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.
The limitations of wireless sensor nodes are power, computational capabilities, and memory. This paper suggests a method to reduce the power consumption by a sensor node. This work is based on the analogy of the routing problem to distribute an electrical field in a physical media with a given density of charges. From this analogy a set of partial differential equations (Poisson's equation) is obtained. A finite difference method is utilized to solve this set numerically. Then a parallel implementation is presented. The parallel implementation is based on domain decomposition, where the original calculation domain is decomposed into several blocks, each of which given to a processing element. All nodes then execute computations in parall
... Show MoreThe objective of drilling parameters optimization in Majnoon oilfield is to arrive for a methodology that considers the past drilling data for five directional wells at 35 degree of inclination as a baseline for new wells to be drilled. Also, to predicts drilling performance by selecting the applied drilling parameters generated the highest rate of penetration (ROP) at each section. The focal point of the optimization process is to reduce drilling time and associated cost per each well. The results of this study show that the maximum ROP could not be achieved without sufficient flow rate to cool and clean the bit in clay intervals (36" and 24") hole sections. Although the influence of combination of Weight on Bit (WOB), Round per mi
... Show MoreCreativity, imagination, and ingenuity are connected with instructing students in literary tasks. The purpose of the study is to determine what teaching activities are most Productive in helping students to comprehend literature. The research design used in the study is descriptive one. The researcher created a survey questionnaire that teachers could complete. It includes twelve learning activities related to teaching literature, such as: conceptual mapping of a poem, short story, or novel; observing and analyzing videos; collaborative discussions about the chosen text; and topical discussions with a partner ,composition of a poem ,analytic writings; playing a role; narrating stories with visual assistance, teacher-student exchanges; atten
... Show MoreReduction represents a form of artistic abstraction to express things with formal symbols that suggest the content of the idea, as the beauty of the design artwork cannot be unique in the form only, but in revealing its meaning as well. He resorts to shorthand to express the content of his idea related to design necessities and needs to achieve a specific function whose role is crystallized through the form that follows the function. The importance of the research was also represented in: Benefiting workers and scholars in the field of design with regard to shorthand and implicit in graphic design. The aim of the research: to identify the relationship between implicit meaning and reduced forms in graphic design. And the aesthetic of fo
... Show MoreInformation hiding strategies have recently gained popularity in a variety of fields. Digital audio, video, and images are increasingly being labelled with distinct but undetectable marks that may contain a hidden copyright notice or serial number, or even directly help to prevent unauthorized duplication. This approach is extended to medical images by hiding secret information in them using the structure of a different file format. The hidden information may be related to the patient. In this paper, a method for hiding secret information in DICOM images is proposed based on Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). Firstly. segmented all slices of a 3D-image into a specific block size and collecting the host image depend on a generated key
... Show MoreAbstract
The current study aims to identify the resilience of university students, as well as identify the differences in resilience according to the variable of gender and specialization. The research sample consisted of (382) students studying at Baghdad University. To measure Resilience, a questionnaire of (48) items was designed to collect the needed data. The results showed that the students of the University of Baghdad possess resilience. There are no differences in resilience according to gender and specialization.
Sex chromatin (SC) is defined as inactive X chromosome in the female somatic cells, it condensed as heterochromatic at interphase of the nucleus and appears like nuclear satellite projection, and only female cells contain SC in mammals. Different ages of cocks: immature (8,16 weeks old), growing (24 weeks old) and production age (32,48 weeks old) , were studied to detect the sex chromatin (SC) with it's various shapes :Sessile nodule(SS), Drum stick(DS), Tear drop(TD) and Club shape(CS) in the blood lymphocytes of blood smears prepared from WBCs of 45 New Hampshire(NH) strain cocks. Also SC measurements were detected which include: vertical (V) and horizontal (H) axes, SC area (SCA), nuclear area (NA), and the
... Show MoreObjective(s): To describe the demographic attributes, vaccination status of measles patients and the occurrence of
the disease according to time and place in Kirkuk governorate during the year 2010.
Methodology: The epidemiological study (a descriptive study) on measles cases was carried out in Kirkuk province
which is one of the Iraqi governorates from January 20th to July 30th, 2011. Data were collected retrospectively by
review of patients' files that were registered at the department of statistic in health directorate of Kirkuk during the
year 2010. A purposive "non-probability" sample of (152) confirmed measles cases (clinically and laboratory) that
were registered at the department of statistic in health directora
Forecasting has become common process and reality. Since man has found multiple forms of simple predictive predictions, fruitful predictive results have emerged, such as weather forecasting or trading on stock exchange. The research was organized by defining the problem, which was manifested by the question:
(What is the prediction in global logo design methods?)
The aim of the research: (revealing design prediction in the methods of global logos). The theoretical framework was: (the concept of prediction in the design of global logos), (methods of global logos), (types of prediction) and then were attached to indicators, results and conclusions, including:
- The color value of international logos came with human needs: a