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.
Seventy five E. coli isolates were collected from urine of patients with urinary tract infections in AL-Kadhimia and AL-Yarmook teaching hospitals in Baghdad for a period between 22/11/2009 to 15/3/2010, from these samples twenty five isolates were selected according to their pattern of the highest resistance as these showing multi-drug resistances and tested to specify their minimum inhibitory concentration for (meropenem, gentamicin and amikacin), meropenem was found having the lowest MIC comparing with others. This study also includes in vitro effects of various combinations of three types of antimicrobials (meropenem, gentamicin and amikacin) against twenty five E. c
... Show MoreIn this ˑwork, we present theˑ notion of the ˑgraph for a KU-semigroup as theˑundirected simple graphˑ with the vertices are the elementsˑ of and weˑˑstudy the ˑgraph ofˑ equivalence classesˑofˑ which is determinedˑ by theˑ definition equivalenceˑ relation ofˑ these verticesˑ, andˑ then some related ˑproperties areˑ given. Several examples are presented and some theorems are proved. Byˑ usingˑ the definitionˑ ofˑ isomorphicˑ graph, ˑwe showˑ thatˑ the graphˑ of equivalence ˑclasses ˑand the ˑgraphˑof ˑa KU-semigroup ˑ areˑ theˑ sameˑ, in special cases.
Salicylaldehyde was reacting with 2-amino benzoic acid to produce the Schiff base ligand benzoic acid 2-salicylidene (L). The prepared ligand was identified by Microelemental Analysis, FT.IR and UV-Vis spectroscopic techniques. A new complexes of Co(II),Ni(II),Cu(II) and Zn(II) with Schiff base was prepared in aqueous ethanol with a (1:1) M:L. The prepared complexes were characterized using flame atomic absorption, (C.H.N) Analysis, FT.IR and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods as well as magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements. Biological activity of the ligand and complexes against three selected types of bacteria were also examined. Some of the complexes exhibit good bacterial activities. From the obtained data the tetrahedral str
... Show MoreBackground: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a genetically heterogeneous leukemia characterized by abnormal myeloid blast accumulation, disrupting normal hematopoiesis and leading to rapid progression. Objective: To investigate SNPs within the 3’UTR of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPA) gene and its association with AML in Iraqi patients. Methods: The study was carried out on 120 AML patients classified into newly diagnosed, induction chemotherapy, and consolidation chemotherapy stages (40 each), and 40 individuals as a control group. Genomic DNA was extracted from AML patients and controls, followed by PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing of the 3’UTR region of the CEBPA gene. The AML patients were characterized
... Show MoreBurn is one of the most devastating traumas that someone can encounter in their life. Burn wound sepsis is still the leading cause of death in burned patients. Appropriate knowledge of the causative pathogen in burn sepsis is important for successful patient management and for the reduction of the incidence of antibiotic resistance. A retrospective study was conducted between 2010 and 2018 at the Burn Specialty Hospital in Baghdad.Atotal of 320 blood culture samples were obtained from patients with sepsis orsuspected of having sepsis. Patient age ranged between 9 months to 70 years old, with a mean total burn surface area of 45.26%. The most common microorganisms isolated from those patients who had sepsis or suspicion of sepsis were Klebsi
... Show MoreThe most common cause of upper respiratory tract infection is coronavirus, which has a crown appearance due to the existence of spikes on its envelope. D-dimer levels in the plasma have been considered a prognostic factor for COVID-19 patients.
The aim of the study is to demonstrate the role of COVID-19 on coagulation parameters D-dimer and ferritin with their association with COVID-19 severity and disease progression in a single-center study.
Background: Smoking is the major environmental risk factor that has been associated with the pathogenesis and progression of periodontal diseases. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), has been associated with the immunopathology of periodontitis. Objectives: To determine the influence of smoking on salivary Interleukin-8 level from smokers and non-smokers with periodontitis and periodontally healthy control subjects.
Materials and Methods: Un-stimulated saliva samples were collected of 90 participants: 30 smokers and 30 non-smokers with chronic periodontitis, as well as 30 periodontally healthy control subjects. The clinical parameters such as the pocket depth, clinical attachment loss, plaque index, and gingiv
... Show MoreThe risk of breast cancer development is believed to be attributed to the alterations of a number of key biological components. Within this context, elevated levels of some chemokines that act as growth factors and can promote cancer development. The current study was designed to evaluate CXCL3 (a chemokine C-X-C Motif Ligand 3) and leptin (a peptide hormone synthesized by adipose tissue with cytokine activity) serum of Iraqi breast cancer patients in comparison to healthy controls. A total of 90 participants consisted of 60 patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 30 healthy women as control group were enrolled into this case-control study. Venous blood samples were collected from all participants to evaluate CXCL3 and leptin serum levels
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