Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by the new respiratory virus SARS-CoV2. It has a tropism in the lung tissues where excess target receptors exist. Periostin plays a role in subepithelial fibrosis associated with bronchial asthma. Since the Coronavirus's target is the human respiratory system, Periostin has been recently described as a valuable new biomarker in the diagnosis and evaluation of disease in patients with COVID-19 lung involvement. Objectives: To assess the level of Periostin in the serum of COVID-19 patients and to correlate its role in disease severity and prognosis. Subjects and Methods: Periostin serum levels were measured for 63 patients attending three main COVID

Soil is considered one of the main factors of subsidence phenomena which
became continually happen in Baghdad (Ghazalia, Ameria, and Hay al-Amyl)
causing bad effects as shortage of drinking water, traffic jam and formation
swamps.
This thesis depends on soil study to a depth 15 meters, due to its
importance in subsidence. This done through specifying its chemical physical
properties.
Soil within Iraq climate, in case of water stopping for any reason it contract
and shrink away especially when it exposed to high pressure these factors
finally caused subsidence. In case of leakage underground water or that of
damaged water pipes this will contribute to chemical reactions which damage soil
structure and incr

This paper describes the use of remote sensing techniques in verification of the polluted area in Diyala River and Tigris River and the effected of AL-Rustamiyah wastewater treatment plant, which is located on Diyala River, one of the branches of Tigris River in south of Baghdad. SPOT-5 a French satellite image of Baghdad, Iraq was used with ground resolution of 2.5 m in May 2016. ENVI 5.1 software programming was utilized for Image processing to assess the water pollution of Diyala and Tigris River’s water. Five regions were selected from a study area and then classified using the unsupervised ISODATA method. The results indicated that four classes of water quality which are successful in assessing and mapping water pollution which confi

New vision of Mr. Abdul Mahdi Al-Muttafiqi in the light of unpublished documents

Background: Psoriasis is a common inflammatory condition worldwide, with an average prevalence ranging from 2% to 3%. However, the incidence of psoriasis varies among different ethnic groups and regions. Elevated leptin levels have been associated with increased cellular proliferation, including T-cells. Additionally, high leptin levels may stimulate the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines such as ILـ6 and TNFـα. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of Apremilast on Leptin in obese psoriatic patients. Subjects and Methods: Thirty patients with psoriasis were included in This prospective cohort study to measure the levels of serum Leptin by using the ELISA technique, before and after receiving Apremilast. Result: The present work

This study is to evaluate plasma levels of several cytokines in preeclamptic pregnancies compared to those of healthy pregnancies. Ninety pregnant women with preeclampsia (37 mild & 53 severe) and thirty healthy pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were taken and plasma levels of IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-? were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Preeclamptic women and their severe cases but not mild cases had significantly (P<0.05) increased levels of plasma IL-8, and IFN-? as compared with healthy pregnancies. By contrast, plasma levels of IL-10 was significantly (P<0.05) increased in healthy pregnant women as compared to all groups of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is associated with an imbalance betwe