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.
The present study aimed to investigate the acetamiprid effects on biochemical aspects in albino mice. Thirty albino mice at the age of 6-8 weeks and average weight 25±5 g were divided into three groups each having ten (10) healthy mice. The first group was orally administrated with distilled water while the second and third groups were orally administrated with 50 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL respectively of acetamprid (0.1 mL) daily for one week. LD50 of acetamiprid was measured and found to be 200 mg/kg. The parameters of evaluations included liver function using Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP). Lipid profile was anal
... Show MoreThe medicinal plants (Astragalus species) have been used traditionally as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and Anti-diabetics. The current research investigates the phytochemistry and some biological activity of methanol extract of different parts of Astragalus bruguieri Bioss., a wild medicinal plant grows on Safeen mountain, Erbil, Iraq. The methanol extracts of A. bruguieri were analyzed for total phenolic, flavonoid, and saponin contents. In-vitro antioxidant activity was analyzed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Furthermore, the plant extracts were examined for in-vitro enzyme inhibitory activity and in-v
... Show MoreBackground. Colorectal cancer, ranking second place in global cancer mortality, arises from diverse causes. There is growing recognition of the substantial involvement of the epigenetic modifications of histones at the DNA level in the occurrence of CRC. Aim. To assess the expression of p53, HDAC1, and HDAC3 proteins in a cohort of CRC patients and to analyze potential relationship between their expression and the stages of CRC progression. Materials and Methods. The retrospective investigation was carried out on 95 paraffin-embedded CRC tissue samples. The expression of p53, HDAC1, and HDAC3 was assessed immunohistochemically. Results. Notably, the expression of the p53 protein in CRC tissue samples exhibited a prominent correlatio
... Show MoreKidney tumors are of different types having different characteristics and also remain challenging in the field of biomedicine. It becomes very important to detect the tumor and classify it at the early stage so that appropriate treatment can be planned. Accurate estimation of kidney tumor volume is essential for clinical diagnoses and therapeutic decisions related to renal diseases. The main objective of this research is to use the Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) algorithms to help the early detection of kidney tumors that addresses the challenges of accurate kidney tumor volume estimation caused by extensive variations in kidney shape, size and orientation across subjects.
In this paper, have tried to implement an automated segmentati
Earth dams in regions with moderate to high seismic activity are crucial for protecting downstream communities. Iraq and its neighboring areas have seen recurrent seismic activity, notably the 2017 Halabja Earthquake, which potentially compromised the integrity of the existing earth dam. The Darbandikhan Dam, affected by an earthquake, has inadequacies in its crest and downstream slope, presenting a greater danger of significant earthquake-induced damage compared to cyclic shocks. Consequently, evaluating the dam's safety is essential for safeguarding downstream residents and identifying optimal ways to avert slope stability failure amid recurrent seismic activity. Iraq's seismicity map is being updated to reflect earthquake magni
... Show MoreEarly detection of brain tumors is critical for enhancing treatment options and extending patient survival. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning gives more detailed information, such as greater contrast and clarity than any other scanning method. Manually dividing brain tumors from many MRI images collected in clinical practice for cancer diagnosis is a tough and time-consuming task. Tumors and MRI scans of the brain can be discovered using algorithms and machine learning technologies, making the process easier for doctors because MRI images can appear healthy when the person may have a tumor or be malignant. Recently, deep learning techniques based on deep convolutional neural networks have been used to analyze med
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to assess the potential impact of serum concentration of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (the active form of osteocalcin) and fibroblast growth factor-23 on the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetics with carotid artery calcification and the possible association with metabolic changes in relation to glucose and minerals homeostasis.
This study included 52 men with carotid artery calcification type 2 diabetes mellitus. These patients were categorized; as follows: group A includes 30 patients who had cardiovascular disease and group B includes 22 patients who had no cardiovascular disease. These groups were compared with 25 apparently healthy control (Group C).
It has been shown
... Show MoreThe effect of α-particle irradiation on the optical absorption in nuclear track detectors (LR115) has been studied. These detectors have been irradiated with different doses. The optical absorption has been measured using the ultraviolet-visible (UV-1100) spectroscopy, that irradiation results in shifting the peaks of the optical absorption. The values of Urbach energy have been calculated from the position of steady-state optical band gap energy, for a standard sample which was unirradiated with indirect influence, has been found 1.9 eV whereas its value after irradiation 1.98 eV. In case of the direct influence, it is found to be, respectively, before irradiation 1.98 eV and after irradiation 2.05 eV. From these results, we can
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