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.
The present study was conducted in the Tigris River within Baghdad (University of Baghdad campus). The study included some physicochemical parameters and qualitative of epiphytic algae on the host plant (Ceratophyllum demersum) during summer season 2013. The results revealed that the study area was alkaline, hard and oxygenated water. A total of 105 taxa of epiphytic algae was identified. Bacillariophyceae diatoms composed 44.7% of the total and were represented by 42.4% of the order Pennales and 1.9 %of the order Centrales. Chlorophyceae composed 32.3%, followed by Cyanophyceae composed 22.8 % of the total. The total number of epiphytic algae was fluctuated among the study period. Most of the identified algae were benthos type and a few
... Show MoreJatropha L. is an exotic genus to Iraq and it has been cultivated in gardens for ornamental purposes because of the shiny red color of the flowers. The plant adapted to environmental conditions and succeeded in growing and blooming, which is why the species was interested to study. The species Jatropha integerrima Jacq. was examined and diagnosed for the first time in Iraq. Morphological and anatomical characteristics for leaves (considering that the variations are the most reliable and taxonomically important) were provided. The Phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, tannins and saponins. The qualitative analysis by TLC indicated the presence of alkaloids and flavonoid that was detected by specia
... Show MoreThe research aims to identify the extent of the impact of non-Iraqi trading of shares in the Iraq Stock Exchange on the overall financial investment in the market size. And it imposes a search and no statistically significant relationship between variable trading non-Iraqis, the size and the total volume of the market and took the search Iraq Stock Exchange sample to search being the only private place to trade securities in Iraq for the period of 2009- 2015 in order to see if there is a positive impact on the size of trading non-Iraqis or not. Search and adopted the annual reports issued by the Iraq Stock Exchange the main conclusion are:
Having a positive effect on the size of the trading of non-Iraqis in the financial vo
... Show MorePrevious studies in Euro-American countries have shown that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection have increased levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms. While chronic hepatitis C virus infection has been reported in Arab countries such as Iraq, there is little studies about the neuropsychological burden associated with chronic hepatitis C among patients in the Arab region. The aim of the current study was to measure the prevalence and level of severity of depression, anxiety and stress among a sample of chronic hepatitis C patients in AL-Najaf province /Iraq. The current study was cross-sectional study carried out on (110) already diagnosed chronic viral hepatitis C patients who attended the Gastroenterology and Hepatology
... Show MoreIntroduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the major cause of cancer related deaths among Iraqi women. Due to the relatively late detection of breast cancer, the majority of the patients are still treated by modified radicle mastectomy. Aim: To assess the time lag between diagnosis of breast cancer and mastectomy among Iraqi patients; correlating the findings with other clinicopathological characteristics of the disease. Patients and methods: This retrospective study enrolled 226 Iraqi female patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Data were registered on the exact time period between signing the histopathological report and the surgical treatment. Other recorded variables included the age of the patients, their level
... Show MoreIntroduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the major cause of cancer related deaths among Iraqi women. Due to the relatively late detection of breast cancer, the majority of the patients are still treated by modified radicle mastectomy. Aim: To assess the time lag between diagnosis of breast cancer and mastectomy among Iraqi patients; correlating the findings with other clinicopathological characteristics of the disease. Patients and methods: This retrospective study enrolled 226 Iraqi female patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Data were registered on the exact time period between signing the histopathological report and the surgical treatment. Other recorded variables included the age of the patients, their level
... Show MoreOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral mucosa. Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus cause a broad scope of diseases from benign to invasive tumors, types 16 and 18 classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to provide the first molecular characterization of HPV types in Iraq. Thirty-five unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from histopathologically confirmed patients with oral cancer were enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from exfoliating cells to amplify HPV-DNA using HPV-L1 gene sequence primers by polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), the viral genotyping was performed using direct sequencing method. HPV genotypes identified were deposited in Gen
... Show MoreOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral mucosa. Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus cause a broad scope of diseases from benign to invasive tumors, types 16 and 18 classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to provide the first molecular characterization of HPV types in Iraq. Thirty-five unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from histopathologically confirmed patients with oral cancer were enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from exfoliating cells to amplify HPV-DNA using HPV-L1 gene sequence primers by polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), the viral genotyping was performed using direct sequencing method. HPV genotypes identified were deposited in Gen
... Show MoreIn this work the radioactive wastes in the Old Russian
Cemetery Al -Tuwaitha site were classified according to risks for
workers who are involved in the retrieval process. The exposure
assessment results expressed as estimates of radionuclide intakes by
inhalation and ingestion, exposure rates and duration for external
exposure pathways, and committed effective dose equivalents to
individuals from all relevant radionuclides and pathways. Results
showed the presence of natural radionuclides Ra-226, Th-234 and K-
40, as well as the produced radionuclide Cs-137 and Eu-152 in the
cemetery wells. The absorbed doses from the waste were classified to
two categories; exempt waste and low level waste according to