During recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the investigation of the cytokines roles in pathogenesis of cancer, thus the study aimed at evaluating the level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-?) in sera of Iraqi multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Beta 2-microglobulion (?2-m) was assessed to determine if there was any association between this cytokine and the level of ?2- m, as the latter is related to the stage of the disease. In addition, the age and gender were also taken into consideration. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between IgG and TNF-? in sera of patients. 49 Iraqi patients (27 males and 22 females).The patients were also divided into two groups: the first group included (17) patients who were recently diagnosed and not received any treatment at the time of collecting samples while the second group included (32) patients who received treatment. A further group was also investigated which included (12) apparently healthy individuals (9 males and 3 females), who were regarded as a control group. Serum TNF-? and ?2- m were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).while the concentration of IgG was measured by radial immune diffusion plates The study reached to the following results: TNF-? levels were not significantly elevated in the patients with MM compared to control group (5.98 ± 8.47 SD vs. 4.85 ± 12.1 SD) and no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in the mean (6.02 ±8.1SD vs 5.9 ±9.4SD) concentration of TNF-? in patients with MM who received treatment, when compared with those who did not take the treatment .In addition, there are positive significant correlations between TNF-? and ? 2 Microglobulin (r = 0.316, P = 0 .027), and no relationship between IgG and TNF-? (r = - 0.032, P = 0.829).Furthermore, the study observed that, there was no correlation between TNF-? on the one hand and factors of age and gender on the other hand.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized by hexylamine (HA) in a promising, cost-effective, rapid and microwave-assisted approach. In order to decrease defects and remove acid-treatment stage, functionalization of MWCNTs with HA was carried out in the presence of diazonium reaction. Surface functionality groups and morphology of chemically-functionalized MWCNTS were characterized by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (DTG), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To reach a promising dispersibility in oil media, MWCNTs were functionalized with HA. While the cylindrical structures of MWCNTs were remained reasonably intact, characterization results consistently confirmed the sidewall-functionalization o
... Show MoreCoffee bean contains bioactive compounds including caffeine and chlorogenic acid (CGA) that have a stimulant effect and are used for combating fatigue and drowsiness, and enhancing alertness. However, when the coffee bean was processed in the form of green coffee bean (GCB) extract, it has an unpleasant flavour and limitations instability, activity, and bioavailability. This study aimed to produce microcapsules of the GCB (Coffea canephora) ethanolic extract containing considerable amounts of the bioactive compounds for nutraceutical supplements. The GCB ethanolic extract was microencapsulated by spray drying using a whey protein concentrate (WPC) biopolimer. The particle size (PSA), morphology (SEM), and physicochemical charact
... Show MoreIn this study, chalcones were synthesis by condensing 2-acetylpyridine with aromatic aldehyde derivatives in dilute ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution at room temperature according to Claisen-Schmidt condensation. After that, new heterocyclic derivatives such as Oxazine, Thiazine and Pyrazol were synthesis by reaction between chalcones with urea, thiourea and hydrazine hydrate respectively scheme 1. All these compounds wrer characterization by FTIR, 1H-NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis.
Atorvastatin (ATR) is poorly soluble anti-hyperlipidemic drug; it belongs to the class II group according to the biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) with low bioavailability due to its low solubility. Solid dispersions adsorbate is an effective technique for enhancing the solubility and dissolution of poorly soluble drugs.
The present study aims to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of ATR using solid dispersion adsorption technique in comparison with ordinary solid dispersion. polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000), polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000), Poloxamer188 and Poloxam
... Show MoreThis study presents experimental and numerical investigations on seven one-way, reinforced concrete (RC) slabs with a new technique of slab weight reduction using polystyrene-embedded arched blocks (PEABs). All slabs had the same dimensions, steel reinforcement, and concrete compressive strength. One of these slabs was a solid slab, which was taken as a control slab, while the other six slabs were cast with PEABs. The main variables were the ratio of the length of the PEABs to the length of the slab (lp/L) and the ratio of the height of the PEABs to the total slab depth (hP/H). The minimum decrease in the ultimate load capacity was about 6% with a minimum reduction in the slab weight of 15%. In contrast, the maximum decrease in the
... Show MoreThe paper presents mainly the dynamic response of an angle ply composite laminated plates subjected to thermo-mechanical loading. The response are analyzed by analytically using Newmark direct integration method with Navier solution, numerically by ANSYS. The experimental investigation is to fabricate the laminates and to find mechanical and thermal properties of glass-polyester such as longitudinal, transverse young modulus, shear modulus, longitudinal and transverse thermal expansion. Present of temperature could increase dynamic response of plate also depending on lamination angle, type of mechanical load and the value of temperature.
Portulacaria afra is a small succulent tree, previously belonging to the Portulacaceae family, but with further studies, the plant transferred to the Didieracea family. P. afra was used as an ornamental, vegetable, and ethnomedicinal plant. Uses of the plant by rural South Africans to treat chronic skin conditions and rashes, alleviate exhaustion, and aid in treating TB and diarrhea have been documented in folklore. According to pharmaceutical research, plant extracts off er a wide range of remedial outcomes, such as antidiabetic, antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-infl ammatory. The study aims to determine some bioactive constituents responsible for pharmacological activities and traditional usefulness. Th
... Show MoreAggregate production planning (APP) is one of the most significant and complicated problems in production planning and aim to set overall production levels for each product category to meet fluctuating or uncertain demand in future. and to set decision concerning hiring, firing, overtime, subcontract, carrying inventory level. In this paper, we present a simulated annealing (SA) for multi-objective linear programming to solve APP. SA is considered to be a good tool for imprecise optimization problems. The proposed model minimizes total production and workforce costs. In this study, the proposed SA is compared with particle swarm optimization (PSO). The results show that the proposed SA is effective in reducing total production costs and req
... Show MoreIn this study, the hydromorphodynamic simulation of a stretch of the Euphrates River was conducted. The stretch of the Euphrates River extended from Haditha dam to the city of Heet in Al-Anbar Governorate and it is estimated to be 124.4 km. Samples were taken from 3 sites along the banks of the river stretch using sampling equipment. The samples were taken to the laboratory for grain size analysis where the median size (D50) and sediment load were determined. The hydromorphodynamic simulation was conducted using the NACY 2DH solver of the iRIC model. The model was calibration using the Manning roughness, sediment load, and median particle size and the validation process showed that the error between th
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