Chitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42 ng/ml, the TNF-a level which was 123.6 ng/ml, and the IL-1B level which was 204.365 pg/dl were significantly higher in patients compared to control 3.28 (1.58–4.99) ng/ml, 56.47 (9.38–77.01) ng/ml and 67.887 (15.493–122.689)pg/dl respectively. There was no correlation between serum YKL-40 and disease activity, while there were significant associations observed with TNF-α (r=0.5,p =0.0001) and IL-1β (r=0.41, p=0.001). YKL-40 indicating good levels of RA prediction at 2.47 ng/ml, sensitivity 87.9%, specificity 58.6%, accuracy 78.1%, PPV 80.9%, and NPV 70.8%. In conclusion, a higher level of serum YKL-40 is found in RA patients. The findings from our study suggest a strong association between YKL-40 and the proinflammatory biomarkers. As a result, these biomarkers together might play a role in RA pathogenesis, and YKL-40 may be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker for RA.
Dox, is still widely used in modern cancer treatments for different type of malignancy despite the advent of targeted therapy. However, its beneficial effect was limited by its toxicity on various organs. The objective of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of menaquinone-7 against hepatotoxicity induced by doxorubicin in rats. Sixty adult rats of both sexes were used in this study; the animals were randomly enrolled into six groups of 10 animals each. Group I: negative control; Group II: Menaquinones-7 at a dose of 16µg/kg; Group III: Menaquinones-7 at a dose of 48µg/kg; Group IV: positive control (Doxorubicin 15mg/kg); Group V: Menaquinones-7 at a dose of 16µg/kg administered prior to a single dose of Doxorubicin
... Show MoreMany strains of lactic bacteria produce antimicrobial peptides of bacteriocins that are antibiotics used against pathogenic strains. The present work aimed to use a banana peels medium in the fermentation process to replace the commercial MRS medium for decreasing the cost of bacteriocins LAB production. Based on the result, banana peel was a cost-effective and viable alternative carbon source for the production and development of bacteriocin-producing Lactobacilli. The growth of lactobacilli in commercial MRS medium and Banana Peel medium showed no differences, therefore banana peel waste can be used to produce Lactobacilli bacteriocins. Lactobacillus strains grew exceptionally well at 37 C and pH 6.0.
Ziziphora persica Bunge is recorded as a new Study in Iraq. This species has been collected from Jabal Sinjar in Nineveh province in the north western part of Iraq. The morphological characters, habitat and geographical distribution of the species with a key to Ziziphora L. species in Iraq have been provided.
Gypseous soils represented one of the most complex salty soils that faced the geotechnical engineers. Structures that built on gypsum soil will undergo unexpected distortions that will eventually contribute to catastrophic failure. The purpose of this article is to understand the durability of gypsum soil against wetting drying cycles after improvement with polyurethane polymer especially investigate the effect of the wetting-drying cycle on collapsibility. The soil was brought from Sawa lake in AL-Muthanna Governorate in Iraq, with gypsum content 65.5%, A set of Odometer tests were performed to determine the collapsibility potential (CP) for treated and untreated gypsum soil. The result shows that adding a different per
... Show MoreThe speech act of refusals has been studied widely either alone or in relation to such areas as apology, requests, promotion, and invitation. The present study aims to investigate the strategies employed by Iraqi females in refusing marriage proposals. It attempts to explore their preferences to respond directly or indirectly in relation to their ages and educational background of the parents. The sample of the study consists of 25 participants; they are learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) at the College of Education for Women/ University of Baghdad. The data are collected by using a discourse completion task (DCT) followed by a follow up interview. The researchers used a Google form shared via emails to get responses from the p
... Show MoreKE Sharquie, AA Khorsheed, AA Al-Nuaimy, Saudi Medical Journal, 2007 - Cited by 91
the electron correlation effect for inter-shell can be described by evaluating the fermi hole and partial fermi hole for Li atom comparing with Be+ and B+2 ions