The present study was set to investigate the potential association between the level of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), as a key component of the pro-inflammatory response, with different thalassemia’s biological and clinical features. For this purpose, one hundred fifty blood samples were collected from 100 beta-thalassemia patients, who attended the Genetic Hematology Centre at Ibn Al- Baladi Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, and 50 healthy subjects who were employed as a control group. IL-6 levels were estimated using an ELISA Kit, whereas other thalassemia-related clinical features (such as HbA, HbF, ferritin, blood transfusions, splenectomy status, and the history of frequent infection) were additionally assessed. The results of the present study showed a significant elevation (P≤0.01) in the levels of IL-6 in thalassemia patients as compared to healthy controls (57.7763± 8.94837 vs. 6.3059± 1.90364 pg/ml, respectively). Furthermore, IL-6 plasma levels seem to be influenced by the number of multiple scheduled blood transfusions, with the higher IL-6 mean level corresponding to the more frequent transfusions. Also, splenectomized thalassemia patients showed significantly higher IL-6 levels than those of non-splenectomized patients (61.2687±9.30688 vs. 56.9571±8.71926 pg/ml, respectively).
It is not often easy to identify a certain group of words as a lexical bundle, since the same set of words can be, in different situations, recognized as idiom, a collocation, a lexical phrase or a lexical bundle. That is, there are many cases where the overlap among the four types is plausible. Thus, it is important to extract the most identifiable and distinguishable characteristics with which a certain group of words, under certain conditions, can be recognized as a lexical bundle, and this is the task of this paper.
Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most widespread cancer among women worldwide. Its incidence and mortality rates have risen in the previous three decades as a result of changes in risk factor profiles, improved cancer registry, and cancer detection. Objective: The study's goals were to establish if Ki-67 could be used as a potential marker in serum of cancer disease patients as well as their interaction with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and ES in various stages of breast cancer to assess their function in the progression of BC. Materials and Methods: The levels of Ki-67, VEGF and endostatin (ES) in serum were assessed by commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits in 60 women diagnosed with breast cancer
... Show MoreThe research was conducted between 2017 and 2019 at the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences and Laboratory of Plant Tissue Culture for Postgraduate Studies at the University of Baghdad. One experiment used a totally random design. The experiment examined the effects of PEG (Polyethylene glycol) at concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% on the development of three sunflower types (Ishaqi-1, Aqmar, and AL-Haja) exposed to UV-C rays for 40 minutes as a result of the growing of the juvenile peduncle outside the live body. The aim of the study was to better comprehend the physiological and biochemical changes caused by water stress on the callus of several sunfl
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that triggers immune cells to produce cytokines and inflammatory mediators that are responsible for abnormal or aborted immune responses. This study highlights the evaluation of the Dectin-1 receptor and cytokine IL-37 in the serum of 80 patients who had miscarried in the first trimester and were infected with toxoplasmosis, as well as 40 pregnant women in the first trimester who had a successful pregnancy (control groups). The serum was first screened for the T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and then the serum levels of IL-37 and Dectin-1 were determined. The results showed that the serum level of Dectin-1 was significantly increased in anti-
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetic cheiroarthropathy is a term derived from the Greek word “cheiros” meaning “of the hand”, It is characterized by stiff hands with distinctively thick, tight, and waxy skin, especially on the dorsal aspects of the hands. It is part of long term complication of diabetes and many suggest it is associated with microvascular complication. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of diabetic cheiroarthropathy in Iraqi patients with diabetes, and to study its association with diabetic retinopathy and glycemic control. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study in which 110 diabetic patients and 110 non-diabetic healthy people who accepted to take part in the study were ran
... Show MoreThe current study was conducted in the period extending from November 2018 to October 2019 and designed as a case-control study and aimed to assess the seroprevalence of HCMV. However, a total number of 91serum specimens were collected to fulfill this purpose from females (71 breast cancer patients, and control group of 20 females) attending Al-Amal hospital for cancer management and Baghdad teaching hospital and the practical part was performed in College of Science, University of Baghdad. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee at the Department of Biology (Reference: BEC/0220/0011). The immunological part for evaluation of seroprevalence of HCMV was accomplished by ELISA technique which revealed that anti-HCMV IgG was sco
... Show MoreBackground Several studies have addressed the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), among Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients in different countries, and the potential association between the infection and PD; the results of these studies were conflicting. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection among sample of Iraqi PD patients. Also, to examine the potential association of age, PD duration, gender, smoking habit, zone of residence and family history of PD, with the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in PD patients.
Patients and Methods Seventy-four PD patients attaining Dr. Saad Al-Witry Neuroscience Hospital in Baghdad/ Ir
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