Journal of Education and Scientific Studies

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of decreased estrogen (E2) levels following menopause
on a set of biochemical and neurological parameters among a sample of 90 women from Samarra, Iraq, aged between 25 and 70 years. The participants were divided into two groups: premenopausal and postmenopausal. Estrogen (E2) levels, lipid profile parameters—including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),
very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)—as well as body mass
index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and the neurodegenerative marker Tau protein 181 (Tau181)
were measured using both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay )ELISA( and enzymatic colorimetric
techniques.
The findings revealed a significant reduction in estrogen and HDL-C levels, alongside a marked
increase in BMI, WC, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and Tau181 concentrations
in postmenopausal women compared to their premenopausal counterparts. These results suggest
heightened cardiometabolic risk and a potential for neurodegenerative progression associated with
Alzheimer’s disease following estrogen decline. The study highlights the contributory role of estrogen deficiency in metabolic and neural dysregulation in postmenopausal women, underscoring the
need for increased health awareness, regular biochemical monitoring, and consideration of preventive
hormone therapy under specialized medical supervision

This research included the preparation of several azo and Schiff-azo compounds derived from sulfamethoxazole as the primary nucleus. Diazonium salts were prepared first
by reacting them with sodium nitrite in the presence of hydrochloric acid, followed by
a coupling reaction with salicylic aldehyde and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde in a basic
medium to yield the azo dyes )M2, M1(. Second, Schiff bases were prepared by reacting )M2, M1( with some heterocyclic amines )3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, 4-amino,1,2,4-triazole, 2-aminopyrrole( in the presence of acetic acid as a catalyst to yield the azo-Schiff
compounds )A4-A1(. These derivatives were characterized using available spectroscopic
methods )13C-NMR, 1H-NMR, FT-IR(, and the proposed structures were confirmed. The
preliminary antimicrobial activity was tested against four types of bacteria: Staphylococ�
cus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus, as well as
two types of fungi: Trichoderma and Aspergillus Niger at a concentration of 25 mg/ml.
Most of the compounds showed the best inhibitory capacity against Staphylococcus aureus
and Bacillus cereus, while the compound )M2, A3( showed the highest lethal inhibition
against the two fungi used. This makes these compounds promising candidates as future
antibiotics.

This study was conducted to analyze the genetic variation among six potato cultivars
grown in Iraq( Burren, Almundo, Rivera, Dunata,Arizona and Lady Rosetta). Random
Amplified Polymorphic DNA Markers (RAPD) were used, based on the specificity of the
polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA was isolated from ten random primers, and the
variation among the replicated fragments of each cultivar was detected by transferring
the samples onto an agarose gel. The results of the RAPD technique for the ten primers
used showed a clear difference in the number of replicated DNA bands and also showed
a clear variation in their molecular weights. The closest cultivars were Donata and Lady
Rosetta, with a genetic distance of (0.086), while the furthest cultivars were Borin and Arizona, with a genetic distance of (0.276). The random amplified polymorphic DNA technique was able to find distinct and unique DNA bands capable of distinguishing between
The studied potato varieties. These bands were found in a specific variety but absent in
others and can be used as a unique genetic fingerprint. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the RAPD technique in distinguishing between the studied potato varieties
and in determining the genetic distance and proximity between them, which contributed
to revealing the genetic diversity in some potato varieties grown in Iraq

Enterobius vermicularis are small thread-like parasites that infect the human digestive system and are among
the most widespread worms in the world. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis
and their relationship with age, sex, and residential area, and to find the relationship between pinworm infection
and some blood parameters, complete blood count (CBC), and immune indicators IgE, IL-5, and IL-17, using the
ELISA technique, in children infected with the Enterobius vermicularis parasite and healthy children as a control
group. 5cc of venous blood were collected from 85 patients infected with threadworm from five areas including
(Al-Tajji, Al-Tarmia, Al-Mushahadah, Al-Shu’la and Al-Kadhimiya) after confirming the diagnosis of infection
by microscopic examination of stool samples for different ages between (1-18) years. Each sample was divided
into two parts (2ml) placed in EDTA anticoagulant tubes to study blood groups. The other part was allowed to
clot and was centrifuged and stored at -20C until use for immunological examination. The results showed that the
overall infection rate was 24.2%. The infection rate among males was higher than that of females. The highest
infection rate was in the age group (3-6) years at 40%, while the lowest infection rate was in the age group (15-
18) years at 5%, with no significant differences in the infection rate between these areas. The highest infection
rate was in Al-Tajji area at 33% and the lowest rate was in Al-Kadhimiya at 12%. Hematological variables: A
decrease in the hemoglobin level of infected individuals was observed with an average of 10.3±1.11 compared
to healthy individuals (13.65). There was an increase in the immune variables IL-5, IL-17, and IgE with an average of (300.12±87.31), (425.53±121.7), and (46.64±38.52) compared to healthy (99.72±28.4) ,303.24±87.03(
17.31±5.85),()individuals, with significant differences between the three variables at the probability level of P <
0.0001. We conclude from this that the immune response resulting from parasitic infection is complex and multiple. In parasitic worms, especially E. vermicularis, antiparasitic stimuli stimulate a strong Th2 response, with
stimulation of the production of interleukins 5 and 17 and the synthesis of immunoglobulin IgE

