Objectives: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is WNT/b-catenin pathway antagonist which plays a detrimental role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This research aimed to assess serum DKK-1 levels in diabetic patients who have and have not developed DR and, compare them with the control subjects finding out whether we can use it as an indicator for DR early diagnosis and to find out which one of the widely used two groups of antidiabetic treatments had the greater effect on this biomarker and hence on the progression of DR. Methods: The study participants were divided into two subgroups: First, 70 patients (36 male, 34 female) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, among them 35 patients diagnosed with DR and 35 with no evidence of DR, and s

The body of the actor and its expressive significance is an essential topic in studying acting . it is not only confined to the study of soul and body from philosophical aesthetic perspective , but also to study the conception and mechanism of such a dichotomy followed by theatre directors and theorists , who are highly concerned with the creativity of actors . The researchers believe that such a study would be of benefit for actors as well as others working in theatre .                             

     The study falls into two sections . the first deals with the phi

The use of foam electrodes as a cathode has proven its efficiency in wastewater treatment. In this study, methyl orange (MO) was treated by Electro-Fenton technology (EFT) using a copper foam (Cf) as a cathode. EFT was an advanced strategy for MO degradation, which accomplished excellent degradation efficiency (%ReMO) exceeded 98% over 35 min treatment period at prime conditions using 0.124 mM of iron salts (FeSO4.7H2O), 0.3 LPM of air flow, 0.2 mA/cm2 of current density (CD), and initial pH of 3.0. The outcomes showed that the air flow rate had the main impact on the %ReMO. Furthermore, the contribution of anodic oxidation (AO) to dye removal was investigated to distinguish its role relative to the EFT mechanism, revealing that the MO degr

Background: Periodontal diseases are inflammatory diseases affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth. One of the leading environmental factors that are closely related not only to the risk but also to the prognosis of periodontitis is smoking. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of smoking on periodontal health status and to measure the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in smokers and nonsmokers chronic periodontitis patients, also it aimed to test the correlation between the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and the clinical periodontal parameters. Materials and Methods: Five milliliters samples of un-stimulated whole saliva and full-mouth clinical periodontal recordings (plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing,

Background BK polyomavirus is one of the common post-transplant viral infections, affecting ∼15% of renal transplantation recipients (RTR), leading to graft loss in more than half of cases. Objectives Study the rate of detection of BK virus (BKV) in RTRs in Pap-stained urine cytology specimens. Methods A single center study, urine samples were collected from 99 RTR patients, with 15 Living Donors (LD) and 15 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were taken as controls. And urine cytology smears were Pap stained for detection of decoy cells (DCs). Results Out of the 99 RTRs, 27 (27.3%) patients were decoy positive, 8 out of these 27 patients had uncommon DCs, and 5 out of these 27 cytology positive patients (18.5%) had biopsy proven B

: Partial purification of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) from type 2 diabetic patients sera take place using some purification steps such as participation with ammonium sulphate (55-80%) and filtered through dialysis, then ion exchange chromatography by DEAE sepharose anion column, gel filtration chromatography by sephadex G-100 column. In ion exchange step, there are four peak are obtained, the highest enzyme activity obtained by (0.4 M Nacl) with purification fold (2.18), yield (44.3) of enzyme and specific activity (13.5) mg/ng, which obtained a single peak by gel filtration chromatography, the degree of purification (5.34) fold, yield of enzyme (20%) with specific activity (33.109mg/ng). The purified enzyme had an optimum tem

Asthma is chronic inflammatory disease affecting 5% of world population. Characterized by eosinophilic type2 inflammation. FKBP51 immunophilin, important modular protein of glucocorticoid receptor (GR). We aimed to evaluate immunocytochemical localization of GR and FKBP51 in induced sputum cells by using immunocytochemical method and immunofluorescent ant-FKBP51 and anti –GR antibody and estimation of IgE and Type 2 inflammatory cytokine IL-5,IL-13 by ELISA technique.GR in the sputum show non-significant decrease of cytoplasmic distribution of the patient groups and highly significant increase in steroid treated patients and non-significant increase in nuclear distribution in non-steroid, FKBP51 nuclear localization show non-significant i

Background: Chief complaint of patients attending dental clinic represents the first step towards treatment plan. However, most of patients are not aware but the extent and severity of periodontal disease, which could be also, misdiagnose by the dentist. Aim of the study: To investigate whether reported chief complaint(s) are consistent with oral hygiene status Materials and methods: Records of 1102 patients, attending periodontics clinics in the college of dentistry/ university of Baghdad, were used to determine ten most commonly reported chief complaints. Sample of patients was further subdivided according to gender and age. In addition, plaque and gingival index were recorded to determine oral hygiene status. Results: Patients mostly