Pregnancy and childbirth are physiological states characterized by sudden hormonal and immunologically described changes. The current study aimed to investigate the influence of maternal variables (age, previous abortion, placental position, and fetal position) on some physiological biomarkers, such as oxytocin (OT), prolactin (PRL), cortisol, and insulin growth factor 2 (IGF -2) and some immune biomarkers such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in Iraqi women undergoing caesarean section (CS). Blood samples were collected from 48 pregnant women in the age range (16-43 years) and serum was obtained to determine the levels of the above biomarkers. The effect of maternal age on physiological biomarkers showed that OT levels increased significantly with maternal age (P≤0.001), whereas PRL, cortisol, and IGF-2 levels were not (P˃0.05), showing differences between age categories. The effect of maternal age on immune biomarkers showed that PD-1 levels decreased significantly (P<0.05) and PD-L1 and PD-1/PD-L1 levels were highly significant (P≤ 0.001), however, IL-6 level shows a non-significant (P˃0.05) difference between age categories. Regarding the effect of previous abortion, statistical analysis showed that cortisol levels were significantly (P<0.05) lower in women with previous abortion compared to women without previous abortion, while OT, PRL, and IGF-2 levels were not significantly different (P ˃ 0.05) difference between the two groups. PD-1 and PD-L1 levels showed a significant (P<0.05) decrease in women with previous abortion compared with women without abortion, while IL-6 mirror images did not differ significantly (P˃0.05) between the two groups. The effect of placenta position showed that when the placenta was in the anterior position, the PRL level was significantly increased (P≤0.001), IGF-2 level was significantly decreased (P<0.05), while the OT and cortisol levels were significantly higher (P≤0.001) compared with the posterior position There was no significant difference between the two groups (P˃0.05). When the placenta was located in the anterior compared with the posterior, the level of PD-L1 was significantly (P<0.05) lower, while the levels of PD-1 and PD -1/PD- were not significantly different (P˃0.05). L1 and IL-6 between the two groups. According to fetal position, statistical analysis showed no significant difference in all physiological and immune biomarkers when the fetus was in cephalic or breech position (P˃0.05). It can be concluded that the more maternal variables which affect on the physiological and immunological biomarkers of the women undergoing caesarean section are maternal age and a previous abortion.
Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Effect of Stevia Rebaudiana (Bertoni) Alcoholic Leaves Extract on Streptococcus Oralis (Dental Plaques Primary Colonizer), Manar Ibrahim
Background: Lateral cephalometric radiography is commonly used as a standard tool in orthodontic assessment and treatment planning. This study aimed to determine the tongue and surrounding space area in a sample of Iraqi adults with class I dental and skeletal pattern. Materials and methods: The study included thirty healthy subjects (15 males and 15 females) with an age ranged between 23-34 years and class I dental and skeletal pattern with no history of any sleep related disorders. The assessed cephalometric measurement included length and height of the tongue and position of hyoid bone from cervical line. Descriptive statistics were obtained for the data. Genders difference was evaluated by independent sample t-test. Results: There wer
... Show MoreBackground: While warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are used to manage thromboembolic events, they possess several features that impact adherence. Objective: To assess medication adherence and self-efficacy in patients receiving warfarin or DOAC treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital in Baghdad from December 2022 to May 2023 on patients receiving either warfarin or DOACs. The Arabic version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) questionnaire and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6C) questionnaire were used to assess adherence and self-efficacy. Results: 181 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 56.9% received warfarin an
... Show MoreAIM: The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of myeloproliferative disorders in a sample of Iraqi patients and to measure the changes in patients’ blood parameters. BACKGROUND: Myeloproliferative disorders are a group of neoplasms affecting the bone marrow progenitor cells characterized by excess cells with a risk of transforming to acute leukemia. There is a gap in knowledge about the prevalence of Iraqi population. Thus, we investigated the prevalence and distribution of different types of myeloproliferative disorders in a sample of Iraqi patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study is done at the National Center of Hematology from November 2019 till March 2020 on 75 patients who were diagnosed
... Show MoreRecently, Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was considered as one of the autoimmune diseases that the genetic and environmental factors contributed in the disease etiological profile. According to the environmental factors, infectious agents have been concluded to have a role in the etiology and pathogenesis of SLE. Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae are among these infectious agents that have been suggested to be involved in the etiology of SLE. Accordingly, the current study was designed to assess the anti-C. pneumoniae and anti-M. pneumoniae IgG antibody status by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the sera of 64 Iraqi SLE females' patients and 32 Iraqi healthy females as controls. The patients' group were distribu
... Show MoreBackground: The gene responsible for encoding the protein of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) has been found to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in different ethnic populations. But the association of +49A/G CTLA-4 polymorphism with susceptibility of RA among Iraqi Arab populations has not yet been determined. Methods: One hundred and seventy-eight patients were examined, 67 of them were males (mean age 54.71 ± 10.4 years), while 167 were examined for the control group, of whom 64 were males and the rest were females. CTLA-4 DNA genotyping was carried on to determine the +49 A/G (rs231775) polymorphism using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Enzyme-linked immuno
... Show MoreAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) represents one kind of advanced arthritis formed via inflammatory stimuli long-term in the spin‘s joints. Interleukin (IL)-29 (interferon- lambda1(IFN- λ1)), interleukin (IL)-28A (interferon- lambda 2 (IFN- λ2)) and interleukin (IL)-28B (interferon- lambda 3(IFN-λ3)) are three interferon lambda (IFN- λs) molecules that have recently been identified as new members of the IFN family. IL-28B expression in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is not well understood. 150 male healthy controls ((HC) and 160 males with AS as patients group participated in this study. Serum level and gene polymorphism were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Sanger sequencing for IL-28B, respectively. The results showed
... Show MoreIn this paper, two types of iron oxide nanomaterial (Fe3O4) and nanocomposite (T-Fe3O4) were created from the bio-waste mass of tangerine peel. These two materials were utilized for adsorption tests to remove cefixime (CFX) from an aqueous solution. Before the adsorption application, both adsorbents have been characterized by various characterizations such as XRD, FTIR, VSM, TEM, and FESEM. The mesoporous nano-crystalline structure of Fe3O4 and T-Fe3O4 nanocomposite with less than 100-nm diameter is confirmed. The adsorption of the obtained adsorbents was evaluated for CFX removal by adjusting several operation parameters to optimize the removal. The optimal conditions for CFX removal were found to be an initial concentration of 40 and 50 m
... Show MoreIn this work, study the optical properties of composites consisting of poly Methyl Methacrylate and Berry Paper Mulberry. The samples of composites were prepared using casting method .The Berry Paper Mulberry (BPM) was added by different concentrations are (0, 2, 4 and 6)wt.%. The optical properties of composites have been studied in the wavelength range (200-800)nm. The absorption coefficient ,energy gap, refractive index, extinction coefficient and dielectric constants have been determined. The results show that the optical constants change with increase of BPM concentrations .