Background Psoriasis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin conditions; its prevalence ranges from 1 to 3%. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine that enhances inflammation, is overexpressed in synovium and skin plaques in psoriasis. TNF-α plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-10 is the most crucial cytokine for reducing excessive immune responses and decreasing pro-inflammatory reactions in all autoimmune disorders. Objective To evaluate the effect of Apremilast on ILـ10, TNFـα, and BMI in obese psoriatic patients. Methods Thirty patients included in this investigative study to measure the concentrations of TNFـα, ILـ10 and BMI, before and after receiving Apremilast. TNFـα and ILـ10 were examined by ELISA technique. Results The present work found that the concentration of TNF-α before receiving Apremilast was 286.80 pg/ml, and after six months from baseline, it was reduced to 131.08 pg/ml (P<0.01). Also, IL-10 before using Apremilast was 69.28 pg/ml, and after six months of treatment it increased to 112.57 ±7.89, which was statistically significant (P<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in BMI (P>0.05). Conclusion Apremilast significantly reduced the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, leading to improvement in psoriasis lesions. It also reduced Body Mass Index in obese psoriatic patients.
Background: A review of articles of method in treating compound phalangeal fractures by using mini-external fixator, elaborating the anatomy, mechanics, modalities of treatment, and complications of these types of fractures. Also, it compares between different studies regarding the functional results and final outcome. External fixation of phalangeal fractures is a good method for osteo synthesis in certain situations. The simplicity of the surgical procedure and the minimal disruption of the normal bone architecture also make it appealing. Objectives: Evaluating the functional results of the use of mini-external fixator for the treatment of compound fractures of phalangeal bones of the hand. Method: Our study consists of 15 patients, 12 we
... Show MoreThe object of the presented study was to monitor the changes that had happened in the main features (water, vegetation, and soil) of Al-Hammar Marsh region. To fulfill this goal, different satellite images had been used in different times, MSS 1973, TM 1990, ETM+ 2000, 2002, and MODIS 2009, 2010. A new technique of the unsupervised classification called (Color Extracting Technique) was used to classify the satellite images. MATLAP programming used the technique and separated Al-Hammar Marsh from other water features (rivers, irrigated lands, etc.) when calculated the changes in the water content of the study region. ArcGIS 9.3 (arcMAP, arcToolbox) were used to achieve this work and calculate area of each class.
The main parameters and methods influencing the removal of Gentian Violet (GV) dye from aqueous media were investigated using a stachy plant in this study. The surface of the stachy plant was determined using FTIR spectra. Adsorption is influenced by the adsorbent's characteristic groups. The research took into account the usual conditions for GV dye adsorption by the stachy plant, such as the impact of contact time. Mass dosage , after 0.3 g the amount of adsorbed dye declines. Study pH and ionic strength, the results obtained showed that at pH 3 the largest adsorption of (GV) was seen, while at pH 9, the lowest adsorption was observed at 298 K, the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium constants were achieved, and the equilibr
... Show MoreThe aim of this research is to solve a real problem in the Department of Economy and Investment in the Martyrs establishment, which is the selection of the optimal project through specific criteria by experts in the same department using a combined mathematical model for the two methods of analytic hierarchy process and goal programming, where a mathematical model for goal programming was built that takes into consideration the priorities of the goal criteria by the decision-maker to reach the best solution that meets all the objectives, whose importance was determined by the hierarchical analysis process. The most important result of this research is the selection of the second pro
... Show MoreGroupwise non-rigid image alignment is a difficult non-linear optimization problem involving many parameters and often large datasets. Previous methods have explored various metrics and optimization strategies. Good results have been previously achieved with simple metrics, requiring complex optimization, often with many unintuitive parameters that require careful tuning for each dataset. In this chapter, the problem is restructured to use a simpler, iterative optimization algorithm, with very few free parameters. The warps are refined using an iterative Levenberg-Marquardt minimization to the mean, based on updating the locations of a small number of points and incorporating a stiffness constraint. This optimization approach is eff
... Show MoreIn this work laser detection and tracking system (LDTS) is designed and implemented using a fuzzy logic controller (FLC). A 5 mW He-Ne laser system and an array of nine PN photodiodes are used in the detection system. The FLC is simulated using MATLAB package and the result is stored in a lock up table to use it in the real time operation of the system. The results give a good system response in the target detection and tracking in the real time operation.
Depletion of fossil fuel is one of the main reasons why the bioethanol has become popular. It is a renewable energy source. In order to meet the great demand of bioethanol, it is best that the bioethanol production is from cheap raw materials. Since the golden shower fruit is not being utilized and is considered as waste material, hence, this study was conducted to make use of the large volume of the residue as feedstock to test its potential for bioethanol extraction.The main goal of this study is to obtain the most volume of bioethanol from the golden shower fruit liquid residue by the factors, days of fermentation (3, 5, and 7 days) and sugar concentration (15, 20 and 25 brix) of the liquid residue. Also, part of the study is to compu
... Show MoreBackground: A review of articles of method in treating compound phalangeal fractures by using mini-external fixator, elaborating the anatomy, mechanics, modalities of treatment, and complications of these types of fractures. Also, it compares between different studies regarding the functional results and final outcome. External fixation of phalangeal fractures is a good method for osteo synthesis in certain situations. The simplicity of the surgical procedure and the minimal disruption of the normal bone architecture also make it appealing.Objectives: Evaluating the functional results of the use of mini-external fixator for the treatment of compound fractures of phalangeal bones of the hand.Method: Our study consists of 15 patients, 12 w
... Show MoreWellbore instability and sand production onset modeling are very affected by Sonic Shear Wave Time (SSW). In any field, SSW is not available for all wells due to the high cost of measuring. Many authors developed empirical correlations using information from selected worldwide fields for SSW prediction. Recently, researchers have used different Artificial Intelligence methods for estimating SSW. Three existing empirical correlations of Carroll, Freund, and Brocher are used to estimate SSW in this paper, while a fourth new empirical correlation is established. For comparing with the empirical correlation results, another study's Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used. The same data t
... Show MoreMembrane distillation (MD) is a hopeful desalination technique for brine (salty) water. In this research, Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) and Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) will be used. The sample used is from Shat Al –Arab water (TDS=2430 mg/l). A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) flat sheet membrane was used as a flat sheet form with a plate and frame cell. Several parameters were studied, such as; operation time, feed temperature, permeate temperature, feed flow rate. The results showed that with time, the flux decreases because of the accumulated fouling and scaling on the membrane surface. Feed temperature and feed flow rate had a positive effect on the permeate flux, while permeate temperatu
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