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.
Extracting, studying and interpreting the morphological database of a basin is a basic building block for building a correct geomorphological understanding of this basin. In this work, Arc GIS 10.8 software and SRTM DEM satellite images were used. The principle of data integration was adopted by extracting the quantitative values of the morphometric characteristics that are affected by the geomorphological condition of the studied basin, then eliciting an optimal conception of the geomorphological condition of the basin from the meanings and connotations of these combined transactions. Hypsometric integration was extracted for each region in the basin separately with the value of integration of the plot curve for the relative heights of
... Show MoreNatural convection in a trapezoidal enclosure with partial heating from below and symmetrical cooling from the sides has been investigated numerically. The heating is simulated by a centrally located heat source on the bottom wall, and four different values of the dimensionless heat source length, 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5 are considered. The laminar flow field is analyzed numerically by solving the steady, two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes and energy equations. The Cartesian velocity components and pressure on a collocated (non-staggered) grid are used as dependent variables in the momentum equations discretized by finite volume method; body fitted coordinates are used to represent the trapezoidal enclosure, and grid generatio
... Show MoreThe significance fore supra topological spaces as a subject of study cannot be overstated, as they represent a broader framework than traditional topological spaces. Numerous scholars have proposed extension to supra open sets, including supra semi open sets, supra per open and others. In this research, a notion for ⱨ-supra open created within the generalizations of the supra topology of sets. Our investigation involves harnessing this style of sets to introduce modern notions in these spaces, specifically supra ⱨ - interior, supra ⱨ - closure, supra ⱨ - limit points, supra ⱨ - boundary points and supra ⱨ - exterior of sets. It has been examining the relationship with supra open. The research was also enriched with many
... Show MoreEmploying the social personalities (celebrities) in all fields (artistic, sports, media, etc.) is an important media and visual communication means of identification for the companies and institutions in order to convey the advertising idea in accordance with the creative, aesthetic and functional principles aimed at promoting products and gaining the symbolic value for the company. This study investigates the employment of social personalities in the commercial advertising design in order to pinpoint the importance of employing celebrities and their representation in the advertisement to convey the meaning that signifies the advertisement goal. Thus the question of the study is: "What are the mechanisms of employing celebrities in the d
... Show MoreThe topic of supra.topological.spaces considered one of the important topics because it is a generalization to topological.spaces. Many researchers have presented generalizations to supra open sets such as supra semi.open and supra pre.open sets and others. In this paper, the concept of δ∼open sets was employed and introduced in to the concept of supra topology and a new type of open set was extracted, which was named S∼δ∼open. Our research entails the utilization of this category of sets to form a new concepts in these spaces, namely S∼δ∼limit points and S∼δ∼derive points, and examining its relationship with S∼open and S∼reg∼open. Based on this class of sets, we have introduced other new concepts such as S∼isolate
... Show MoreAugmented Reality (AR) is one of the technological developments in recent years that uses the real world as a basic pillar and enhances it by overlaying virtual objects created by computers. The study provides an overview of the use of augmented reality technology in meeting one of the most important requirements of cultural tourism: highlighting cultural and historical heritage. Accordingly, the research problem concentrated on the lack of local literature associated with the use of augmented reality in cultural tourism. It aimed to fill this gap by building a knowledge base and demonstrating the potential of augmented reality in this field. Hence, the importance of research in drawing the attention of tourism practitio
... Show MoreObjectives: To assess the information of mothers regarding asthmatic child care, and to find out the relationship between information of mothers and some of demographic characteristic such as age of mothers, Level of education, and away of child feeding. Methodology: Quantitative design (a descriptive study) was conducted in pediatric hospital in Kirkuk city from the period of first of July 2011 to the end of March 2012. To achieve the objectives of the study, non probability sample of (50) mothers having asthmatic children who attend to the pediatric hospital. The data are collected through utilization
That the diplomatic work and its importance in foreign policy planning assumes the following points: 1. Choosing the tool in the sense of choosing the most correct tool that reflects the reality of the situation on the one hand and the disposal of strong energy to reach the implementation of the political decision. The declaration of war and entering into a resolution that uses force merely to face insulting ambassadors does not mean Power of the State concerned. But an imbalance in its foreign policy. 2. The coordination of the tools, that the foreign policy scheme must be such a role, and on the external style, diplomatic work, military action and propaganda must complement each other, to the extent that each of them is the first attac
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