Tikrit Journal of Pure Science

Male infertility, impacting 40-50% of couples globally, encompasses various classifications such as azoospermia, oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, and azoospermia. The 5α-reductase Type 2 (SRD5A2) enzyme has been implicated in regulating spermatogenesis and androgen metabolism, but its role in male infertility remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the potential role of SRD5A2 as a biomarker for male infertility and to explore the correlation between the SRD5A2 enzyme and other hormones in the seminal fluid of Iraqi men with various infertility conditions (asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and azoospermia). A total of 90 male participants aged 20-40 were categorized into four groups: asthenozoospermia (24), oligozoospermia (24), azoospermia (18), and normozoospermia (24). Serum and seminal plasma samples were collected for evaluation of SRD5A2 activity, SRD5A2 levels and some hormonal levels using ELISA. Significantly lower SRD5A2 activity and levels were observed in infertile groups compared to normozoospermic men. A significant negative correlation was observed between SRD5A2 activity and DHT in the asthenozoospermia and azoospermia groups. In the asthenozoospermia group, a significant positive correlation was observed between DHT and SRD5A2 levels. This study showed that changes in SRD5A2 activity and levels were associated with male infertility subtypes. The SRD5A2 enzyme plays a crucial role in spermatogenesis and in male infertility.

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy induced by the ingestion of gluten in genetically predisposed subjects. Although interleukin-21 (IL-21) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) are CD4⁺ T cell-derived cytokines with reciprocal immunological functions, their distinct roles in the pathogenesis of CD remain unclear. This study aimed to measure serum IL-21 and IL-10 levels in patients with celiac disease compared with healthy controls and to analyze their correlation with disease activity. To address this aim, we conducted a case-control study involving 60 biopsy-verified patients with celiac disease and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We used ELISA to measure IL-21 and IL-10 in the blood. While also recording the levels of anti-tTG antibodies and the Marsh histopathology grades. Our findings revealed that IL-21 and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in CD patients than in controls (IL-21: 31.7 vs. 18.6 pg/mL; IL-10: 14.5 vs. 10.8 pg/mL; p < 0.001 for both). In addition, in patients with CD, IL-21 exhibited a robust positive correlation with anti-tTG titers (ρ = 0.56, p < 0.001) and Marsh grade (ρ = 0.42, p = 0.002), while IL-10 showed no significant associations (all p > 0.05). These findings indicate that although CD is associated with elevated levels of both IL-21 and IL-10, only IL-21 is strongly associated with serological and histopathological markers of active disease. Therefore, these results suggest that an inadequate compensatory anti-inflammatory response is reflected in elevated IL-10 levels, supporting IL-21 as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in CD.

The decreased efficiency of the existing anticancer drugs is an unsolved problem in both basic and advanced medicine. Conducting theoretical chemical studies to identify possible drug candidates using Dioxoisoindoline derivatives is one of the proposed solutions to this problem. This specific study applied molecular docking and ΔG calculations to evaluate the activity of dioxoisoindoline derivatives against cancer-related proteins. The higher the negative ΔG value, the better the match between the compound and protein interactions. According to this study, five compounds (R1_R5) presented significant activity against various proteins. All of them presented high negative values—especially the two compounds R3 and R4, which showed high effectiveness against six cancer-related proteins. The achieved ΔG values for all derivatives were within a suitable range, suggesting their capability as therapeutic agents. According to these results, the Dioxoisoindoline derivatives under observation show the potential to target different cancer-related proteins. A Density Functional Theory study was performed to determine the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital and Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital for five compounds. It was used to calculate the gap, Electron affinity, Ionization Potential, Electronegativity, Softness and Hardness of the molecules. The online in silico prediction model ADMET lab 3.0 was used to determine ADMET attributes such as Molecular weight, Number of hydrogen bond donors, Number of hydrogen bond acceptors, the logarithm of the n-octanol/water distribution coefficient, topological polar surface area and Boiling point. The physicochemical properties of all five compounds were determined, and they met the Lipinski rule of five (i.e., the drug-like rule). Overall, the study highlights the importance of developing alternative anticancer medications and recommends further research and development of potential anticancer drugs.

This study examined soil hydraulic conductivity and infiltration capacity in the Qushtapa and Shamamik areas of the Erbil Basin. This study used the double-ring infiltrometer to measure soil infiltration capacity, grain-size analysis to determine soil textural characteristics, and the Hazen equation to derive soil hydraulic conductivity. Twenty infiltration tests and soil sample collections were done at the same location to assess the variability of these parameters across the study region. The results indicated that infiltration capacity was higher in soil samples with greater effective diameter (d10) and, consequently, showed higher hydraulic conductivity (K). The constant infiltration capacity ranged between 0.9 cm/h in Shamamik and 6 cm/h in Qushtapa. The infiltration results were close to those predicted by the Horton model. The soil of the investigated sites was classified as moderately to highly permeable. The findings of this study provide substantial data for irrigation and agricultural practices, land use planning, and best practices for sustainable water resource management in the region.

