All major organs may be impacted by the connective disease systemic lupus erythematosus, a separate risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Adhesion molecules like intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM) can detect endothelial damage and dysfunction, which appear to play a crucial role. This study investigated whether people with SLE had elevated subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis risk factors. Traditional CAD risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia cannot entirely explain this elevation. It is thought that immunological dysfunction also increases CAD risk in SLE patients. The study aimed to assess early endothelial changes in SLE Iraqi female patients without previous coronary artery lesions by exploring a potential relationship between circulating VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 as risk factors for atherosclerosis and the relationship of CAD with SLE disease and its severity; further, the study explained the effect of the hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on the lipid profile levels of the patients. 92 female SLE patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe, according to the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2k), compared with 30 apparently healthy control individuals. All of them need a history of CAD. Serum VCAM-1, ICAM-1 level, VCAM-1/ICAM1 ratio, TC, HDL, LDL levels TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were measured. sVCAM-1, sICAM-1 levels and VCAM-1/ICAM-1 ratio were significantly and gradually increased in patient groups compared with control. Serum TC, HDL and LDL levels were significantly reduced in the SLE patients compared to the control. At the same time, the TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were significantly elevated with the severity of the SLE disease. sVCAM-1, sICAM-1 level and VCAM1/ICAM-1 ratio together with serum TC/HDL and LDL/HDL may improve coronary artery disease risk categorization in SLE patients without acute coronary syndromes. Furthermore, they were more sensitive in severe SLE instances than in moderate and mild ones, suggesting that they may be related to the extent of coronary lesions in SLE patients. VCAM-1 had a higher sensitivity than ICAM-1 in detecting and severity screening for CAD in SLE patients. Keywords: VCAM-1, ICAM-1, SLE, Atherosclerosis
The water scarcity that Iraq suffers from and the low irrigation efficiency in irrigation projects, therefore, it was necessary to evaluate the performance of the irrigation system of the western canal for the Ishaqi irrigation project in Salah al-Din Governorate to determine the water management strategies that can be used to improve the irrigation efficiency in the project. The performance of the field irrigation system was evaluated on two fields of different crops and irrigation methods according to the agricultural reality of the study area in the Western canal for the Al-Ishaqi Irrigation Project in Salah Al-Din Governorate. The fieldwork included measurements of the moisture content before and after irrigation, fi
... Show MoreThis study aimed to determine the measurements and classification of Schneider membrane thickness correlated to age and sex factors using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: The study included CBCT images for 100 maxillary sinuses of 50 consecutive patients, and the thickness of the maxillary sinus membrane (Schneiderian membrane) was measured in coronal view from the lowest point in the floor of the maxillary sinus to the highest point. The thickness of the Schneiderian membrane was classified into 4 types. Results: The study result revealed that out of the total cases, 45% of sinus membranes were classified as type 2, while only 10% were classified as type 4. The most frequent type of membrane thickness diagnosed in the age gro
... Show MoreNanoparticles have gained considerable interest in recent times for oil recovery purposes owing to significant capabilities in wettability alteration of reservoir rocks. Wettability is a key factor controlling displacement efficiency and ultimate recovery of oil. The present study investigates the influence of zirconium (IV) oxide (ZrO2) and nickel (II) oxide (NiO) nanoparticles on the wetting preference of fractured (oil-wet) limestone formations. Wettability was assessed through SEM, AFM and contact angle. The potentials of the nanoparticles to alter oil-wet calcite substrates water wet, was experimentally tested at low nanoparticle concentrations (0.004–0.05 wt%). Quite similar behaviour was observed for both nanoparticles at the same
... Show MoreSoil stabilization with stone powder is a good solution for the construction of subgrade for road way and railway lines, especially under the platforms and mostly in transition zones between embankments and rigid structures, where the mechanical properties of supporting soils are very influential. Stone powder often has a unique composition which justifies the need for research to study the feasibility of using this stone powder type for ground improvement applications. This paper presents results from a comprehensive laboratory study carried out to investigate the feasibility of using stone powder for improvement of engineering properties of clays.
The stone powder contains bassanite (CaSO4. ½ H
... Show MoreThe Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is the most popular algorithm to estimate the Angle of Arrival (AOA) of the received signals. The analysis of this algorithm (MUSIC) with typical array antenna element ( ) shows that there are two false direction indication in the plan
aligned with the axis of the array. In this paper a suggested modification on array system is proposed by using two perpendiculars crossed dipole array antenna in spite of one array antenna. The suggested modification does not affect the AOA estimation algorithm. The simulation and results shows that the proposed solution overcomes the MUSIC problem without any effect on the performance of the system.
Fading channel modeling is generally defined as the variation of the attenuation of a signal with various variables. Time, geographical position, and radio frequency which is included. Fading is often modeled as a random process. Thus, a fading channel is a communication channel that experiences fading. In this paper, the proposed system presents a new design and simulate a wireless channel using Rayleigh channels. Rayleigh channels using two approaches (flat and frequency-selective fading channels) in order to calculate some path space loss efforts and analysis the performance of different wireless fading channel modeling. The results show that the bite error rate (BER) performance is dramatically improved in the value of signal to
... Show MoreDifferent injection material types were tried in the injection of soft clay, such as lime (L), silica fume (SF), and leycobond-h (LH). In this study, experiments were made to study the effect of injection on soft clay consolidation settlement. A sample of natural soft clayey soil was investigated in the laboratory and the sample was injected with each of the grout materials used, L, SF, L + SF, and L + SF + LH. A 20 cm3 of each slurry grout was conducted into the soil, which was compacted in California Bearing Ratio (CBR) mold and cured for 7 days, and then the sample was loaded to 80 N load by a circular steel footing 60 mm in diameter. The settlement was r
Rutting is one of the most complex and widespread types of distress. The rutting is frequently observed on Iraqi roads, especially at the checkpoints, forming a significant hazard on the asphalt layers. Factors such as heavy loads and high temperatures contribute to this distress. Adding fibers to a hot mix asphalt (HMA) effectively improves performance and extends the lifespan of the flexible pavement. This article used glass, steel, and basalt fibers. The wheel tracking test assessed the fibre-asphalt mixture for rutting resistance and compared it with the mix without adding fibers (control HMA). Meanwhile, the microscopic structure of fibres and asphalt mixture modified with fibers was examined using the Field Emission Scanning E
... Show MoreThe objective of the current research was to develop the posaconazole (PCZ) loaded NS into the carbopol 934 polymeric gel for prolonged drug release and improved topical delivery; seven different nanosponge formulations of PCZ were formulated using the emulsion solvent diffusion method using various amounts of polymer (ethylcellulose, EC). The aqueous and dispersed phases were prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and dichloromethane. The prepared nanosponges (NS) were studied for particle size, structural appearance, and in vitro drug release. Furthermore, the selected formula was formulated as hydrogel and was evaluated for physical characteristics, drug content, and in-vitro drug release. Morphological studies revealed irregular
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