Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an inflammatory, systemic rheumatic condition that mostly affects the axial skeleton. Tenascin-C (TN-C) is a hexameric glycoprotein of considerable size, upregulated in many inflammatory conditions, while Interleukin-17 (IL-17) a cytokine that plays an important role in SpA symptoms. Objective: to investigate the upregulation between the serum levels of TN-C and IL-17 in Iraqi axSpA patients and the disease characteristics. Patients and Methods: Seventy-four axSpA patients and 28 matched controls were studied. Fifty-four patients received a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and 20 did not. Serum TN-C and IL-17 concentrations were determined using the ELISA technique. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was assessed. For statistical tests, Chi Square, Mann Whitney, Independent Samples T, and Pearson's correlation tests are used. Results: Patients mean age was 35.6±0.9 years, 65 males and 9 females, and disease duration was 5.18±0.6 years. 47.4% were smokers, 47% had inflammatory low back pain, and HLA-B27 was present in 91%. BASDAI mean was 6.1±0.4 in non-TNFi and 2.6±0.3 in those on TNFi. The serum TN-C concentration was significantly increased in patients, especially those on non-TNFi (79±9.6 pg/mL) compared to those on TNFi (69.1±3.2 pg/mL) and control (53±3.9 pg/mL) (p=0.003). Serum IL-17 was significantly elevated in those receiving TNFi (877.9±257 pg/mL) compared to non-TNFi (487.2±234 pg/mL) and control (182.4±36.6 pg/mL) (p=0.033). The TN-C significantly correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r=0.27, p=0.02) and with hemoglobin (Hb) concentration (r=0.26, p=0.02). TN-C and IL-17 were non-significantly related (r=0.14, p=0.2). Conclusions: axSpA Patients demonstrated high levels of serum TN-C, particularly in those not receiving TNFi, and high IL-17 levels in those receiving TNFi, suggesting that there is an association with tissue injury from the disease and stimulation of immunological and resident tissue cells. Patients who had not received TNFi showed significantly higher disease activity than others.
In this research, the preparation of bidentate Schiff base was carried out via the condensation reaction of both the salicylaldehyde with 1-phenyl-2,3-dimethyl-4-amino-5-oxo-pyrazole to form the ligand (L). The mentioned ligand was used to prepare complexes with transition metal ions Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II). The resulting complexes were separated and characterized by FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopic technique. Elemental analysis for Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen elements, electronic spectra of the ligand and complexes were obtained, and the magnetic susceptibility tests were also achieved to measure the dipole moments. The molar conductivities were also measured and determination of chlorine content in the complexes and
... Show MoreThe research aims to apply a modified SERVQUAL model to evaluate the quality of the educational services via conducting exploratory research for students from the College of Administration and Economics- Department of Business Administration- Evening studies at the University of Baghdad. Questionnaire of two parts was distributed to a sample of (72) students out of (720) students of the 2nd.,3rd. and 4th. year in the beginning of the second semester of the year 2008-2009 to measure the expectations and perceptions to the quality of the educational services. Five major dimensions were analyzed to see the gaps for (22) variables. The study concluded that there were (13) variables confirmed that the
... Show MorePraise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the most honorable of creation, Muhammad, whom God sent as a mercy to the worlds, and his pure God and his faithful companions. The Islamic heritage was replete with texts issued from among the pure infallibility, which constituted a prominent teacher that takes the student to stop there in search of its goals, purposes and beauty. The choice was made from those texts that were issued by the imams of Muslims in the Abbasid era, namely Imam Muhammad al-Jawad, his son Imam Ali al-Hadi and his grandson Imam Hassan Zaki al-Askari. (Peace be upon them), and scholars have called them (sons of satisfaction), and researchers have shed light on these texts from rhetorical, artistic
... Show MoreSuffer most of the industrial sector companies from high Kperfi magnitude of the costs of industrial indirect, lack of equitable distribution of these costs on the objectives of cost, increased competition, and the lack of proper planning in line and changes faced by the industrial sector (general) and sample (private), as well as the difficulty in re- directing efforts to improve profitability and in-depth analysis of activities, and to identify untapped resource activities, then link these activities to the final products The research aims to apply the technology review and evaluate programs with the method (ABC) through the application stages of planning, scheduling and control and a comparison to get to the products of dev
... Show MoreAugmented reality technology is a modern technique used in all fields, including: medicine, engineering and education, and has received attention from officials in the educational process at present; The focus of this research is on the degree of use of augmented reality among field experience students in the project's optimal investment program for teaching staff and their difficulties, applied to a sample of 75 students, through a questionnaire prepared by the researcher as a tool to determine the degree of use, as well as difficulties. The researcher addressed the subject through two main axes to determine the degree of use, as well as the difficulties preventing teachers and learners from using this technique. The results of the rese
... Show MoreThe research is trying to identify the investment portfolio risks of the insurance company and their impact, on the Profitability ratios of the company, and whether the company's scientific methods followed in the measurement of these risks, and conducted research in the National Insurance Company. by relying on its annual budget as well as the annual reports, The search dealing with these data in theoretical and practical major premise to statistically significant between to investment portfolio risk and financial performance correlation and reach a set of conclusions and recommendations which are the following.
investments include many ri
... Show MoreThe study aims at evaluating the penalty of semi- intentional killing felony in the Egyptian and Algerian criminal law following the Islamic Law (Shari'a). The study used the descriptive, evalutive and analytical methodology to reach the topic in question. To meet the theoretical significance of the study, much data has been collected to give a comprehensive picture about the topic under examination. As for the practical significance of the study, it helps the juridical power to reconsider and phrase the legal materials of the semi-intentional killing penalty based on the Islamic law. The study has come to the conclusions that the Islamic Law (Shari'a) imposes a compensation (blood-money) to be g
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