Al-Kunooze Scientific Journal

The World Health Organization declared a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a global pandemic the work has begun to combat it. Objective: The objective of the study was investigated whether can be used some biological tests as dependable biomarkers for indicating the severity of COVID-19 with a comparison between patients in urban and rural of Babylon province. Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty samples of blood (70 patients urban and 70 patients rural) were obtained from patients who had positive results and severe symptoms of COVID-19 infection were accomplished by Marjan Teaching Hospital from December/2021 to February/2022. D-dimer, ferritin and C-reactive protein (CRP) tests were performed according to (CLIA) technique. White blood cell (WBC), counting uses a fully automated hematology analyzer device.Results: The results showed a significant difference in D-dimer (P=0.000), ferritin (P=0.001) and WBC count (P=0.000) between patients in both urban and rural of Babylon province, while CRP was an insignificant difference (P=0.06).Conclusions: It can be inference the examination of D-dimer and CRP is considered as biomarkers for severity of COVID-19 patients in urban and rural. Whereas the effect of gender is not significant in all parameters. Furthermore, the results of frequency distribution of patients showed the concentrations of D-dimer and CRP in blood exceeded the approved normal value in both patients of urban and rural. Also, a lot of values of ferritin and WBC in urban patients exceeded the normal value and not exceeded in rural patients.

The antifungal and antibacterial properties of black pepper (Piper nigrum) were examined in this study. against a number of isolated bacteria and fungi. 58 oral swabs in all were collected from 40 women and 18 men with diabetes and urinary tract infections at Al-Moani and Al-Fayhaa Hospitals in Al-Basra province during the period from September to November 2023. Disc diffusion was used in antimicrobial experiments to identify inhibitory zones against various bacteria isolates. According to the findings, black pepper revealed strong antifungal efficacy against Candida albicans (80%), Candida dubliniensis (80%), and Candida tropicalis (100%). Furthermore, the extract showed strong antibacterial activity, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus (100%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (60%), and moderate activity against Escherichia coli (80%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (70%).The findings confirm the broad-spectrum antibacterial properties of black pepper, which are likely caused by its bioactive components, such as piperine and essential oils. These results suggest that black pepper could be a natural alternative for controlling dangerous bacteria and fungi in the food preservation and pharmaceutical industries.

The present work explored a low cost approach to synthesize zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles employing pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL). The ablated material was pelletized into a disk with a diameter of 2 cm and annealed at 400 °C for one hour. NPs were prepared with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm wavelength and various energy levels (500, 600, and 700) mJ at a pulse count of 1000 pulses. The samples were initially examined by UV-Vis: for the latter, a power dependence (increasing laser power led to increased absorption in the 200–400 nm wavelength range) was found. the absorption peak was at about 370-380 nm. Furthermore, Zeta potential increased with the higher laser power, indicating the superior stability of floating nanoparticles. Lastly, Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (FAAS) showed a power dependent increase of the nanoparticles. For the UV-Vis, Zeta potential and FAAS experiments, 700 mJ of power was the best condition. Hence, the selected samples were further analyzed for crystalline phase by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic composition was determined by Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), size and shape were analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscope(TEM). The XRD diffraction data demonstrates various hexagonal phase crystalline structure for zinc (Zn), ZnO and ZnO2. The diffraction peaks were exhibited at different 2θ positions and were calculated crystal sizes of (12.92–90.74) nm. EDX was used to verify that the nanoparticles have the targeted elemental stoichiometry. TEM examination confirmed the spherical shape of the particles with an average size diameter of approximately 12 nm.

The long-held knowledge regarding vitamin D is that it could affect both homeostasis of calcium and bone metabolism. It is a vital immune regulator which has impact on the immune systems' innate and adaptive components as it is based on the mounting data. Research has shown that vitamin D deficiency is linked to several of immune-mediated illnesses, infection, vulnerability, and cancer. The objective of this article is to highlight the importance of this vitamin and clarifying the relationship between the immune system and it in general in addition to the innate and acquired immunity in particular.

The southern Iraqi wetlands, especially the Hammar, Hawizeh and Central Marshes are one of the most ecologically important locations of migratory and resident birds in the Middle East. Forming a part of the largest wetland in Western Eurasia in the past, these territories are currently exposed to the severe danger connected with the human operation and alterations of the environment.
This paper will focus on assessing the ecological importance of these wetlands to avian biodiversity, acknowledge the major environmental issues afflicting bird population and the offer practical tips in conservation.
It is a study founded on a review and synthesis of earlier published researches, reports, and international assessments the focus of which is the bird migration patterns, the habitat diversity and environmental effects on the marshes in southern Iraq.
Key Findings:
The wetlands also act as important stopovers and breeding areas to more than 200 species of birds including the world threatened Northern bald Ibis and Marbled Teal. The marsh drainage, dam construction, pollution, poaching, and climate change, however, have led to a reduction in the bird populations. These threats have interfered with migration patterns and poor wetland ecosystem.
Lacking urgent and long-term conservation measures, such as the restoration of habitats, increased control over human actions, and global cooperation, the ecological and cultural significance of Iraqi marshes of the southern region as the essential parts of the international migratory migration routes will only decline further.

Iraq experienced a critical and turbulent period between 2003 and 2020, marked by political instability and emergency conditions that directly impacted the country's structure, performance, and economy. In light of this, this study aimed to analyze the effect of fluctuations in oil revenues on key macroeconomic variables in Iraq, specifically unemployment and inflation, during the period 2005–2020. The research employed the Variable Regression (VAR) model and the Error Correction (ECM) model, based on official annual data analyzed using EViews 12 software. Reliability tests and cointegration techniques were applied to assess short-term and long-term relationships. The results indicate that the Iraqi economy is heavily dependent on oil revenues, which constituted more than 90% of total public revenues in most of the years included in the study. The study reveals that oil revenues peaked at 119.4 trillion Iraqi dinars in 2012, then declined to 54.4 trillion Iraqi dinars in 2016. Unemployment rose from 18% in 2005 to 30% in 2020, largely driven by lower oil prices and reduced fiscal capacity. Simultaneously, inflation fell significantly from 30.8% in 2005 to less than 1% between 2015 and 2020, reflecting government interventions and demand constraints. The VAR model results indicate a unidirectional causal relationship between oil revenue volatility and unemployment, highlighting the vulnerability of the Iraqi labor market to oil price shocks. Therefore, the study recommends diversifying the economy, investing oil revenues in other productive sectors, and adopting flexible budgeting practices to mitigate the impact of future oil price shocks.