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 present paper describes and analyses three proposed cogeneration plants include back pressure steam-turbine system, gas turbine system, diesel-engine system, and the present Dura refinery plant. Selected actual operating data are employed for analysis. The same amount of electrical and thermal product outputs is considered for all systems to facilitate comparisons. The theoretical analysis was done according to 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamic. The results demonstrate that exergy analysis is a useful tool in performance analysis of cogeneration systems and permits meaningful comparisons of different cogeneration systems based on their merits, also the result showed that the back pressure steam-turbine is more efficient than other pro

Sewer sediment deposition is an important aspect as it relates to several operational and environmental problems. It concerns municipalities as it affects the sewer system and contributes to sewer failure which has a catastrophic effect if happened in trunks or interceptors. Sewer rehabilitation is a costly process and complex in terms of choosing the method of rehabilitation and individual sewers to be rehabilitated.  For such a complex process, inspection techniques assist in the decision-making process; though, it may add to the total expenditure of the project as it requires special tools and trained personnel. For developing countries, Inspection could prohibit the rehabilitation proceeds. In this study, the researchers propos

Occurrence the heavy metals in water is one of the most important concerns. may cause savior health problems. In this work we made an attempt to know the quantity of six heavy metals in groundwater in different locations of Baghdad city. Examinations were made on groundwater of the review region to assess the heavy metals. Groundwater samples were gathered and analyzed utilizing Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer for their Manganese, Iron, Zinc, Cadmium, Copper and Lead content and their levels compared with World Health Organization (WHO) specified maximum contaminant level. In order to accomplish this, water samples were obtained from 10 randomly selected wells in the region, in February and August, 2016. The study showed that the ground

In this study, the stable isotop 18O and 2H has been used to investigate the interaction of surface water (SW), and groundwater (GW) in Al-Taji district/ Northern Baghdad for two seasons (March and August 2022). 16 Samples were collected from water resources in the Al-Taji district (Tigris channel, Tigris River, and groundwater), in each season water samples from 8 Tigris channel, 5 drilled wells, and 3 Tigris River were taken for the analysis of the isotopes 18O and 2H. The average analysis results of 18O and 2H in the Tigris channel, Tigris River, and groundwater were found to be -3.435‰ and -18.6094‰, -2.07167‰ and -17.81‰, -4.125‰ and -34.707‰ respectively. The results, generally, show a comparable range of isotope c

Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations were measured in aerosol samples collected for the period from April 2012 to February 2013 at thermal south power station of Baghdad. Fourty one aerosol sample were extracted with (1:1) dichloromethane and methanol using soxhlet for seventeen hour. The extraction solution was analyzed applying GC/MS. The PAH concentrations outside thermal south power station were higher than those inside it, and higher in summer season than in winter. Naphthalene, pyrene, Anthracene, Indeno [1, 2, 3-cd] pyrene and Phenanthrene were the most abundant PAHs detected in all points at the site sampling. The total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH) and total suspended particles (TSP) concentrat

The fresh water green alga Chlorella vulgaris was selected to study its ability to degrade one of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs)known is anthracene (ANT). ANT is widely used in artificial products such as wood preservatives; insecticides; dye and coating materials. This algae was cultivated in CH-10 medium under constant laboratory conditions and exposed to different concentrations (1, 3, and 5 mg/l) of anthracene for 3, 5, 7, 9 and 15 days, with the concentration of ANT measured  by high performance liquid chromatographic analysis (HPLC). The results showed that C.vulgaris has high ability to reduce anthracene to 80% at 1mg/Lcon centration after 3 days and 100% after 5 days, while at 3 and 5 mg / L concent

Al-Chibayish Marsh (CM)  is considered as the major part of Central Marshes area of this marsh is 1050 Km². The water quality of these marshes is suffering from salt accumulation due to intensive dam construction, limited supply of water from sources,  climate change impacts, and the absence of outlet flow from these marshes, specifically at low flow periods. So, the current research aims to assess and improve these marshes' hydraulic behavior and water quality and define the best location for outlet drains.  Field measurements and laboratory tests were conducted for two periods (November 2020 and February 2021) to define the (TDS) concentrations at nine different locations. Samples were also examined for water's phy