A case–control study (80 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus [HBV] infection and 96 controls) was performed to evaluate the association of an IL12A gene variant (rs582537 A/C/G) with HBV infection. Allele G showed a signifcantly lower frequency in patients compared to controls (31.2 vs. 46.9%; probability [p]=0.009; corrected p [pc]=0.027) and was associated with a lower risk of HBV infection (odds ratio [OR]=0.49; 95% confdence interval [CI]=0.29–0.83). A similar lower risk was associated with genotypes CG (17.5 vs. 29.2; OR=0.25; 95% CI=0.08–0.81; p=0.02) and GG (10.0 vs. 16.7; OR=0.25; 95% CI=0.07–0.91; p=0.036), but the pc value was not signifcant (0.12 and 0.126, respec‑ tively). Serum IL35 levels showed signifcant diferences between individuals of diferent genotypes (p=0.007). The highest median was associated with CA genotype (286.5 pg/mL), followed by genotypes CG (227.0 pg/mL), GG (206.5 pg/mL), CC (169.0 pg/mL), AA (137.5 pg/mL) and fnally AG (125.0 pg/mL). In conclusion, rs582537 appears to be an important genetic variant that may infuence not only susceptibility to HBV infection but IL35 levels.
Background: Uncontrolled hyperphosphatemia is the main difficulty facing staff treating patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Sevelamer and calcium-containing phosphate binders have been associated with cost burden and tissue calcification, respectively. Therefore, the current trial was targeted to investigate the efficacy of a new phosphate binder, ferric citrate, in a sample of Iraqi patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Keywords: Ferric citrate, Hemodialysis Phosphate binder
Fifteen local isolates of Pseudomonas were obtained from several sources such as soil, water and some high-fat foods (Meat, olives, coconuts, etc.). The ability of isolates to produce lipase was measured by the size of clear zone on Tween 20 solid medium and by measuring the enzymatic activity and specific activity. Isolate M3 (as named in this study) was found to be the most efficient for the production of the lipase with enzymatic activity reached 56.6 U/ml and specific activity of 305.94 U/mg. This isolate was identified through genetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. and it was shown that the isolate M3 belongs to Pseudomonas aeruginosa with 99% similarity. The DNA of isolate M3 was extracted and lipase gene was amplified through PCR tec
... Show MoreLeishmaniasis is one of the important parasitic diseases, affecting mainly low social class people indeveloping countries, and is more prevalent and endemic in the tropical and subtropical regions of old worldand new world. Despite ofbroad distribution in Iraq,little known about the geneticcharacteristics of thecausative agents. So this study was aimed to evaluate the genetic varietyoftwo IraqiLeishmaniatropicaisolatesbased on heat shock protein gene sequence 70 (HSP70) in comparison with universal isolates recordedsequences data. After amplification and sequencing of HSP70 gene,the obtainedresults were alignment alongwith homologous Leishmania sequences retrieved from NCBI by using BLAST. The analysis results showedpresence of particular g
... Show MoreDual-species biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus generate difficult-to-treat illnesses. Nutrition stress in biofilms affects physiology, microbial metabolism, and species interactions, impacting bacteria growth and survival. Furthermore, the function of alginate, which is encoded by the algD gene, in the production of biofilms has been established. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of starvation on algD gene expression in single-species biofilm of P. aeruginosa and dual-species biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus from hospital sewage. A total of six P. aeruginosa and six S. aureus isolates were obtained from the microbiology laboratory at the Department of Biology, College of Science, Universit
... Show MoreBackground: The COVID-19 virus outbreak had a massive effect on many parts of people's lives, as they were advised to quarantine and lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading, which had a big impact on people's mental health, anxiety, and stress. Many internal and external factors lead to stress. This negatively influences the body's homeostasis. As a result, stress may affect the body's capacity to use energy to defend against pathogens. Many recent investigations have found substantial links between human mental stress and the production of hormones, prohormones, and/or immunological chemicals. some of these researches have verified the link between stress and salivary cortisol levels. The aim of this study is to measure salivary corti
... Show MoreBackground: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction that results in fluctuating muscle weakness as well as significant fatigue. Disease exacerbation is a critical condition, and the predisposing factors for it need to be identified to improve preventive measures.
Objectives: Our study aims to determine the predisposing factors for myasthenia gravis exacerbations in a group of Iraqi patients.
Subjects and Methods: A total number of 30 myasthenia gravis patients were admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of their symptoms, determined as the development of functional disability, dysphagia, or respiratory fai
... Show MoreBackground: Despite the importance of vaccines in preventing COVID-19, the willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines is lower among RA patients than in the general population. Objective: To determine the extent of COVID-19 knowledge among RA patients and their attitudes and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A qualitative study with a phenomenology approach was performed through face-to-face, individual-based, semi-structured interviews in the Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, rheumatology unit. A convenient sample of RA patients using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs was included until the point of saturation. A thematic content analysis approach was used to analyze the obtained data. Results: Twenty-five RA pa
... Show Moreالخلفية: العقدية المقيحة المعروفة أيضًا باسم ""(GAS) هي احدى مسببات الأمراض ذات الأهمية الصحية العامة، حيث تصيب 18.1 مليون شخص في جميع أنحاء العالم وتقتل 500000 شخص كل عام. الهدف: حددت هذه المراجعة المقالات المنشورة حول عوامل الخطر واستراتيجيات الوقاية والسيطرة لأمراض المكورات العقدية. المواد والأساليب: تم إجراء بحث منهجي لتحديد الأوراق المنشورة على قواعد البيانات الإلكترونية Web of Science و PubMed و Scopus و Google Scholar في مح
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