Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by the new respiratory virus SARS-CoV2. It has a tropism in the lung tissues where excess target receptors exist. Periostin plays a role in subepithelial fibrosis associated with bronchial asthma. Since the Coronavirus's target is the human respiratory system, Periostin has been recently described as a valuable new biomarker in the diagnosis and evaluation of disease in patients with COVID-19 lung involvement. Objectives: To assess the level of Periostin in the serum of COVID-19 patients and to correlate its role in disease severity and prognosis. Subjects and Methods: Periostin serum levels were measured for 63 patients attending three main COVID-19 Control Centers in Baghdad, compared to 25 healthy subjects, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from January 2021 to April 2022. Results: Serum levels of Periostin among studied groups with (mild - moderate, severe - critical, post-COVID, and controls) were (17.3, 664, 597, and 48) ng/dl respectively. The serum concentration of Periostin was highly significant in (severe- critical and post-COVID) than in other groups. Conclusions: The elevated level of serum Periostin in COVID-19 patients correlated with disease severity and post-COVID lung complications. The high Periostin level is consistent with high inflammatory markers, which might be used as an indicator of COVID-19 severity and predict a bad prognosis.
Modified unsaturated polyester (MUPE) was blended with Cellulose (Cls) and with ethyl cellulose (ECls) at ambient conditions in the presence of ethyl methyl ketone peroxide (EMKP) as hardener. The blends containing different weight percentages (5-25 %) of Cls or ECls. Mechanical properties (impact strength, hardness, and bending) and dielectric constant were determined. The results observed that Cls increases the impact strength, hardness, and dielectric constant and decreases the bending of the MUPS, while ECls causes an increase in the three mechanical behaviours and a decrease in the dielectric constant of the MU-PS.
Gender and culture are among the factors that influence the process of understanding and interpreting different types of communication, especially images. The current study, which is a part of a master’s thesis, aims at investigating the role of gender and culture in interpreting and understanding the caricatures that deal with women’s issues in Arab societies. To this end, the researchers adopted Barthes’ (1957) concepts of denotation and connotation in his theory of mythologies in addition to Langacker’s (1987) theory of (Domains). The research concludes that the female subjects have better cognitive abilities in investing the signs within the selected caricatures. The other factor the study reached to is that the respondents
... Show MoreThe current research aims to investigate the counseling services provided to gifted students in the Al-Baha region from their point of view, and to identify the differences in these views according to the students ’gender, educational stages, and the cities in which they study. The descriptive survey approach was followed in its relevance to the research objectives. Likewise, a random sample of gifted elementary, intermediate, and secondary school students was selected by the method of stratified sampling, as the sample reached (175) male and female students. The instrument of the research consisted of the questionnaire of counseling services presented to gifted students from their point of view prepared by researchers. The results sho
... Show MoreThe present study investigates the notion of untranslatability where the concept of equivalence is reconsidered since the misconceptions, related to the said concept, inevitably lead to the emergence of untranslatability. Identifying equivalence as relative, approximate and necessary identity makes the notion of untranslatability a mere theorization. The objectives of the present study are (1) to investigate the notion of untranslatability in terms of the misconceptions associated with the concept of equivalence (2) to examine the possibility of translatability from Arabic into English focusing on culture-bound euphemistic expressions in the Quran as an area of challenge in translation. Data on the translation of culture-bound euphemistic e
... Show MoreBackground: Temporomandibular joint disorders refer to a group of heterogeneous pain and dysfunction conditions involving the masticatory system, reducing life quality of the sufferers. Arthrocentesis is simple and less invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of internal derangement than arthroscopy and better than other conservative procedures such as drugs, occlusal appliances and physiotherapy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of arthrocentesis with injection of hyaluronic acid in the treatment of internal derangement of temporomandibular joint for the restoration of its function, reducing pain and preventing further deterioration of the temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Materials and methods: This study was perfo
... Show MoreThe aim of this research was to indicate the opinion of the Iraqi consumer awareness of the risks associated with consuming canned food, the questionnaire was included 20 questions for label information, consumer culture, shopping, marketing, awareness and knowledge as a tool to survey the opinions of 300 consumers in Baghdad, the data was analyzed by using percentage, weighted mean, and weight percent, the results obtained showed that the Iraqi consumer need more information, training and guidance programs in food safety handling issue for canned food, especially in analysis of label information and growing of consumer culture for shopping, right marketing, awareness and knowledge.
Purpose: The research aims to study the measurement of the performance of accounting units level of the research sample by using the Federal quality Model European (EFQM) Design/methodology/approach: the (EFQM) which included seven dimensions "Leadership, Strategic Planning, External Focus, Information and Analysis, Faculty / Staff and Workplace Focus, Process Effectiveness & Outcomes and Achievements" And its effect on the Control Environment, which includes three dimensions: "Integrity, management philosophy and commitment to powers" . the sample is supervisory units of colleges affiliated with the University of Baghdad in Iraq, and a sample was chosen that included fifty-one individuals in the accounting departments.
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