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.
Researchers have increased interest in recent years in determining the optimum sample size to obtain sufficient accuracy and estimation and to obtain high-precision parameters in order to evaluate a large number of tests in the field of diagnosis at the same time. In this research, two methods were used to determine the optimum sample size to estimate the parameters of high-dimensional data. These methods are the Bennett inequality method and the regression method. The nonlinear logistic regression model is estimated by the size of each sampling method in high-dimensional data using artificial intelligence, which is the method of artificial neural network (ANN) as it gives a high-precision estimate commensurate with the dat
... Show MoreIn this paper, we have been used the Hermite interpolation method to solve second order regular boundary value problems for singular ordinary differential equations. The suggest method applied after divided the domain into many subdomains then used Hermite interpolation on each subdomain, the solution of the equation is equal to summation of the solution in each subdomain. Finally, we gave many examples to illustrate the suggested method and its efficiency.
Background: Benign Prostate Hypertrophy(BPH)is a common urological problem worldwide which is defined as denomatous hyperplasia of the periurethralpart of prostate gland that occurs especially in men over 50 years old and that tend to obstruct urination by constriction the urethra Objectives: The study was aimed to investigate the level of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric Oxide (NO) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) as an antioxidant, besides other factors such as the level of Lipids Profile (Total Chlosterol (TC), High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C), Very Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (VLDL-C), and Triglyceride (TG))in patients suffer from BPH . Methods: In this study ;clinical ,spec
... Show MoreBackground: Imprelon® Biostar foils are new alternative tray material that has become increasingly popular because oftheir several advantages. Also, (Duran®) is another type of Biostar foils which is used in splint therapy. This study assessed some mechanical properties of these two types Biostar sheets in comparison with some types of acrylic resins used for construction of trays and splints. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 specimens were prepared, 30 specimens for each test, 10 for each group material in order to assess some mechanical properties of the Imprelon® Biostar foil (dimension stability, surface roughness and shear bond strength of Imprelon® materialto zinc oxide impression material) and compare them to that of the oth
... Show MoreWastewater recycling for non-potable uses has gained significant attention to mitigate the high pressure on freshwater resources. This requires using a sustainable technique to treat natural municipal wastewater as an alternative to conventional methods, especially in arid and semi-arid rural areas. One of the promising techniques applied to satisfy the objective of wastewater reuse is the constructed wetlands (CWs) which have been used extensively in most countries worldwide through the last decades. The present study introduces a significant review of the definition, classification, and components of CWs, identifying the mechanisms controlling the removal process within such units. Vertical, horizontal, and hybrid CWs
... Show MoreThe study involved preparing a new compound by combining between 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and (Z)-3-hydrazineylideneindolin-2-one resulting in Schiff bases and metal ions: Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) forming stable minerals-based-Schiff complexes. The formation of resulting Schiff bases is detected spectrally using LC-Mss which gave corresponding results with theoretical results, 1H-NMR proves the founding of N=CH signal, FT-IR indicates the occurrence of imine band and UV-VIs mean is proved the ligand formation. On the other hand, minerals-based-Schiff was characterized using the same spectral means that relied with ligand (Schiff bases). Those means gave satisfactory results and proved the suggested distinguishable geometries.
... Show MoreThis paper presents a comparison study on thermal performance conic cut twist tape inserts in laminar flow of nanofluids through a constant heat fluxed tube. Three tape configurations, namely, quadrant cut twisted tape (QCT), parabolic half cut twisted tape (PCT), and triangular cut twisted (VCT) of twist ratio= 2.93 and cut depth= 0.5 cm were used with 1% and 2% volume concentration of SiO2/water and TiO
... Show MoreThe study involved preparing a new compound by combining between 2- hydroxybenzaldehyde and (Z)-3-hydrazineylideneindolin-2-one resulting in Schiff bases and metal ions: Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) forming stable minerals-based-Schiff complexes. The formation of resulting Schiff bases is detected spectrally using LC-Mss which gave corresponding results with theoretical results, 1H-NMR proves the founding of N=CH signal, FT-IR indicates the occurrence of imine band and UV-VIs mean is proved the ligand formation. On the other hand, minerals-based-Schiff was characterized using the same spectral means that relied with ligand (Schiff bases). Those means gave satisfactory results and proved the suggested distinguishable geometries
... Show MoreThis research addresses the employment of public relations for foreign oil corporate social responsibility programs operating in Iraq. It is a study of the programmes of six petroleum companies operating in Basra Governorate, which were selected for research as the highest production of Iraqi oil, as well as its enjoyment of strategic oil stores in Iraq.It contains the largest oil fields operatedby major international companies. This study aims at a number of objectives, notably the following:1)Recognize the most prominent corporate social responsibility projects and initiatives the companies have introduced to the local public.2)Investigate the extent to which the Iraqi publ
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