Background: Pleural effusion is a common clinical
problem.
Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the
diagnostic utility of Carcino embryonic antigen
(CEA), CA 15- 3, and alpha-feto protein ( AFP ) as
a tumor markers in serum and pleural effusion and
evaluate the value of combining them as a diagnostic
tools that are complementary to cytology in the
diagnosis of malignancies .
Methods: Forty patients (18 malignant and 22 benign
pleural effusion) were included in this study .The
serum and effusion levels of CEA, CA 15 – 3 and
AFP were measured using immunoradiometric assay
Results: from the 40 effusions studied 26 were
exudates and 14 were transudates. The level of
pleural effusions of CEA, CA 15 – 3 and AFP were
increased above the cutoffs in 72.5%, 94.4 % and 5.5
% of tested samples with malignancies respectively.
A direct strong significant correlation between serum
and pleural fluid CEA, CA 15 – 3 and AFP was
noted.
Conclusion: Pleural effusion CEA is the most
accurate marker for the diagnostic separation of
malignant and benign. The combination of both CEA,
CA 15 – 3 improves the sensitivity by up to 11 %.
AFP has no role in the process
Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the most effective medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Aserum of 60 Iraqi male patients suffering from RA as (G1) was newly diagnosis and the same patient in G1 after taking MTX as G2 and 40 Iraqi male healthy control as G3. Nesfatin-1 (Nf-1) is belong to the adipokine family withpleiotropic effect. Nf-1 has been found in different tissues, including stomach, pancreas, bone cells, cartilage and heart. Retinol binding protein (RBP4) was known as transpoter of retinol from its storage sites in the liver to the extrahepatic tissues. Moreover, RBP4 acts as adipokine and contributes in the pathophsyology of prototypic inflammatory disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results showed a significant increas
... Show MoreBackground: Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections of the gingiva, bone and attachment fibers that support the teeth and hold them in the jaw. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein and it is the main component of neutrophil polymorphonuclear leukocytes that activated during inflammatory processes such as Periodontal diseases Aims of the study: Determine the salivary levels of Lactoferrin and pH and their correlations with clinical periodontal parameters(Plaque Index , Gingival Index , Bleeding on Probing , Probing Pocket Depth , and Clinical Attachment Level ) and the correlation between Lactoferrin with potential of hydrogen ion (PH) ,flow rate and α-amylase of study groups that consisted of patients had gingivitis and pa
... Show MoreCurcumin is a yellow pigment produced from the rhizomes of the Curcuma longa plant and a primary chemo preventive component of turmeric is used as a spice and food coloring ingredient. Curcumin has a large number of pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-infectious, and anti-inflammatory properties.Investigation of the geno-protective effect of curcumin on methotrexate induces chromosomal aberrations of spleen and bone marrow cells. In this study, 32 mice were used and divided into four groups (eight mice at each group) as follows: Group1 (negative control): Dimethyl sulfoxide was given intraperitoneally to mice every day for ten days.Group2 (positive control): Mice were received a single do
... Show MoreFluorescent proteins (FPs) have revolutionised the life sciences, but the chromophore maturation mechanism is still not fully understood. Here we photochemically trap maturation at a crucial stage and structurally characterise the intermediate.
To test the effect of 4 levels of nitrogen (i.e. 0, 45, 90 and 135 Kg N ha-1) as urea (46% N) and 3 levels of phosphorus (i.e. 0, 17.5 and 35 Kg P ha-1) as triple superphosphate (21.8% P) on yield and concentration of dill (Anethum graveolens L. local cultivar) seed oil this experiment was carried out during winter season of 1999 - 2000 at the experimental field of Agriculture College, Abu-Ghraib.
Both fertilizers were applied in two equal splits, first at seeds sowing and the second was added one month after emergence. Dried and ground seed samples were subjected to water distillation for extraction of volatile oils
Result indicated that fertilization of dill plants with 90 Kg N
... Show MorePregnant women who have rubella may potentially pass the infection on to their unborn offspring. A congenital rubella infection can result in a miscarriage, stillbirth, and congenital rubella syndrome. The only member of the Togaviridae family’s Rubivirus genus, the Rubella virus (RV) is a positive-polarity, single-stranded RNA virus genome surrounded by a lipoprotein envelope with spike-like, hemagglutinin-containing surface projections.The objective: to determine the Rubella virus (1E genotype) in pregnant woman and its relation to spontaneous miscarriage.Materials and methods. A total of 174 women which visited Al-Elweya Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, were screened according to the following criteria: women with a history of
... Show MoreIn this study, a platinum(II) complex ([Pt(H2L)(PPh3)] complex) containing a thiocarbohydrazone as the ligand was tested as an anti-proliferative agent against ovarian adenocarcinoma (Caov-3) and human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) through MTT assays. Apoptotic markers were tested by the AO/PI double staining assay and DNA fragmentation test. Flow cytometry was conducted to measure cell cycle distribution, while the p53 and caspase-8 pathways were tested via immunofluorescence assay. Results demonstrated that the cytotoxic effect of the Pt(II)- thiocarbohydrazone complexes against Caov-3 and HT-29 cells was highly significant, and this effect triggered the activation of the p53 and caspase-8 pathways. Besides, apoptosis stimulated by th
... Show MoreSome metal ions (Mn+2, Co+2, Ni+2, Cu+2,Zn+2 and Cd+2) complexes of quodridentats Schiff base derived from (2-hydroxy benzaldehyde and 4,4'-methylenedianiline as primary ligand and 3-picoline (3-pic) secondary ligand have been synthesized and characterized on the basis of their 1H ,13C-NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, conductivity measurements, elemental analysis, and magnetic moments, metal to ligands ratio in all complexes has been found to be (1:1:2) (M:Schiff base:3-pic), Schiff base behaves as neutral tetra dentate ligand with (N2,O2) system from the results obtained, the following general formula has suggested for the prepared complexes [M+2(2-mbd)(3-pic)2] and octahedral stereochemistry, Where M+2 = (Mn , Co , Ni , Cu , Zn and Cd), 2
... Show MoreBackground: Periodontitis and Atherosclerosis Cardiovascular disease are chronic inflammatory diseases which are highly prevalent. During the last two decades, there has been an increasing interest in the impact of oral health on atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease.Aims of the study wereto evaluate the periodontal health status in study groups (Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease patients with chronic periodontitis and patients having chronic periodontitis),to estimate the serum levels of Matrixmetalloproteinase-8(MMP-8) and high sensitive C-reactive protein(hs CRP) in study and control groups and compare between them. Also,test the correlation between the serum levels of MMP-8 and hs CRP with clinical periodontal par
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