Kufa Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Muscle weakness is one of most problem in worldwide and is defined as the loss of muscle ability to cause contraction.
Determination the causes of muscle weakness is important to relieve the problem with appropriate diagnosis and
treatment. Vitamin D is very important vitamin and can be obtained endogenously and exogenously. The deficiency
of vitamin D has been associated with numerous health outcomes, including risk of rickets in children or osteomalacia
in adults, increased risk of fractures, falls, cancer, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, type 1 and type 2 diabetes,
hypertension and heart disease, and other diseases such as multiple sclerosis. The aim of this study is measure level
of vitamin D in muscle weakness patients and to evaluate the association between muscle weakness and 25-
hydroxyvitamin D deficiency. The current study is a cross-sectional study, involved 100 participants (40 male and 60
female) that visit orthopedic clinic and they suffer from fatigue, muscle pain and bone pain. They aged between 18-
70 years old and collected during time between the start of September to the end of November 2020 from Karbala
Governorate, Iraq. Many of information were collected from each participant such as, age, gender, height, weight,
blood groups and vitamin D levels. The results of current study revealed, that from this100 participant, there is 61
persons have vitamin D deficiency, were 31 have vitamin D insufficiency, were 8 have vitamin D sufficiency. In
deficiency group, there is 50 females (81.9%), were 11males (22%). Also, there is a significant association between
muscle weakness and vitamin D deficiency. The results of the current study revealed, that from 100 participants, there
is, 43 persons having obesity. Also, there is a significant difference in the distribution of body mass index (BMI) and
vitamin D deficiency among study population.

This present work tested the antimicrobial efficacy of grapefruit juice and its effect on biofilm-forming capacity and
gene expression in isolates of Proteus mirabilis. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for grapefruit juice against
different P. mirabilis isolates were estimated, signifying variable susceptibility among P. mirabilis isolates. The
majority of isolates revealed an MIC of 50%, whereas other isolates had a somewhat lower MIC of 25%. In addition,
fold change values, in particular of the mrpA gene associated with biofilm formation, were tested before and after
treatment with grapefruit juice. Significant differences in fold change values were noticed among isolates. Yet, despite the overexpression of mrpA, grapefruit juice inhibits biofilm formation, representing the regulation of biofilm
complication and the multifactorial impacts of antibacterial ingredients found in grapefruit juice. In conclusion, the
present investigation settles the potential antimicrobial efficacy of grapefruit juice against P. mirabilis. More
investigatory work is necessary for a better understanding of the mode of action and exploring the clinical applications of grapefruit juice in the treatment of urinary tract infections and other bacterial diseases.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease, which is characterized by reversible airflow obstruction in response to a
variety of stimuli. Treatment is mainly with inhalers containing beta₂‐agonists, typically taken as required to relieve
bronchospasm, and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or combination therapy containing a long-acting beta agonist along
with a corticosteroid (ICS/LABA) as regular-preventive therapy. The objective of this study is to compare between
two drugs (Symbicort and Beclomethasone) that used in treatment of asthmatic patients and to evaluate their effects
on disease control, quality of life, blood pressure, side effects in addition to response of patients to these drugs. The
study revealed that the male group was the most common group in this study. Most of the patients appeared to have
(1-5) years of disease. The majority of participants in this study were reported to have normal blood pressure.
Apparently, most individuals had normal weight, with some individuals were overweight or obese. The majority of
the Symbicort treated patients had a positive history of asthma disease (63.3%), and had better disease control (63.3%), better quality of life (60%), and better response to the medication (90%). On the other hand, the majority of the
beclomethasone treated patients showed no history of the disease(55%), a lower quality of life (55%), need to take
the drug regularly (60%), need to take other medications to relieve their symptoms, and had frequent side effects.

Extraction experiments for Ni(II) ions from aqueous phase by new laboratory prepared Azo derivation as complex
agent 2- [4-bromo-2,6-diethyl phenylazo] -4,5-diphenylimidazole(LIGAND)shows the optimum conditions for this
extraction method was (pH= 10) (10 minutes) shaking time and 50μg concentration of Ni(II)ions in aqueous phase.
Organic solvents effect study shows there is not any linear relation between distribution ratio (D) for extraction of
Ni=+2 ions and dielectric constant (ε)for organic solvents used but there is in effect for organic solvent structure on
the extraction of Ni=+2 ions and distribution ratio (D) values. Stoichiometric studies demonstrated the more probable
structure ion pair complex extracted for Ni=+2 was 1:1.

The increasing of the lipases enzymatic activity is triggered by certain lipase rearrangements structure. The present
study aimed to study the ability of purified lipase in the synthesis chemical compounds application. The results showed that the purified lipase isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa had the ability to achieve the synthesis of chemical compound such as polylactic acid by using the organic compound lactic acid monomer. FTIR spectroscopy used to characterize polymer PLA. The results showed that the absorption peaks of the PLA samples spectrum showed the bands are fully consistency with the corresponding absorption bands of the standard PLA spectrum. The results of the determination the number average molecular weight (Mn) of the polymerization product PLA were showed that the maximum molecular weight of the produced PLA was (4950 Da).

The cosmetic industry has proved to be one of the most potential economic sources. Whitening cream is one of the
decorative cosmetic products that has a unique market all over the world. The quality of creams depends on the
ingredients used in the formulation. The final characteristics of the cream formulation depend on the ratio of the oil
phase, emulsifier/coemulsifier and water, which are considered the main variables. The Statistical Mixture Design has
been proven to be a powerful tool for determining the relationship between all the variables in the formulation. This
study used a ternary phase diagram with contour graphics to assess the effect of variable changes. Kojic acid
dipalmitate (KDP), Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and Emulium Kappa® (EK) were used to prepare a whitening cream
formulation. The systems were designed using the Scheffé model. The effects of the components on the apparent
viscosity, yield value, and spreadability (the main criteria) were assessed. Ten formulations were prepared using
Design-Expert® software. The experimental error was reduced by repeating four formulations that critically affected
the formulation properties. The final formulation's apparent viscosity, yield value and spreadability were determined
based on the properties of two commercial whitening creams. The results indicate that the Mixture Design, with the
aid of Design-Expert® software, can be used successfully and efficiently to optimise cream formulation composed of
Kojic acid dipalmitate (KDP), Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and Emulium Kappa® (EK).