Journal of Biotechnology Research Center

Background: Pulmonary inflammation during COVID-19 that cause tissue destruction along with coagulopathy and heamatological dysregulation were noticed among many patients which are overlapping and did not elucidate a specific pattern among those patients, therefore;
Objective: The study aimed to study the haematological markers along with biomarkers in patients infected with COVID-19 in comparison with healthy control to obtain a specific profile aid in infection identification and progress monitoring.
Setting: The study was case control study conducted on 150 inpatients in Fallujah Teaching Hospital and 50 healthy controls from January to September 2021.
Materials & Methods: our study was case control study conducted on 150 inpatients in Fallujah Teaching Hospital and 50 healthy control from January to September 2021, blood samples collected from the patients were classified to whole blood, serum and plasma samples to obtain eligible samples for each type of tests, the tests that accomplished on those samples were measuring the haematological markers including haemoglobin, leukocyte with differential count and platelets, along with inflammatory biomarkers consisting of C-reactive protein, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin and D-dimer.
Results: Most of haematological, inflammatory and coagulation markers were high in patient group compared with control healthy group significantly. Elderly are more prone to highly elevated ESR compared with younger ages significantly. Despite the high count of WBC, neutrophils and lymphocytes represent lower values in patients compared with control which exacerbated with increasing of age especially in lymphocytes.
Conclusions: The study concluded poor outcome in hospitalized patients with high destruction and inflammatory response. Ferritin elevation noticed in patients compared with control caused by highly inflammatory response. Elderly would be more prone to secondary bacterial and viral infections due to decreased immunological response represented with lower counts of lymphocyte compared with healthy group.

Back Ground: Amylases are a group of enzymes that hydrolyze starch into simple sugars. Amylase is secreted in the human body from saliva and the pancreas. Abnormal levels of the enzyme amylase indicate pancreatitis. Enzyme purification eliminates various proteins and other forms of biomolecules while restoring the majority of enzyme activity.
Objectives: Isolation and purification of the alpha-amylase enzyme from the serum of a patient with pancreatitis and a healthy human, and estimation of the values of Michalis constant Km as well as the maximum velocity Vmax to determine the affinity of the enzyme towards the substrate in both cases.
Materials and Methods: The enzyme was purified by several steps, including precipitation, by adding ammonium sulfate at a concentration of 30-70%, then dialysis. The extract was transferred through the separation column by gel chromatography containing Sephadex G100 gel.
Results: The gel separation chromatography results indicated the appearance of four protein bands, one of which (the third peak) belongs to the amylase enzyme. The specific activity of the enzyme in the last step after concentration of the product was 38 units /gm for the patient and 11.62 U/gm for a healthy human. The yield was 44.67% and 50.53%, while the number of purification times was 9.11 and 9.3 for the patient and the healthy human, respectively. The kinetic constants (Km and Vmax) were estimated using the Leinweaver-Burke plot, Vmax for the patient and the healthy human was 149.3 and 83.3, respectively. The Km for the patient and the healthy human was 1.39 and 2.56, respectively.
Conclusion: It is inferred from the results that the affinity of the enzyme to bind to the substrate of patient with pancreatitis is higher than that of the healthy human.

Background: Several studies have directed the use of different chemicals as an antibiotics alternative that kills bacteria or may lead to stimulating the body's resistance against infections, such as organic acids that include non-protein amino acids especially β-aminobutyric acid (ΒABA), which has proven in this study its ability to increase the systemic resistance of male rats against Staphylococcus aureus. As well as increasing the numbers of white blood cells and lymphocytes and their positive effect on improving the immune complement system. The aim of study was to know the effect of β-aminobutyric Acid on the response immune system of animals that was infected with s. aureus bacteria, Aim of the study: The current study aimed to identify the hematological variations of animals treated with ΒABA, which were experimentally infected with Staphylococcus aureus. These parameters included (PCV, Hb, RBC, and WBC).
Materials used in this experiment mannitol salt field, as well as blood agar and MacConkey aga9r were used for the development of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, as well as amino acid β-aminobutyric Acid with different concentrations Prepare the first solution of amino acid concentration (20 mg/ml).The other amino acid was prepared at a concentration of (40 mg/ml)Then the required doses for each animal were prepared according to the weight of each animal Results: The effect of BABA on the level of (RBC – WBC – PLT –LYM –GRA) The results showed that there was no effect of the amino acid BABA on the level of (RBC-MCV-PLT) in groups infected with bacteria and treated with BABAThe results showed that there was no effect of the amino acid BABA on the level of (WBC) in the groups infected with bacteria and treated with BABA, while the percentage of (LYM-GRA) increased.

