BACKGROUND: HLA-B27 can effect clinical presentation and course of ankylosing spondylitis. Different detection techniques of HLA-B27 are available with variable sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To compare serologic and molecular diagnostic techniques of detecting HLA-B27 status and to correlate it with some clinical variables among ankylosing spondylitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 Iraqi patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were reported. HLA-B27 status was determined in all patients by real-time PCR using HLA-B27 RealFast™ kit; ELISA method was used as well to detect soluble serum HLA-B27 antigens using Human Leukocyte Antigen® kit. RESULTS:

β-Adrenergic blocking agents, mostly comprising of β-amino alcohols, are of pharmaceutical significance and have received major attention due to their utility in the management of cardiovascular disorders including hypertension, angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias and other disorders related to the sympathetic nervous system. Most compounds available for clinical use belong to the aryloxypropanolamine series, which is considered the second generation of β-blocking agents. The present study includes the synthesis of compounds with an N-substituted oxypropanolamine moiety attached to the 1, 3, 4-thiadiazole derivatives. According to this information, eight compounds were synthesized and characterized by IR spectra and elemental m

Objective(s): To determine the impact of instructional intervention program upon psychological health status for
women who undergo chemotherapy after mastectomy
Methodology: The sample consisted of (100) women, (50) considered as study group, and another (50) the control
group. A pre test was done for both groups (study and control), and then the study samples were exposed to an
instructional intervention and three-dimensional post tests and the length of time between each test 21 days in
the Institute and Hospital of Radiation and Nuclear Medicine. The questionnaire composed of three parts, first,
demographic information; include (age, educational level, type of family, occupation, marital status, and adequacy
of mo

In this work, metal oxide nanostructures, mainly copper oxide (CuO), nickel oxide (NiO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and multilayer structure, were synthesized by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The effect of deposition time on the spectroscopic characteristics, as well as on the nanoparticle size, was determined. A long deposition time allows more metal atoms sputtered from the target to bond to oxygen atoms and form CuO, NiO, or TiO2 molecules deposited as thin films on glass substrates. The structural characteristics of the final samples showed high structural purity as no other compounds than CuO, NiO, and TiO2 were found in the final samples. Also, the prepared multilayer structures did not show new compounds other than th

Catalytic reduction is considered an effective approach for the reduction of toxic organic pollutants from the environment, but finding an active catalyst is still a big challenge. Herein, Ag decorated CeO2 catalyst was synthesized through polyol reduction method and applied for catalytic reduction (conversion) of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The Ag decorated CeO2 catalyst displayed an outstanding reduction activity with 99% conversion of 4-NP in 5 min with a 0.61 min−1 reaction rate (k). A number of structural characterization techniques were executed to investigate the influence of Ag on CeO2 and its effect on the catalytic conversion of 4-NP. The outstanding catalytic performances of the Ag-CeO2 catalyst can be assigne

Heterocyclic systems, which are essential in medicinal chemistry due to their promising cytotoxic activity, are one of the most important families of organic molecules found in nature or produced in the laboratory. As a result of coupling N-(4-nitrophenyl)-3-oxo-butanamide (3) using thiourea, indole-3-carboxaldehyde, or piperonal, the pyrimidine derivatives (5a and 5b) were produced. Furthermore, pyrimidine 9 was synthesized by reacting thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde with ethyl cyanoacetate and urea with potassium carbonate as a catalyst. The chalcones 11a and 11b were synthesized by reacting equal molar quantities of 1-naphthaldehy

The expression of the Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 gene (PCSK9) is inextricably related to lipid levels and a risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (ASCAD). The present study aims to measure the quantity of PCSK9 gene expression and the effect of methylation on its expression level taking part in the pathogenesis of acute coronary artery disorder.

A current study included 150 subjects from the Iraqi population, 100 ASCAD patients and 50 healthy controls. The concentration of PCSK9 in each serum sample was determined by the ELISA technique, the expression levels of the PCSK9 gene in whole blood were estimated by RT-qPCR – Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR method, and DNA

Objective: The study aimed to identify the adolescents' fast foods and snacks, and find out the relationship between fast
food, snacks and adolescents' demographic data (gender and Body Mass Index). Methodology: A descriptive study
was conducted on impact of fast foods and snacks upon adolescents' Body Mass Index in secondary schools at Baghdad
city, starting from 20
th of April 2013 to the end of October 2014. Non- probability (purposive) sample of 1254
adolescents were chosen from secondary schools of both sides of Al-Karkh and Al-Russafa sectors. Data was collected
through a specially constructed questionnaire format include (12) items multiple choice questions. The validity of the
questionnaire was determined thr