L-Asparaginases hydrolyzing plasma L-asparagine and L-glutamine has attracted tremendous attention in recent years owing to remarkable anticancer properties. This enzyme is efficiently used for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphosarcoma and emerged against ALL in children, neoplasia, and some other malignancies. Cancer cells reduce the expression of L-asparaginase leading to their elimination. The L-asparaginase anticancerous application approach has made incredible breakthrough in the field of modern oncology through depletion of plasma L-asparagine to inhibit the cancer cells growth; particularly among children. High level of L-asparaginase enzyme production by Escherichia coli, Erwinia species, Streptomyces, and Bacillus subtilis species is highly desirable as bacterial alternative enzyme sources for anticancer therapy.Thermal or harsh conditions stability of those from the two latter bacterial species is considerable. Some enzymes from marine bacteria have conferred stability in adverse conditions being more advantageous in cancer therapy. Several side effects exerted by L-asparaginases such as hypersensitivity should be hindered or decreased through alternative therapies or use of immune-suppressor drugs. The L-asparaginase from Erwinia species has displayed remarkable traits in children with this regard. Noticeably, Erwinia chrysanthemi L-asparaginase exhibited negligible glutaminase activity representing a promising efficiency mitigating related side effects. Application of software such as RSM would optimize conditions for higher levels of enzyme production. Additionally, genetic recombination of the encoding gene would indisputably help improving enzyme traits. Furthermore, the possibility of anticancer combination therapy using two or more L-asparaginases from various sources is plausible in future studies to achieve better therapeutic outcomes with lower side effects. K E Y W O R D S bacterial L-asparaginase, cancer therapy, optimized production

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Literature reviews of reports concerning the parasitic fauna of fishes of Al-Diwaniyah province, Iraq till the end of December 2018 showed that a total of 43 parasite species are so far known from 13 valid fish species investigated for parasitic infections. The parasitic fauna included one euglenozoan, two myzozoans, six ciliophorans, three myxozoans, three trematodes, nine monogeneans, four cestodes, six nematodes, three acanthocephalans and six crustaceans. The infection with the trematodes, one monogenean, two cestodes and one nematode occurred with larval stages, while the remaining infections were either with trophozoites or adult parasites. Among the inspected fishes, Carasobarbus luteus was infected with the highest number of parasite species (20 parasite species), followed by Planiliza abu (17 species) and Cyprinus carpio (16 species) while two fish species (Ctenopharyngodon idella and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) were infected with the minimum number of parasite species (three parasite species each). The ciliophoran Trichodina domerguei and the crustacean Lernaea cyprinacea were the commonest parasite species as they were reported from nine fish species each, followed by the monogenean Dactylogyrus extensus and the nematode Contracaecum sp. which were reported from eight and six host species, respectively, while the minimum number of one host species was reported for 22 parasite species.

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Background: Myrtus communis (M. communis) is a wild aromatic plant used for traditional herbal medicine that can be demonstrated in insecticidal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity of its essential oils (MCEO). Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the prophylactic effects of M. communis essential oil (MCEO) against chronic toxoplasmosis induced by the Tehran strain of Toxoplasma gondii in mice. Methods: Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis was performed to determine the chemical composition of MCEO. Mice were then orally administrated with MCEO at the doses of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg/day and also atovaquone 100 mg/kg for 21 days. On the 15th day, the mice were infected with the intraperitoneal inoculation of 20–25 tissue cysts from the Tehran strain of T. gondii. The mean numbers of brain tissue cysts and the mRNA levels of IL-12 and IFN-γ in mice of each tested group were measured. Results: By GC/MS, the major constituents were α-pinene (24.7%), 1,8-cineole (19.6%), and linalool (12.6%), respectively. The results demonstrated that the mean number of T. gondii tissue cysts in experimental groups Ex1 (p < 0.05), Ex2 (p < 0.001) and Ex3 (p < 0.001) was meaningfully reduced in a dose-dependent manner compared with the control group (C2). The mean diameter of tissue cyst was significantly reduced in mice of the experimental groups Ex2 (p < 0.01) and Ex3 (p < 0.001). The results demonstrated that although the mRNA levels of IFN-γ and IL-12 were elevated in all mice of experimental groups, a significant increase (p < 0.001) was observed in tested groups of Ex2 and Ex3 when compared with control groups. Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrated the potent prophylactic effects of MCEO especially in the doses 200 and 300 mg/kg in mice infected with T. gondii. Although the exceptional anti-Toxoplasma effects of MCEO and other possessions, such as improved innate immunity and low toxicity are positive topics, there is, however, a need for more proof from investigations in this field.