Biomarkers such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) have a role in the pathogenesis of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to explore the differences between serum levels of such biomarkers in severe and non-severe COVID-19 cases and compare them with normal people and to evaluate the sociodemographic variables and chronic diseases effect on the severity of COVID-19. The study included 160 subjects, divided into two groups, a case group of 80 patients, and a control group of 80 normal persons. The case group was divided into two subgroups: 40 severe COVID-19 patients and 40 patients with non-severe disease. Blood IL-6 was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), PCT by an immunoassay, CRP by an immunoturbidimetric assay and NLR from CBC. The levels of IL-6, PCT, CRP, and NLR were significantly higher in the case group than in control group (p= 0.001, for all). However, there was no difference between these biomarkers level in the non-severe COVID-19 subgroup and the control group (p>0.05 for all). The proportion of severe COVID-19 was significantly higher in patients aged >50 years, and in patients with chronic diseases (p=0.046 and p=0.001, respectively). We also found a strong correlation between such biomarkers and old age, and chronic diseases with the disease severity. There was a significant difference in the level of the three biomarkers (IL-6, PCT, CRP, and NLR) between patients’ subgroups and the control group. In conclusion, since the levels of these biomarkers are correlated with the severity of the COVID-19 disease, and there was a difference in the levels between the groups with severe and non-severe symptoms, we suggest a role of these biomarkers in predicting the severity COVID-19 disease and its poor prognosis.
Estimation of mechanical and physical rock properties is an essential issue in applications related to reservoir geomechanics. Carbonate rocks have complex depositional environments and digenetic processes which alter the rock mechanical properties to varying degrees even at a small distance. This study has been conducted on seventeen core plug samples that have been taken from different formations of carbonate reservoirs in the Fauqi oil field (Jeribe, Khasib, and Mishrif formations). While the rock mechanical and petrophysical properties have been measured in the laboratory including the unconfined compressive strength, Young's modulus, bulk density, porosity, compressional and shear -waves, well logs have been used to do a compar
... Show MoreObjectives: This study aims to broaden our knowledge of the role of eDNA in bacterial biofilms and antibiotic-resistance gene transfer among isolates. Methods: Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from different non-repeated 170 specimens. The bacterial isolates were identified using morphological and molecular methods. Different concentrations of genomic DNA were tested for their potential role in biofilms formed by study isolates employing microtiter plate assay. Ciprofloxacin resistance was identified by detecting a mutation in gyrA and parC. Results: The biofilm intensity significantly decreased (P < 0.05) concerning S. aureus isolates and insignificantly (P > 0.05) concernin
... Show MoreThe phenomenon of negative behavior has studied as a social and psychological phenomenon that effect on the performance and life of workers inside and outside the organization. The adoption of this phenomenon is studied in terms of the role of the internal environment of the organization in addressing this behavior, being the variables belong to the field of organizational behavior to see the results of those variables on the Iraqi organizations, since the specificities of it differ from the rest of the Arab and foreign environments. Therefore, this study focused on testing the relationship of the internal environment of the organization and its role in addressing the negative behavior of the workers.
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... Show MoreThe current research aims to answer the following questions: what is the substance of democracy? What is the content of a democratic society? What is the role of university professor in the democratic development of the student university in light of the new Iraqi society? In order to achieve the goals of the research, the researcher developed an a questionnaire based on literature, Iraq's draft constitution in 2005, and his experience of the field of teaching human rights and public freedoms and the teaching of democracy. It was applied to a sample of faculty members in Department of Education and Psychology / College of Education / University Baghdad for the year 20014 were obtained their answers were then processed statistically. Henc
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After the defeat of the military terrorist organization "ISIS" and the fall of the throne of its alleged state in the Iraqi city of Nineveh, in Syrian Baghouz, and the end of its control over the land, the Syrian camps, especially "Al-Hol" camp, emerge as an incubator for the ideology of the terrorist organization "ISIS" and a vital base for its consolidation and dissemination, which includes (68,000- 73,000) people. During the years following the military defeat of (ISIS), the camp witnesses the spread of extremist ideas widely at the hands of its residents, including the families of the organizations dead's, extremist detainees, and those who deal with it, taking advantage of the deterioration of the environmental, se
... 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
... Show MoreBackground: Oral Lichen Planus is a chronic inflammatory mucosal disease, presenting in various clinical forms .Both antigen-specific and non-specific mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of OLP. Apoptosis or programmed-cell death is a physiological process essential for the normal development and maintenance of homeostasis in many organisms. Fas is a cell-surface glycoprotein, 40-kDa, that belongs to the nerve growth factor / tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family. Fas is expressed in several tissues including blood, where its expression is upregulated on activated T and B lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Fas ligand is a type II transmembrane protein that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor family. The proto-oncogene c-Myc is
... Show MoreHerbal remedies are used in induction of lactation. In view of that .Borage Officinalis was employed to ensure an abundant milk supply or rectify milk insufficiency .However, this remedy has not been scientifically tested .The animals were treated with the aqueous extract of Borage Officinalis flowers at a daily concentration of 100 mg / kg body weight /ml for each rat through Oro-gastric tube for 14 days. Animals were subdivided into subgroups according to their physiological status. Mammary glands of these animals were processed for histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies. Parameters indicated that the aqueous extract of Borage Officinalis flowers induced lactogenesis in the mammmary glands of virgin and pregnant rats
... Show MoreMotifs template is the input for many bioinformatics systems such codons finding, transcription, transaction, sequential pattern miner, and bioinformatics databases analysis. The size of motifs arranged from one base up to several Mega bases, therefore, the typing errors increase according to the size of motifs. In addition, when the structures motifs are submitted to bioinformatics systems, the specifications of motifs components are required, i.e. the simple motifs, gaps, and the lower bound and upper bound of each gap. The motifs can be of DNA, RNA, or Protein. In this research, a motif parser and visualization module is designed depending on a proposed a context free grammar, CFG, and colors human recognition system. GFC describes the m
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