OJS University of Karbala
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Attitude and Awareness of Medical Students Regarding Medical Ethics Education in Karbala
No full textBackground: Medical ethics guides healthcare professionals in moral decision-making, emphasizing patient welfare, minimizing harm, and respecting values. It integrates principles like autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Though vital in clinical practice, teaching ethics faces challenges, such as a theoretical focus over practicality and students prioritizing core medical courses over ethical education. This study aims to evaluate medical students\u27 attitudes and awareness regarding medical ethics courses among students at the University of Kerbala.
Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to July 2024 among 218 fourth- to sixth-year medical students at the University of Kerbala. Data were collected online and analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. A pilot study ensured validity and reliability. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: A majority of students demonstrated favorable awareness of medical ethics, with 66.5% attributing their knowledge primarily to lectures. However, 58.3% exhibited limited comprehension of core principles. The total mean attitude score percent was 83.2%. Most students viewed ethics education as vital for the patient-doctor relationship and engaging with ethical issues.
Conclusions: Medical students expressed positive attitudes toward medical ethics education and strongly recognized its professional importance. The findings highlight the need for more effective teaching methods and enhanced practical training. Students who attended ethics lectures had significantly higher attitude scores
Socioeconomic analysis of drought adaptation strategies among maize farmers\u27 in Sudan savanna region of Kano state, Nigeria
No full textThis study analysed socioeconomics determinants of smallholder maize farmers’ drought adaptation strategies in the Sudan Savanna Regions of Kano State, Nigeria. Using multistage sampling procedure, data were collected from 373 smallholder farmers via a survey with structured questionnaires. Data collected was analysed using Descriptive Statistics and Multivariate probit regression model (MVP). Results indicated that maize is produced predominantly by married and average aged and male farmers with an average age of 43 years. The average household size is 11 people, with a mean farming experience of 19 years and a land size of 1.68 hectares. Multivariate probit results showed that household size (p<0.03), maize farm income (p < 0.001), maize farm yield (p < 0.000), total off farm income (p<0.000) and gender (p<0.018) significantly influenced adoption of ex-post drought adaptation strategies while age (p<0.002) was found to negatively influenced adoption of ex-post drought adaptation strategies. For ex-ante, cooperative membership (p<0.019), household size (p<0.006), and land ownership (p<0.029), had positive significance influence while contact with extension agents (p=0.031), age (p<0.004), off-farm income (p<0.000) and maize farm yield (p<0.000) had negative significant effect on adoption of ex-post drought adaptation strategies. Taking in to account socioeconomic background of the farmers in the dissemination of knowledge on drought strategies and providing institutional support can improve resilience, which will subsequently ensure sustainable maize production in the regio
Effects of Breed on hatchability and immune characteristics of indigenous chickens
No full textThis study, was conducted at Hemn Private Hatchery in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, examined 600 eggs (average weight 52.75±0.13 g) from 50-week-old indigenous chickens under sterile conditions. Findings revealed that Kurdish local chickens had a higher egg weight (55.60 g) compared to Iraqi black line (49.83 g). On the 18th day of incubation, average egg weights were 48.20 g for Kurdish chickens and 42.13 g for Iraqi black line, while by day 21, the weights dropped to 35.12 g and 31.93 g, respectively. Egg loss was 7.70% in Kurdish chickens and 7.40% in Iraqi black line. During the season, egg weight decreased by 17.90% in Kurdish chickens and 20.48% in improved chickens. Hatchability rates of total eggs were 67.27% for Kurdish chickens and 69.69% for Iraqi black line, while hatchability of fertile eggs was 75.05% and 76.71%, respectively. Embryo mortality was 33.33% in Iraqi black line and 30.40% in Kurdish breed. Additionally, Improved chickens showed greater resistance to Newcastle and Gumboro diseases than local Kurdish chickens
Effect of spraying with thiourea and boron on growth parameters of sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana L.)
