Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic autoimmune disease that is characterized by severe synovial inflammation, cartilage erosion, bone loss, and generalized vasculopathy. Although the immunologic mechanism of RA is still unclear, it is now thought to be a primarily Th17-driven disease. Along with other factors, IL-23 stimulates the expansion of Th17 cells from naive CD4+ T cells.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-23 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and determine the correlation between plasma/serum IL-23 levels and disease activity. So, we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis comparing

Retainers have the potential to detrimentally impact periodontal health and contribute to tooth decay.

In this work , the effect of chlorinated rubber (additive I), zeolite 3A with chlorinated rubber (additive II), zeolite 4A with chlorinated rubber (additiveIII), and zeolite 5A with chlorinated rubber (additive IV), on flammability for epoxy resin studied, in the weight ratios of (2, 4, 7,10 & 12%) by preparing films of (130x130x3) mm in diameters, three standard test methods used to measure the flame retardation which are ; ASTM : D-2863 , ASTM : D-635 & ASTM : D-3014. Results obtained from these tests indicated that all of them are effective and the additive IV has the highest efficiency as a flame retardant.

In oil and gas well cementing, a strong cement sheath is wanted to insure long-term safety of the wells. Successful completion of cementing job has become more complex, as drilling is being done in highly deviated and high pressure-high temperature wells. Use of nano materials in enhanced oil recovery, drilling fluid, oil well cementing and other applications is being investigated. This study is an attempt to investigate the effect of nano materials on oil well cement properties. Two types of nano materials were investigated, which are Nano silica (>40 nm) and Nano Alumina (80 nm) and high sulfate-resistant glass G cement is used. The investigated properties of oil well cement included compressive strength, thickening

A Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) is a technique which is used with Laser to treat many of cancer
tissues. This paper deals with the relatively new therapeutic technique (PDT) with pulsed Nd:glass Laser
which was applied to human soft tissues (Ovary and Kidney tissues), and to the hard tissues (freshly
extracted human teeth), with power density of 280 watt/mm2 and exposure time 330 usec. Different
dyes (Blue, methylene, eosin, and orange) were applied to the area before irradiation to study the effect
of the pigments on the laser interaction with biological tissues. The zone of treatment (Z-necrosis) with
aid of MATLAB was determined. The relationship of zone of treatment with exposure time,
accumulated damage and fracti

Sheets of Epoxy (EP) resin with addition of TiO2 of grain size (1.5μm, and 50nm) and weight percentage (1%, 3%, and 5%) were prepared. Discs of 20mm diameter and 3mm thickness were cut for dielectric measurements. Dielectric properties (dielectric constant, dispassion factor and electrical conductivity) over the frequency range 102 -106 Hz were measured.
Comparison was made between the effect of micro and nano particles of TiO2 on the dielectric properties of EP composites with different weight percentage. Epoxy composites with micro sized particles of TiO2 were observed to have the better values of dielectric properties.

Background: Herbs are being widely explored to discover alternatives to synthetic antibacterial agents.Small Cardamom often referred to as queen of spices because of its very pleasant aroma and taste, have a history as old as human race. Most people use cardamom as a spice and are largely unaware of its numerous health benefits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of water and alcoholic cardamom extracts on sensitivities, growth, and adherence of Mutans streptococci in vitro. Materials and Methods: In this study, saliva was collected from ten volunteers (College students 18-22 years). Agar well technique was used to study the sensitivities of Mutans streptococci to different concentrations of s

Background: Spices and herbs have been used by many cultures to enhance the flavor and aroma of food and for their medicinal value. Black cardamom is one of these spices widely used in cooking because of its unique taste and powerful flavor. The aim of study was to test the effect of black cardamom on Mutans Streptococci in comparison to chlorhexidine gluconate (0.2%) and de-ionized water. Materials and methods: Dried fruits of black cardamom were extracted by using alcohol (70% ethanol). Saliva was collected from seven volunteers. Agar well technique with different concentrations of black cardamom extracts was used to test the sensitivities of Mutans Streptococci, as well black cardamom extracts effect on viable counts of Mutans Streptococ

Hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver, has a number of infectious and non-infectious causes. Two of the viruses that cause hepatitis (hepatitis A and E) can be transmitted through water and food; hygiene is therefore important in their control. First, to assess the importance of HAV and HEV as a possible diagnosis for clinically diagnosed patients with acute viral hepatitis. Second, to assess the prevalence of hepatitis A and E in all provinces of Iraq and study its association with age, gender. This study consisted of two groups: The first group consisted of 2975 patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute viral hepatitis. The second group consisted of a total of 9610 persons, which were recruited by surveying a nationally representative

Many researchers tried to prevent or reduce moisture damage and its sensitivity to temperature to improving the performance of hot mix asphalt because it is decreasing the functional and structural life of fixable pavement due to the moisture damage had exposed to it.

The main objective of this study is to inspect the effect of (fly ash “3%, 6%, 12%”, hydrated lime”5%, 10%, 20%” and silica fumes”1%, 2%, 4%) referring to previous research by the net weight asphalt cement as a modified material on the moisture and temperature sensitivity of hot mix asphalt. This was done using asphalt from AL-Nasiria refinery with penetration grade 40-50, nominal maximum size (12.5) mm (surface course) of aggregate and on