BACKGROUND Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell disorder characterized by the infiltration of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and the detection of a monoclonal immunoglobulin in serum and/or urine. Renal failure, anemia, hypercalcemia, and the presence of bone lesions are the hallmarks of the disease. The study aimed to evaluate the clinical, hematological, radiological, and immunophenotypic features of MM patients and to identify prognostic factors influencing survival outcomes. This cohort study included 77 newly diagnosed, untreated MM patients. Their clinical presentation, laboratory data, imaging results, and the expression of flow cytometry markers were analyzed in correlation with the 1-year overall survival (OS). The mean age was 59.29 ± 12.1 years, bone pain was the most common symptom (81.8%), and anemia was observed in 87% of patients. Radiologically, lytic lesions were present in 70.1% of cases, with 33.8% having pathological fractures. Flow cytometry revealed universal expression of CD319 (100%) and high expression of CD56 (98.7%). CD117 positivity was significantly associated with shorter OS ( P = 0.029), and CD28 showed a tendency toward poorer prognosis ( P = 0.054). Other markers, such as CD44 and CD49e, did not show significant prognostic associations. MM may manifest at an earlier age in specific populations. The most significant features were anemia, bone lesions, and renal dysfunction. Lower hemoglobin levels, higher blood urea and serum creatinine, along with a lower glomerular filtration rate, hyperuricemia, and hypoalbuminemia, contribute to poorer outcomes, as the expression of CD117 has an inverse prognostic outcome.
Several adipokines are produced and secreted from adipose tissue, such as retinol binding protein-4, which triggers metabolic syndromes and insulin resistance. Retinol binding protein-4 transfers vitamin A or retinol in the blood. Higher levels of retinol binding protein-4 are interrelated with progress of metabolic disease, comprising obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present study investigates the role of retinol-binding protein-4 levels in type 2 diabetic Iraqi patients with metabolic syndrome. Sixty type 2 diabetic patients aged 40–53 years were examined. Of these 30 patients has metabolic syndrome and 30 without metabolic syndrome. The patients sampled were from the National Diabetes Center/ Mustansiriyah
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Sovereign wealth funds are an important tool for achieving economic stability and avoiding the local economy from external shocks, including the shocks of international oil prices. The spread of these funds is the result of large current account surpluses in many Asian and oil-exporting economies. These surpluses are due to higher commodity prices Has led to a rapid accumulation of foreign assets in central banks. Many countries with rent economies face the problem of their dependence on non-renewable natural resources, especially the oil countries, including Iraq. Oil revenues are more than 97% of oil exports, so they suffer from structural imbal
... Show MoreThe aims of this study are to measure the defect rate and analyze the problems of production of ready concrete mixture plant by using Six Sigma methodology which is a business strategy for operations improvement depending basically on the application of its sub-methodology DMAIC improvement cycle and the basic statistical tools where the process sigma level of concrete production in the case study was 2.41 σ.
AbstractOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term remission efficacy and safety of isotretinoin in the treatment of Behcet's disease (BD). PATIENTS and METHODS: This single-blind, controlled therapeutic study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital from February 2011 to January 2012. Thirty patients with BD were included in this work. Each patient received isotretinoin 20 mg orally once daily for 3 months. They were assessed at week 2 and then monthly depending on the Clinical Manifestation Index (CMI) and to record any side effects. At week 12, isotretinoin was stopped and patients were given placebo therapy in a form of glucose capsules for another 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty patients were tre
... Show MoreExperts have given much attention on the use of waste in asphalt paving because of its significance from a sustainability perspective. This paper evaluated the performance properties of asphalt concrete mixes modified with Crumb Rubber (CR) as a partial replacement for two grade sizes of fine aggregate (2.36, and 0.3 mm) at six replacement rates: 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by weight. Asphalt concrete mixes were prepared at their Optimum Asphalt Content (OAC) and then tested for their engineering properties. Marshall properties, fatigue, rutting, ideal CT index test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy were deployed to examine the crystalline structure and elemental composition of the C
... Show MoreThe relationship between pollution levels in river sediment and fluctuating asymmetry of resident silurid fish species,
The research aims to verify the role of the Human Resources Strategic Management (HRSM) in enhancing the strategic success factors for talent (SSFT) in the General Tourism Authority by distributing a questionnaire consisting of (36) paragraphs on an intentional sample represented by the higher departments as it reached (50) and the sample valid for testing was (44) Person and to test the relationships between the two research variables, the researchers used statistical methods represented by (Bartlett test / mean / simple regression coefficient / difference coefficient, alpha- cronbachAch, confirmatory factor Analysis ) through the statistical program (SPSS v.23 & AMOS v.23). In enhancing the factors of success for talent management in the
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