Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a significant role in the activation of adaptive immunity and may have an essential role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives: To assess the gene expression of TLR4 in individuals with RA compared to healthy individuals. Methods: From July to December 2022. A total of 100 individuals were encompassed in the study, consisting of 50 individuals diagnosed with RA, of whom 42 were females and 8 were males, with an average age of 45.22 years. Additionally, there were 50 healthy control participants, 40 of whom were females and 10 were males, with an average age of 45.64 years. To assess the TLR4 transcript levels, blood samples were collected from each participant, and RNA extraction was performed. cDNA synthesis was carried out, and real-time PCR was utilized for the analysis. The researchers also assessed the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. Results: The serum TLR4 gene was significantly overexpressed in RA patients (fold change 2.59) compared to the controls (fold change 1.07). The expression level of the TLR4 gene was correlated with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients, including erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR), RF, anti-CCP antibody, and DAS28. Conclusion: TLR4 was overexpressed in RA patients and was correlated with disease activity. It might be a therapeutic target and may contribute to the pathogenesis of RA.
To assess the effect of Nigella sativa oil as a topical preparation for treatment of oro- genital ulceration of Behcet's disease. This is a double blinded therapeutic trial in which 40 patients with Behcet's disease manifested as recurrent episodes of oral and genital ulceration were enrolled into 2 groups; Nigella sativa oil was applied as 10% in glycerin topically 3 times / daily to the first 20 patients. The other 20 were given glycerin only. Assessment was done 4 days then 8 days after treatment.Results were recorded as they appeared in clinical examination and those records were arranged in tables for both groups concerning oral and genital ulceration cases.Nigella sativa oil is a new topical agent for promotion of healing of o
... Show MoreThe electrical activity of the heart and the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal are fundamentally related. In the study that has been published, the ECG signal has been examined and used for a number of applications. The monitoring of heart rate and the analysis of heart rhythm patterns, the detection and diagnosis of cardiac diseases, the identification of emotional states, and the use of biometric identification methods are a few examples of applications in the field. Several various phases may be involved in the analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) data, depending on the type of study being done. Preprocessing, feature extraction, feature selection, feature modification, and classification are frequently included in these stages. Ever
... Show MoreEducation quality evaluation is one of the objectives of education quality. The evaluation includes assessing the education standards and academic program outcomes to develop intellectual, scientific and practical concepts for the educational structure. It considers the determination of the rates of the number of accepted students and graduates. The research focuses on "what are the levels of education quality according to the evaluation mechanisms in the design department" to enhance the quality system and the objectives of theoretical and applied education.
It is identifying the levels of education quality and evaluating it according to the numbers and rates of graduate students of the design department branches for morning and ev
Here we present the results of experiments involving cynomolgus macaques, in which a model of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) was created by using a balloon catheter inserted into the epidural space. Prior to the creation of the lesion, we inserted an EMG recording device to facilitate measurement of tail movement and muscle activity before and after TSCI. This model is unique in that the impairment is limited to the tail: the subjects do not experience limb weakness, bladder impairment, or bowel dysfunction. In addition, 4 of the 6 subjects received a combination treatment comprising thyrotropin releasing hormone, selenium, and vitamin E after induction of experimental TSCI. The subjects tolerated the implantation of the recording devi
... Show MoreThe nephrotoxicity induced by methotrexate is a severe condition that greatly affects its therapeutic potential and has a significant inflammatory component. Fimasartan is an angiotensin receptor blocker that offers organ-protective effects and may be useful in mitigating renal injury. The present study explored the anti-inflammatory potential of two doses of fimasartan against methotrexate-mediated nephrotoxicity. Albino rats were intraperitoneally administered a single methotrexate (20 mg/kg). Intraperitoneal treatment with fimasartan (5 or 10 mg/kg/day) was initiated on day two after methotrexate injection and continued for seven consecutive days. Methotrexate significantly increased serum urea, creatinine, and NGAL concentrations. It al
... Show MoreExpansive soil is one of the most serious problems that face engineers during the execution of any infrastructure projects. Soil stabilization using chemical admixture is one of the most traditional and widespread methods of soil improvement. Nevertheless, soil improvement on site is one of the most economical solutions for many engineering applications. Using construction and demolishing waste in soil stabilization is still under research., The aim of this study is to identify the effect of using concrete demolishing waste (CDW) in soil stabilization. Serious tests were conducted to investigate the changes in the geotechnical properties of the natural soil stabilized with CDW. From the results, it is concluded that the
... Show MoreSeventy five E. coli isolates were collected from urine of patients with urinary tract infections in AL-Kadhimia and AL-Yarmook teaching hospitals in Baghdad for a period between 22/11/2009 to 15/3/2010, from these samples twenty five isolates were selected according to their pattern of the highest resistance as these showing multi-drug resistances and tested to specify their minimum inhibitory concentration for (meropenem, gentamicin and amikacin), meropenem was found having the lowest MIC comparing with others. This study also includes in vitro effects of various combinations of three types of antimicrobials (meropenem, gentamicin and amikacin) against twenty five E. c
... Show MoreObjective: To evaluate the clinical significance of open diagnostic testicular biopsy as prognostic predictor of
successful sperm retrieval among azoospermic infertile patients.
Design: Prospective study.
Setting: Infertility clinic and assisted reproduction unit at the institute of embryo research and infertility
treatment, Baghdad University.
Patients: Sixty infertile azoospermic patients.
Intervention: Pieces of testicular tissue taking during open diagnostic multiple bilateral testicular biopsies was
prepared for histological examination and grouped according to well-defined histopathological patterns.
Measurement of testicular size and serum reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, Testosterone, and PRL) were done
Sera samples were collected from 60 children aged 4-60 months, all were clinically and serologically proven cases of visceral leishmaniasis, as well as from 10 healthy children, all were seronegative with no history of parasitic infection who serve as a control during the study. Serum total protein and albumin were measured and compared between the control and visceral leishmaniasis patients. Serum protein profiles have been investigated using the conventional sodium dodecyl sulphate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Serum of control group showed the specific protein pattern with five protein bands, while serum protein profile in visceral leishmaniasis pat
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