Abstract Introduction: MMP3 plays a crucial role in the process of bone erosion in the pathomechanism of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It acts by removing the outer osteoid layer, which allows the osteoclasts to tightly connect and carry out the subsequent damage to the underlying bone. MMP3 can trigger the production of other MMPs like MMP-1, MMP-7, and MMP-9, it plays a pivotal role in the remodeling of connective tissues. Aim of the study: to assess the influence of MMP-3 serum levels and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of rs679620 in the rheumatoid arthritis patients' group in comparison to the control group. Subjects: eighty eight samples, 45 rheumatoid arthritis patients after being referred by their treating physician for regular RA test. The remaining 43 samples all represent apparently healthy people. The present study investigated the serum concentration of MMP-3 and rs679620 SNPs in the group of patients with RA, in comparison to the control group. Results: The results indicated a significant elevation in MMP-3 levels in RA patients in comparison to healthy individuals (12.75 ± 0.38 vs. 9.69 ± 0.37) and the findings of rs679620 SNPs appeared that the patient group has a non-significant increase in both allele frequency A and genotype frequency AA when compared to the control group (66.2 vs. 52.2 %; p = 0.172; OR = 1.79 and 35.3 vs. 17.4 %; p = 0.229; OR = 2.59) , but a non-significant decrease in both allele frequency C and genotype frequency CC when compared to the control group (2.94 vs. 4.4 %; p = 1.0; OR = 0.67 and 2.9 vs. 4.3 %; p = 1.0; OR = 0.67), as well as a non-significant decrease in allele frequency G and both genotypes frequency GG and AG when compared to the control group (30.9 vs. 43.5 %; p = 0.233; OR = 0.58, 0.0 vs. 8.7 %; p = 0.159; OR = 0.12 and 61.8 vs. 69.6 %; p = 0.585; OR = 0.71 ). Patients carrying the AA and AG genotype, had significantly higher serum levels of MMP-3 compared to control (P= 0.005 and 0.004) respectively. Conclusion: Rs679620 may influence joint destruction via increase MMP-3 production.
This study is carried out to investigate the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) infections in cattle using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting IS1111A transposase gene. A total of 130 lactating cows were randomly selected from different areas in Wasit province, Iraq and subjected to blood and milk sampling during the period extended between November 2018 and May 2019. ELISA and PCR tests revealed that 16.15% and 10% of the animals studied were respectively positive. Significant correlations (P<0.05) were detected between the positive results and clinical data. Two positive PCR products were analyzed phylogenetically, named as C. burnetii IQ-No.5 and C. burnet
... Show MoreIn the current work, aromatic amines and alkyl halides have been converted to the corresponding azides 2a‒d and 4a-d by the reaction with sodium nitrite and sodium azide respectively for amines and sodium azide for halides. Then, dipropargyl ether derivative of D-mannose 8 has been synthesized from diacetone mannose that has been obtained by the treatment of D-mannose (5) with dry acetone in the presence of sulfuric acid. Then, aldol condensation has been used to prepare diol 7 from the mannose diacetonide 6. The reaction of compound 7 with propargyl bromide in alkaline media has been afforded dipropargyl
... Show MoreOxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of peripheral artery disease (PAD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of clopidogrel on oxidative stress in PAD patients. Seventy subjects were divided into three groups: PAD patients before treatment (B-PAD), PAD patients after treatment with clopidogrel (A-PAD), and healthy controls. Serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and oxidized protein were measured. SOD activities were also determined. The results showed that SOD activities, and SOD specific activities were significantly decreased in PAD patients compared to healthy individuals. After treatment with clopidogrel, SOD activities, and SOD specific activities were continuous
... Show MoreA
A new series of bases of Schiff (H2-H4) derived from phthalic anhydrideweresynthesized. These Schiff bases were prepared by the reaction of different amines (tyrosine methyl ester, phenylalanine methyl ester, and isoniazid) with the phthalimide derived aldehyde with the aid of glacial acetic acid or triethylamine ascatalysts. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by (FT-IR and 1HNMR) analyses and were in vitro evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against six various kinds of microorganisms. All the synthesized compounds had been screened for their antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria “Staph. Aureus, and Bacillus subtilis
... Show MoreRetinopathy of prematurity (ROP) can cause blindness in premature neonates. It is diagnosed when new blood vessels form abnormally in the retina. However, people at high risk of ROP might benefit significantly from early detection and treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis of ROP is vital in averting visual impairment. However, due to a lack of medical experience in detecting this condition, many people refuse treatment; this is especially troublesome given the rising cases of ROP. To deal with this problem, we trained three transfer learning models (VGG-19, ResNet-50, and EfficientNetB5) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify the zones of ROP in preterm newborns. The dataset to train th
Q fever is an infectious disease of animals and humans, caused by globally distributed C. burnetii. In Iraq, there are no previous studies associated with the detection of the organism in cattle. An overall of 130 lactating cows were submitted to direct collection of milk samples. Initially, the samples of milk were tested using the molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting three genes (16S rRNA, IS1111a transposase, and htpB). However, positive results (18.46%; 24/130) were detected only with the 16s rRNA gene. Concerning risk factors, the highest prevalence of C. burnetii was showed in the district of Badra (42.86%), whereas the lowest - in Al-Numaniyah and Al-Suwaira districts (P=0.025). There was no significant v
... Show MoreAbstract
The aim of this study was to prepare rebamipide ocular inserts in order to extend its release on the ocular surface for dry eye treatment. Solubility study was applied to the drug with or without l-arginine using different solvents. Solvent casting technique was used to prepare the inserts; l-arginine was used to solubilize the drug, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose grades (E5 and K15M) and poly ethylene glycol 200 were used as excipients. The inserts were evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, moisture loss% and absorption %, surface pH, and in-vitro drug release. The use l-arginine exhibited an enhancement of rebamipide solubility in both deionized water and phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) by a
... Show MoreThe silicon carbide/carbon fiber (SiC/CF) hybrid fillers were introduced to improve the electrical and thermal conductivities of the epoxy resin composites. Results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the peaks at 3532 and 2850 cm−1 relate to carboxylic acid O–H stretching and aldehyde C–H stretching appearing deeper with an increased volume fraction of SiC. Scanning electron microscopic image shows a better interface bonding between the fiber and the matrix when the volume fraction of SiC particles are increased. As frequency increases from 102 Hz to 106 Hz, dielectric constants decrease slightly. Dissipation factor (tan δ) values keep low a
... Show More