Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune diseasecharacterized by chronic inflammationthat affects joints and cartilage. Bone complications such asRA-relatedosteoporosis are one of the most extra-articular manifestations. Many inflammatory mediators are released during RA disease pathophysiology; these mediators stimulate osteoclast genesis of bone by direct effects on RANKL and OPG. The study aimedto measure RANKL, OPG in RA patients treated with Etanercept only and other groups treated with Methotrexate onlyat baseline and after three months to evaluate bone state. An observational case-control prospective study was done on 30 RA patients who received MTX, 30 RA patients who received ETN, and 30 healthy,age-matched control groups. The level of RANKL and OPG was measured at baseline and after three months of therapy by immunoenzymatically assay (ELISA). The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed usingthe statistical package for social science. The result demonstrated that RANKL level had a positive correlation with age and disease duration in contrast to OPG level showed a negative correlation with age and duration of disease. In the patients group treated with MTX at baseline, the RANKL level was significantly higher (181.336±65.583) than post-therapy (166.097±69.229), while the OPG level at baseline significantly lower (594.398±133.238) than post therapy (614.499±150.879). In ETN treated patients, the level of RANKL in baseline was significantly higher than (231.247±73.134) RANKL level post-therapy (200.363±76.807), while OPG level in baseline waslower (463.263±96.392) than post therapy (503.608±107.692). The study demonstrated in baseline RANKL/OPG ratio significant higher (0.4340±0.234) than post therapy (0.3690±0.222). All RA patients had or were at high risk for osteoporosis.Both Etanarcept and methotrexate produce insignificant differences on OPG and RANKL levels, in the same time this biomarkers are not good indicators for bone state.
Avascular necrosis have always presented great challenges to orthopedic surgeons and patients, remain in many ways today the unsolved dilemma. Varieties of non-vascularized bone grafting techniques preceded by core decompression have been proposed with varying degrees of success. O bb j ee cc t i vv ee ss : The aim of this study is to review the the value of core decompression and non-vascularized tibial bone strip graft treatment for early stages of non-traumatic osteonecrosis stage II & III according to stein burg staging . M ee t hh oo dd ss : prospectively reviewed 26 patients (32 hips) with osteonecrosis of the femoral head between June 2006 and December 2013 at Imam Ali hospital in Sader city & Al-Wasity teaching hosp
... Show MoreIntroduction/Aim. Roughly six percent of all malignancies diagnosed in children are malignant bone tumors. They have a dramatic effect on psychological status of children and their families. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinico-pathological features of bone tumors in Iraqi children and to assess response to treatment, outcome, and survival. Patients and methods. Over an eleven-year period, a retrospective study was done for children with bone tumors conducted on patients data that included a battery of pre-treatment investigations including a complete blood count, serum electrolyte, hepatic, and renal profile, bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, fine-needle aspiration, and imaging studies. Results. Data of 41 children with b
... Show MoreThe aim of this study is to investigate the antibacterial capabilities of different coating durations of three nanoparticle (NP) coatings: molybdenum (Mo), tantalum (Ta), and zinc oxide (ZnO), and their effects on the surface characteristics of 316L stainless steel (SS). The coated substrates underwent characterization utilizing field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) techniques. The antibacterial efficacy of NPs was evaluated using the agar diffusion method. The FE-SEM and EDX images confirmed the presence of nano-sized particles of Mo, Ta, and ZnO on the surface of the substrates with perfectly symmetrical spheres and a uniform distribution of
... Show MoreReconstruction in Iraq requires coherent legitimate frameworks that are able to detail obligations, rights and responsibilities of the parties participating in reconstruction projects, regardless their type or delivery system.
Conditions of Contract can be considered an important component of these frameworks. This paper investigates flexibility and appropriateness of the application of Iraqi conditions of contract in reconstruction projects. These conditions were compared to FIDIC Conditions. The objective wasn't comparing individual clauses, but rather exploring the principles and philosophy laying behind each conditions, and to what extent each conditions care about realizing equity between main contract parties. Validity of applic
This paper is interested in comparing the performance of the traditional methods to estimate parameter of exponential distribution (Maximum Likelihood Estimator, Uniformly Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator) and the Bayes Estimator in the case of data to meet the requirement of exponential distribution and in the case away from the distribution due to the presence of outliers (contaminated values). Through the employment of simulation (Monte Carlo method) and the adoption of the mean square error (MSE) as criterion of statistical comparison between the performance of the three estimators for different sample sizes ranged between small, medium and large (n=5,10,25,50,100) and different cases (wit
... Show More إن المقصود باختبارات حسن المطابقة هو التحقق من فرضية العدم القائمة على تطابق مشاهدات أية عينة تحت الدراسة لتوزيع احتمالي معين وترد مثل هكذا حالات في التطبيق العملي بكثرة وفي كافة المجالات وعلى الأخص بحوث علم الوراثة والبحوث الطبية والبحوث الحياتية ,عندما اقترح كلا من Shapiro والعالم Wilk عام 1965 اختبار حسن المطابقة الحدسي مع معالم القياس
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Certain bacterial and viral infectious agents may play a role in the activation of inflammation in atherosclerosis lesions. Epidemiological studies indicate that infectious agents may predispose patients to atherosclerosis as Infections have been associated with an increased risk of this disease. Moreover, a positive antibody status has been detected against some infectious organisms associated with atherosclerotic rupture. Infectious agents found in human atheroma, which may directly cause or accelerate atherosclerosis , include many pathogens but the present study focused on Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B virus surface antigen and C. In order to evaluate the possible association between H. pylori, HBV, and HCV infections and the risk of
... Show MoreIn the present study, the effect of Zinc nanoparticles on levels of (T3 , T4 and TSH) hormones was investigated. Zinc nanoparticles were synthesized by Laser induced plasma.The Nd: YAG Nd: YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used to generate nanomaterials of the elements (zinc) upon collision with target atoms. Plasma generated by different laser intensity is generated. After confirming the preparation of zinc nanoparticles, XRD, AFM was examined, and the effect of these substances on the thyroid gland (T3, T4, TSH) was observed for two doses of each component (1 ml / kg, 4 ml / kg) after conducting a cytotoxicity examination of the lymphocytes of the rats extracted from Rat spleen was 1.8% less toxic to zinc, and as noted The
... Show MoreThe study aimed to evaluate the benefits of transferrin saturation percentage (TSAT) and serum ferritin in assessing body iron status, which can influence erythropoietin treatment in patients with ESRD. Forty end-stage renal disease patients on regular hemodialysis participated in this study. Clinical data were obtained. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, ferritin, albumin, creatinine, and C-reactive protein were investigated. Thirty healthy people were enrolled as a control group. ESRD patients had a mean age of 45.1±13.9 years, with 60% being males. They exhibited significantly lower hematocrit (25.3±6.5%), and higher platelet (285.7±148.1x10^9/L) and WBC (9.4±3.1x10^9/L) counts compared to healthy contro
... Show MoreBack ground: Oral isotretinoin is recommended
for sever nodulocystic acne in the doses 0.5-
2mg/kg/day which is usually associated with higher
incidence of adverse effects. To reduce the
incidence of side-effects and to make it more costeffective,
the lower dose regimen of isotretinoin has
been used.
Aim: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of
oral isotretinoin 10mg and 20mg/day in acne
vulgaris.
Methods: one hundred and twenty patients with
acne vulgaris were randomized into two treatment
regimens each consisting of 60 patients. The first
was treated with 10mg/day and the second group
with 20mg/day for 24 weeks. Fifty five patients
from the first group and 47 patients from the second