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.
Since the beginning of mankind, the view of the sky was present through observations with the naked eye, then it developed with time, and the sciences and tools of astronomical observations developed, including photometric measurements, which reached a high degree of accuracy in describing various cosmic phenomena, including the study of galaxies, their composition, and the differences between them, and from here the importance of this study emerged, to determine the differences between two distinct types of classification of galaxies, which are normal and barred spiral galaxies, where two galaxies NGC 4662 and NGC 2649 were chosen that represented certain types of galaxies to study the morphological structure of the two galaxies, a
... Show MoreThe human stomach is home to the Gram-negative bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which has been connected to several gastrointestinal disorders. There may be a link between H. pylori infection and the start of autoimmune disorders, according to recent research. This review examines the intricate connections between persistent H. pylori infection, immune system dysregulation, and their possible role in initiating autoimmune disorders. The study begins with a summary of H. pylori infection and its prevalence worldwide, emphasizing the mounting data that connects this bacterium to autoimmune disorders. Then, using experimental data from animal models and epidemiological research as support, it undertakes a thorough review of autoimmune di
... Show MoreThis paper presents an enhancement technique for tracking and regulating the blood glucose level for diabetic patients using an intelligent auto-tuning Proportional-Integral-Derivative PID controller. The proposed controller aims to generate the best insulin control action responsible for regulating the blood glucose level precisely, accurately, and quickly. The tuning control algorithm used the Dolphin Echolocation Optimization (DEO) algorithm for obtaining the near-optimal PID controller parameters with a proposed time domain specification performance index. The MATLAB simulation results for three different patients showed that the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed control algorithm in terms of fast gene
... Show MoreIn an intensive study of the various species of the Euglenophyceae under different environmental conditions, the algal samples were collected monthly in twelve springs and six related streams from September 2019 to August 2020 within Shaglawa district-Erbil Province in virgin areas for phycolimnological study. Twenty species of Euglenophyceaen are identified as a new record for the algal flora. These taxa consist of Colacium vesiculosum, Lepocinclis salina and L.wangi, Eutreptia viridis, Euglena chlamydophora, E. clavata,
... Show Moreهدفت الدراسة الى التعرف على درجة اتخاذ القرار وعلاقتها ببعض المهارات الأساسية الهجومية بكرة السلة للطالبات ، اذ يعد اتخاذ القرار قدرة الفرد على التوصل لحل مشكلة اعتراضية أو موقف محير، وذلك باختيار حل من البدائل الموجودة أو المبتكرة، وهذا الاختيار يعتمد على المعلومات التي جمعها الفرد حول المشكلة وعلى القيم والعادات والخبرة والتعليم والمهارات الفردية وتمتاز لعبة كرة السلة بوجود الكثير من المواقف المتغ
... Show MoreWith the development of communication technologies, the use of wireless systems in biomedical implanted devices has become very useful. Bio-implantable devices are electronic devices which are used for treatment and monitoring brain implants, pacemakers, cochlear implants, retinal implants and so on. The inductive coupling link is used to transmit power and data between the primary and secondary sides of the biomedical implanted system, in which efficient power amplifier is very much needed to ensure the best data transmission rates and low power losses. However, the efficiency of the implanted devices depends on the circuit design, controller, load variation, changes of radio frequency coil’s mutual displacement and coupling coef
... Show MoreSoils encounter cyclic loading conditions in situ, for example during the earthquakes and in the construction sequences of pavements. Investigations on the local scale displacements of the soil grain and their failure patterns under the cyclic loading conditions are relatively scarce in the literature. In this study, the local displacement fields of a dense sand layer interacting with a rigid footing under the plane-strain condition are examined using both experiments and simulations. Three commonly used types of cyclic loading conditions were applied on the footing. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) is used to measure the local scale displacement fields in the soil, and to understand the ev
The theory of general topology view for continuous mappings is general version and is applied for topological graph theory. Separation axioms can be regard as tools for distinguishing objects in information systems. Rough theory is one of map the topology to uncertainty. The aim of this work is to presented graph, continuity, separation properties and rough set to put a new approaches for uncertainty. For the introduce of various levels of approximations, we introduce several levels of continuity and separation axioms on graphs in Gm-closure approximation spaces.
(January 25, 2011) represented a real opportunity to bring about fundamental changes in Egyptian foreign policy and to start a new phase that would cut off all the negative and problematic aspects of Egyptian politics in the period before the revolution. Through the employment of Egypt's huge balance and the role of historical is a civilization rooted in the roots of thousands of years and Islamic reference represented over more than a thousand years the Islamic medium of religion in the start of vision and tools to achieve the Egyptian national interest, and safeguarding Egyptian national security in its comprehensive sense. The research attempts to answer a central question: Is there a role for Egyptian soft power in the Islamic world
... Show MoreBackground: Gingivitis is one of the most common and widely spread oral diseases in adolescents after dental caries occur in both developed and developing countries. Dental plaque is the main etiological factor of gingivitis. Another oral problem is enamel defect. The aim of this study was to estimate the oral hygiene (dental plaque), and determine the prevalence and severity of gingivitis and enamel defects among 16-17 years old secondary school female students in urban areas of Kirkuk city/Iraq. Materials and methods: A representative sample included in this study consisted of 750 secondary school female students distributed into 387 for the age sixteen and 363 for the age seventeen, they were selected randomly from different female secon
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