Background: In this work, one of the novel types of slow-release fertilizers (SRF) consisting of kaolin as clay material and K2SO4 was synthesized through a mechanochemical process by grinding in a ball mill planetary model.
Methodology: The test samples of different weight % from 25 to 75 of kaolin contents were milled for 2 h at fixed milling speeds of about 600 rpm to assess the integration of K2SO4 and to measure the liberation of K+ and SO42- ions into solution. The properties of the studied samples were characterized by Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and ion chromatography (IC). Incorporating K2SO4 into an amorphous kaolin structure using mechanochemistry is a green chemistry method that has been successfully applied. K+ content was measured in deionized water solution and the soil column leaching test was performed to determine the slow-release performance of the material.
Results: The optimum released amount of K+ after 24 h was for (1:1 wt ratio) kaolin -K2SO4 samples that were 123.9 ppm at milling conditions at 600 rpm milling speed for 2 h.
Conclusion: Indicating that K2SO4 – kaolin milled samples has good slow-release properties under specific conditions. In addition to being cost-effective and eco-environmentally, with prepared SRF, we can significantly increase the efficiency of fertilizer utilization in green agriculture.

Background: Leishmania is a parasitic protozoan that causes severe illness in humans. While pentavalent antimony compounds (Sb Drug) are used as antileishmanic drugs but are linked to limitations and many adverse complications.
Objective: Therefore, commitment is still needed to find a new and successful treatment.
Material & methods: In this study, the effect of Ag2O, MgO nanoparticles with mean particles size of (12-28)nm and(7-12)nm respectively on Leishmania was evaluated. Viability percentage of promastigotes following the addition of different concentrations of Ag2O, MgO nanoparticles and Sb drugs (25, 50, 100, 200 and 300 μg / ml ) to the parasite culture, assessed using colorimetric ALAMAR stain in (24,48 72)hours.
Results: The concentration that the number of parasite by half (IC50) value was measured after 24, 48 and 72 hours for Sb, Ag2O NPs and MgO NPs. For Ag2O NPs the IC50 was 2.404 after 72 hours only, and doesn’t reveal any value in 24 hour, 48 hour, in comparison to Sb drug and MgO NPs which doesn't reveal IC50 value in all used concentration and periods.
Conclusion: Our data determine the superiority of Ag2O NPs and MgO NPs over standard in vitro pentostam that's it. Provides the possibility of using these Ag2O NPs and MgO NPs as a drug target for candidates with better antileishmanial efficacy.

Background: The comet analysis (electromagnetic relay analysis of a single cell) is a highly sensitive method for determining DNA damage because to exposure to carcinogens and other substances that consequently affect fertility.
Objective: the aim of this study is to Evaluation the broken DNA in male diabetic mice. Created by alloxan and knowledge of the effect of some nutritional systems on the treatment and repair of genetic material due to diabetes.
Materials and methods: In this study were used, 42 male Albino mice labs at the age of 2-3 months and weight (25-30) g then 6 animals were isolated to represent the control group, The remaining animals were injected between the thighs by alloxan 150 mg / kg and left the next day to make sure hit by diabetes and randomly distributed to six groups in addition to a set of Not affected control transactions.
Results and conclusion: It was found from the results of the statistical analysis shown in figure(1) showed the presence of the highest percentage of injuries in the genetic material that was in the group of animals with diabetes and untreated for the duration of the experiment, as it was clear from the photos of this group that the tail length resulting from the migration of the genetic material DNA to outside the nucleus because to its damage, as well as the results showed that the group of animals affected by diabetes and the treatment by adding the Salvia officinalis plant to both plant and animal nutrition had a significant decrease (<0.05> P) in the proportion of genetic material injuries where the proportion of high (long guilt) infections was low in these two The two groups compared to the group of animals with diabetes and untreated for the duration of the experiment.

