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.
The cost-effective removal of heavy metal ions represents a significant challenge in environmental science. In this study, we developed a straightforward and efficient reusable adsorbent by amalgamating chitosan and vermiculite (forming the CSVT composite), and comprehensively investigated its selective adsorption mechanism. Different techniques, such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET) analysis were employed for this purpose. The prepared CSVT composite exhibited a larger surface area and higher mesoporosity increasing from 1.9 to 17.24 m2/g compared to pristine chitosan. The adsorption capabilities of the
... Show MoreYeasts are distributed in all environments and have been reported as potential biocontrol agents against various phytopathogenic fungi. To investigate their enzymatic and biological activities, 32 yeasts were isolated from 15 date vinegar samples. Evaluation of the antagonistic activities of isolated yeasts against the plant pathogens Fusarium oxysporium, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Macrophomina phaseolina indicated that there are two yeasts had the highest inhibitory effect against plant pathogens, these yeasts identified as Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii using traditional and molecular methods. These yeast isolates were tested for fungal cell wall degrading enzymes (in vitro), and results indicated that the
... Show MoreThe present study deals with the synthesis of four different azo-azomethine derivatives; this is done by two steps; the first step is diazotization of sulfonamides (sulfanilamide, sulfacetamide, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfadiazine) separately, followed by the second step; the coupling reaction of diazotized compounds with isatin bis-Schiff base named 3-((4-nitrobenzylidene) hydrazono)indolin-2-one. The later one (bis-Schiff base) was synthesized by the reaction of 3-hydrazono-indolin-2-one with p-nitrobenzaldehyde. The chemical structures of newly synthesized compounds were approved on the basis of their FTIR, 1H-NMR, and CHNS elemental analysis data results. The synthesized azo compounds were tested in vitro for their antimicrobial potentia
... Show MoreThe conservation for biodiversity in Iraqi freshwater environments is important to protecting native species from the environmental impacts of alien species. Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes, Clariidae) has been recognized as an alien species in Iraqi water bodies. This study aims to use molecular DNA to identify this catfish and trace its origins using. The DNA sequences of C. gariepinus were done using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, and a specific primer set. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was used to align the COI gene as a barcoding marker. After analysis, the sequences were compared with sequences in the National Center for Biology Information (NCBI) database
... Show MoreA Schiff base ligand (L) was synthesized via condensation of