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.
In this work various correlation methods were employed to investigate the annual cross-correlation patterns among three different ionospheric parameters: Optimum Working Frequency (OWF), Highest Probable Frequency (HPF), and Best Usable Frequency (BUF). The annual predicted dataset for these parameters were generated using VOCAP and ASASPS models based on the monthly Sunspot Numbers (SSN) during two years of solar cycle 24, minimum 2009 and maximum 2014. The investigation was conducted for Thirty-two different transmitter/receiver stations distributed over Middle East. The locations were selected based on the geodesic parameters which were calculated for different path lengths (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000) km and bearings (N, NE, E, S
... Show MoreIn this work, a fiber-optic biomedical sensor was manufactured to detect hemoglobin percentages in the blood. SPR-based coreless optical fibers were developed and implemented using single and multiple optical fibers. It was also used to calculate refractive indices and concentrations of hemoglobin in blood samples. An optical fiber, with a thickness of 40 nanometers, was deposited on gold metal for the sensing area to increase the sensitivity of the sensor. The optical fiber used in this work has a diameter of 125μm, no core, and is made up of a pure silica glass rod and an acrylate coating. The length of the fiber was 4cm removed buffer and the splicing process was done. It is found in practice that when the sensitive refractive i
... Show MoreThis experiment was conducted in the season 2001-2000 in station Ishaqi the company's general industrial crops to plant livestock Vigna radala deleted (Khadrawi) carried out the experiment design panels splinter and order in RCBD with three balls two factors are levels nitrogen fertilizer (120 and, 100.0 kg urea / ha)nitrogen ratio of 46%, which put in the main panels mAIN PLOT and Alkiavat three levels that were placed in secondary panels .....
Complex-valued regular functions that are normalized in the open unit disk are vastly studied. The current study introduces a new fractional integrodifferential (non-linear) operator. Based on the pre-Schwarzian derivative, certain appropriate stipulations on the parameters included in this con-structed operator to be univalent and bounded are investigated and determined.
This research aims to explain the effect of the imported inflation (which moves through the raise of global prices to Iraqi economy) over local prices, besides, the recognition the most important channels of imported inflation moving, its causes, effects, ways and policies that reduce the negative effects. To achieve the research aim, the deductive approach was adopted through using descriptive method to describe and determine phenomenon. The most important conclusion is that the research found out that there are two channels to transmission imported inflation in world. The first channel is the direct channel (prices) and the second channel is the indirect (income). The most important recommendation is to create sovereign fund (O
... Show MoreThis paper presents an enhancement technique for tracking and regulating the blood glucose level for diabetic patients using an intelligent auto-tuning Proportional-Integral-Derivative PID controller. The proposed controller aims to generate the best insulin control action responsible for regulating the blood glucose level precisely, accurately, and quickly. The tuning control algorithm used the Dolphin Echolocation Optimization (DEO) algorithm for obtaining the near-optimal PID controller parameters with a proposed time domain specification performance index. The MATLAB simulation results for three different patients showed that the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed control algorithm in terms of fast gene
... Show MoreThis study aims to analyze the spatial distribution of the epidemic spread and the role of the physical, social, and economic characteristics in this spreading. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) model was built within a GIS environment using infection data monitored by the Iraqi Ministry of Health records for 10 months from March to December 2020. The factors adopted in this model are the size of urban interaction areas and human gatherings, movement level and accessibility, and the volume of public services and facilities that attract people. The results show that it would be possible to deal with each administrative unit in proportion to its circumstances in light of the factors that appe
In this work the effect of choosing tri-circular tube section had been addressed to minimize the end effector’s error, a comparison had been made between the tri-tube section and the traditional square cross section for a robot arm, the study shows that for the same weight of square section and tri-tube section the error may be reduced by about 33%.
A program had been built up by the use of MathCAD software to calculate the minimum weight of a square section robot arm that could with stand a given pay load and gives a minimum deflection. The second part of the program makes an optimization process for the dimension of the cross section and gives the dimensions of the tri-circular tube cross section that have the same weight of
... Show MoreObjective: The goal of this research was to evaluate where selenium nanoparticles impact the activity of antibodies in immunized lambs with foot and mouth vaccines by modulating the immune system. Materials and Methods: Two groups of lambs of 3–4 months of age were injected with 1 ml of ARRIAH-VAC vaccine intramuscularly in the neck, five Lambs were given selenium nanoparticles (size 100 nm) oral administration of selenium nano dose of 0.1 mg/kg of body mass once every day for sixty days considered as group one (G1) while the other five used as control Group 2 (G2). Results: This resulted in the establishment of an immune response, as evidenced by a rise in antibody titer in the blood using the ELISA test for three serotypes A,
... Show MoreThis article focuses on identity construction and social structures within the Sāmoan community as represented in Sia Figiel’s novel Where We Once Belonged. I argue that however the post/colonial Sāmoan identity is hybridized, the essence of the individual is still connected to Fa’a Sāmoa-the Sāmoan traditions and ways. However rapid are the colonial vicissitudes, the Sāmoan literature and lifestyle are developed to be a resistance platform. This resistance platform is dedicated not only to expose the colonial impact but also to assist the social and political reconstruction of post/colonial Samoa. To this end, this article studies identity construction, and the challenges that women face within Sāmoan social structures.