No full textA pot experiment was carried out in the Horticulture and Landscape Department, College of Agriculture, University of Kerbala during the spring season of 2024. The study aimed to investigate the impact of thiourea spraying at concentrations of 0, 500, 750, and 1000 mg L-1 (T0, T1, T2, T3 respectively) and boron spraying at concentrations of 0, 25, 50, and 100 mg L-1 (B0, B1, B2, B3 respectively) on the vegetative growth characteristics of sweet marjoram. The study was conducted according to a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed the differential effect of adding the study factors individually, as the concentration (1000 mg L-1) thiourea had a significant superiority in all traits except for the leaf area trait, while for spraying boron, the significant superiority was for the concentration (100 mg L-1) in all traits. The interaction between thiourea and boron was significant, as treatment T1 B3 was superior in plant length and gave (29.45 cm), while treatment T3 B2 was superior in stem diameter and number of branches and gave (2080 mm) and (18.68 branches plant-1) respectively. As for leaf area, the highest average was at the interaction equation T2 B3 and reached (1.134 cm2), and the interaction treatment T3 B3 gave the highest average of dry matter percentage of (24.97%) and the highest total chlorophyll content of (57.91 mg 100 g fresh weight). The important conclusion of this study is the significant effect of the study factors on the growth of this herb of medical importance
The effect of propolis produced by Apis mellifera as a nutritional supplement on the expression level of NF-κB and LC3 anti-inflammatory immune genes in Iraqi Hamdani sheep
No full textThis research aimed to measure the expression levels of the genes LC3 and NF-ĸB in Hamdani sheep blood that were fed with Apis mellifera propolis. Propolis, a bee product, has been utilized for centuries due to its numerous biological advantages. It was incorporated into their daily diet for six weeks. Propolis is well-known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulating effects in both animals and humans. The propolis was introduced to the diet every two weeks in quantities of 2, 3, and 4 grams. Following this, blood samples were collected from these 10 sheep biweeklies, and on the same day, RNA was extracted in the lab and converted into cDNA. The expression levels of the genes LC3 and NF-ĸB were assessed using a Real-Time PCR machine, and the ΔΔCt values were calculated based on reference gene expression. The gathered data were analyzed using the GraphPad software, revealing that the expression of the target genes increased when compared to the control data, with the optimal amount of bee propolis additive being 4 grams per day
Response of adding citrus peels bitter orange (Citrus aurntium) to broiler chickens on some production traits
No full textThe study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding citrus peel powder (Bitter Orange) to broiler diets on some production traits, the experiment was conducted on 160 unsexed day-old Ross 308 broilers, divided into 4 groups and each group had 4 replicates with 10 birds per replicate, The birds in each replicate were randomly distributed were T0 (control group) = (no additives) basal feed, T1 = basal feed+ 5g Bitter Orange powder/kg, T2 = basal feed+ 10g Bitter Orange powder/kg, and T3 = basal feed+ 15g Bitter Orange powder/kg, The experiment lasted for 42 days. The results showed that there were significant differences (P≤0.05) in body weight at different levels compared with the control group and there was no significant effect on the rate of weight gain, and there were significant differences at the level of (P≤0.05) in feed conversion ratio and feed conversion ratio. There were significant differences (P≤0.05) in body weight and weight gain , and there was no significant effect on feed consumption and feed conversion ratio.
