Objectives: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is WNT/b-catenin pathway antagonist which plays a detrimental role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This research aimed to assess serum DKK-1 levels in diabetic patients who have and have not developed DR and, compare them with the control subjects finding out whether we can use it as an indicator for DR early diagnosis and to find out which one of the widely used two groups of antidiabetic treatments had the greater effect on this biomarker and hence on the progression of DR. Methods: The study participants were divided into two subgroups: First, 70 patients (36 male, 34 female) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, among them 35 patients diagnosed with DR and 35 with no evidence of DR, and secondly, non-diabetic controls (11 male, 9 female) were selected from the patients attending Ibn AL-Haitham hospital for ophthalmology and a specialized center for endocrinology and diabetes. Venous blood samples of all participants were drawn after an overnight fast, and serum samples were stored at -20ºC until DKK-1 assay. Results: Serum DKK-1 showed significantly lower levels in diabetic patients with (6.1 ± 2 ng/mL) or without DR (14 ± 6.2 ng/mL) when compared to those of controls (34 ± 12.25 ng/mL) (p 0.05). Furthermore, serum DKK-1 levels were lower in the late stage of DR compared to the early stage 5.6 ± 1.7 and 7 ± 1.9 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, DPP-4 inhibitors cause a better increment in DKK-1 levels when compared to SU in the NDR group. Conclusions: Reduced serum levels of DKK-1 are related to the existence and worsening of DR and have the prospect to serve as an indicator for this condition.
Background: Hyperthyroidism refers to overactive of thyroid gland leading to excessive synthesis of thyroid hormones and accelerated metabolism in the peripheral tissue. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate a new member of the IL-1 super family of cytokines interleukin-33(IL-33) levels in serum .in order to evaluate its utility as clinical bio marker of autoimmune disease (i.e. hyperthyroidism) Methods: The present study was conducted on 30 patients from the Iraqi female patients with hyperthyroidism attending Baghdad teaching hospital, in addition to 30 healthy controls. All subjects were (35-65) years old. Parameters measured in the sera of patients and healthy groups, were interleukin -33 (IL-33), Thyroxin (T4), Thyroxin (T3)
... Show MoreThe nature and intensity of the association of myasthenia gravis (MG) with distinct human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes differ between ethnic populations, so this study determined the association of HLA class II antigens with myasthenia gravis (MG) in Iraq.The study included Iraqi patients diagnosed with MG and two control groups the first of 54 insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients and the second of 237 subjects as a normal control group. The test used was microlymphocytotoxicity test.The work was done in the Teaching Laboratories/Medical City/Baghdad.Results: positive associations were observed (etiological risk factors) as follows: 1. HLA-DR locus showed one positively associated allele when compared to healthy control and th
... Show MoreThis study examined the effect of elements of internal marketing activities on customer satisfaction through an exploratory study of banking services in the city of Baghdad, if the research problem crystallized by asking a group of questions, the most important (is there a correlation and impact between the dimensions of internal marketing and customer satisfaction, this study aims to determine The effect of internal communication, training and internal market research on customer satisfaction, represented by the quality of service, loyalty and market share, and embodied the objective of this study to identify the level of availability of internal marketing activities and programs in the research banks, data were collected using
... Show MoreDiversity has become one of the required phenomena to be available within public organizations, in light of the changes taking place in the global and international environment and in various fields. Therefore, it was imperative to study the impact of this phenomenon in various institutions, especially public ones, in most developing countries, including Iraq. The current research aims to analyze the relationship between The demographic diversity and institutional effectiveness of a sample of workers in public institutions included (500) respondents. The questionnaires were distributed to them randomly. Diversity is considered an independent variable and institutional effectiveness a dependent variable. The researcher used interview tools a
... Show MoreCarnitine is a regulatory amino acid, necessary for the metabolism of long-chain fatty acids in the ß - oxidation, and it is important in the organization of the work of the blood brain barrier, and is very important in the treatment of infertility and sexual apathy. This study was conducted at the Poultry Farm of the Department of Animal Resource, College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad during the period from 15/2/2011 to 1/8/2011. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with different levels of L - carnitin e on semen characteristics of guinea fowl male. A total of 24 guinea fowl male, 30 weeks of old were used in this study. Birds were randomly distributed into 4 groups (C0, C100, C200, C300)
... Show MoreBackground: The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of standardizing the Bolton ratio analysis as a diagnostic measure for both Iraqi and Egyptian orthodontic populations within three Angle' classification groups. Materials and methods: Two hundred forty pretreatment study casts (one hundred twenty of each population) were included in this study and divided into three Angle' classification groups. The mesiodistal crown diameters of all teeth were measured for computing the anterior and total Bolton ratios. Analysis of variance was performed to compare the mean ratios of Bolton analysis as a function of the Angle classification.HSD test was used to specify the classes of malocclusion that have significant differences.
... Show MoreThe adsorption ability of Iraqi initiated calcined granulated montmorillonite to adsorb Symmetrical Schiff Base Ligand 4,4’-[hydrazine-1, 2-diylidenebis (methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)) bis (2-methoxyphenol)] derived from condensation reaction of hydrazine hydrate and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, from aqueous solutions has been investigated through columnar method.The ligand (H2L) adsorption found to be dependent on adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and contact time.All columnar experiments were carried out at three different pH values (5.5, 7and 8) using buffer solutions at flow rate of (3 drops/ min.),at room temperature (25±2)°C. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin equations. The monol
... Show MoreThe strategies of knowledge management have became the basis in the promotion of core competencies. Therefore gained an increasing prominence. This led the administrations of organizations to work to effectiveness of there strategies, which results to build there core competences through teamwork, empowerment and personal effectiveness of employees. From this arises research problem about the organizations leaders recognize extent of knowledge management strategies which that lead to core competence. In addition the research tray definition the relation and nature of affect between its variables. The research was carried on sample (72) managers from board of supreme audit in Iraq and used statistical tools and methods.
... Show MoreBackground: Non-nutritive sucking habit (NNSH) is the main environmental causative factor that disturbs normal orofacial development. In spite of the harmful effect of pacifier as a NNSH, mothers aware from the other types of NNSH like thumb sucking far more than pacifier use. Open bite is one of the most challenging malocclusions in orthodontics due to the high prevalence of relapse after treatment, so preventing the causative factor of its occurrence is essential at early age of child life. This study aims to assess the impact of two non-nutritive patterns on the development of anterior open bite in primary dentition and to compare which of these habits mostly affect open bite development. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of
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