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.
This paper examined accounting information systems (AIS) as a mediator between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) strategies, including (finance source, administrative innovation, organizational culture, developing capabilities levels of SMEs, information source, development of business managers, and technological innovation) and organizational performance. In this quantitative study, 450 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the managers and owners of SMEs using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method via SmartPLS3 Software. The study offers empirical findings on the importance of AIS as a mediator, considers various factors, a
Breast cancer has got much attention in the recent years as it is a one of the complex diseases that can threaten people lives. It can be determined from the levels of secreted proteins in the blood. In this project, we developed a method of finding a threshold to classify the probability of being affected by it in a population based on the levels of the related proteins in relatively small case-control samples. We applied our method to simulated and real data. The results showed that the method we used was accurate in estimating the probability of being diseased in both simulation and real data. Moreover, we were able to calculate the sensitivity and specificity under the null hypothesis of our research question of being diseased o
... Show MoreThis study aimed to review the aesthetic miracle in the story of Yusuf, peace be upon him, with the Al-Azeez’s wife, using the historical, descriptive and analytical approaches. The study sample was determined in the verses (30-34) of the Holy Quran. The study found that the beauty of Yusuf, peace be upon him, went beyond the four stages and steps of the aesthetic judgment that Feldman set, in which Yusuf’s beauty is nothing but a divine miracle that cannot be described, analyzed, and interpreted. Also despite the various concepts of beauty dealt with by ancient Greek philosophers such as the Pythagoreans, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; and modern philosophers such as Descartes, Diderot, Kant, Hegel, and Schopenhauer are embodied in
... Show MoreBackground: Heterocyclic compounds and its derivatives have biological activities and used as analgesic, anti-helminthic, antituberculer, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer and inhibitor of some enzymes. Oxazepine (benzodiazepine) derivative used in relief of psychoneuroses characterized by anxiety and tension. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) hydrolyzes phosphate monoesters, while Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) catalyses oxidation of L-lactate to pyruvate utilizing NAD+Objective: The study was carried out to know of the impact of 1,3-oxazepine derivative on the ALP and LDH enzyme activity on human serum in vitro.Methods: The study included the effect of synthesized 1,3-oxazepine divertive [(Z)-3-(5-mercapto-1-3,4-Thiadizol-2-yl)-2-(4-nitroph
... Show MoreThis paper was conducted to identifying the body growth averages for the infants of the age (3-6) months and their relation with brest (natural ) or artificial feeding The results showed that the higher percentage was for the infants with the natural feeding in comparison with those of the artificial or mixed feeding. Also there was a clear increase in the average of the body growth for those with the natural feeding and such results were closer to the standard criterion. While the averages of body growth for those with the artificial or mixed feeding were low. In addition, it was clear that the averages of body growth of the i
... Show MoreLocalization is an essential demand in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It relies on several types of measurements. This paper focuses on positioning in 3-D space using time-of-arrival- (TOA-) based distance measurements between the target node and a number of anchor nodes. Central localization is assumed and either RF, acoustic or UWB signals are used for distance measurements. This problem is treated by using iterative gradient descent (GD), and an iterative GD-based algorithm for localization of moving sensors in a WSN has been proposed. To localize a node in 3-D space, at least four anchors are needed. In this work, however, five anchors are used to get better accuracy. In GD localization of a moving sensor, the algo
... Show MoreThe organization and development of the irrigation system and agrarian reform in Iraq had an impact on the diversity of its methods and uses.
The organization and development of the irrigation system and agrarian reform in Iraq had an impact on the diversity of its methods and uses
The study tagged: (The aesthetics of balance and its relationship to the design of the body of the industrial product) discussed the role of balance in the design of industrial products of different shapes, colors and sizes, as well as their function. Based on the research problem that was determined by the following question: What is the relationship between balance and the design of the body of the industrial product? The aim of the research is to: reveal the statement of the effectiveness of the balance in the design of the industrial product body.
The study was defined in four chapters: in the first chapter, a problem, the importance, and the aim of the research were presented. The second chapter contained the theoretical framewor
In the cuurent article, the photophysical properties of 3,6-bis(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)-2,5-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione were investigated. The visible absorption bands at 527, 558 and 362 nm in propylene carbonate and the compound was found to be fluorescent in solution and in the plastic film with emission wavelengths between 550- 750 nm. The Stokes Shift of P.C., acetonitrile, diethyl ether, Tetrahydrofuran THF, cyclohexane, dibutyl ether, and dichloromethane DCM are 734, 836, 668, 601, 601, 719, and 804 cm-1 in respectively. The Stokes Shift Δ was less in THF and cyclohexane, than the solvents, which indicates that the energy loss is less between the excitation and fluorescence states. The
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