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.
Abstract
This research aims to design a multi-objective mathematical model to assess the project quality based on three criteria: time, cost and performance. This model has been applied in one of the major projects formations of the Saad Public Company which enables to completion the project on time at an additional cost that would be within the estimated budget with a satisfactory level of the performance which match with consumer requirements. The problem of research is to ensure that the project is completed with the required quality Is subject to constraints, such as time, cost and performance, so this requires prioritizing multiple goals. The project
... Show MoreThe present paper attempts to establish a distinction between Exochomus negripennis (Er.) and E. quadripustulatus L., depending on the characters of femoral line, male genitalia and spermatheca.
Objective: Dental caries is a chronic infectious disease that is prevalent worldwide in all age groups. Numerous attempts have been made to develop conservative approaches to halt caries progression and restore enamel defects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of applying grape seed extract and chicken eggshell extract on the microhardness of demineralized enamel in permanent teeth. Methods: Forty-eight sound upper first premolars were used. Following demineralization with the demineralizing solution for 96 hours, they were distributed into four groups consistent with the treatment agent used: group A was treated with casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate (as a control group), group B was treated with grape se
... Show MoreThe current research examines the employment of indicators of stereotypes and the dimensions of organizational clarification to achieve planned organizational behaviour on a sample of employees in a number of departments of the Faculties of Engineering, University of Kufa, for a sample of (122) teaching staff. This research proposes the use of positive indicators of stereotypes for both the organization and employees and their awareness of what they want to obtain and what should be done for both parties and the removal of organizational clarity represented by the functional dimension that explores to what degree the employee's understanding of the internal strategy of the organization and the strategic dimension that searches fo
... Show MoreThe research aims to identify the concept of financing structure and what are the determinants that affect it and the goals achieved by financing in commercial banks in addition to the sources upon which the financing structure depends consisting of internal financing sources and external financing sources and their connection to the profits of commercial banks. Baghdad, Khaleeji Commercial Bank) registered in the Iraq Stock Exchange during the period for the years (2011-2020) published in the Iraq Stock Exchange from and the research relied on financial analysis tools to analyze the independent variable the following financing structure (the ratio of equity to total assets, the ratio of deposits to Total liabilities, the ratio of loans
... Show MoreObjective- the study aim to determine the cardiac patient knowledge about anticoagulant medications using and its relationship with demographic data(age. gender. level of education. occupational). Methodology- A descriptive study(quasi-experimental)design was carried out to determine cardiac patient knowledge consider to using anticoagulant medications . Starting from(1th Jun 2017 to5th October 2018).To achieve the objectives of the study, a non-probability sample (a purposive sample) consisted of random sample comprised of (30) patients were taken anticoagulant medications ..The measurement of patient knowledge were collected through the use of questionnaire which is related to patient knowledge toward using the anticoagulant medication
... Show MoreThe research aims to shed light on the ethics of information systems and their role in achieving banking excellence for a sample of private banks in the province of Baghdad. It is important to focus on studying the ethics of banking information systems, which has become one of the most important basic and strategic resources that banks rely on to achieve outstanding performance. Achieving banking leadership in the Iraqi banking market. The researchers adopted the descriptive analytical approach to the research, and the questionnaire was considered as a main tool for collecting information in addition to personal interviews. The research reached the most important results that there is an acceptable correlation relationship between the ethic
... Show MoreThe experiment was conducted using Potato( Solanum tuberosum L.) at the eastern Radwaniyah at private field during fall season 2020/2021 and spring 2021 to study the effect of nitrogen levels to 350, 275, 200 kg N h-1 ( N1, N2, N3) and phosphorous to 100, 180, 360 kg P2O5 h-1 ( P1, P2, P3) and potassium to 100, 200, 300 kg K2O h-1 ( K1, K2, K3) to vegetative growth and yield of industrial potato, The seeds of the hybrid potato Sinora, Class A, were planted in the fall season on 15/9/2020 and Elite in the spring season on 31/1/2021. The experimental fertilizers were added in four batches and in proportions according to the stages of plant age, Factorial experiment with RCBD using three replications. The results showed that changing t
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to study TV advertising and consumer behavior in children and to meet the needs of children. The study included 100 children from Baghdad who were randomly selected from different regions ranging in age from 9-12 years of both males and females. The current research was based on the interview and the completion of special forms prepared for this purpose. This age group was selected for the rare studies conducted on television advertising and limited to different sectors. Data on age and sex were documented, as the results of this study proved The afternoon period was the preferred period for watching the TV show in males, where it was 22%, while the morning period was the female favorite, and it was 23%. The ind
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