Introduction and Aim: The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-39, a member of the IL-12 family plays a key role in the inflammatory response by modulating immune cell activity and inflammation. A literature search shows no study undertaken for the effect of IL-39's on arthritis so far. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of IL-39 in rheumatoid arthritis. Materials and Methods: This study involved 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis registered at the Rheumatology Clinic at Baghdad teaching hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on treatments received. Group 1 included patients who were not on any treatment for arthritis, Group 2 with patients on hydroxychloroquine and or prednisone treatment, and Group 3 that received Enbrel® (etanercept) and HUMIRA® (adalimumab) treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. A control group was included in the study. Patients in all groups were assessed for their serum IL-39 concentration, C - reactive protein, Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACCP) and ESR. Results: The patient age and BMI were not significantly different between the groups receiving treatment for Rheumatoid arthritis. A significant increase in the interleukin 39 concentration was observed in treatment groups (G1, G2, G3) as compared to normal healthy controls regardless of whether they were positive or negative for the anti-CCP test. Conclusion: This study showed that the serum interleukin IL-39 levels significantly increased in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis thus suggesting that IL-39 could be considered as a potential inflammatory biomarker of RA.
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular complications such as ischemic heart disease, heart failure, sudden death, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. A proper non-expensive tool is required for detection of this pathology. Different electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria were investigated; however, the results were conflicting regarding the accuracy of these criteria. OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of three electrocardiographic criteria in diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in adult patients with hypertension using echocardiography as a reference test. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a hospital-based cross sectional observational study which included 340 adult patients with a his
... Show MorePatient satisfaction and dental anxiety considered as an important factors in dental health care and treatment because they greatly affect the patient's cooperation with the dentist and the extent to which follows the guidelines, treatment and preventive instruction. The present study investigates the relationship between patient satisfaction and dental anxiety, as well as their relation to demographic variables such as gender, age, number of visits, and cultural level. The study was applied on a random sample of dental clinics in Baghdad city with total of (200) patient (108 male and 92 female). Two scales were used in this study, patient satisfaction scale PSS (included 9 aspects, constructed by authors) and Iraqi dental anxiety scale
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to evaluate the level of cytokines IL-1?, IL-10 and IL-17A in the serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD) and down syndrome (DS). The results showed that Serum level of IL-1? was significantly increased in AD patients (3.79 ± 0.26 pg/ml) as compared with DS patients (2.78 ± 0.39 pg/ml) or controls (2.78 ± 0.22 pg/ml), while no significant difference was observed between AD and VD (3.25 ± 0.20 pg/ml) patients or between VD patients, DS patients and controls. The serum level of IL-10 was approximated in VD and DS patients and controls (3.39 ± 0.24, 2.77 ± 0.39 and 3.41 ± 0.35 pg/ml, respectively), but was significantly (P ? 0.05) increased in AD patients (5.73 ± 0.55 pg/ml
... Show MoreThe present study was performed to evaluate the level of some risk factors (biochemical and immunological) in hypothyroid Iraqi patients considering the different thyroid functional states (hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism).The study includes 82 patients clinically diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Three study groups have been investigated: (47 clinical hypothyroid patients, 12 subclinical hypothyroid patients 23 healthy individuals) of different ages. This study, show that the proportion of females (83.3 %), (87.2%) in subclinical and clinical hypothyroidisim respectively higher than the proportion of males (16.7%),(12.8%) in subclinical and clinical hypothyrodism respectively of the total patients.The majority of subclinical hyp
... Show MoreBrowse Iraqi academic journals and research papers
Combination therapy with a dipeptidyl peptidase–4 inhibitor and metformin or metformin+ glibenclamide results in substantial and additive glucose- lowering effects in Iraqis patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus . This study evaluated the glycemic control by using two groups of combinations of drugs metformin + glibenclamide and metformin + sitagliptin in Baghdad teaching hospital / medical city. 68 T2DM patients and 34 normal healthy individuals as control group were enrolled in this study and categorized in to two treatment groups. The group 1 (34 patients ) received ( metformin 500 mg three times daily + glibenclamide 5 mg twice daily ) and the group 2 (34 patients) received (metformin 500 mg three times daily + sitaglip
... Show MoreGingivitis, the initial stage of periodontal disease, is characterised by inflammation driven by dental biofilm and associated with oxidative stress. Matcha tea, a powdered green tea rich in antioxidants, has shown potential health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Matcha tea consumption on clinical periodontal parameters and salivary antioxidant levels in patients with gingivitis.
A randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted with 41 participants diagnosed with gingivitis.