Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) antagonists’ therapy are expensive and has a non-responsive rate between 30% to 40% in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Genetic variation plays a vital role in the responsiveness to this type of therapy.The aim of this study is to investigate if the presence of genetic polymorphism in the TNF-α gene promoter region at locations -376 G/A (rs1800750), -806 C/T (rs4248158), and -1031 T/C (rs1799964) affects rheumatoid arthritis patient's tendency to be a non-responder to etanercept.

Eighty RA patients on etanercept (ETN) for at least six months were recruited from the Rheumatology Unit at Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Based on The European League Against Rheumatism response (EULAR) criteria, patient

This work investigates the properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite films with varying multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) content, ranging from 2 to 8 wt.%. The films were prepared using a solution casting method and characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and tensile tests. The prepared PVA/MWCNT nanocomposite films exhibited optical band gap values ranging from 3.5 eV to 5.3 eV. XRD analysis confirmed the semi-crystalline nature of these nanocomposites. Mechanical properties, including hardness, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and Young's modulus, were enhanced by increasing MWCNT content by up to 8%. Contact angle measurements showed an increase in hydrophobicity with in

Nutrient agar medium with various concentrations of cefotaxime was used for isolation spontaneous mutants from wild type strain of P.aeruginosa PHA-1. Eighty-two mutants were successfully isolated with the viable count 52×107 , these mutants were confirmed as spontaneous not physiological adaption mutants by reculture on the same medium. Then, wild type PHA-1 and mutants were examined for production pyocyanin; a blue greenish pigment was clearly noticed on King A medium. Remarkably the mutant strain named S300-8 was distinguished in productivity in comparison with wild type strain PHA-1; the amount of pigment was 56.0667mg/l and 74.53mg/l respectively. In addition, pyocyanin produced by mutant strain S300-8 revealed a potent efficacy again

In this study, a review of variety of processes that are used in the treatment produced water prior to reuse or to responsible disposal are presented with their environmental issues and economical benefits. Samples of produced water from five locations in Rumaila oilfield/in south of Iraq were taken and analyzed for their contents of brine, some heavy metals, total suspended solids and oil and grease. Moreover, two samples of water were treated using reverse osmosis technique which showed its ability to treat such contaminated water. The results showed that the environmental impact of produced water arises from its chemical composition; i.e., its salt content, its heavy metals, and hydrocarbon contents.

High-volume traffic with ultra-heavy axle loads combined with extremely hot weather conditions increases the propagation of rutting in flexible pavement road networks. Several studies suggested using nanomaterials in asphalt modification to delay the deterioration of asphalt pavement. The current work aims to improve the resistance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) to rutting by incorporating Nano Silica (NS) in specific concentrations. NS was blended into asphalt mixtures in concentrations of 2, 4, and 6% by weight of the binder. The behavior of asphalt mixtures subjected to aging was investigated at different stages (short-term and long-term aging). The performance characteristics of the asphalt mixtures were evaluated using the Marshall s

Moisture damage is described as a reduction in stiffness and strength durability in asphalt mixtures due to moisture. This study investigated the influence of adding nano silica (NS) to the Asphalt on the moisture susceptibility of hot-mix-asphalt (HMA) mixtures under different aging conditions. NS was mixed with asphalt binder at concentrations of 2%, 4%, and 6% by weight of the binder. To detect the microstructure changes of modified Asphalt and estimate the dispersion of NS within the Asphalt, the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) was used. To examine the performance of Asphalt mixed with NS at different aging stages (short-term and long-term aging), asphalt mixture tests such as Marshall stability,

Background: White-spot lesion is one of the problems associated with the fixed orthodontic treatment. The aims of this in-vitro study were to investigate enamel damage depth on adhesive removal when the adhesive were surrounded by sound, demineralized or demineralized enamel that had been re-mineralized prior to adhesive removal using 10% Nano-Hydroxy apatite and to determine the effect of three different adhesive removal techniques. Materials and methods: Composite resin adhesive (3M Unitek) was bonded to 60 human upper premolars teeth which were randomly divided in to three groups each containing ten sound teeth and ten teeth with demineralized and re-mineralized lesions adjacent to the adhesive. A window of 2 mm was prepared on the bucca

This study aims to analyze the spectral properties of plasma produced from rice husk(Rh) using the laser breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) method. The plasma generation process used the fundamental harmonic (1064 nm) of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) is a man-made crystalline material. The laser fired pulses with a duration of 10 ns and a repetition rate of 6 Hz. Thus, the energy outputs achieved were 50–200 mJ at the wavelength of 1064 (nm). The silica content in the rice hulls was verified using an XRF measurement, which revealed the presence of silica in the rice hulls in a high percentage. Precise beam focusing was achieved by focusing the laser on the target material. This target material is placed with