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: The present study aimed to assess the distribution, prevalence, severity of malocclusion in Baghdad governorate in relation to gender and residency Materials and Methods: A multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used in this investigation to make the sample a representative of target population. The sample consisted of 2700 (1349 males and 1351 females) intermediate school students aged 13 years representing 3% of the total target population. A questionnaire was used to determine the perception of occlusion and orthodontic treatment demand of the students and the assessment procedures for occlusal features by direct intraoral measurement using veriner and an instrument to measure the rotated and displaced teeth. Results a
... Show MoreSARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which is the causative agent of spreading coronavirus disease 2019 that is known as COVID-19 pandemic, the disease leads to severe acute respiratory illness. Matrix metalloproteinases- 9 (MMP-9) plays several important physiological functions. This enzyme could also be implicated in the "cytokine storm" in some way, which may represent one of the possible scianrios during coronavirus infection, in addition to its role in the mechanism of lung fibrosis on molecular basis.. The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) are well characterized for controlling the activity of MMPs in extracellular matrix remodeling. They also considered as signaling molecules anal
... Show MoreSARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which is the causative agent of spreading coronavirus disease 2019 that is known as COVID-19 pandemic, the disease leads to severe acute respiratory illness. Matrix metalloproteinases- 9 (MMP-9) plays several important physiological functions. This enzyme could also be implicated in the "cytokine storm" in some way, which may represent one of the possible scianrios during coronavirus infection, in addition to its role in the mechanism of lung fibrosis on molecular basis.. The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) are well characterized for controlling the activity of MMPs in extracellular matrix remodeling. They also considered as signaling molecules anal
... Show MoreIn many organizations, employees who have high mental skills are the main source of organizational creativity. When a firm does not put creativity as a goal, cannot stand solid against the competition. Nowadays, knowledge is the path to discover the innovation and creativity aspects, This can assist the firm to stand face to face with competition in the market. The importance of this research comes from detecting and knowing the relation between creativity and knowledge to know and detect the influence of organizational creativity on backing the management of knowledge and determine the final results. The problem of research is to trace the role of organizational creativity on knowledge management processes in order to enable the
... Show MoreThe present study combines UV-Vis spectrophotometry and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the preconcentration and determination of trace level clidinium bromide (Clid) in pharmaceutical preparation and real samples. The method is based on ion-pair formation between Clid and bromocresol green in aqueous solution using citrate buffer (pH = 3). The colored product was first extracted using a mixture of 800 µL acetonitrile and 300 µL chloroform solvents. Then, a spectrophotometric measurement of sediment phase was performed at λ = 420 nm. The important parameters affecting the efficiency of DLLME were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration graphs of standard -1 (Std.), drug, urine and serum were ranged
... Show MoreSJ Mohammed, AA Noaimi, KE Sharquie, JM Karhoot, MS Jebur, JR Abood, A Al-Hamadani, Al-Qadisiyah Medical Journal, 2015 - Cited by 20
Objective: The objective of the present study was to design and optimize oral fast dissolving film (OFDF) of practically insoluble drug lafutidine in order to enhance bioavailability and patient compliance especially for a geriatric and unconscious patient who are suffering from difficulty in swallowing.Methods: The films were prepared by a solvent casting method using low-grade hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC E5), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (SCMC) as film forming polymers. Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin were used as a plasticizer to enhance the film forming properties of the polymer. Tween 80 (1% solution) and poloxamer407 were used as a surfactant, citri
... Show MoreExpected to The organizational commitment by employees increases their loyalty towards their organization and thus contribute to enhancing their performance , therefore this study aimed to discover the relationship and the impact between the organizational commitment (emotional commitment, standard commitment, continuous commitment) and the performance of employees in the company researched, additional to know the available organizational commitment levels of employees in the company researched and its impact on the performance of employees, Research was conducted at the General Company for products in the dairy to achieve the goals of research has been developed questionnaire conation (22 ) items to collect data from the study s
... Show MoreIn the current study, remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems were used to detect changes in land use / land cover (LULC) in the city of Al Hillah, central Iraq for the period from 1990 - 2022. Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI visualizations, correction and georeferencing of satellite visuals were used. And then make the necessary classifications to show the changes in LULC in the city of Al Hillah. Through the study, the results showed that there is a clear expansion in the urban area from 20.5 km2 in 1990 to about 57 km2 in 2022. On the other hand, the results showed that there is a slight increase in agricultural areas and water. While the arid (empty) area decreased from 168.7 km 2 to 122 km 2 in 2022. Long-term ur
... Show More