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 current research aims to identify the most important green productivity tools GPT and the possibility of applied in industrial companies in general and the companies operating in the province of Nineveh, in particular, as well as the study of some personality characteristics and functional, which is believed to be an impact on the application of these tools in industrial companies. Accordingly, the research community of managers in the company of medicines and medical supplies ready-made clothes _ operating in the province of Nineveh, who are (80) while the manager was subjected to research procedures (49) Director representing (61.25%)
... Show MoreThe multimetric Phytoplankton Index of Biological Integrity (P-IBI) was applied throughout Rostov on Don city (Russia) on 8 Locations in Don River from April – October 2019. The P-IBI is composed from seven metrics: Species Richness Index (SRI), Density of Phytoplankton and total biomass of phytoplankton and Relative Abundance (RA) for blue-green Algae, Green Algae, Bacillariophyceae and Euglenaphyceae Algae. The average P-IBI values fell within the range of (45.09-52.4). Therefore, water throughout the entire study area was characterized by the equally "poor" quality. Negative points of anthropogenic impact detected at the stations are: Above the city of Rostov-on-Don (1 km, higher duct Aksai) was 38.57 i
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to demonstrate the impact of the dimensions of the marketing vigilance represented by (environmental scanning, diagnostic capacity, validity and decision-making) and to attract deposits represented by (customer relationship management strategy, distribution strategy (location), promotion strategy), as the research was applied in each of Banks (Assyria International, Iraqi Middle East Investment, Business Bay, Iraqi Investment, Babel, Al Mansour Investment), and the questionnaire was adopted as a main tool for collecting data and information from a sample of (110) who are in the position (department manager, department manager, assistant Section Director, Division Officer, Unit Officer), and the statistical prog
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This paper deals with a method called Statistical Energy Analysis that can be applied to the mechanical and acoustical systems like buildings, bridges and aircrafts …etc. S.E.A as a tool can be applied to the resonant systems in the circumstances of high frequency or/and complex structure». The parameters of S.E.A such as coupling loss factor, internal loss factor, modal density and input power are clarified in this work ; coupled plate sub-systems and explanations are presented for these parameters. The developed system is assumed to be resonant, conservative, linear and there is an equipartition of energy between all the resonant modes within a given frequency band in a given sub-system. The aim of th
... Show MoreThis study aimed to identify the role of servant leadership in promoting organizational citizenship behaviors in a sample of faculties of the University of Alqadisiya .It tried to answer several questions represented its problem.
The most important questions are the followings:
1- Is there enough perception among administrative leaders in the aforementioned faculties toward the concept of servant leadership? And under what level? &
... Show MoreCerebral palsy "is one of the diseases that afflict children, and it is a term given to the condition of a child who is exposed to a normal brain injury by accident due to its inability to grow or damage to the cells of the areas responsible for movement and knowledge of strength and balance during the stage of normal development." (116: 1999: 10) Cerebral palsy causes disruption in movement and posture due to damage to brain cells in areas that control and coordinate muscle tone, reflexes, strength, and movement. The degree and location of brain damage varies greatly between people with paralysis, as well as the severity of disability and symptoms, as they fall into severe to very simple, and cerebral palsy is one of the diseases that caus
... Show MoreThe research topic was chosen as a result of the importance of human resource in business organizations in general and the industrial process in particular. Without the human resource, business organizations cannot continue and achieve success and excellence, and the research problem has been diagnosed in the lack of sales of General Cement Company’s northern products, despite their distinctiveness, standing, and reputation in The market and its products with standard specifications, and through this problem, the following questions were raised: &nbs
... Show MoreZinc, Copper, Selenium, Magnesium, Manganese, Chromium, Iron, Nickel, Cobalt, Vanadium and Germanium were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) in blood serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, (30) patients (14male and 16female) with age range (37-60) years compared with normal tensive control. The analysis of results showed that the mean value of concentration (Magnesium, Manganese and Nickel) were significantly higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to that of healthy, while the mean levels of serum (Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Chromium, Iron, Cobalt and Germanium) were significantly lower than controls. There were no significant changes in overall mean concentration of serum Vanadium in patients
... Show MoreThe present study was set to investigate the potential association between the level of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), as a key component of the pro-inflammatory response, with different thalassemia’s biological and clinical features. For this purpose, one hundred fifty blood samples were collected from 100 beta-thalassemia patients, who attended the Genetic Hematology Centre at Ibn Al- Baladi Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, and 50 healthy subjects who were employed as a control group. IL-6 levels were estimated using an ELISA Kit, whereas other thalassemia-related clinical features (such as HbA, HbF, ferritin, blood transfusions, splenectomy status, and the history of frequent infection) were additionally assessed. The results of the present s
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