Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent clinical condition, that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Objective: To assess the level of soluble HLA-E (sHLA-E) as a biomarker in the diagnosis and immunopathogenesis of GERD patients. Methods: The case-control prospective study included 40 GERD patients who were consulted at the Gastroenterology Unit of AlKindy Teaching Hospital, as along with 40 healthy control subjects. The study period extended from January 2023 to May 2024. Blood was drawn from both groups and serum was separated to assesssHLA-E using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in sHLA-E levels between GERD patients and healthy controls (P=0.021). The median sHLA-E level was significantly higher in GERD patients (0.370 ng/mL) compared to controls (0.148 ng/mL). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of soluble HLA-E (sHLA-E) in predicting GERD. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the discriminatory ability of sHLA-E with a vlue of 0.649 (95% CI: 0.534-0.752, p = 0.021). The optimal cutoff value for sHLA-E was determined to be ≤0.65 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 85.1%, specificity of 27.3%, positive predictive value of 65.9%, negative predictive value of 69.4%, and accuracy of 35.0%. Conclusion: The study provides evidence of an association between elevated sHLA-E levels and GERD. It also suggests that sHLA-E has a moderate discriminatory ability as a biomarker in predicting GERD. © 2025, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Abstract
The study aims to build a training program based on the Connectivism Theory to develop e-learning competencies for Islamic education teachers in the Governorate of Dhofar, as well as to identify its effectiveness. The study sample consisted of (30) Islamic education teachers to implement the training program, they were randomly selected. The study used the descriptive approach to determine the electronic competencies and build the training program, and the quasi-experimental approach to determine the effectiveness of the program. The study tools were the cognitive achievement test and the observation card, which were applied before and after. The study found that the effectiveness of the training program
... Show MoreBackground Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that is linked to several motor and nonmotor symptoms, including sleep disturbances. Patient quality of life has been shown to be disproportionally impacted by disease. Objectives To investigate sleep quality among individuals with PD, and to assess the severity of sleep disturbances and their impact on daytime activities. Subjects and methods A case‒control with 44 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 80 apparently healthy control participants was recruited from several hospitals and clinics. Each participant provided a thorough medical history and underwent a physical examination, and a questionnaire comprising the standard PSQI was used to assess sleep qua
... Show MoreVariation in DNA, and genes to a lesser or greater extent, can play an important role in most diseases; that is because this variation in will reflect and affect the function of DNA, and genes (combined genes and DNA or separately). This can be affected by environment, life style, as well as the inheriting from parents and previous generations. All these factors can contribute in human diseases. There are different alterations in genes, like imbalance and inequality in chromosomes, disorder in gene (deficiency in gene, which could be complex or single disorder), and cancer. In the last decades, scientists were focus on medicine and genetics; they pay an extensive attention to reach better understanding about diseases and their cause
... Show MorePathological blood clot in blood vessels, which often leads to cardiovascular diseases, are one of the most common causes of death in humans. Therefore, enzymatic therapy to degrade blood clots is vital. To achieve this goal, bromelain was immobilized and used for the biodegradation of blood clots. Bromelain was extracted from the pineapple fruit pulp (Ananas comosus) and purified by ion exchange chromatography after precipitation with ammonium sulphate (0-80 %), resulting in a yield of 70%, purification fold of 1.42, and a specific activity of 1175 U/mg. Bromelain was covalently immobilized on functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), with an enzyme loading of 71.35%. The results of the characterization of free and immobilized
... Show MoreObjective : Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease deeply linked with the immune-inflammatory disorders whereas the term (multiple) mostly refers to the multi-focal zones of Inflammation caused by lymphocytes and macrophages infiltration besides oligodendrocytes death. Accordingly , the dysfunctional immune system able to damage myelin ( a pivotal component of the central nervous system ) which responsible for communication among neurons. The aim of the present study is to innovate a biochemical relationship between MS and thyroid hormones (THs) by highlighting immunological responses and also to examine the action of Interferon beta (IFNβ) drug on thyroid hormone (THs) and thyroid stimulation hormone (TSH). Materials and
... Show MoreLimitations of the conventional diagnostic techniques urged researchers to seek novel methods to predict, diagnose, and monitor periodontal disease. Use of the biomarkers available in oral fluids could be a revolutionary surrogate for the manual probing/diagnostic radiograph. Several salivary biomarkers have the potential to accurately discriminate periodontal health and disease. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of salivary interleukin (IL)‐17, receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), RANKL/OPG for differentiating (1) periodontal health from disease and (2) stable a