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Background: Early diagnosis of Parkinson›s disease can play an important role in improving its prognosis. Due to controversies about the serum level of corticosterone and phosphate in parkinsonian rats, this study was designed to measure and evaluate the levels of corticosterone and phosphate as possible biomarkers of early diagnosis in rats with 6-OHDA-induced parkinsonism. Methods: Forty rats were divided into three groups: control (n = 10), sham (n = 10), and 6-OHDA (n = 20). The rats in the 6-OHDA and sham groups underwent stereotaxic surgery to be injected with 6-OHDA and its carrier into their medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Apomorphine-induced rotational and cylinder tests were done to examine parkinsonism progression and sensory-motor function. Corticosterone and phosphate serum levels were measured in the serum and striatum. Results: Net contralateral rotations and asymmetry scores in the fourth, sixth, and eighth weeks after surgery compared with the second week showed a gradual increase in the 6-OHDA group. The serum levels of corticosterone were 90 ± 13 before surgery, and they declined to 88 ± 36 and 55 ± 9 ng/L in the second and eighth weeks after surgery, respectively. The serum levels of phosphate were 6 ± 0.22 before surgery, and they decreased to 5.2 ± 0.13 and 5 ± 0.12 mg/dl in the second and eighth weeks after surgery, respectively. The serum levels of phosphate and corticosterone remained relatively unchanged in the sham and control groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons is accompanied by decreased serum corticosterone and phosphate levels. Thus, the serum level of corticosterone can be used as a biomarker in diagnosing Parkinson’s disease. In contrast, serum phosphate levels were still within the normal range and cannot be used as a biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Education is an integrated system based on a set of basic set of elements(educational institutions, students and educational staff) the researchers tried to study the characteristics of the teaching staff and focus on their most important demographic, social and economic characteristics, and the size of the gap between the participations of males and females in education, and the variation of teachers' distribution according to the administrative units in the Najaf Governorate. The researchers relied on the data available from the Najaf Education Directorate, as well as distributing questionnaire to 991 teachers, and the reality of education starting from kindergarten to high school. Results showed large variations between the participation ratio of both males and females, and variation at the level of administrative units according to the age of the teaching staff, and who obtained a bachelor's degree were the highest group; they reached 889, and Most of the teachers are married. Most of the teachers receive(750-million). They own housing property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to establish the comparative effects of carbohydrate versus fat restriction on metabolic indices in Type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: This randomized, clinical trial was done among 56 overweight persons with T2D and CHD aged 40-85 years old. The patients were randomly allocated to take either a highcarbohydrate (HC) diet (60-65% carbohydrates and 20-25% fats) (n = 28) or a restricted carbohydrate (RC) diet (43-49% carbohydrate and 36-40% fats) (n = 28) for 8 weeks to determine metabolic status. RESULTS: After 8 weeks of treatment, RC diet decreased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (-11.5 ± 28.3 vs. +7.0 ± 26.9 mg/dl, P = 0.010) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (-564.3 ± 1280.1 vs. +286.1 ± 1789.2 ng/ml, P = 0.040) compared with a HC diet. Moreover, compared with a HC diet, RC diet increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (+274.8 ± 111.5 vs. +20.2 ± 82.5 mmol/l, P < 0.001) and glutathione (GSH) levels (+51.6 ± 111.5 vs. -32.6 ± 88.5 µmol/l, P = 0.003). No significant alterations between the two groups were found in terms of their effect on other metabolic profiles. CONCLUSION: RC diet in overweight T2D with CHD had beneficial effects on FPG, hs-CRP, TAC, and GSH values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]