It was aimed to understand the interleukin-4 (IL-4) role in etio-pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two approaches were adopted. In the first one, a quantitative expression of IL4 gene was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and such findings were correlated with some demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters, which included gender, duration of disease, disease activity score (DAS-28), rheumatoid factors (RFs), C-reactive protein (CRP) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACCP) antibodies. In the second approach, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL4 gene (rs2243250) was inspected by DNA sequencing using specific primers. Fifty-one Iraqi RA patients (22 males and 29 fem

The constructivist learning model is one of the models of constructivist theory in learning, as it generally emphasizes the active role of the learner during learning, in addition to that the intellectual and actual participation in the various activities to help students gain the skills of analyzing artistic works. The current research aims to know the effectiveness of the constructivist learning model in the acquisition of the skills of the Institute of Fine Arts for the skills of (technical work analysis). To achieve the goal, the researcher formulated the following hypothesis: There are no statistically significant differences between the average scores of the experimental group students in the skill test for analyzing artworks befor

Background: Teachers are considered as dynamic force who take a pivotal position in any educational system. Since they may play a significant role in passing the preventive information and health promotion, it is important that their own oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices conform to the professional recommendations. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral health knowledge, attitude and practices among kindergarten teachers, and their impact on teachers’ oral health condition in Al-Rusafa Sector, Baghdad, Iraq. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 80 kindergarten teachers. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among these teach¬ers. This questionnaire format contains two

The objective of the research is to measure the impact of social responsibility on the financial performance of the Bank of Baghdad for the period from 2014 to 2016 (3 years) through discussing and analyzing the level of practice of the Bank of Baghdad for social responsibility and the impact on their financial performance during the period. To measure the independent variable (CSR), the researcher used the CSR Disclosure Index and relied on the ROA as an indicator to measure the dependent variable (financial performance).The results of the research showed the main hypothesis of the research, which states that the social responsibility of the banks has no significant impact on the financial performance. In relation to the disclosure of s

Vitamins k is an important fat-soluble vitamin that can be obtained from plants, bacteria and animals and is necessary for the blood clotting. It plays a key function as a cofactor in the synthesizing of blood clotting proteins in the liver; recently, the interest for its functions in extra-hepatic tissue has increased. Vitamin k deficiency is usually caused by abnormal absorption rather than in the lack of vitamin in food. Apart from its impact on clotting, chronic subclinical deficiency of vitamin K maybe a risk factor for many diseases such as osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, cancer, insulin resistance, neurodegenerative diseases and others, while current food intake guidelines be focused on the daily dose necessary to avoid blood loss.

This study dealt with IL-13 1024 (C/T) gene genotyping among patients with Thyroid goiter in Iraq. Forty blood samples from patients with Thyroid goiter were collected and compared with 30 healthy persons as controls. The genotyping results of IL-13 1024 (C/T) gene using ARMS-PCR revealed presence TT, CC and CT genotypes beside T and C alleles. The T allele and TT genotype frequency were higher in Thyroid goiter patients compared to the same genotype and allele in healthy persons (P = 0.060). These increasing results were related with increasing risk factor of Thyroid goiter (odds ratio [OR] 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99–71.4). No significant differences between genotypes for Thyroid goiter patients and controls were revealed by

Although G6PD deficiency is the most common genetically determined blood disorder among Iraqis, its molecular basis has only recently been studied among the Kurds in North Iraq, while studies focusing on Arabs in other parts of Iraq are still absent.

The current study was conducted to demonstrate the effects of air pollution on different biochemical parameters inCitrus aurantium plant and calculation the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI). Five sites were selected tocollect plant leaves, four of them within the city of Baghdad, namely Al-Jadriya, Al-Andlous, Al-Doura and closeto the private generators to represent the urban areas and Abu Ghraib site to represent the rural area. Seasonalsamples were collected for the period from October 2016 to June 2017. Eleven biochemical parameters totalchlorophyll, ascorbic acid, leaf extract pH, relative water content, total nitrogen, total protein content, total sugarcontent, proline, electrical conductivity, cadmium and lead. The results of Citr