Background: We aimed to investigate the accuracy of salivary matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-8 and -9, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in diagnosing periodontitis and in distinguishing periodontitis stages (S)1 to S3. Methods: This study was a case–control study that included patients with periodontitis S1 to S3 and subjects with healthy periodontia (controls). Saliva was collected, and then, clinical parameters were recorded, including plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level. Diagnosis was confirmed by assessing the alveolar bone level using radiography. Salivary biomarkers were assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: A total of 45 patients (15 for each stage) and 18 healthy subjects as controls were included. The levels of all salivary biomarkers and clinical parameters were significantly higher in periodontitis subjects than in the controls. The ROC curve showed that MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1, MMP-8/TIMP-1, and MMP-9/TIMP-1 had statistically significant diagnostic accuracy, with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.892, 0.844, 0.920, 0.986, and 1.000, respectively, when distinguishing periodontitis from the controls. Similarly, these biomarkers showed significant diagnostic accuracy in the differentiation of S1 periodontitis from the controls (AUC range from 0.902 to 1.000). Conclusions: This study suggested that salivary biomarkers exhibited high diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing periodontal health from periodontitis in general as well as S1 periodontitis. Furthermore, TIMP-1 could differentiate S1 from S3.
Brucellosis is possess a significant public health problem in Baghdad. In this study, we investigated the potential role of the PCR assay in detection of Brucella species, from patients suspect to have brucellosis, using blood samples in both human and animal. To establish a PCR technique for diagnosis of active brucellosis in our samples, DNA extraction was carried out using a commercial kit, and a laboratory extraction procedure. PCR amplification was done using 1 set of primers: B4/B5 for Brucella species. Extraction of Brucella DNA using the commercial kit was successful. The laboratory extraction was successful and more economic. A total of 178 peripheral blood
... Show MoreThe paper investigates the frequency and the impact ofusing Functional formulas in EFL students` fluency and accuracyused in English teaching in College of Education for HumanSciences (Ibn Rushd), English Department. This study aims atfinding out the frequency of formulaic sequences’ in students`fluency- accuracy skills, whether or not the student differences inthe functional formulas in fluency- accuracy competences ,andinvestigating differences in types formulaic sequences in fluencyaccuracyskills. The instruments are (observation and essay writing)used in investigating the fluency through using observation whereasin accuracy using essay testing. With 100 functional formulas, oneighty students second year at English Department.
... Show MoreBackground: Cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) is a serum/cell surface glycoprotein; and it is a pattern recognition receptor. CD14 expressed on the surface of various cells, or it found soluble in saliva and other body fluids. It has been proposed that soluble CD14 (sCD14) may play a protective role by controlling Gram negative bacterial infections through its capacity to bind lipopolysaccharide. This study was conducted to assess the level of soluble CD14 in saliva of patients with different periodontal diseases and healthy subjects and determine its correlation with clinical periodontal parameters. Materials & Methods: A total of 80 subjects, age ranged (25-50) years old, divided into three main groups, group ? consisted of 45 chronic
... Show MoreFlexible molecular docking is a computational method of structure-based drug design to evaluate binding interactions between receptor and ligand and identify the ligand conformation within the receptor pocket. Currently, various molecular docking programs are extensively applied; therefore, realizing accuracy and performance of the various docking programs could have a significant value. In this comparative study, the performance and accuracy of three widely used non-commercial docking software (AutoDock Vina, 1-Click Docking, and UCSF DOCK) was evaluated through investigations of the predicted binding affinity and binding conformation of the same set of small molecules (HIV-1 protease inhibitors) and a protein target HIV-1 protease enzy
... Show MoreComputer-aided diagnosis (CAD) has proved to be an effective and accurate method for diagnostic prediction over the years. This article focuses on the development of an automated CAD system with the intent to perform diagnosis as accurately as possible. Deep learning methods have been able to produce impressive results on medical image datasets. This study employs deep learning methods in conjunction with meta-heuristic algorithms and supervised machine-learning algorithms to perform an accurate diagnosis. Pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) or auto-encoder are used for feature extraction, whereas feature selection is performed using an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. Ant colony optimization helps to search for the bes
... Show MoreAntibiotics are essential for treating infectious diseases, but their overuse and adverse effects are raising concerns about global public health. The pervasiveness of antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments has drawn increased attention in recent years. The primary concern regarding the release of antibiotics into the environment is the potential for microorganisms to become resistant to antibiotics. This review article summarizes the analytical methods used to determine the presence of trimethoprim and metronidazole in various environmental samples. These antibiotics have traditionally been analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry; fluorescence or ultrav
... Show MoreGiven the increasing global use of antibiotics, it has become necessary to examine and recognize their significance. An antibiotic formulation may contain one or more active components, depending on the antibiotic’s type and formulation. Antibiotics act exclusively against bacterial diseases and are ineffective against viral infections such as the common cold and influenza. The purpose of this review is to analyze the existing literature on the determination of antibiotics and to present the methods used for estimating specific antibiotics, including cephalexin, cloxacillin, piperacillin, nafcillin, and cefamandole, in medicinal preparations and biological fluids, such as blood and urine, from humans and animals. Verifying the quality of
... Show MoreSimple, cheap, sensitive, and accurate kinetic- spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of naringenin in pure and supplements formulations. The method is based on the formation of Prussian blue. The product dye exhibits a maximum absorbance at 707 nm. The calibration graph of naringenin was linear over the range 0.3 to 10 µg ml-1 for the fixed time method (at 15 min) with a correlation coefficient (r) and percentage linearity (r2%) were of 0.9995 and 99.90 %, respectively, while the limit of detection LOD was 0.041 µg ml-1. The method was successfully applied for the determination of naringenin in supplements with satisfac
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