Water samples from a variety of sources in Kelantan, Malaysia (lakes, ponds, rivers, ditches, fish farms, and sewage) were screened for the presence of bacteriophages infecting Vibrio cholerae. Ten strains of V. cholerae that appeared to be free of inducible prophages were used as the host strains. Eleven bacteriophage isolates were obtained by plaque assay, three of which were lytic and further characterized. The morphologies of the three lytic phages were similar with each having an icosahedral head (ca. 50-60 nm in diameter), a neck, and a sheathed tail (ca. 90-100 nm in length) characteristic of the family Myoviridae. The genomes of the lytic phages were indistinguishable in length (ca. 33.5 kb), nuclease sensitivity (digestible with DNase I, but not RNase A or S1 nuclease), and restriction enzyme sensitivity (identical banding patterns with HindIII, no digestion with seven other enzymes). Testing for infection against 46 strains of V. cholerae and 16 other species of enteric bacteria revealed that all three isolates had a narrow host range and were only capable of infecting V. cholerae O1 El Tor Inaba. The similar morphologies, indistinguishable genome characteristics, and identical host ranges of these lytic isolates suggests that they represent one phage, or several very closely related phages, present in different water sources. These isolates are good candidates for further bio-phage-control studies.

Insulin-induced hyperglycemia is the hallmark of diabetes mellitus (DM), including various metabolic disorders. Diabetic people are more likely to develop dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. Type 2 diabetes ‎(T2DM), the most common illness, is generally asymptomatic in its early stages and can go misdiagnosed for years. Diabetes screening may be beneficial in some cases since early identification and treatment can lessen the burden of diabetes and its consequences.‎ This study aimed to find the relationship between Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ‎and lipid profile components in T2DM‎ patients. This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was performed on the control group and T2DM patients in ‎Medical City in Baghdad between March and June 2021‎. A total of 90 patients with T2DM and ‎‎45 healthy control were included in this study. In the control group, healthy volunteer individuals participated. For all subjects, HbA1c, fasting blood sugar/FBS, and lipid profile (Total Cholesterol/TC, Triglyceride/TG, High-density Lipoprotein/HDL, Low-density Lipoprotein/LDL, and Very Low-density Lipoprotein/VLDL) were assessed. Among T2DM patients 62.22% (n= 56) were male and 37.78% (n= ‎‎34) were female. Mean ± SD levels of HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, HDL, and FBS were 7.33±0.56 ‎‎% (168.21±9.23, 146.10±9.64, 137.23±8.32, 41.05±5.86, 43.85±6.17, and ‎‎208.81±52.1) mg/dl respectively in the T2DM group. In the control group, ‎the Mean ± SD results of the same parameters were 4.91±0.27%, ‎‎(171.20±3.57, 116.60±8.25, 105.05±2.11, 41.83±4.92, 44.04±5.54, ‎‎96.20±7.8) mg/dl respectively. Results demonstrated statistically significant ‎‎differences between T2DM patients and control groups in HbA1c ‎‎(p equal to 0.0025), TG ‎(p equal to 0.015), LDL ‎ ‎(p=0.0029),‎ and FBS ‎(p=0.02‎). Pearson correlation analysis of HbA1c with other variables showed a significant ‎positive correlation with serum TC, TG, LDL, and ‎FBS ‎(r=0.573, P<0.01; ‎r=0.655, P <0.001; r=0.498, P<0.05‎; r=0.691, ‎P<‎0.001‎; ‎‏respectively). While the data showed a negative connection between HbA1c and HDL (r= - 0.562, P<0.01) The findings of this study reveal that diabetic people do not have a satisfactory HbA1c level. Furthermore, HbA1c shows a significant correlation with TC, TG, LDL, and VLDL, whereas it has a significant negative correlation with HDL. The study showed that HbA1c might be useful for predicting dyslipidemia in T2DM patients. Keywords: T2DM, Lipid profile, HbA1c.

Oxidative stress is oxidative damage caused by free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS can cause oxidative damage to cellular components, including membrane lipids, receptors, enzymes, proteins, and nucleic acids. It would eventually lead to cell apoptosis and the appearance of certain pathological conditions. This work investigates the antioxidant potentials of chamomile extract in vitro by evaluating the extract activity to scavenge 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), also in vivo by investigating its effects on oxidative stress-induced rats by assessing the total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant capacity in the radiation exposed rats with and without the treatment with chamomile extract. The results have shown that chamomile extract contains materials with antioxidant properties. The in vitro analyses have indicated activity to detoxify the DPPH radicals almost as powerful as pure ascorbic acid. Furthermore, rats exposed to electromagnetic radiation have shown a disturbance in the balance of oxidants and antioxidants, in which the levels of TOS were elevated while the levels of TAC were reduced. Chamomile extract has been shown to exhibit a powerful function as an antioxidant in vivo. It has enhanced the antioxidant capacity of rats, reduced their total oxidant status, and protected exposure to radiation. Keywords: Total antioxidant capacity, peach fruit, rats, DPPH, total oxidant status.

Insulin-induced hyperglycemia is the hallmark of diabetes mellitus (DM), including various metabolic disorders. Diabetic people are more likely to develop dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. Type 2 diabetes ‎(T2DM), the most common illness, is generally asymptomatic in its early stages and can go misdiagnosed for years. Diabetes screening may be beneficial in some cases since early identification and treatment can lessen the burden of diabetes and its consequences.‎ This study aimed to find the relationship between Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ‎and lipid profile components in T2DM‎ patients. Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was performed on the control group and T2DM patients in ‎Medical City in Baghdad between March and June 2021‎. A total of 90 patients with T2DM and ‎‎45 healthy control were included in this study. In the control group, healthy volunteer individuals participated. For all subjects, HbA1c, fasting blood sugar/FBS, and lipid profile (Total Cholesterol/TC, Triglyceride/TG, High-density Lipoprotein/HDL, Low-density Lipoprotein/LDL, and Very Low-density Lipoprotein/VLDL) were assessed. Among T2DM patients, 62.22% (n= 56) were male, and 37.78% (n= ‎‎34) were female. Mean ± SD levels of HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, HDL, and FBS were 7.33±0.56 ‎‎% (168.21±9.23, 146.10±9.64, 137.23±8.32, 41.05±5.86, 43.85±6.17, and ‎‎208.81±52.1) mg/dl respectively in the T2DM group. In the control group, ‎the Mean ± SD results of the same parameters were 4.91±0.27%, ‎‎(171.20±3.57, 116.60±8.25, 105.05±2.11, 41.83±4.92, 44.04±5.54, ‎‎96.20±7.8) mg/dl respectively. Results demonstrated statistically significant ‎‎differences between T2DM patients and control groups in HbA1c ‎‎(p equal to 0.0025), TG ‎(p equal to 0.015), LDL ‎ ‎(p=0.0029),‎ and FBS ‎(p=0.02‎). Pearson correlation analysis of HbA1c with other variables showed a significant ‎positive correlation with serum TC, TG, LDL, and ‎FBS ‎(r=0.573, P<0.01; ‎r=0.655, P <0.001; r=0.498, P<0.05‎; r=0.691, ‎P<‎0.001‎; ‎‏respectively). At the same time, the data showed a negative connection between HbA1c and HDL (r= - 0.562, P<0.01). The findings of this study reveal that diabetic people do not have a satisfactory HbA1c level. Furthermore, HbA1c shows a significant correlation with TC, TG, LDL, and VLDL, whereas it has a significant negative correlation with HDL. The study's findings showed that HbA1c might be a useful marker for predicting dyslipidemia in T2DM patients. Keywords: T2DM, Lipid profile, HbA1c.