In T1, T2, and T3 groups, there was an increase in body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio compared with the T0 group
Next generation sequencing reveals the first presence of Okra enation leaf curl virus and its Betasatellite in diseased Okra plants in Iraq
No full textOkra Enation Leaf Curl Virus (OELCuV) is a monopartite Begomovirus often associated with betasatellites and alphasatellites. OELCuV has been reported in different countries. However, it had not yet been reported from Iraq. Transcriptome sequencing data from Karbala fields grown with viral-infected okra were investigated for viruses and their satellites via de novo assembly of the unmapped reads to the okra genomes. Predicted nucleotides and proteins from these assembled unmapped reads aligned OELCuV and its betasatellite sequences with 97.9% and 96.3% identity, respectively. The Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the species identity as Okra Enation Leaf Curl Virus and Okra enation leaf curl betasatellite by gathering them in separated clades with the identical isolates and strains. This report documents for the first time the earliest OELCuV and its betasatellite infection of okra plants in Iraq
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in inhibiting of Aspergillus piperis and reducing ochratoxin A in orange fruits
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in inhibiting the growth of the fungus Aspergillus piperis isolated from orange fruits, and in reducing the resulting toxin Ochratoxin A (OTA) under laboratory and storage conditions. The results demonstrated the dominance of A. piperis in samples of local and imported orange fruits collected from Muthanna and Karbala governorates. Associated fungi were isolated and identified, and the most virulent was identified using a pathogenicity test. The results showed that the most virulent fungal isolate was A. piperis.Its identity was confirmed using molecular analysis of the ITS region sequence and registered in the NCBI database. This isolate also demonstrated a high capacity to produce OTA, reaching a concentration of 95.7 ng/g in sorghum media. When testing the bioactivity of yeast, different concentrations of S. cerevisiae showed remarkable effectiveness in inhibiting fungal growth, with the highest inhibition rate reaching 83.33% at the sixth dilution. In the storage experiment, treating the fruits with yeast contributed to a significant reduction in the OTA concentration from 125.33 to 59.70 ng/g, a significant difference. These results confirm the effectiveness of yeast as a promising bioagent for reducing post-harvest rot and toxic fungal contamination in orange fruit
Plant cover diversity and land use impacts on spatial distribution of chemical soil properties using GIS
No full textThis study aims to investigate the effects of the difference in vegetation cover and land use on spatial distribution of soil electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soluble ions. Soil samples from sixty sites were randomly selected on 14585 hectares area located at Algadwal Algharby in Karbala Governorate. Soil samples were collected to a depth of 0-0.3 m, air dried, ground and passed through a 2 mm sieve for laboratory analysis. The results showed that the EC values ranged from ( 1.02 to 53.40) dS m-1 and were greater in the fallow soil than the EC of soils with plant cover. Values of CEC ranged from (12.35 to 32.75) cmol+.kg-1 where lower CEC values were obtained under fallow soils compared to cultivated soils. Generally the coefficients of skewness and kurtosis revealed highly skewed distribution with leptokurtic and platykurtic distributions for the studied characteristics. Geostatistical parameters of the fitted semivariogram models resulted mostly in strong spatial dependence and circular matching model. The fallow soils contents from soluble ions were greater than that of the plant-covered soils due to increasing salinity. 
Developing high-efficiency green fertilizers from poultry manure Using N-acetylcysteine for enhanced nitrogen retention and agronomic performance
No full textIn this research, tomato plants were used to assess the effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on the decomposition dynamics and agronomic properties of poultry manure through combined physicochemical and biological evaluations, supported by LC-MS metabolite profiling. Control treatments, consisting of untreated manure, exhibited low microbial activity, restricted nutrient availability, and elevated levels of phytotoxic compounds such as butyric acid, phenol, and indole, particularly at manure concentrations exceeding 40%.In contrast, NAC-treated samples demonstrated enhanced microbial diversity, accelerated organic matter breakdown, and significant suppression of toxic short-chain fatty acids. LC-MS analysis revealed the appearance of sulfur-containing metabolites, including free thiols, indicating the establishment of a redox-buffered environment that improved nitrogen bioavailability and mitigated oxidative stress. These changes correlated with a remarkable increase in plant biomass—exceeding tenfold compared to the control—and eliminated growth inhibition even at high manure concentrations. Furthermore, NAC contributed to heavy metal detoxification via thiol-mediated chelation, ensuring root zone safety and improved soil health. Overall, this study establishes NAC as an effective additive that transforms raw poultry manure into a stable, nutrient-rich, and environmentally safe fertilizer. The integration of physicochemical and biological assessments with LC-MS diagnostics provides strong evidence for the role of biochemical modulation in enhancing manure quality. This approach offers a scalable strategy to improve crop productivity while minimizing environmental risks, thereby supporting sustainable organic agriculture