to the kidneys and pancreas of hyperglycemic mice induced by alloxan. The test animals were divided into 5 groups, each consisting of 5 mice. The first group was only given food and water as a control. The second group was induced by alloxan as a negative control. Groups 3, 4, and 5 were induced by alloxan and bay leaf extract at doses of 150, 250, and 350 mg/kgBW, respectively. Alloxan induction was carried out once every two days for 6 days, while bay leaf extract was given after induction once daily for 14 days. Blood glucose levels and kidney and pancreas damage scores of mice were examined on days 1, 10, and 25. The results of the experiment showed that blood glucose levels, renal dan pancreatic histopathology damage in mice decreased after being given the extract for 14 days. Thus, it can be concluded that bay leaf extract has regenerative properties against renal dan pancreatic histopathological damage in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of broccoli sprout extract (BSE) against ovarian and renal toxicity induced by methotrexate (MTX) in female albino rats. Methotrexate, an antimetabolite frequently utilized in cancer and autoimmune diseases, has been linked to nephrotoxicity and primary ovarian insufficiency through the induction of oxidative stress and apoptosis. Because of their rich content in glucoraphanin and sulforaphane, two powerful antioxidants, broccoli sprouts were chosen. This study comprised six groups of Thirty female albino rat (180–225 g) (n = 5): (A) Control; (B) MTX, 0.15 mg/kg/week; (C) BSE, 5 mg/kg/day; (D) BSE, 7.5 mg/kg/day; and (E) MTX + BSE, at doses of 5 and 7.5 mg/kg respectively. All treatments were administered orally. The administration of MTX induced severe ovarian histological injuries, indicated by significantly reduced number of follicles, blood vessels rupture, inflammatory cell infiltration and partly fibrosis. Administration of MTX significantly increased the levels of urea and creatinine in renal tissues and induced glomerular damage such as congestion, necrosis, and cellular vacuolation. Consistent with this, these histopathological changes were prevented by simultaneous administration of BSE which appears to restore folliculogenesis and renal function parameters. In conclusion, the findings indicate that BSE strongly protects against MTX toxicity through a mechanism involving enhancement of antioxidant homeostasis. Thus, to summarise, broccoli sprout extract is a effective naturl adjuvant for mencerpt treatment in rescinding side effects on female reproductive and renal systems.

One of the most significant obstacles to achieving sustainable agricultural practices and ensuring ecological sustainability is the build-up of herbicides in the soil. Paraquat is a non-selective, highly toxic, and very herbicides. The main objective of this research project was to evaluate two inexpensive & sustainable techniques to enhance the degradation of paraquat residues in the soil: soil solarization and composting. The experiment was conducted over two months (July and August). Paraquat was removed from the soil through the use of four different treatments: (i) a control group, (ii) an isolated treatment group that received only solarization, (iii) an isolated treatment group that received only compost, and (iv) a combined treatment group that used both solarization and composting. Samples were taken from each group after 14, 28, and 45 days, when a separate treatment is applied to solarization (or) compost; there has been a reduction in residue by approximately 45% (or) 50%, respectively, over 45 days. However, by combining both treatments, a success rate of more than 75% has been achieved, indicating the synergistic benefit of the two methods working together more effectively than either could do alone. The reasoning behind these findings lies in the combination of the two methods, utilizing synergistic mechanisms. First, during solarization, the plastic sheeting creates an area of increased temperature that accelerates the thermal degradation of organic matter in the soil, and second, compost provides a boost to microbial enzymatic degradation of organic matter (as opposed to solely relying on the solar effect). In conclusion, it is believed that by combining solarization with organic fertilization, there is both a practical and economic option for soil improvement (contaminated soils) and further supports the movement towards eco-friendly and sustainable practices of agricultural management.

Biological invasion is one of the biggest threats to global freshwater diversity, and large transboundary rivers are subject to human impacts. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a powerful tool as it is both non-invasive and can detect the presence of species at very low population numbers. The current research focuses on the use of eDNA to identify invasive freshwater species in the Euphrates River system through eDNA-based surveillance. This includes a focus on the Shatt al-Hillah channel within the province of Babylon, Iraq. Samples were taken from several sites along the length of the river, and metabarcoding was performed to amplify the mitochondrial genes. Results indicate that the eDNA method produced reliable signals for detecting invasive species and could be used as an early warning tool for monitoring invasive species in Middle Eastern freshwater ecosystems. These results also indicate that molecular monitoring should be integrated into biodiversity conservation strategies in the region and into river basin management frameworks.

The research included studying the anatomical characteristics of the stems of four species which belong to Papaver genus, which is one of the genera that belong to the Papaveraceae family grows in the middle of Iraq. The species are P. bornmuelleri, P. curviscapum, P. polychaetum, and P. tauricola. Species samples were collected during 2024, and 7 field turns were carried out, covering the central provinces, in addition to a comprehensive survey of herbarium samples preserved in the Iraqi National Herbarium and other university herbariums for the purpose of diagnosis. The study showed that the vascular bundle consists of bark to outside and wood to inside, as this type of unilateral vascular bundle is called Open collateral vascular bundle, which is a feature that distinguished all the studied species, as the anatomical sections of the stems grand good taxonomic importance in isolating and separating the species from each other through the shape and size of the tissues, the thickness of the bark, the Xylem and Phloem tissues, the number of vascular bundles, and the thickness of the pith.