The mean age of AS patients was (35.0 ± 9.8) years.When the patients and control subjects were divided into different age groups (>40, 30-40, <30 years), the differences were not significantin terms of disease prevalence. The results also showed that the percentage of male patients is higher than that of females. There was no significant difference (P?0.05) between patients and controls in the distribution of males and females.Most of the patients had the disease for a period of 5 years or higher, with a disease severity of ? 2.1 and functional disability degree of I, II. The resultsshoweddifferent patterns of distribution for the three tested cytokines. A significant increase in the level of TNF-?, anon-significantincrease in the level of CXCL-8, and a significant decrease in the level of IL-10 were observed in the sera of patients with AS compared with the control.The patients also demonstrated significant decreases in the serum ALT and AST enzyme levels, hemoglobin (Hb) level, white blood cells (WBC) count, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P?0.05).The percentage of HLA-B27-positive Iraqi patients was lower than that of the HLA-B27-negative patients. Some of these patterns were also exposed to changes related to some determinants in patients, which included age, sex, disease duration, disease severity, functional disability, and HLA-B27 positivity,along with association with clinical subtypes of AS.The area under the curve was determined for the parameters of ESR, IL-10, TNF-? and CXCL-8.The most significant factor was found to beESR, followed by IL-10, and then TNF-?, with the presence of significant differences, while there was no diagnostic significance for CXCL-8 ,which showed no significant difference (p?0.05).
Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common disease, and a major determinant of morbidity and mortality in all races. The pleiotropic effects of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) such as modulation of cell survival, mineralization and inflammation, make it an interesting candidate mediator in the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic lesions.Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the role of RANKL in the pathogenesis of ACS.Methods: The levels of RANKL were measured by ELISA method in sera of 60 ACS patients, 31 patients with unstable angina (UA) and 29 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in comparison with 20 apparently healthy controls.Results: Current data indicate
... Show MoreIn the theoretical part, removal of direct yellow 8 (DY8) from water solution was accomplished using Bentonite Clay as an adsorbent. Under batch adsorption, the adsorption was observed as a function of contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, and temperature. The equilibrium data were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models, and the linear regression coefficient R2 was used to determine the best fitting isotherm model. thermodynamic parameters of the ongoing adsorption mechanism, such as Gibb's free energy, enthalpy, and entropy, have also been measured. The batch method was also used for the kinetic calculations, and the day's adsorption assumes first-order rate kinetics. The kinetic studies also show that the intrapar
... Show MoreBackground: Investigating dental health knowledge among children is important. Knowing what behaviors are right in relation to dental health does not guarantee that children will practice those behaviors. However, lack of knowledge and misconceptions about dental health may lead to behaviors that are harmful to teeth and gum. Baseline data on knowledge levels are required to determine which particular areas of dental health education are in need of improvement for high-risk children living in different geographical areas. This research was conducted to study the oral health status, dental knowledge and behavior in relation to two different cities, among children in Baghdad and Thamar (republic of Yemen) governorate. Materia
... Show MoreThis comprehensive review examines the efficacy and safety of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors in treating various autoimmune diseases, and focuses on their application in Iraqi patients. Elevated TNF-α levels are linked to autoimmune disorders, leading to the development of anti-TNF-α therapies such as infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, and golimumab, which have gained FDA approval for conditions like psoriasis, in¬flammatory bowel disease, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. While these therapies demonstrate sig¬nificant therapeutic benefits, including improved quality of life and disease management, they also carry risks, such as increased susceptibility to infections and pote
... Show MoreThis paper presents a method to organize memory chips when they are used to build memory systems that have word size wider than 8-bit. Most memory chips have 8-bit word size. When the memory system has to be built from several memory chips of various sizes, this method gives all possible organizations of these chips in the memory system. This paper also suggests a precise definition of the term “memory bank” that is usually used in memory systems. Finally, an illustrative design problem was taken to illustrate the presented method practically.
This paper presents a method to organize memory chips when they are used to build memory systems that have word size wider than 8-bit. Most memory chips have 8-bit word size. When the memory system has to be built from several memory chips of various sizes, this method gives all possible organizations of these chips in the memory system. This paper also suggests a precise definition of the term “memory bank” that is usually used in memory systems. Finally, an illustrative design problem was taken to illustrate the presented method practically
Objectives: to assess nurses' knowledge toward infection control measures for hepatitis a virus in hemodialysis
units and to detemine the relationship between nurses' knowledge and their demographical characteristics.
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A non-probability `tturposive" sample of (51) nurses, who were working in hemodialysis units were selected
from Baghdad teaching hosphals. The data were collected through the use of constructed questionnaire, which
consists of two parts (I) Demographic data fom that consists of 10 items and (2) Nurses' knowledge form that
consists of 6 sections contain 79 items, by means of direct interview techniq
This study included estimation of glutathione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the serum of diabetic patients type II who are treated with a polyherbs mixture (Nigella sativa, Trigonella foenum-graeum, Cyperus rotundus and Teucrium polium) for three months of treatments. Seventy samples of diabetic patients Type II male and females with age about (35-60) years were taken including 44 samples for group one (24 male, 20 female) who used herbs accompanied with chemical treatment (drugs) and 26 samples for the second group (13male and 13 female) who used herbs only. These groups were compared with 60 samples obtained from healthy persons (29 male, 31 female) at the same age of patients as a control group. Effect of age and treatment fo
... Show MoreBis-anthraquinones with a unique molecular backbone, (+)-2,2’-epicytoskyrin A (epi) and (+)-1,1′-bislunatin (bis), was produced by endophytic fungi Diaporthe sp GNBP-10 associated with Gambir plant (Uncaria gambier). Epi and bis possess robust antimicrobial activity toward various pathogens. This study focus on knowing the optimum condition of epi and bis production from Diaporthe sp GNBP-10. A series of culture media with various nutrient compositions was investigated in epi and bis production. The content of epi and bis was determined by measuring the area under the curve from TLC-densitometric (scanner) experiment. The linear regression analysis was then applied to obtain the results. The optimi
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