Background: Inulinase is widely found in microorganisms and higher plants. It catalyzes the reaction of the hydrolysis of inulin, which is present in the tubers and roots of many plants, to fructose and a small amount of glucose.
Inulin is one of several plant-based polysaccharides that contain glucose or fructose. It is used as a substrate in industrial fermentation processes and in the food industry due to its relatively cheap and abundant source for the microbiological production of high fructose juices, ethanol, acetone and butanol. Inulin-derived oligosaccharides are also used in the medical and food sectors. Inulinase which produced from the yeast K. marxianus at levels close to commercial use. This indicates that inulinase can be used in the production of fructose and fructose syrups. So our main object is to study the effect of different temperatures on the conformation of the Kluyveromyces marxianus inulinase macromolecule, to provide optimal conditions for aniline hydrolysis by inulinase.
Materials and method: Method of isolation and purification of the inulinase enzyme from Kluyveromyces marxianus, as well as the determination of the protein content and enzyme activity as mentioned in the context of the research. Experiments were carried out to study the thermal stability of enzyme. For this, an enzyme solution at a concentration of 5•10-5 mol / l was incubated in a time interval of 10-60 min at different temperatures, followed by determination of the catalytic activity.
It is known that different types of bonds and interactions participate in the formation of the molecular structure of enzymes, which are covalent bonds, hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, hydrophobic interactions, so our main goal is to study the effect of different temperatures on the formation of the enzyme molecule in order to provide optimal conditions for aniline hydrolysis. by enzyme.
Results: of this study revealed that the residual activity of the enzyme after 60 minutes of incubation at 50 °C was 10% of the initial activity at 60 °C 7%. As for the Rate Constants of thermal inactivation of Inulinase at 70 °C were 3.45.
Conclusions: Results of this study were important and useful in determining parameters of inulinase enzyme. Based on the shape of the curves of the dependence of the catalytic activity of Kluyveromyces marxianus inulinase on the time of thermal inactivation in the temperature range of 20-80 ° C.

Background: Tea is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet. Tea consumption is helpful to human health since it includes various key elements. The presence of heavy metals in tea at trace levels has gotten a lot of attention since they are linked to health.
Methodology: To gather data on the prevalence of heavy metals in black tea, a basket survey was done in the tea markets in Baghdad.
Results: A total of 36 black tea samples were examined for heavy metals. The averages of heavy metals levels were Pb (1.92±0.67mgkg-1), Cu (9.4±1.51mgkg-1), Zn (13.625±1.82mgkg-1), and Fe (81.15±18.52 mgkg-1,). According to the results, all heavy metals levels were acceptable range and no risk possible following tea consumption.
Conclusion: The information in this database could be used to set tolerance limits for other heavy metals in tea.
Aim: The aim of this work is to evaluate the levels of heavy metals in back tea.

Back ground: MRSA developed resistance to β-lactam antibiotics through the acquisition of the mecA gene that encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which has a significantly reduced affinity for β-lactam antibiotics, thereby conferring β- lactam resistance . The detection of mecA by the (PCR) is considered a gold-standard technique for methicillin resistance detection .
Objective: This study was aimed to isolation and identification of S.aureus by traditional and molecular methods and determine their susceptibility to different groups of antibiotics.
Materials and Methods: Two hundred and ten samples were collected from different sources of patients in different age groups and for the period from the beginning of January 2015 until the end of June 2015, from different Hospitals in Baghdad (Ibn Albalady, Al Yarmouk, Baghdad teaching hospital and AlKindy).
Results: Depending on the molecular methods (137) out of (210) isolates was methicillin –resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA. Antibiotic sensitivity test was conducted using 20 types of antibiotics include:- Amikacin, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Azithromycin, Cefoxitin, Ciprofloxacin, Clarerythromycin, Clindamycin, Chloramphenicol, Erythromycin, Gentamycin, Methicillin, Norfloxacin, Oxacillin, Penicillin, Rifampin, Teicoplanin, Tetracycline, Tobramycin and Vancomycin.
Conclusion: The results showed that the highest resistance was among beta-lactam group, where the ratio was 100% resistance to Ampicillin and Penicillin, and ratio of 91% to 86.66% and 86.66% resistance to Methicillin, Oxacillin and Amoxicillin respectively.
The lowest resistance was among a group of antagonists Aminoglycosides resistance and ratios was 37.77%, 31.11% and 35.55% to Amikacin, Tobramycin and Gentamycin, respectively, while the rest have different kinds of antibiotics effects.

