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.
Mosques could be considered as one of the most powerful architectural types throughout historical ages. With their highly symbolic formal legacy, Mosques play an essential role in providing the Islamic city with its special identity. Nevertheless, the advent of digital technology and its ubiquity at different levels of architectural design marked the emergence of new tendencies in the Architecture of Mosques, represented by various models added to the storage of this architectural type. Consequently a review of these tendencies would be needed, aiming at pointing out the formal transformations and new suggested characteristics.
The paper investigates the surviving and the disappearing formal components of&n
... Show MoreThis study is to evaluate plasma levels of several cytokines in preeclamptic pregnancies compared to those of healthy pregnancies. Ninety pregnant women with preeclampsia (37 mild & 53 severe) and thirty healthy pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were taken and plasma levels of IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-? were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Preeclamptic women and their severe cases but not mild cases had significantly (P<0.05) increased levels of plasma IL-8, and IFN-? as compared with healthy pregnancies. By contrast, plasma levels of IL-10 was significantly (P<0.05) increased in healthy pregnant women as compared to all groups of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is associated with an imbalance betwe
... Show MoreA series of new coumarin and N-amino-2-quinolone derivatives have been synthesized. The reaction of coumarin (1) with excess of Hydrazine hydrate 98% yielded 1-amino-2-quinolone (2), Compound (2) was reacted with different Sulfonyl chloride to yield Sulfonamides [ N-(2-oxoquinolin-1(2H)-yl) methane sulfonamide (3), N-(2-oxoquinolin-1(2H)-yl) Benzene sulfonamide (4) and 4-methyl-N-(2-oxoquinolin-1(2H)-yl) benzene sulfonamide (5) ], while reaction of 2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy) acetic acid (8) with different amines yielded compounds [ 2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)-N-(2-oxoquinolin-1(2H)-yl) acetamide (9) and N-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)acetamide (10) ] th
... Show MoreThe research specified with study the relation between the market share for the sample research banks and the amount of the achieved revenues from the investment, where the dominated belief that there potentiality enhancing the revenue on investment with the increase of the banks shares in their markets after their success in achieving rates of successive growth in their sales of sales and to a suitable achieve market coverage for their products and they have dissemination and suitable promotion activity, the market share represented the competition for the banks, and the markets pay attention to the market share as a strategic objective and to maintain them also increasi
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to critically appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions suitable for delivery by nurses, designed to enhance cardiac patients' adherence to their prescribed medications.
Cardiac medications have statistically significant health benefits for patients with heart disease, but patients' adherence to prescribed medications remains suboptimal.
A systematic quantitative review of intervention effects.
The current research focuses on the extent to which the strategic orientation(entrepreneurial orientation, customer orientation, technology orientation, learning orientation, and investment orientation) affects the learning organization (building common vision, systemic thinking, personal dominance, mental models, team learning)The first hypothesis to test the connection relation between research variables and The second hypothesis was to test the relationship between these variables. In order to ascertain the validity of the hypotheses, the research was based on a questionnaire questionnaire prepared according to a number of In addition to building a fifth sub-variable for the strategic orientation (investment orientation) based
... Show MoreObjective: to assess the risk factors of coronary artery disease patients.
Methodology: A non-probability (purposive) sample of (100) patients. The study population consisted of
a sample of adults from both genders whose ages were 30 years and more, and was newly diagnosed as
having CAD by coronary angiography in the cardiac catheterization unit of An Nasiriyah heart center.
Results: The result of the study showed that the most common modifiable risk factors were low HDL-C
levels (58%), smoking (53%), hypertension (46%), diabetes mellitus (34%), obesity (30%), high
triglycerides (19%), hypercholesterolemia (17%), and high LDLC (14%). All these factors were positively
and significantly associated with the development
Background: The desire for an attractive appearing fixed orthodontic appliance fueled the use of ceramic brackets and clear accessories. Elastics are one of the most versatile materials available to orthodontists so studying their effect on the esthetic appearance is important. This an in vivo study, conducted to evaluate the effect of exposing stretched clear elastomeric ligatures to the oral environment from four different companies (OrthoTechnology, Morelli, Ortho Organizer, and Ormco). Materials and Methods: A total of 240 elastomeric modules were examined, 60 modules from each brand. Each of the 60 patients enrolled in the study, received 4 elastomeric modules on the 4 lower incisors, one from each brand. The specimens were placed on t
... Show MoreBanks face many of the various risks: which are of dangerous phenomena that cause the state achieved a waste of money and a threat to future development plans to be applied to reach the goals set by: prompting banks and departments to find appropriate solutions and fast: and it was within these solutions rely on Banking risk management and effective role in defining and identifying: measuring and monitoring risk and trying to control and take risks is expected to occur in order to encircle and make it in within acceptable limits: and try to avoid them in the future to reduce the losses that are likely to be exposed to the bank: and it began to emerge and dominate a lot of legislation that seeks to structure the year risk management and t
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