No abstract

This study was to evaluate the effect of Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. residues on mungbean (Vigna mungo L.Hepper) local cultivar. An experiment [using randomized complete block design (RCBD) design] with three replications was conducted in 2010. The trial comprised of four treatments such as mulching, incorporation into soil and extract, along with control with mungbean crop without adding residues of D. viscose. Data showed a significant increase in chlorophyll -b (Chl.b) and total chlorophyll in leaves of mungbean in mulching treatment as compared to control. Plant height, number of branches per plant, leaf area index, number of seed per pod and 100 seed weight were slightly higher for D. viscosa residues than for the control treatment. All D. viscosa residues treatments had positive effects on number of pods per plant, plant seed yield and total seed yield as compared to control. However, mulching treatment was the superior. Neither protein nor oil content in mungbean seeds were significantly affected by D. viscosa residues, even though there was slight increase. Carbohydrates content in the seeds were not significantly different due to D. viscosa residues treatments, although some decrease was observed due to slight increase in protein and oil content. The leaf tissue N, P, K, Mg or Fe concentrations were not significantly affected by D. viscosa residues treatments. However, the chemical analysis of field soil properties after harvesting demonstrated the increase in inorganic elements as compared with soil before sowing. Mulching gave the best results, followed by incorporation into the soil, and then spraying of extract in comparison to control.

Background: The transcription factor forkhead-box protein P3 (FOXP3) have been identified to counteract the anti-tumor immune responses during tumor progression. In addition, by expressing FOXP3, tumor cells may evade effector T-cell responses, resulting in a survival benefit of the tumor. Objectives: Evaluation of the diagnostic and/or prognostic values of FOXP3 gene in breast cancer Iraqi female patients by initially comparing the expression concentrations of this gene between breast cancer patients and control group, then, comparing the expression levels of FOXP3 with certain clinical features among breast cancer patients (ages of patients, tumor grade, tumor stage and the presence or absence of metastasis). Material and Methods: The Foxp3 levels were determined in tissue samples (Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tissue “FFPE”) derived from 51 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma women and 33 benign breast tumor women (control group) were attended to the Medical City and Al-Yarmouk teaching laboratories / Baghdad – Iraq. The patients’ samples were subjected to total RNA extraction, and then to molecular study by using reverse transcription and quantitative real time PCR at Molecular Oncology Unit in Guy´s Hospital – Kings College / London – UK. Results: The FOXP3 gene expression was detected in 45 (88.23%) of breast cancer patients, also, the expression levels of this gene showed high significant increase in breast cancer patients compared to control group. Furthermore, there were a gradual increase in the FOXP3 expression concentrations with disease grades (highly significant) and stages (significant) progression in patients with primary breast cancer, moreover, the metastatic breast cancer patients showed high significant increase in FOXP3 levels compared to primary breast cancer patients. There were no significant differences in the levels of FOXP3 among the age groups of patients. Conclusions: The present study results reflect the potential utility of FOXP3 as noninvasive marker for detecting breast cancer even in the earliest cancer stages, also, they suggest that possibility of using this gene as an efficient molecular signature for detecting breast cancer disease progression, discrimination between different stages and grades of breast tumors, and it might be of value as a prognostic marker.

The study was conducted during the spring season of 2000 and2001. The objective was to study the changes in leaves number of sunflower plants and its leaf area during growth stages under hardening conditions to drought tolerance. Agricultural practices were made according to recommendations.Asplit-split plots design was used with three replications.The main plots included irrigation treatments:irrigation to100%(full irrigation),75and50%of available water.The sub plots were the cultivars Euroflor and Flame.The sub-sub plots represented four seed soaking treatments:Control(unsoaking), soaking in water ,Paclobutrazol solution(250ppm),and Pix solution(500ppm). The soaking continued for 24 hours then seeds were dried at room temperature until they regained their original weight. Amount of water for each irrigation were calculated to satisfy water depletion in soil using a neutron moisture meter. Results indicated that stress 800Kp reduced leaves number after 72 days from Planting by 5.29% compared with full irrigation as a mean of seasons.Increased stress to 600 and 800 Kp caused decreasing in leaf area at physiological maturation by 36.10 and 44.32% than full irrigation as a mean of seasons. Flame was superior over Euroflor after 58 days from planting in leaves number by 12.30 % in the season of 2001, while Euroflor was superior by 4.87% after58 days from planting in the season of 2000 ,and in leaf area by 58.25% after 44 days from planting in the season of 2001, and by 34.72% as a mean of seasons.Soaking the seeds presowing in paclobutrazol and pix solutions enhanced leaf formation , the percentage of increase reached to 5.57 and 7.49% after 86 days from planting as a mean of seasons, and leaf area by 35.9 and 36.95% respectively, compared with unsoaked as a mean of seasons. This study suggest that it could improve plant growth and kept sutable leaf area during seeds filling and drought tolerance by soaking the seeds presowing in water or plant growth regulators.

Two field experiments were conducted during the spring seasons of 2000,2001.The aim was to study the effect of hardening to drought tolerance on moisture percentage in root and stem of sunflower plant during growth stages . Asplit-split plots design was used with three replications.The main plots included irrigation treatments:irrigation to100%(full irrigation),75and50%of available soil water.The sub plots were the cultivars Euroflor and Flame.The sub-sub plots represented four seed soaking treatments :Control(unsoaked),soaking in water ,Paclobutrazol solution(250ppm),and Pix solution(500ppm). The soaking continued for 24 hours then seeds were dried at room temperature until they regained their original weight. Amount of water for each irrigation were calculated to satisfy water depletion in soil using a neutron meter. . Results indicated that stress at 800 Kp reduced moisture percentage in the root by 15.96% compared with full irrigation after86 days from planting,and in the stem by 9.64 and 11.99%compared with full irrigation and stress 600 Kp, respectively after 72 days from planting in the season 2001.Also stress 600 Kp reduced moisture percentage in the root after 58 days from planting by 5.81 and 5.97% compared with full irrigation and stress 800 Kp as a mean of seasons. Euroflor was superior over Flame after30 days from planting in the moisture percentage of its roots by 6.78 in the season of 2000 and by 3.10% as a mean of seasons..While Flame was superior in the moisture percentage of its stems by 4.62 and 2.51% after 58 days from planting in the season of 2000 and as a mean of seasons, respectively.Unsoaked treatment gave highest moisture percentage in the root, the percentage of increase reached to 5.05 and 9.63% than soaking in water and paclobutrazol after 30 days from planting and by 11.43 and 10.65% than soaked in water and pix solution after 86 days from planting as a mean of seasons. soaking in paclobutrazol solution decreased moisture percentage in the stem after 30 days from planting by 4.43 and 8.31% in the season 2000 and by 2.82 and 3.23% as a mean of seasons compared with soaking in water and pix solution , respectively. On the other hand paclobutrazol increased the percentage of moisture in the stems during the next stages of growth. The study suggest that it could improve water relations specially during the stages which increased water requirement (flowering and seeds filling), and increased drought tolerance by soaking the seeds presowing in water or plant growth regulators