COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that has a wide spectrum of symptoms from asymptomatic to severe fatal cases due to hyperactivation of the immune system and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study aimed to assess the level and impact of interleukin (IL)-13, IL-33, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α cytokines on immune responses in mild and moderate COVID-19-infected Iraqi patients. A prospective case-control study was conducted from January 2023 to January 2024; it included 80 patients infected with moderate COVID-19 infection who consulted in different private clinics and 40 healthy controls. The serum of both groups was tested for quantification of serum IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α using the human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The mean age of the moderate COVID-19 patient group was 43.67±1.85 years, while the mean age of the healthy control group was 34.45±3.12 years with a statistically significant (p=0.0081), but there was no statistically significant difference in IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α levels between the patients and control groups. This study highlights the importance of age, gender, and body mass index as risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection. There were no significant differences in IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α levels between moderate COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α shows moderate potential (non-significant) as a biomarker for predicting mild and moderate COVID-19. Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong potential correlation between IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with polymorphic expression. B cells have an essential contribution in immune system activation via the production of different cytokines and functioning as potent antigen-presenting cells. Therefore, a drug that particularly targets B cells may represent an ideal therapeutic approach for SLE. Rituximab (RTX), an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody causing transient B-cell depletion, has been used to manage SLE. This study aims to assess Rituximab effects on lupus nephritis (LN) patients when added to conventional immunosuppressants. Twenty four patients, 15-32 years old, with class III/IV/V LN were involved in this study. All were on steroids before lupus nephritis occurrence. They were
... Show MoreObjective: To evaluate the therapeutic activity of probiotics mixture of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus towards Cryptosporidium infection in experimentally infected mice. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium were separated from the stool of humans to infect mice. Methods: Forty male albino mice were split equally into four groups, every group contained 10 mice, the group I (early treated group), were treated from the 1st day from infection to the 11th post-infection, group II (late treated group), were treated from the 4th day from infection to the 15th post-infection, and group (III) (untreated group), were mice considered as a positive control group. Results: It was showed that daily application of a mixture of L. plantarum w
... Show MoreFicus (FIC) leaf extract used as corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel alloy (C.S) in two corrosive environments (saline and acidic) with four concentrations (1, 2, 3 and 4 ppm) at varied temperature range between (298-328 K) using electrochemical polarization measurements. The importance of this work focused on the use the green chemistry that is far from the chemical materials effect. The results of polarization presented the FIC inhibitor consider a mixed type (anodic and cathodic) inhibitor. Tafel curve used to evaluate the corrosion inhibition activity. In a saline medium, the best inhibitor efficiency reaches to (87%) in 2 ppm and IE% reach to (99%) for HCl medium inhibited by 1ppm. Langmuir isotherm obeys the study by thermodynamic pa
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After the defeat of the military terrorist organization "ISIS" and the fall of the throne of its alleged state in the Iraqi city of Nineveh, in Syrian Baghouz, and the end of its control over the land, the Syrian camps, especially "Al-Hol" camp, emerge as an incubator for the ideology of the terrorist organization "ISIS" and a vital base for its consolidation and dissemination, which includes (68,000- 73,000) people. During the years following the military defeat of (ISIS), the camp witnesses the spread of extremist ideas widely at the hands of its residents, including the families of the organizations dead's, extremist detainees, and those who deal with it, taking advantage of the deterioration of the environmental, se
... Show MoreBecause of its importance in the world, Middle East area is one of the competition areas between the major and great powers. Among those powers are Russia and United states of America. The competition between these two powers to control Syria is greatly clear since 2011. It is also one of the most important subject in the international politics. This importance comes from the importance of Russia and the United States of America besides importance of the Middle East. At the end of the cold war, United States of America maintained its role in the international system and became the only pole that dominated the international affairs while Russia tried to overcome the challenges inherited from the former Soviet Union, and it succeeded in th
... Show MoreBackground Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disorder with rising prevalence. Early detection of structural damage is difficult. Consequently, there is a pressing demand for reliable biomarkers that enable an earlier diagnosis of osteoarthritis. The aim is to investigate the level of serum fibulin-3 in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis and its correlation with disease severity. Subjects and methods A case–control study was conducted at the Baqubah Teaching Hospital from November 2023 to January 2024. One hundred twenty persons participated in this study (eighty females with the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis in its early and late stages, and forty age-matched, apparently healthy control. Serum fibulin-3, ESR, CRP, and cal
... Show MoreBackground: Fruits and their by-products are the primary sources of bioactive chemicals in plants. Because of its phytochemical richness, Annona squamosa fruits have gained the alertness of people willing in health-promoting diets. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the cytocompatibility effect of ethanolic crude extract of Annona squamosa pulp against a human normal cell line as a mouthwash for children. Material and method: The ethanolic extract of Annona squamosa pulp was extracted using the ultrasonic method and then lyophilized to make it powder. The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) test was performed to investigate the cytotoxic activity of the pulp extract on a human normal cell l
... Show MoreA simple indirect spectrophotometric method for determination of mebendazol in pure and pharmaceutical formulation was presented in this study. UV-Visible spectrophotometry using the optimal conditions was developed for determination of mebendazole in pure drug and different preparation samples. The method is based on the oxidation of drug by nbromosuccinimide with hydrochloric acid and the left amount of oxidizing agent was determined by the reaction with tartarazine and the absorbance was measured at 428 nm. Calibration curves were linear in the range of 5 to 30 µg.mL-1 with molar absorptivity 8437.2 L.mol-1 .cm-1 . The limits of detection and quantification were determined and found to be 0.7770 µg.mL-1 and 2.3400 µg.mL-1 respec
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