Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome is a heterogeneous disorder and its etiology appears to be complex and multifactorial; characterized by hyperandrogenism, chronic anovulation and infertility. It’s associated with evidence of low-grade chronic inflammation, as indicated by the presence of elevated levels of high sensitive C- reactive protein levels, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. The source of excess circulating tumor necrosis factor-α in obese Polycystic ovary syndrome patient is likely to be the adipose tissues while in lean women increased visceral adiposity has been proposed as a source of excess tumor necrosis factor-α.Objectives: to evaluate the levels of high sensitive C- reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome before and after treatment with metformin; with emphasis on their relationship with the improvement in ovulation rate and body mass index in Iraqi women.Methods: 69 Iraqi females with PCOS, with mean age of 25.8±4.4 years, body mass index 31.14±2.23 kg/m2 and insulin resistant equal to 3.15±0.25. Additionally, 30 healthy fertile women BMI= 26.87±3.1 kg/m2 and mean age 23.4±2.8 years), the patients were treated with metformin 1500 mg/day for 3 months. Blood samples were obtained in the morning subsequent to an overnight fasting at baseline and at the end of the 12 weeks period of treatment, the samples were analyzed for plasma glucose level estimated by enzymatic colorimetric kit, while serum insulin , TNF-α, IL-6 , hs-CRP, Progesterone and sex hormone binding globulin . Results: BMI values were significantly increased at baseline value in patients (P<0.05) compared with healthy controls, then significantly decreased (12.9%) after treatment compared with baseline values, HOMA-IR index were significantly elevated in patients group at baseline compared with control, and significantly decreased by 17.4% after treatment. Regarding the influence of metformin on inflammatory markers, the present study demonstrated significant elevation of baseline levels (P<0.05) of TNF-α, hs-CRP and IL-6 compared with controls, and the baseline levels significantly decreased after treatment by 16%, 38% and 37% respectively. Meanwhile, sex hormone binding globulin levels were significantly decreased in PCOS patients compared with healthy controls, and significantly increased after treatment by 16.6%, also progesterone levels decline at baseline compared with control group, and it was increased significantly after treatment by 24%.Conclusions: The study detects an increased level of inflammatory cytokines, SHBG and decrease level of progesterone in Iraqi females with PCOS, and metformin therapy improves serum levels of the inflammatory cytokines associated with increased ovulation rate.
Pultruded materials made of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) come in a broad range of shapes, such as bars, I-sections, C-sections, etc. FRP materials are starting to compete with steel as structural materials owing to their great resistance, low self-weight, and cheap maintenance costs, especially in corrosive conditions. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel concrete Composite Column (CC) using Encased I-Section (EIS) as a reinforcement in contrast to traditional steel bars by using Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) as I-section (CC-EIS) to evaluate the effectiveness of the hybrid columns which have been built by combining GFRP profiles with concrete columns. To achieve the aims of this study, nine circular co
... Show MoreExploitation of mature oil fields around the world has forced researchers to develop new ways to optimize reservoir performance from such reservoirs. To achieve that, drilling horizontal wells is an effective method. The effectiveness of this kind of wells is to increase oil withdrawal. The objective of this study is to optimize the location, design, and completion of a new horizontal well as an oil producer to improve oil recovery in a real field located in Iraq. “A” is an oil and gas condensate field located in the Northeast of Iraq. From field production history, it is realized the difficulty to control gas and water production in this kind of complex carbonate reservoir with vertical producer wells. In this study, a horizont
... Show MoreYouTube is not just a platform that individuals share, upload, comment on videos; teachers and educators can utilize it to the best maximum so that students can have benefits. This study aims at investigating how active and influential YouTube can be in the educational process and how it is beneficial for language teachers to enhance the skills of students. The study demonstrates different theoretical frameworks that tackle the employment of technology to enhance the learning/teaching process. It relies on the strategies of Berk (2009) for using multimedia media, video clips in particular to develop the abilities of teachers for using technology in classrooms. To achieve the objective of the study, the researchers develop a questionnair
... Show MoreBored piles settlement behavior under vertical loaded is the main factor that affects the design requirements of single or group of piles in soft soils. The estimation of bored pile settlement is a complicated problem because it depends upon many factors which may include ground conditions, validation of bored pile design method through testing and validation of theoretical or numerical prediction of the settlement value. In this study, a prototype single and bored pile group model of arrangement (1*1, 1*2 and 2*2) for total length to diameter ratios (L/D) is 13.33 and clear spacing three times of diameter, subjected to vertical axial loads. The bored piles model used for the test was 2000
... Show MoreWith the increasing integration of computers and smartphones into our daily lives, in addition to the numerous benefits it offers over traditional paper-based methods of conducting affairs, it has become necessary to incorporate one of the most essential facilities into this integration; namely: colleges. The traditional approach for conducting affairs in colleges is mostly paper-based, which only increases time and workload and is relatively decentralized. This project provides educational and management services for the university environment, targeting the staff, the student body, and the lecturers, on two of the most used platforms: smartphones and reliable web applications by clo