Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the cause of the major world health issue, tuberculosis (TB). The cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) has been implicated in protection against TB in the early stages of the disease. TNF-α is an effective cytokine in the killing of intracellular M. tuberculosis. This study inducted to investigate whether there is any relationship between levels of TNF-α in sera of TB patients and their recovery, and is there any difference in the level of this cytokine in sera of female and male TB patients. This study included 29 patients with pulmonary TB (18 female and 11 male), their ages ranging from 37 to 59 years. All of them received first line TB therapy. They were consulted at Pasture Center during September 2012, at Baghdad city, Iraq. TNF-α level in sera was estimated by ELISA. Data were analyzed using Two sample T test for measuring the differences between the groups., no significant difference (p= 0.198) was found in serum TNF-α concentration between TB patients (mean= 8.09 pg/ml) and in control group (mean= 5.62 pg/ml). On the other hand no significant difference was found between serum TNF-α concentration in male TB patients (mean= 8.42 pg/ml, p= 0.71) and female TB patients (mean= 7.89 pg/ml). As a conclusion, TNF-α level in TB patients may associate with recover of the patient after treatment. On the other hand no relationship was found between the levels of TNF-α in TB patients’ sera and their gender.
Foreign trade receives a good deal of economists' attention for its active contribution to economic growth, and imports of goods and services that could not be produced locally constitute an important share of the local economy. Agricultural imports constitute an important share of the total imports due to their role in fulfilling the needs of local markets; however, the agricultural sector in Iraq contributes no more than a limited share of the country's need, which has encouraged the import of a variety of fruits, vegetables and strategic crops and different types of red and white meat. For the sake of identifying the factors affecting the demand on agricultural imports in Iraq, the following factors has been analyzed: th
... Show MoreBackground: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease restricted to the large intestine, characterized by superficial ulceration. It is a progressive and chronic disease requiring long-term treatment. Although its etiology remains unknown, it is suggested that environmental factors influence genetically susceptible individuals, leading to the onset of the disease. (C-X-C) ligand 9 is a chemokine that belongs to the CXC chemokine family, it plays a role in the differentiation of immune cells such as cytotoxic lymphocytes, natural killer T cells, and macrophages. Its interaction with its corresponding receptor CXCR3 which is expressed by a variety of cells such as effector T cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, and macrophage
... Show MoreThe problem of the current research addressed the close link between the psychological stress and social isolation as behavior and experience, as well as, the stress of the displaced pupils by the sense of alienation and isolation from the society to which they had moved. It reflects a sense of mystery to the displaced pupils about their lives in the present and future. Therefore, the current research aims to identify the psychological presence and the level of social isolation among secondary school displaced pupils and identify whether there were statistically significant differences in the variables between the displaced pupils (males-females). Moreover, it attempts to identify the relationship between psychological stress and social
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This study aims at investigating the relationship between mindfulness and academic self-efficacy among Northern Border University students. To achieve this objective, the researcher adopted the correlative survey method for (97) students. For data collection, the researcher developed a mindfulness scale consisting of (42) items divided into seven topics, each one consisting of six items. The researcher developed an academic self-efficacy scale consisting of (20) items, adopting a five-point Likert scale. The results showed that there is a high level of mindfulness among students at the level of the seven units which formed the mindfulness scale; the conscious thinking unit showed the highest mean value o
... Show MoreBackground: Neonatal Septicemia (NNS) is generalized microbial symptomatic infection during the first 28 days of life.It>s the most serious complication in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) that demand urgent diagnosis and accurate treatment.Objective: To reveal the relationship of neonatal septicemia with birth weight (one of the neonatal risk factors).Patients and Methods: Blood sample was obtained from 76 neonates aged 1 hour-28 days who were diagnosed clinically (poor feeding, respiratory distress, fever, hypothermia, gastrointestinal and/or central nervous system symptoms)and bacteriologically to have neonatal septicemia.Results:One of the most important neonatal factor predisposing to infection is low birth weight, signi
... Show MoreBackground: Dental implants provide a unique treatment modality for the replacement of lost dentition .This is accomplished by the insertion of relatively inert material (a biomaterial) into the soft and hard tissue of the jaws, there by providing support and retention for dental prostheses. Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is an effective tool used to prompt bone repair and modeling post surgery; this has referred to the biostimulation effect of LLLT. The aims of this study were to evaluate the immmunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor -beta (TGF-β) in experimental and control groups with mechanical test. Materials and Methods: Thirty two adult New Zealand white rabbits use
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