The study was conducted to determine the effect of some factors affecting the level of
vitamin C in the blood plasma of individuals who smoke and non-smokers. 30 volunteers,
including 20 men and 10 women, were subjected to the study and were divided into three
categories: non-smokers, smokers 10-20 cigarettes/day, and heavy smokers more than 20
cigarettes/day.
The effect of age, weight, intake of fruits and vegetables, level of education, place of
residence, in addition to gender, on the concentration of vitamin C in blood plasma was
studied. The results showed a clear decrease in the concentration of the vitamin depending on gender, age, weight, and level of education as the number of cigarettes smoked
daily increased.
The study also found a significant increase P≤0.05 in the level of the vitamin in women
compared to men, in Low weights and young ages, increase intake vegetables and fruits,
and in living in the countryside compared to living in urban areas, as levels increased.
the study found that there is a negative association between low levels of vitamin C
and smoking practice, and this association increases as the number of cigarettes increases, with the influence of the factors mentioned previously

This study aimed to isolate and identify crude oil-degrading bacteria from petroleum-contaminated soils in Baiji refinery and assess their biodegradation efficiency, particularly using animal manure extract as a biostimulant. Five bacterial strains were isolated:
Aeromonas sobria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter haemo�
lytica, and Sphingomonas paucimobilis. These were identified both morphologically and
molecularly using DNA extraction, agarose gel electrophoresis, and PCR amplification. All
strains exhibited varying capacities for crude oil degradation, with P. aeruginosa showing
the highest efficiency, followed by A. haemolytica and E. cloacae. The addition of animal
manure extract significantly enhanced the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons
(TPH), aliphatic, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The findings underscore the potential of
native bacterial strains and organic amendments in the bioremediation of oil-contaminated
environments

Aspergillus fumigates is a common storage fungus that invades wheat seeds and produces hazardous mycotoxins such as gliotoxin, posing a direct threat to grain quality and consumer safety. This
study aimed to isolate and identify this fungus from locally stored wheat samples, and to evaluate
the effect of microwave treatment on gene expression levels of the gilz and gila genes, responsible
for regulating and producing gliotoxins. Twenty samples were collected from storage silos in Tikrit,
Salah al-Din Governorate, and cultured on sterilized PDA medium. Pure isolates of the fungus were
collected and characterized morphologically and microscopically using morphological characters
and validated taxonomic keys. Fungal colonies were microwaved for 10–60 seconds, followed by
RNA extraction and conversion to cDNA, and gene expression analysis using real-time quantitative
polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results showed that gene expression of both gilz and gila
followed a distinct temporal pattern, gradually increasing with treatment time, peaking at 40 seconds
and then declining significantly at 50 and 60 seconds. The gilz gene recorded the highest Folding
value of 157.99, while the gila gene recorded a record value of 240.79. These results suggest that
microwave exposure may temporarily induce a physiological response in fungi that activates gene
pathways involved in toxin production, before longer periods of exposure lead to inhibition of these
pathways. This study highlights the potential of microwave treatment as an effective means of reducing the activity of toxic storage fungi, thereby contributing to improved grain storage safety.

The experiment to determine the response of vegetative growth of pea plants to salt
stress (at three concentrations 0, 250, 500 g.L-1) and spraying with humic acid (at three
concentrations 0, ml 1, ml2). The following results were revealed:
The effect of spraying with humic acid, especially at a concentration of ml2 (H2), was
clearly significant in improving most of the vegetative growth characteristics of pea plants,
as this treatment was superior in plant height (25.0 cm), number of branches (48 branches), number of nodes (48 nodes), and stem diameter (8.38 mm), Leaf area (24.95 m²), total
chlorophyll content (4.89 mg/g), and dry matter content (50.00%) when H1S1 was added.
These results demonstrate the effective role of humic acid in enhancing plant physiological
growth.
In contrast, the high salt treatment (S2) or its interactions with the absence of humic
acid (H0) recorded the lowest values in most traits, such as plant height (16.0 cm in H0S2),
number of branches (32 branches), and dry matter (34.00% in H0S1), confirming the inhibitory effect of salt stress on growth.

In this paper, the morphological and anatomical characteristics of two species
belonging to the leguminous family Leguminosae were studied. These species are
Medicago polymorpha and Melilotus indicus.
Under comparing the two species morphologically and anatomically. The re�
sults showed that some morphological and anatomical characteristics of stems,
leaves and peduncles have good taxonomic value to distinguish between these two
types. These characteristics are the stem length, thickness and color, as well as
the blade shape, length and color, and the study of the top and edge of the blade,
in addition to the shape of the stem and the thickness of the columnar and spongy
layer of the leaf as well as the variations in the shapes of epidermis cells in the leaf
and stem and the stomatal evidence of the two types studied

This study analysed the antimicrobial resistance patterns and microbiological quality of
vegetables that are ready to eat (RTE). The overall bacterial counts ranged from 8.00×105
to 9.30×105cfu/ml, above the established safety standards, and 153 bacterial isolates were
obtained from 100 samples. In terms of frequency, Escherichia coli was the most common
isolate at 49%, followed by Salmonella enterica at 21%, Staphylococcus aureus at 20%,
and Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, and Shigella flexneri at lower levels of
3% each. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria showed concerning resistance
trends when tested for antibiotic susceptibility using the disc diffusion technique. The percentage of resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria to Aztreonam, Ticarcillin, Tobramycin,
and Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole was 80%, but the percentage of resistant Escherichia
coli bacteria to Imipenem was 24%. S. aureus and E. faecalis were the Gram-positive bacteria with the highest rates of resistance to Rifampicin (39% and 40%, respectively) and
Vancomycin, respectively (VRE). Stricter “farm-to-table” safety measures are required in
light of these results, which show that RTE vegetables are a reservoir for multidrug-resistant bacteria, most likely caused by careless handling and the overuse of antibiotics.