Background: Gastroenteritis has a significant mortality and morbidity incidence in children globally. Antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae is a serious public health problem, especially in developing countries.
Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities of AgNPs alone and in combination with kanamycin against multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa isolated from diarrheal children.
Materials and methods: 90 Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa isolates from diarrheal children were evaluated against 10 antibiotics. Minimum inhibitory doses of AgNPs and kanamycin were determined using broth microdilution, synergistic was determined using Checkerboard dilution tests, and the Calgary technique was used to analyze biofilm development.
Results: A total of 90 stool cultures were conducted for bacteria associated with diarrhea among children attending some Baghdad hospitals. The findings revealed that bacterial diarrhea was most often caused by E. coli 31 (34.5%), followed by S. typhi 19 (21.1%), K. pneumoniae 14 (15.5%), P. aeruginosa 11 (12.2%) and S. sonnei 6 (6.7%), and significant variations between the strain's species were discovered using statistical analysis (P < 0.05). The present study's findings revealed that bacteria isolated from children with diarrhea were spread significantly in age groups of 37–48 months and significantly different between age groups (P < 0.05), with a male/female ratio of 0.57/1. Imipenem and amikacin were the most active antibiotics compared to penicillin, which was the least effective antibiotic. The combination of sublethal doses of AgNPs with sub-MIC (½MIC) of kanamycin exhibited substantial synergistic bactericidal effects against MDR-Enterobacteriaceae. AgNPs inhibited biofilm formation by 55%–65% for diarrhea-causing bacteria, while the combination of AgNPs with kanamycin demonstrated the strongest biofilm inhibition of around 80%–90% against MDR-Enterobacteriaceae with a highly significant variation (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The outcomes of the research show that the combination of AgNPs with kanamycin has remarkable synergistic bactericidal and anti-biofilm effectiveness against MDR-Enterobacteriaceae isolated from diarrheal children.

Background: Lately, many viruses emerged or re-emerged from the obscurity and became considerable threats to the global health, raising alarms concerning their constant epidemic transmissions. A very important public health concern of those viruses is the continuous circulation amongst the population of the immunologically naive, susceptible hosts. With each one of the new viral emergences or re-emergences, there appears a call for a fast development of a vaccination and induction of a protective immunity thus could be one of the most powerful tools for the prevention of that concern through conferring the protection to the endangered population.
Vaccinations have been considered one of the crucial components of disease preventions towards the emerging virus infections due to the fact that, often, other options for the medical solutions are non-existent or limited. Whereas the conventional methods for developing a vaccination remain amenable to the emerging viruses, advents of the newest technologies in the molecular methods have a profound influence on the understanding of the biology of the viruses, as well as immune responses and methods of vaccination that are based upon attenuated, replicating, and non-replicating virus vector methods became beneficial platforms for vaccination.
Conclusion: In combination with a continuous understanding in biology of the newly appearing viral illnesses, a many different recent strategies of vaccination have been developed for protecting from the re-emerging and new viruses could become possible. It was found that the biggest challenge in all strategies used in the preparation of viral vaccines is to find vaccines that have a low cost, are highly specialized, and have high efficiency for the purpose of confronting emerging viral diseases. In this paper we focus on different viral vaccines strategies.

Back Ground: The study was conducted in the field of animal production - College of Agriculture / University of Tikrit for the period from 15/2/2017 to 15/5/2017.
Objective: to study the effect of replacing the seeds of white Lupinus albus as a protein source instead of soybean meal and its effect on some characteristics of wool: (softness , elongation, tensile strength, raw weight and clean weight) at the age of (4 and 6) months, respectively, for the mentioned characteristics, and the quality of wool fibers is the basis of characteristics and defects, as the fiber diameter is the main determinant of quality.
Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted by raising twelve Awassi lambs, 4 months old, with an average starting weight of 24.65 ± 2.49 kg. The lambs were distributed among 3 treatments (4 lambs/treatment). At levels (0, 6 and 12%) for the first treatment (control), the second and the third, respectively.
Results: After completing the experiment using white lupine seeds, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between the studied traits (softness, tensile strength, raw weight and clean weight) at the age of (4 and 6) months, respectively, except for the second treatment (6% lupine), which was significantly superior (0.05). > P) In terms of elongation at the age of 6 months (65.25 ± 1.92) compared to the first and second treatments (0 and 12) % lupine, respectively.
Conclusion: I used a balanced diet in its content of energy and protein and added a protein source (white lupine seeds) instead of soy beans and did not occur any negative changes that affected the qualities of wool, and this means the positive use of it in feeding ruminants.

