Objectives: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is WNT/b-catenin pathway antagonist which plays a detrimental role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This research aimed to assess serum DKK-1 levels in diabetic patients who have and have not developed DR and, compare them with the control subjects finding out whether we can use it as an indicator for DR early diagnosis and to find out which one of the widely used two groups of antidiabetic treatments had the greater effect on this biomarker and hence on the progression of DR. Methods: The study participants were divided into two subgroups: First, 70 patients (36 male, 34 female) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, among them 35 patients diagnosed with DR and 35 with no evidence of DR, and s

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic worldwide. On a daily basis the number of deaths associated with COVID-19 is rapidly increasing. The main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 is through the air (airborne transmission). This review details the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the aerodynamics, and different modes of transmission (e.g. droplets, droplet nuclei, and aerosol particles). SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted by an infected person during activities such as expiration, coughing, sneezing, and talking. During such activities and some medical procedures, aerosols and droplets contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 particles are formed. Depending on their

This contribution reports a comprehensive investigation into the structural, electronic and thermal properties of bulk and surface terbium dioxide (TbO2); a material that enjoys wide spectra of catalytic and optical applications. Our calculated lattice dimension of 5.36 Å agrees well with the corresponding experimental value at 5.22 Å. Density of states configuration of the bulk structure exhibits a semiconducting nature. Thermo-mechanical properties of bulk TbO2 were obtained based on the quasi-harmonic approximation formalism. Heat capacities, thermal expansions and bulk modulus of the bulk TbO2 were obtained under a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The dependency of these properties on operational pressure is very evident. Cle

The pandemic SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmittable with its proliferation among nations. This study aims to design and exploring the efficacy of novel nirmatrelvir derivatives as SARS entry inhibitors by adapting a molecular modeling approach combined with theoretical design. The study focuses on the preparation of these derivatives and understanding their effectiveness, with a special focus on their binding affinity to the S protein, which is pivotal for the virus’s access to the host cell. Considering molecular docking aspects in the scope of a study on nirmatrelvir derivatives and S protein, dynamics simulations with 25 nanoseconds of their binding are explored. The study shows that these derivatives might work as effective antivi

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of ?broblast growth factor-2 and Heparanase in oral squamous cell carcinoma, and to correlate the two studied marker with each other and with clinicopathologicalfinding including grade, stage. Methods: Sections of 30 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded blocks specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma were immunostained to assess the expression of ?broblast growth factor-2 and Heparanse in oral squamous cell carcinoma cases. Results: The expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 and Heparanase were positive in all oral squamous cell carcinoma cases (100%). The positive expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 was significantly correlated with tumor site (p=0.016),and clinical pres

Vaccination against novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) become highly recommended. In Iraq, three vaccines are available. They are Pfizer-Biontech, Oxford-AstraZenica, and Sino harm vaccines. A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed to a total of 2399 individual who are vaccinated with one of the available vaccines. People who are infected with Covid-19 before and/or after vaccination of either studied SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were also involved in this study (1175 case). Signs and symptoms have been reported for each of confirmed positive cases of Coronavirus disease. Statistical data analyses were applied to reveal the effect of different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on the incidence of novel coronavirus disease among Iraqi population. Also, the

Background: Because of the disturbance in the pituitary gland, growth hormone (GH) secretion will be increased and, as a result, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) secretion will be increase as well, leading to a chronic and rare disease called acromegaly disease. One of the most serious complications of acromycaly is diabetes. Insulin resistance, which causes diabetes, occurs in the body because of increased growth hormone secretion Objective: The aim of this work is to estimate some biochemical parameters. These parameters were not studied extensively in the literature such as BALP and LOX and the possibility of using LOX as a new biomarker for acromyalgic patients with diabetic. Patients and Methods: The study was performed on (25) mal