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.
Colonialism radically transformed the cultures of colonized peoples, often rupturing Indigenous traditions and folklore. Whether creating colonial discourse, promoting orientalist literature, advocating western educational institutions, or through biased media representations, imperial powers systematically oppressed Indigenous and Native peoples. Subjugated communities, however, created, and still form postcolonial discourse from their knowledge systems. This discourse insists on Indigenous and Native culture as central to Indigenous and Native peoples identity. This study examines the postcolonial literature of three groups: Kānaka Maoli, African Americans, and Iraqis. The scope of this dissertation scrutinizes how folklore is employed
... Show MoreMany therapeutic methods used to encourage reparative processes of cartilage and accelerate their healing such as drugs, magneto-laser and so on. Twenty four adult New Zealand rabbits used in this study. They were divided in to two groups; control and treaded with He –Ne laser. A square skin flap done on the medial aspect of both auricles followed by pealing a square piece of cartilage from the auricle then the flaps sutured .The site of the operation in the rabbits of the treated group were irradiated with He –Ne laser 5mw power for seven days began after the operation directly. 3 rabbits from each group used for collection of specimens for histopathological examination at the 1, 2, 4 & 6 weeks post the operation. Significant
... Show MoreColour is part of human environ ment and is present almost every
where in cluding clothes.
Clours have positive and negative effects on the person's psychology.
Thus we can ask the following question: what are the clours preffered
by the Iraqi females in the university level and what is the lightness and purity
of these colours and their effect on their psychology?
In this research we included 563 Baghdad university female student for
the year 2005-2006.
The question are included anumber of qnestions that gave answers to
the research main objectives.
Inelastic magnetic electron scattering M1 at Ex =10.23 MeV form factors in Ca-48 have been investigated. The fp shell model space with four orbits and eight neutrons have been considered and FPD6 has been selected between 32 model space effective interactions to generates the model space vectors for the M1 transition with excitation energy Ex =10.23 MeV and for constructing OBDM. Discarded space (core and higher configuration orbits) has been included through the first order perturbation theory to couple the partice-hole pair of excitation in the calculation of the total M1 form factor and regarding the realistic interaction M3Y as a core polarization interaction with six sets of fitting parameters. Finally the theoretical calculations h
... Show MoreBackground: Water-pipe can be defined as a single or multi stemmed device that used to vaporize and smoke flavored tobacco whose smoke is passed via water vase before inhalation. Water-pipe smokers are at risk of exposure to many toxic chemicals that are not filtered by water, as well as risk of infectious diseases when the mouth piece of the water-pipe is shared. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of water pipe on the oral health. Materials and Methods: Sixty persons were included in this study aged between 22 and 23 years. Forty persons were coffee shop workers for at least five years, half of them were water-pipe smokers (active smokers) and the other weren’t smokers (passive smoker), the last group was the co
... Show MoreBackground: The majorities of statin-treated patients, in whom low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets have been achieved, have had recurrent cardiovascular events (CVE) with an absolute rate remain even higher among patients with disorders of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as compared to patients devoid of these conditions.Objectives: Provide updated key messages of lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities as indicator for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with T2DM and obesity, as well as the current evidence-based treatment targets and interventions to reduce this risk.Key messages: The Residual Risk Reduction Initiative (R3I) emphasized atherogenic dyslipidemia (AD)
... Show More(January 25, 2011) represented a real opportunity to bring about fundamental changes in Egyptian foreign policy and to start a new phase that would cut off all the negative and problematic aspects of Egyptian politics in the period before the revolution. Through the employment of Egypt's huge balance and the role of historical is a civilization rooted in the roots of thousands of years and Islamic reference represented over more than a thousand years the Islamic medium of religion in the start of vision and tools to achieve the Egyptian national interest, and safeguarding Egyptian national security in its comprehensive sense. The research attempts to answer a central question: Is there a role for Egyptian soft power in the Islamic world
... Show MoreSocial graphic design is the design that realizes the role and responsibility of the designer in society, and the use of graphic design in bringing about social change, especially as it is a professional contribution that plays an important role in the behavioral development of societies, and through the above, the researcher found a logical justification for his research problem, which is summarized by the following question: (What is the concept of Social Graphic Design and its implications in the fight against drug abuse)
While the two objectives of the research were identified in defining the social graphic design and its effect on combating drug abuse, and the theoretical framework was divided into two topics, the first study dea
Background: Gingivitis is one of the most common and widely spread oral diseases in adolescents after dental caries occur in both developed and developing countries. Dental plaque is the main etiological factor of gingivitis. Another oral problem is enamel defect. The aim of this study was to estimate the oral hygiene (dental plaque), and determine the prevalence and severity of gingivitis and enamel defects among 16-17 years old secondary school female students in urban areas of Kirkuk city/Iraq. Materials and methods: A representative sample included in this study consisted of 750 secondary school female students distributed into 387 for the age sixteen and 363 for the age seventeen, they were selected randomly from different female secon
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