Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is considered a parasitic contagion resulting from the flagellated parasite belonging to the genus of Leishmania. Also, cutaneous leishmaniasis is a zoonotic ailment transmitted through the bloodsucking sand-flies bite (belonging to the Phlebotomus genus). The disease's reservoirs included wild or semi-domesticated animals, in general rodents and dogs. Tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is one of the extracellular matrix proteins that have a role in vessel wall degeneration and aneurysm development. In addition, it belongs to the zinc-dependent endopeptidases family that are involved in the degradation of connective tissues proteins which are included in vascular integrity maintenance. The Genetic deviations in the TIMP-1 genes might impact their expression at the transcription level or the enzyme activity. Therefore, the present study aimed to detect the impact of TIMP-1 serum level and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs41454248 and rs1043428 among the cutaneous leishmaniasis patients’ group compared to the control group. Subjects: Seventy-five cutaneous leishmaniasis patients (39 males and 36 females) with the age mean 23.91 ± 13.14 years participated in this study, compared to the matched number, age, and gender of a healthy control group (75: 38 males and 37 females) with the age mean 22.84 ± 4.35 years. In the current study, the serum level of TIM-1 and rs41454248 and rs1043428 SNPs were studied among the cutaneous leishmaniasis patients’ group compared to the control group. Results: The findings of the TIMP-1 level referred to a significant decrease among the cutaneous leishmaniasis patients’ group compared to the healthy control group (26339.67 ± 900.79 vs. 33480.25 ± 1098.63). Such, the rs41454248 SNPs findings referred that the GG genotype and G allele were non-significantly increased frequency percentage in cutaneous leishmaniasis patients group compared to the healthy control group (29.33 vs. 18.67%, OR: 1.81, p = 0.180; 55.0 vs. 47.0%, OR: 1.38, p = 0.204 respectively). Also, the high OR value of GG genotype and G allele referred to this genotype and allele might be a risk factor for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Likewise, the findings of rs1043428 SNPs appeared that the CC genotype and C allele were significantly increased frequency percentage in cutaneous leishmaniasis patients' group compared to the control group (37.33 vs. 4.0%, OR: 14.30, p = 3.6 × 10−7; 57.0 vs. 21.33, OR: 4.82, p = 4.5 × 10−10). Also, the high OR value of CC genotype and C allele referred to this genotype and allele might be risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis. In addition, the CG genotype appeared a non-significant increased frequency percentage in the patients' group compared to the control group and the value of OR referred to might be a risk factor for cutaneous leishmaniasis (33.33 vs. 25.33, OR: 1.47, p = 0.370). In addition, the serum level of TIMP-1 with the rs41454248 was significantly decreased in GA and AA genotypes of the patients’ group compared to the control. While the level was non-significantly decreased in the GG genotype of the patients' group compared to the control group. Likewise, the level of TIMP-1 with the rs1043428 was non-significantly decreased in all genotypes (except TT genotype) of the patients' group compared to the control. Whereas, a significant decrease level was appeared in the TT genotype of the patients' group compared to the healthy control group. Conclusion: The current findings demonstrated a significant association between TIMP-1 serum level and genetic polymorphisms (rs1043428 and rs41454248) among cutaneous leishmaniasis patients.
Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is an important respiratory bacterial pathogen, especially among children. It causes acute upper and lower respiratory infections.Objective: This study was aimed to measure anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies among hospitalized children who were admitted to hospital diagnosed with acute respiratory tract infections.Method: Automated ELISA technique was performed to detect anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies (IgM and IgG antibodies) in serum from 108 children less than 5 years old. The children were admitted to the Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Suleimani city/Kurdistan Region/Iraq because of acute respiratory tract infections. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic and clinical data fr
... Show MoreSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the autoimmune disorders, generated by a production of specific autoantibodies against self-antigens before the occurrence of clinical symptoms. The etiology of disease is still unknown, although there have been several infectious agents that have been associated with SLE development, especially in genetically predisposed individuals. Herpes simplex virus-I and -II (HSV-I and -II) and Toxoplasma gondiiare two infectious agents that have been suggested to be involved in SLE etiology. Accordingly, the present study assessed anti- HSV-I and -II and anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in sera of 64 SLE female patients and 32 healthy control women. The patients w
... Show MoreBackground: This study aims to determine whether cigarette smoking and anxiety degrees are related among nurses. Methods: A correlation design study was conducted at Baquba Teaching Hospital in Diyala Governorate, and the study period extended from September 10th, 2023, to January 28th, 2024. A nonprobability purposive sample was used to include 200 nurses working at Baquba Teaching Hospital, Iraq. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from January 10th to February 7th, 2024. There were two components to the study instruments. Initially, the demographic sheet contained the individuals' sociodemographic data. The Taylor manifest anxiety scale is included in the second section. The collected data were analyzed us
... Show MoreBackground: Community pharmacists endure significantly elevated levels of work-related stress and depression, posing a threat to their overall well-being and possibly affecting the quality of patient care. Objectives: To explore workplace-associated stress and depression in Iraqi community pharmacists. Methods: This observational study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Information was gathered through the utilization of an internet-based survey. The study involved a community pharmacist with a minimum of one year of experience working at community pharmacies. The survey utilized pre-validated questionnaires. The level of stress experienced was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)-10, while the level of depression was
... Show MoreCoronary artery disease (CAD) is a major health concern and leading of death in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Glutathione S – Transferase(GST) are known for their broad range of detoxification and in the metabolism of xenobiotics . The role of functional variants of these genes in the development of various disorder is proven. We investigated the possible role of these variants in the development of CAD in T2DM patients. In this case – control study a total of 60 patients (T2DM = 30 ; T2DM – CAD = 30) and 30 controls were included. Serum lipid profiles were measured and DNA was extracted from the blood samples. Multiplex PCR for GSTT1/M1 (present / null) polymorphism, were performed for genotyping of study pa
... Show MoreSalmonellosis in poultry is one of the most significant bacterial infections causing mortality, reduced production, and serious economic losses. This study aimed to study the molecular diversity among Salmonella isolates and investigate the epidemiological spread of these bacteria in broiler and layer chicken flocks in five different farms in Karbala, Iraq, using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In total, 217 cloac a swabs were collected from the farms, out of which 129 and 88 swabs were taken from broiler and layer chickens. The samples were screened by PCR for S. enterica subsp. enterica using primers specific for the invA gene. Afterward, RAPD-PCR with uniplex or multiplex octamer primers was appli
... Show MoreIn this study, a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to detect damage in curved beam model, stiffness as well as mass matrices of the curved beam elements is formulated using Hamilton's principle. Each node of the curved beam element possesses seven degrees of freedom including the warping degree of freedom. The curved beam element had been derived based on the Kang and Yoo’s thin-walled curved beam theory. The identification of damage is formulated as an optimization problem, binary and continuous genetic algorithms
(BGA, CGA) are used to detect and locate the damage using two objective functions (change in natural frequencies, Modal Assurance Criterion MAC). The results show the objective function based on change in natural frequency i