Background : Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of chronic gastrointestinal diseases in which patient may be asymptomatic or was complained from heartburn and regurgitation or pulmonary symptoms. Aim of the study : Examine the serum level of sHLA-G in GERD patients and can be used as a biomarker for early detection of GERD disease. Materials and methods : The design of the study was a case- control prospective enrolled forty patients consulted Gastroenterology Unit- Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital, were diagnosed as GERD by their physician, and compared to second forty control healthy group form January-2023 to May-2024. Serum used for quantitative assessment of soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results : A higher proportion of females were observed in the GERD group compared to the control group (72.5% vs. 42.6%). This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.006). Level of sHLA-G Levels, a statistically non-significant difference was observed in sHLA-G levels between GERD patients and healthy controls (p = 0.158). The median sHLA-G level was non significantly higher in GERD patients (0.529 ng/mL) compared to controls (0.523 ng/mL). Conclusions : The present study provides early evidence for an association between elevated sHLA-G levels and GERD with limited diagnostic value, and revealed a significant negative correlation between sHLA-G levels and gender. Further studies is needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying this relationship and to explore the potential of sHLA-G as a diagnostic or therapeutic target for GERD.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania tropica parasite. Current treatments for this parasite are undesirable because of their toxicity, resistance, and high cost. Macrophages are key players against pathogens. Nitric oxide (NO), a molecule produce by immune cells, controls intracellular killing of pathogens during infection. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against various types of infectious diseases. It has the ability to stimulate oxygen species production. This study aims to analyze the macrophages activation through NO production and estimate the cytotoxicity based on the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release upon exposure to L. tropica and
... Show MoreStatement of the Problem. The use of orthodontic fixed appliances may adversely affect oral health leading to demineralizing lesions and the development of gingival problems. Aims of the Study. The study aimed to coat orthodontic archwires with chlorhexidine hexametaphosphate nanoparticles (CHX-HMP NPs) and to evaluate the elusion of CHX from CHX-HMP NPs. Materials and Methods. A solution of CHX-HMP nanoparticles with an overall concentration of 5 mM for both CHX and HMP was prepared, characterized (using atomic force microscope and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy), and used to coat orthodontic stainless steel (SSW) and NiTi archwires (NiTiW). The coated segments were characterized (using scanning electron microscopy
... Show MoreA mixture of algae biomass (Chrysophyta, Cyanophyta, and Chlorophyte) has been investigated for its possible adsorption removal of cationic dyes (methylene blue, MB). Effect of pH (1-8), biosorbent dosage (0.2-2 g/100ml), agitated speed (100-300), particle size (1304-89μm), temperature (20-40˚C), initial dye concentration (20-300 mg/L), and sorption–desorption were investigated to assess the algal-dye sorption mechanism. Different pre-treatments, alkali, protonation, and CaCl2 have been experienced in order to enhance the adsorption capacity as well as the stability of the algal biomass. Equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. The maximum dye-sorption capacity was 26.65 mg/g at pH= 5, 25
... Show MoreFace recognition is required in various applications, and major progress has been witnessed in this area. Many face recognition algorithms have been proposed thus far; however, achieving high recognition accuracy and low execution time remains a challenge. In this work, a new scheme for face recognition is presented using hybrid orthogonal polynomials to extract features. The embedded image kernel technique is used to decrease the complexity of feature extraction, then a support vector machine is adopted to classify these features. Moreover, a fast-overlapping block processing algorithm for feature extraction is used to reduce the computation time. Extensive evaluation of the proposed method was carried out on two different face ima
... Show MoreIn the present work studies were carried out to extract a cationic dye (Methylene Blue MB) from an aqueous solution using emulsion liquid membrane process (ELM). The organic phase (membrane phase) consists of Span 80 as emulsifier, sulfuric acid solution as stripping agent and hexane as diluent.
In this study, important factors influencing the extraction of methylene blue dye were studied. These factors include H2SO4 concentration in the stripping phase, agitation speed in the dye permeation stage, Initial dye concentration and diluent type.
More than (98%) of Methylene blue dye was extracted at the following conditions: H2SO4 concentration (1.25) M, agitation
... Show MoreA novel encapsulated deep eutectic solvent (DES) was introduced for biodiesel production via a two-step process. The DES was encapsulated in medical capsules and were used to reduce the free fatty acid (FFA) content of acidic crude palm oil (ACPO) to the minimum acceptable level (< 1%). The DES was synthesized from methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (MTPB) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA). The effects pertaining to different operating conditions such as capsule dosage, reaction time, molar ratio, and reaction temperature were optimized. The FFA content of ACPO was reduced from existing 9.61% to less than 1% under optimum operating conditions. This indicated that encapsulated MTPB-DES performed high catalytic activity in FFA esterificatio
... Show MoreTest results of six half-scale reinforced concrete flat plates connections with an opening in the vicinity of the column are reported. The test specimens represent a portion of a slab bounded by the lines of contraflexure around the column. The tests were designed to study the effect of openings on the punching shear behavior of the slab-column connections. The test parameters were the location and the size of the openings. One specimen had no opening and the remaining five had various arrangements of openings around the column. All specimens were cast with normal density concrete of approximately 30 MPa compressive strength. The openings in the specimens were square, with the sides parallel to the sides of the column. Three sizes of ope
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