Back ground: Collagen accounts for 25percent of all proteins found in vertebrates. The words "collagen" is created with Greek words "kolla" and "genos," which respectively mean "glue" and "formation." It has a wide range of biological and pharmacological uses. Pig and cow skins provide the majority of the collagen. Utilizing animal collagen has been restricted as a result of epidemics of certain animal diseases including foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) (FMD), which pose a risk of transmission to humans
Objective: The goal of this study is to extract collagen from catfish bone.
Material and methods: Catfish (Silurus triostegus) bone was used to extract collagen that has been pepsinized and acid-solubilized collagen (ASC) (PSC). The extracts' proximate composition (moisture, protein, fat, and ash) was measured, and dry weight was used to compute the yield of ASC and PSC. The molecular weight of experimental collagen ranged from 97 to 200 KD, according to the SDS-PAGE pattern. In order to identify bone collagen, the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra analysis for the acquired ASC and PSC, as well as the standard collagen (type I, II), was used. Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM, the morphological structure of ASC and PSC was revealed), and the diffraction angles (2 θ) of ASC and PSC were determined using X-ray analysis. For quality control, the HPLC technique was used to determine the collagen.
Rustles: The proximate composition of ASC and PSC bone of catfish. The ASC bone of catfish contained moisture (75.22%), good amount of protein (16.65%) , fat (2.40%) and ash content (0.28 %), While the PSC bone had slightly lower moisture (68.50%) than ASC, it had higher protein (19.93%), fat (1.825%), and ash (0.58%) levels ,HPLC SEM ,FTIR ,Electrophoresis, X-ray.
Conclusion: Fish bone was promising sources for preparing collagen, acid soluble collagen (ASC), pepsin soluble collagen (PSC) were successfully extracted by two methods. The collagen extracted from bone catfish, was of type I collagen, which are composed two α1, one α2 chains, and β chains as shown by SDS-PAGE patterns.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death due to dietary factors such as high salt intake. Bread is one of the most important sources, as it causes high blood pressure.
Objective: The aim of this study is to establish the approved controls and standards for adding sodium to three types of bread.
Materials and methods: The sodium concentration in the samples mentioned in this study was calculated; using a dedicated sodium concentration kit, produced by Agappe Diagnostics Switzerland Sodium is estimated by colorimetric method based on modified Maruna and Trinders method. Sodium and proteins are precipitated together by Magnesium Uranyl acetate as Uranyl Magnesium Sodium acetate salt. Excess of Uranyl salt reacts with potassium ferrocynide to produce a brownish color. The intensity of the color is inversely proportional to the sodium concentration in the specimen and is measured photometrically at 530 nm.
Results: The maximum value of Sodium Concentration for white bread was in AlShaeb Region (3.546gm), while the maximum value of the Sodium Concentration for the Barley Bread type was in the Alghazalia region (3.516gm) and Mahmudiyah region (3.494gm) .The maximum value for the Sodium Concentration was for the third type, which is the local Bread in the Hittin district ( 3.630gm) and Alssadr City region (3.603gm).and the a minimum value of the Sodium Concentration for white bread was in Abu Ghareeb region (3.097gm) and Alsaydia region (3.136gm), while the a minimum value of the Sodium Concentration for the Barley Bread type was in the Abu Ghareeb region (3.091gm) , Palestine Str. (3.132gm), Dura region (3.182gm) And Karrada region (3.187gm ) and the a minimum value of the Sodium Concentration for Local Bread was in Dura region (3.182gm) , Palestine Str. (3.185gm) and Abu Ghareeb region (3.206gm).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed a more than doubled concentration of sodium in bread the reason is due to the lack of clear controls and standards that define and obligate bakeries to add sodium in specific quantities according to these standards. When Baghdad governorate was divided into north, south, and east and west, as well as when it was divided into two parts, Karkh and Rusafa, it was found that there was no significant difference between Baghdad districts due to the varying levels of sodium concentration in these areas.