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 secondly, non-diabetic controls (11 male, 9 female) were selected from the patients attending Ibn AL-Haitham hospital for ophthalmology and a specialized center for endocrinology and diabetes. Venous blood samples of all participants were drawn after an overnight fast, and serum samples were stored at -20ºC until DKK-1 assay. Results: Serum DKK-1 showed significantly lower levels in diabetic patients with (6.1 ± 2 ng/mL) or without DR (14 ± 6.2 ng/mL) when compared to those of controls (34 ± 12.25 ng/mL) (p 0.05). Furthermore, serum DKK-1 levels were lower in the late stage of DR compared to the early stage 5.6 ± 1.7 and 7 ± 1.9 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, DPP-4 inhibitors cause a better increment in DKK-1 levels when compared to SU in the NDR group. Conclusions: Reduced serum levels of DKK-1 are related to the existence and worsening of DR and have the prospect to serve as an indicator for this condition.
Background: Indeterminate colitis (IC), a term
originated by pathologists to characterize confounding
histopathlogic appearance of resected mucosa, has
become catch phrase for cases in which diagnostic
criteria at all levels elude classification as Crohn's
disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC).
OBJECTIVES: evaluate the prevalence of pANCA
expression in the sera and its isotypes.
Patients and methods: PATIENTS GROUP
consisted of 60 patients (40 males and 20 females)
with indeterminate colitis and their age range was (19-
84 years). CONTROL GROUP consisted of 30 (15
males and 15 females) healthy volunteers and their
age range was (20- 66 years).
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic ( pANCA and cANCA)
te
Background: Anterior disc displacement with reduction (ADDWR) is the most common form of the internal derangement (ID) of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It is a painful progressive dysfunction and clinically characterized by reciprocal clicking due to shift in the disc anteriorly in relation to the condyle and fossa during mandible elevation. Minimally invasive therapy such as intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used. PRP is a natural autologous product with a high platelet concentration obtained by centrifugation process to enhance tissue healing through several growth factors (GFs), which are released after endogenous activation. The aim of this study is to assess this technique which is increasingly used toda
... Show MoreBackground: Crohn's disease (CD) is an immunological disorder associated with chronic inflammatory process of several unspecific regions of gastrointestinal tract but frequently detected in the terminal Ilium and proximal colon or both. This disease frequently presented with various oral manifestations as a consequence of inflammatory process of the disease, nutritional deficiency or medications side effects. Several therapeutic approaches have been developed for CD management that are targeting the inflammatory process and directed at controlling the host immune response. Immunosuppressants such as Azathioprine and anti-TNF α agents as well as the combination of them have been widely used as an effective therapeutic modality with a bett
... Show MoreAbstract
On 11/1/2008 amounts of snows fell on various sections of Iraq, one of
which is Baghdad. The analysis process of climatic maps proved that the
advance trough of Sudanese depression towards the city is the reason behind
the formation of this weather state supported by could trough in the (500) mb
pressure level. .
The research concluded that the phenomenon of global warming
witnessed by the world recently had a main role in the occurrence of this
phenomenon due to the raise in earth temperature as a result of evaporation
rate increase leading to an increase in water vapor and cloud formation with
high tops and low bases which form sows with high rates accumulating at high
and moderate latitudes le
Abstract
Semiconductor-based gas sensors were prepared, that use n-type tin oxide (SnO2) and tin oxide: zinc oxide composite (SnO2)1-x(ZnO)x at different x ratios using pulse laser deposition at room temperature. The prepared thin films were examined to reach the optimum conditions for gas sensing applications, namely X-ray diffraction, Hall effect measurements, and direct current conductivity. It was found that the optimum crystallinity and maximum electron density, corresponding to the minimum charge carrier mobility, appeared at 10% ZnO ratio. This ratio appeared has the optimum NO2 gas sensitivity for 5% gas concentration at 300 °C working temperat
... 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 MoreHuman cerebral cortex is the outer folded neuronal layer and represents major part of the cerebrum with enormous functions. It is a laminar structure, easily visualized grossly. Previous studies showed that the Superior Temporal gyrus is one of the thickest cerebral cortex regions, reaching (about 4 mm). The Electron microscope study was made on 6 samples taken to measure the neuronal soma dimension of the large pyramidal cells present in the internal pyramidal cortical layer V in different age groups and gender. Aging process was obvious on the large pyramidal cells of the cerebral cortex, in which their neuronal soma dimensions showed shrinkage with age progression. But statistically there was no differences in the values between males an
... Show MoreThe study seeks to determine the levels of credit structure (independent variable) depending on its components (loans, credit disseminate, other facilities) To get the eight patterns of the structure of bank credit for the purpose of assessing the relationship between changes in levels of each style of structure credit (increase or decrease) and reflected in maximizing the value of the Bank(The adopted a measured variable depending on the approximate equation of simple Tobin's Q) to determine the style that achieves the highest value of the Bank, to take advantage of it in management, planning and control by knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the historical distribution of the facilities . the sample of the
... Show MoreObjective: To find out any gender differences in health promoting behaviors for a sample of students attending Institute of Technology/ Baquba. Methodology: An analytical, cross-sectional study conducted randomly for a sample of students attending Technical Institute/ Baquba, during the period from 10th November 2015 to 10th April 2016. A questionnaire used to collecting data, this questionnaire was consisted from two domains related to health promoting behaviors including (Dietary domain and domain of some daily life activities like sleep duration, rise time, bedtime and walking period per week). The
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to determine the effect of various levels of hump fat (HF) used in manufacturing of camel, beef and chicken sausage to understand the effect of (HF) on physicochemical composition sausage, Different levels of hump fat (5, 7, and 10 %) were used, physicochemical compositions like (moisture, protein, fat, Ash, water holding capacity, shrinkage, cooking loss and pH) were determined. Results of the study revealed that moisture content showed high significant differences (P≤0.01)among treatments groups, Camel sausage and beef sausage tended to have highest values while chicken sausage reported the lowest value. The study showed no significant difference (P≤0.05) among the
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