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-19 Control Centers in Baghdad, compared to 25 healthy subjects, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from January 2021 to April 2022. Results: Serum levels of Periostin among studied groups with (mild - moderate, severe - critical, post-COVID, and controls) were (17.3, 664, 597, and 48) ng/dl respectively. The serum concentration of Periostin was highly significant in (severe- critical and post-COVID) than in other groups. Conclusions: The elevated level of serum Periostin in COVID-19 patients correlated with disease severity and post-COVID lung complications. The high Periostin level is consistent with high inflammatory markers, which might be used as an indicator of COVID-19 severity and predict a bad prognosis.
The research aims at identifying the organizational performance of the kindergarten teachers and defines the educational environment of kindergarten children. To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher adopted the organizational performance scale for (Saadi, 2016), which was applied to kindergarten teachers. The scale consists of (43) paragraphs, and has good reliability and validity, as the coefficient of reliability (84.0) in a retest method, and (87.0) using the formula Alpha Kronbach. Additionally, the researcher adopted the educational environment scale for (Radam, 2015); the scale consists of (66) paragraphs, and it enjoys a good reliability and validity, as the coefficient of reliability (89.0) method of reliability
... Show MoreCholinesterases are among the most efficient enzymes known. They are divided into two groups: acetylcholinesterase (AChE) involved in the hydrolysis of the neurotransimitter acetylcholine, and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) of unknown function. Several crystal structures of the former have shown that the active site is located at the bottom of a deep and narrow gorge. Human BChE has attracted attention because it can hydrolyze toxic esters and nerve agents. Here we analyze the complexes of cholinesterase with soman by describing the 3D geometry of the complex, the active site, the changes happened through the inhibition and provide a description for the mechanism of inhibition. Soman undergoes degradation in the active site of the AChE and BC
... Show MoreCholinesterases are among the most efficient enzymes known. They are divided into two groups: acetylcholinesterase (AChE) involved in the hydrolysis of the neurotransimitter acetylcholine, and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) of unknown function. Several crystal structures of the former have shown that the active site is located at the bottom of a deep and narrow gorge. Human BChE has attracted attention because it can hydrolyze toxic esters and nerve agents. Here we analyze the complexes of cholinesterase with soman by describing the 3D geometry of the complex, the active site, the changes happened through the inhibition and provide a description for the mechanism of inhibition. Soman undergoes degradation in the active site of the AChE and B
... Show MoreBackground: ?-L-Fucose is a methyl pentose sugar, had the ability to kill bacteria, controlling infection and normalize immune function. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of sulcular injection of fucose on rabbits periodontium , throughout measuring the level of some proinflammatory cytokine ; interlukine 1beta ( IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor ( TNF-alpha) in sera of rabbits before fucose injection and at 3 days after fucose injection. Materials and Methods: The study was carried on using ( 20 ) male rabbits of the same species weighted (1-1.5 kg ) , the blood samples were collected from hearts of 20 rabbits before fucose injection and consider as( non injected group) , and after 3 days of fucose injection and con
... Show MoreAtenolol is one of beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agent. It is widely used for the treatment of hypertension as a selective antihypertensive drug. But long term usage of atenolol may cause one of the cardiovascular diseases like myocardial infarction. To prove the relationship between atenolol and cardiovascular disease, measurement of creatinekinase-MB as a diagnostic indicator in early and long term usage of this drug by hypertensive patients is recommended. A comparative study was conducted in Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital–Emergency Department- on 30 hypertensive patients using atenolol. They were divided into (2) groups A and B according to the duration of the drug usage. Group A- (15) patients with a mean age (56
... Show MoreIn this work various correlation methods were employed to investigate the annual cross-correlation patterns among three different ionospheric parameters: Optimum Working Frequency (OWF), Highest Probable Frequency (HPF), and Best Usable Frequency (BUF). The annual predicted dataset for these parameters were generated using VOCAP and ASASPS models based on the monthly Sunspot Numbers (SSN) during two years of solar cycle 24, minimum 2009 and maximum 2014. The investigation was conducted for Thirty-two different transmitter/receiver stations distributed over Middle East. The locations were selected based on the geodesic parameters which were calculated for different path lengths (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000) km and bearings (N, NE, E, S
... Show MoreA total of 247 Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos L.) from Baghdad and Kut were examined for the Cestodes Diorchis stefanskii Sobolevicanthes gracilis; Hymenolepis mastigopraditae and the Nematode Amidostomum acutum in the first time in Iraq . Among these , 151 birds were found infected by these helminthes It has been found small nodules on the external surface of the intestine , Ulceration of mucosa inflammatory infiltrate , Oedemats changes and hyperplasia in the section of infected intestine were noticed.
This article focuses on the relationship of gender to the effectiveness of both women and men in public relations work. Its aim is to identify the extent to which public relations employees are aware of the concept of gender, and to reveal the role of the institution in determining certain roles for both women and men at work, as well as to find out which employees are most effective in public relations activities within the institution.
The researcher uses public relations employees and officials in Iraqi ministries as a research sample to capture the point of view of both parties on the effectiveness of workers in public relations based on the definition of gender. The sample consists of 396 individuals
... Show MoreOxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of peripheral artery disease (PAD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of clopidogrel on oxidative stress in PAD patients. Seventy subjects were divided into three groups: PAD patients before treatment (B-PAD), PAD patients after treatment with clopidogrel (A-PAD), and healthy controls. Serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and oxidized protein were measured. SOD activities were also determined. The results showed that SOD activities, and SOD specific activities were significantly decreased in PAD patients compared to healthy individuals. After treatment with clopidogrel, SOD activities, and SOD specific activities were continuous
... Show MoreObjective To investigate the accuracy of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) E-cadherin and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) to discriminate periodontal health from disease. Subjects and Methods GCF samples were collected from participants with periodontal health (control), gingivitis, and periodontitis (n = 25 each group). The latter group was further subdivided according to stage (S) and grade. Periodontal parameters were recorded then levels of biomarkers were assayed using ELISA and antioxidant status by use of the Total Antioxidant Capacity Assay for E-cadherin and TAC, respectively. Results All periodontal parameters were significantly higher in periodontally diseased groups than controls. The GCF E-cadherin significantly increased
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