This study focuses on evaluating the Lower Jurassic Formations within the Miran Oil Field, located in Northeastern Iraq. A detailed analysis was conducted using well log data from the Alan, Mus, and Adaiyah formations encountered in the Miran-2 (MW-2) Well, with supplementary stratigraphic and lithological information from wells ME-1 and MW-3. The investigation employed both quantitative and qualitative well-log data, including Gamma Ray, Sonic, Density, Neutron, and Photoelectric Factor logs, rate of penetration (ROP), and gas chromatographic profiles. Additional datasets, such as Logging While Drilling (LWD), Measurement While Drilling (MWD), well reports, and master logs, were also used.
The results indicate that the upper part of the Lower Jurassic interval, comprising the Alan and Mus formations, is predominantly composed of carbonate rocks interbedded with shale, with intermittent evaporite bands. The presence and thickness of evaporite rocks increase downward, eventually dominating the lower part of the section, represented by the Adaiyah formation.
Due to the prevalence of shale in the upper units and evaporites in the lower units, the studied section lacks favorable reservoir characteristics. Porosity is generally classified as poor to negligible, and permeability is similarly low. Based on threshold values of 35% shale content, 0.1 millidarcy permeability, and 0.07 porosity, it was determined that of the 148-meter total thickness of the Alan, Mus, and Adaiyah formations, 26 meters are shale-dominated and 67.5 meters are evaporite-rich. Of the remaining 54.5 meters of carbonate lithology, only a total of 2.5 meters exhibit porosity and permeability values that exceed the minimum thresholds required for effective reservoir rocks.
Consequently, the study concludes that the Lower Jurassic successions in the Miran Oil Field do not constitute a viable hydrocarbon reservoir. However, due to its lithological composition, particularly the extensive evaporite and shale layers, it may serve as an effective seal rock for underlying reservoirs, such as the Butmah and Kurra Chine formations.

The northwest-southeast trending Safeen Anticline is located within the high folded zone of the Zagros fold and thrust belt within the Foreland. Ten stations were selected through an approximately north-south traverse. Different types of tension joints, shear fractures and faults, as well as their relationships, were studied, showing the influence of pre-existing normal faults and indicating at least two phases of compressional stress separated by a relaxation phase. Each compressional phase influenced the structural model. The second phase was a thrust that affected the southwestern limb and was accompanied by synchronous strike-slip movement with a trend of 029 °. The second was a back thrust that affected the northeastern limb at different time periods, with a trend of 020 ° for ƃ1. A second phase of relaxation occurred after the back thrust. Previous studies have confirmed the variation in the vergence between the Foreland folds, but this study confirms why the vergence varies within the individual traverse.

NiO and Ni0.92Zn0.08O thin films were deposited onto glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition in vacuum. The optical properties were investigated using the Kramers-Kronig relations, with the phase shift angle computed numerically in MATLAB. The results revealed noticeable variations in the optical behavior due to zinc doping, as confirmed by differences in the refractive indices: 2.52 and 2.57 at 630 nm for the undoped and doped films, respectively. Moreover, the optical band gap decreased from 3.51 to 3.39 eV, and the dielectric constant was also calculated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the prepared films, while field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images revealed a surface morphology characterized by nanoscale grains. Moreover, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were performed to verify the elemental composition and investigate the chemical bonding of both films.

In this study, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were prepared and characterized with the pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique using a wavelength (532 nm) of Nd: YAG laser, with different energies (100, 150, and 200 mJ) for ablation of the mineral copper target. Colloidal NPs have been characterized using the field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), UV-Vis technique, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The resulting colloidal CuO NP solutions were green. FESEM images showed that most of the NPs obtained across all laser energies have individualized needle shapes with sizes below 100 nm. Furthermore, samples prepared in deionized water showed average diameters of 22.153, 25.79, and 20.664 nm for CuO NPs. Results of XRD showed that CuO NPs showed a mono-inclined crystal structure. The visible UV spectrometry confirmed that the absorption values of CuO NPs increased as the laser effect increased, with the energy gap decreasing by (2.6 – 2.53 eV).

The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through conventional methods depends on behavioral assessments, which clinicians perform. The diagnostic process takes many clinical visits over extended periods, resulting in delayed early intervention opportunities. The therapeutic procedures that benefit patients create substantial emotional and logistical challenges for families. The research investigates how Machine Learning algorithms can improve the speed and accuracy of ASD diagnosis, creating a more efficient diagnostic process and enabling early, accessible interventions. The research evaluated three machine learning classification methods: K-nearest neighbors (KNN), stochastic gradient descent (SGD), and support vector machine (SVM). The models were trained and tested on an ASD-related feature dataset to assess their ability to identify individuals with ASD. The SGD classifier achieved the highest accuracy of 96% among the models. The high performance of ML-based diagnostic tools demonstrates their potential to improve traditional diagnostic methods by enhancing precision and efficiency. The research demonstrates that ML algorithms, specifically SGD, have strong capabilities for early and accurate ASD diagnosis. The implementation of these technologies reduces diagnostic delays and enables personalized intervention strategies, which lead to better outcomes for individuals with ASD while decreasing caregiver responsibilities.

This paper investigates the class of Sw-topological groups, which are determined by Sw-open sets and Sw-continuity. It is demonstrated that these groups are a generalization of topological groups and differ from several alternative concepts of semi-topological groups in the literature. These ideas are reinforced with counterexamples. We describe some fundamental results and uses of Sw-topological groups. Investigations are conducted into the similarities and differences with topological groups.