COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that has a wide spectrum of symptoms from asymptomatic to severe fatal cases due to hyperactivation of the immune system and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study aimed to assess the level and impact of interleukin (IL)-13, IL-33, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α cytokines on immune responses in mild and moderate COVID-19-infected Iraqi patients. A prospective case-control study was conducted from January 2023 to January 2024; it included 80 patients infected with moderate COVID-19 infection who consulted in different private clinics and 40 healthy controls. The serum of both groups was tested for quantification of serum IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α using the human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The mean age of the moderate COVID-19 patient group was 43.67±1.85 years, while the mean age of the healthy control group was 34.45±3.12 years with a statistically significant (p=0.0081), but there was no statistically significant difference in IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α levels between the patients and control groups. This study highlights the importance of age, gender, and body mass index as risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection. There were no significant differences in IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α levels between moderate COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α shows moderate potential (non-significant) as a biomarker for predicting mild and moderate COVID-19. Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong potential correlation between IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α.
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is the refractive technique that began with a physical scraping of the epithelial layer of cornea subsequent by laser treatment. Post this procedure to about 48 hours the removed epithelial layer regenerated to protect the eye again. The regeneration process (called re-epithelization) started from the limbus of the cornea toward the central part of it. The re-epithelization mechanism consists of a change in cell density (mitosis) and cell concentration (migration) with a velocity in two directions: radial and tangential. In the present study, an estimation for both radial (responsible for the overlapped layers toward the outward direction of the cornea) and tangential comp
... Show MoreIn this study water quality was indicated in terms of Water Quality Index that was determined through summarizing multiple parameters of water test results. This index offers a useful representation of the overall quality of water for public or any intended use as well as indicating pollution, water quality management and decision making. The application of Water Quality Index
(WQI) with sixteen physicochemical water quality parameters was performed to evaluate the quality of Tigris River water for drinking usage. This was done by subjecting the water samples collected from eight stations in Baghdad city during the period 2004-2010 to comprehensive physicochemical analysis. The sixteen physicochemical parameters included: Turbidity, A
Objectives: To determine the impact of an educational program on nurses’ knowledge
and practices concerning neurogenic bladder rehabilitation for spinal cord injured persons
through a follow-up approach each two months post program implementation for six
months.
Methodology: "Follow-up" longitudinal design by using time series approach of data
analysis and the application of pre-post tests approach for the study and the control
groups. The study was carried out at Ibn Al-Kuff hospital for (SCI) in Baghdad governorate
from 5th of July 2010 to 15th of October 2011. To achieve the objectives of the study, a
non-probability (purposive) sample of (60) nurses (males and females) were working in SCI
units were selec
The present work presents design and implementation of an automated two-axis solar tracking system using local materials with minimum cost, light weight and reliable structure. The tracking system consists of two parts, mechanical units (fixed and moving parts) and control units (four LDR sensors and Arduino UNO microcontroller to control two DC servomotors). The tracking system was fitted and assembled together with a parabolic trough solar concentrator (PTSC) system to move it according to information come from the sensors so as to keep the PTSC always perpendicular to sun rays. The experimental tests have been done on the PTSC system to investigate its thermal performance in two cases, with tracking system (case 1) and without trackin
... Show MoreIn this study water quality was indicated in terms of Water Quality Index that was determined through summarizing multiple parameters of water test results. This index offers a useful representation of the overall quality of water for public or any intended
use as well as indicating pollution, which are useful in water quality management and decision making. The application of Water Quality Index (WQI) with ten physicochemical water quality parameters was performed to evaluate the quality of Euphrates River water for drinking usage. This was done by subjecting the water samples collected from seven stations within Al-Anbar province during the period 2004-2010 to comprehensive physicochemical analysis. The ten physicochemical paramete
Pushover analysis is an efficient method for the seismic evaluation of buildings under severe earthquakes. This paper aims to develop and verify the pushover analysis methodology for reinforced concrete frames. This technique depends on a nonlinear representation of the structure by using SAP2000 software. The properties of plastic hinges will be defined by generating the moment-curvature analysis for all the frame sections (beams and columns). The verification of the technique above was compared with the previous study for two-dimensional frames (4-and 7-story frames). The former study leaned on automatic identification of positive and negative moments, where the concrete sections and steel reinforcement quantities the
... Show MoreThe study area comprises Injana Formation (Late Miocene), exposed on the hills nearby of Tharthar Lake and about 120 km north of Baghdad city. This study depends on sedimentologic and facies analysis to recognize paleoenvironment and recognize the kinds of vertebrate bone fossils during Late Miocene. Sedimentologic and facies analysis showed many sedimentary facies: facies (Se) of scoured erosional surface, facies of (Sp) cross- bedded sandstones, facies (Fs) of fine sandstone facies, facies of (Fc) claystone, and facies of (C) calcareous clay. Facies analysis referred to the sub environments which are: point bar, over bank and floodplain in addition to fining upward cycles of deposition, which refers to meandering flu
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa is a common and major opportunistic human pathogen, its causes many and dangersinfectious diseases due to death in some timesex: cystic fibrosis , wounds inflammation , burns inflammation , urinary tract infection , other many infections otitis external , Endocarditis , nosocomial infection and also causes other blood infections (Bacteremia). thereforebecomes founding fast and exact identification of P. aeruginosafrom samples culture very important.However, identification of this species may be problematic due to the marked phenotypic variabilitydemonstrated by samples isolates and the presence of other closely related species. To facilitate species identification, we used 16S ribosomal DNA(rRNA) sequence data
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