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.
Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) virus is a recognized important cause of congenital CMV infection which carries a significant risk for symptomatic disease and developmental defects in newborns. Its prevalence varies from place to other and time to time. This study is conducted to estimate its prevalence in Baghdad among infants suspected of having a congenital infection and to study the associated findings.
Subjects and Methods: The study was carried out in Al-Alwyia pediatrics teaching hospital. Data were collected, and blood samples were taken for infants suspected to have intrauterine infections over a period of one year, from 1 October 2019 to 1 October 2020. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests for CMV w
... Show MoreThe problem of job burnout has become one of the main problems for researchers in social welfare organizations (social protection bodies) - one of the formations of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Its negative effects increased in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in light of the Corona pandemic, the pressures and burdens of workers varied, which resulted in high rates of anxiety, tension, and intellectual and physical exhaustion, and then negatively affected their efficiency in performing work at the individual and organizational level, especially after the increasing tasks of these Bodies in carrying out their role in achieving the general goals and objectives as beingThe general goals are that they are responsible for providi
... Show MoreLipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Campylobacter coli was extracted using digestive enzyme and hot phenol water method. Anti-LPS was prepared by injecting rabbits with different concentration of LPS. The result showed that the titer of anti-LPS antibodies using precipitation test is 40, the result also showed Histopathological effect of partial pure LPS. It was found that the LPS caused slightly effect represent as intestinal villi atrophy and aggregation of hyperplasia of lymphocyte cells payers patch, while effect on liver was sinusoids dilation with few inflammation cell infiltration, congestion and dispersed necrotized hepatocyte. Also we found effects on spleen cell as widening of white and red pulp, diffused hyperplasia of lymphoid cells and
... Show MoreBackground: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2) which utilizes angiotensin converting enzyme2 (ACE2) to invade the host cells. This membrane-bound peptidase is widely distributed in the body; its activity antagonizes the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Once SARS-Cov2 enters the cell, it causes downregulation of ACE2, resulting in the unopposed activation of RAAS. The unregulated activity of the RAAS system can deteriorate the prognosis in COVID-19 patients. A soluble form of ACE2 (sACE2) was reported to have a role in the SARS-Cov2 invasion of the susceptible cells.
Aim of the study: This study aims to inve
... Show MoreEnhancing quality image fusion was proposed using new algorithms in auto-focus image fusion. The first algorithm is based on determining the standard deviation to combine two images. The second algorithm concentrates on the contrast at edge points and correlation method as the criteria parameter for the resulted image quality. This algorithm considers three blocks with different sizes at the homogenous region and moves it 10 pixels within the same homogenous region. These blocks examine the statistical properties of the block and decide automatically the next step. The resulted combined image is better in the contras
... Show MoreAn experimental study was performed to estimate the forced convection heat transfer performance and the pressure drop of a single layer graphene (GNPs) based DI-water nanofluid in a circular tube under a laminar flow and a uniform heat flux boundary conditions. The viscosity and thermal conductivity of nanofluid at weight concentrations of (0.1 to 1 wt%) were measured. The effects of the velocity of flow, heat flux and nanoparticle weight concentrations on the enhancement of the heat transfer are examined. The Nusselt number of the GNPs nanofluid was enhanced as the heat flux and the velocity of flow rate increased, and the maximum Nusselt number ratio (Nu nanofluid/ Nu base fluid) and thermal performance factor
... Show MoreThe thyroid gland is a vital part of the overall endocrine system, which is regulated some of body function as oxygen use, basal metabolic rate, growth, cellular metabolism and development This study shed light on a number of extracts that have been shown to have beneficial effects on the thyroid and its function, as well as the various factors linked to thyroid dysfunction. The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of a mixture of two extracts of "Fucus vesiculosus (150 mg/ kg) with Coleus forskohlii (1000 mg/ kg) and Rosmarinus officinalis (220 mg/ kg) with Camellia sinensis (1.25 mg/ kg)" on thyroid hormones as well as lipids profile and tested the effectiveness of two drugs one of them stimulates the hormones of the thyroid (
... Show MoreDue to its association with hepatocellular carcinoma and being one of the ten most common malignancies worldwide, hepatitis C viral infection has become a severe public health concern. Therefore, establishing an accurate, reliable and sensitive diagnostic test for this infection is strongly advised. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been created to achieve this purpose. The current study was established to investigate the hepatitis C virus among Iraqi patients with chronic renal failure and to detect the virus immunologically by the fourth generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique and molecularly by real-time PCR. As a result, out of 50 patients with chronic renal failure undergoing dialysis, 39 patients tes
... Show MoreBlood lipids are important mediators of host defense during the acute phase of innate immunity. Parasites may induce significant changes in lipid parameters, as has been shown in vitro study where substitution of serum by lipid/cholesterol in medium and in experimental models (in vivo). Thus changes in lipid profile occur in patients that having active infections with most of the parasites. Toxoplasma cannot synthesize cholesterol and depends upon acquisition of low density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived from the host cell, via endocytosis mediated by the LDL receptor or the LDL receptor-related protein.The present study is conducted to evaluate the changes in lipid profile in T. gondii infected women.A total of patients included 87 aborted wom
... Show MoreSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, in which the etiology is not well-understood; however, interactions between environmental and genetic factors in predisposed individuals have been recognized. As a consequence, immunological alternations occur and immune cells are involved, especially T and B lymphocytes that are activated to produce different immune components. Among these components are autoantibodies that react with self-antigens aside from non-self-antigens due to the proposed theory of molecular mimicry. Accordingly, the current study was designed to examine the profile of different autoantibodies in SLE patients by using the indirect membrane based enzyme immunoassay