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.
Total Quality Assurance Concept have appeared in Higher Education Institutions as a result of the continuous criticism for the lower quality of the outputs of these institutions and their inappropriacy to the needs of the job market. The faculty, i.e. teaching staff member, is one of the most important output for his/her responsibility to achieve the stated goals in higher education. This represents a problem that may influence the construction of society which has to limit his tasks, responsibilities, and competencies that should be found in a faculty, and evaluating his teaching profession in light of the prerequisites of the century to become an input to achieve quality assurance in Higher Education. Therefore, the present study aims
... Show MorePermeability estimation is a vital step in reservoir engineering due to its effect on reservoir's characterization, planning for perforations, and economic efficiency of the reservoirs. The core and well-logging data are the main sources of permeability measuring and calculating respectively. There are multiple methods to predict permeability such as classic, empirical, and geostatistical methods. In this research, two statistical approaches have been applied and compared for permeability prediction: Multiple Linear Regression and Random Forest, given the (M) reservoir interval in the (BH) Oil Field in the northern part of Iraq. The dataset was separated into two subsets: Training and Testing in order to cross-validate the accuracy
... Show MoreThe current research discussed biophysics data as a theoretical and applied knowledge base linking industrial design with the natural sciences at the level of applied strategies through which we can enrich the knowledge base of industrial design. The research focused on two main aspects of the scientific references for biophysics, namely: electromagnetism, and biomechanics. According to the performance and functional applications in designing the functions of industrial products at the electromagnetic level, it was found that remote sensing applications: such as fire sensors that were adopted from the insect (Black Beetle) and that their metaphors enable them to hear fire, and collision sensors, which were adopted from the insect
... Show MoreThe research deals with the relationship between supplier evaluation (single variable) and family brand strategy (single variable) a case study in the battery factory\Al-Waziriya, and the fact that the industrial sector represents a cornerstone for building the country’s economy of and their development. The research has been selected on this basis. The problem stems from the lack of business understanding of the real role played by the assessment of the suppliers' and its strong impact on its reputation and position in the market. The research gains its importance by moving away from traditional marketing style in terms of characteristics related to the resource itself, and the service provided by the factory to c
... Show MoreIn this paper, a random transistor-transistor logic signal generator and a synchronization circuit are designed and implemented in lab-scale measurement device independent–quantum key distribution systems. The random operation of the weak coherent sources and the system’s synchronization signals were tested by a time to digital convertor.
The CO2-Assisted Gravity Drainage process (GAGD) has been introduced to become one of the mostinfluential process to enhance oil recovery (EOR) methods in both secondary and tertiary recovery through immiscibleand miscible mode. Its advantages came from the ability of this process to provide gravity-stable oil displacement forenhancing oil recovery. Vertical injectors for CO2 gas have been placed at the crest of the pay zone to form a gas capwhich drain the oil towards the horizontal producing oil wells located above the oil-water-contact. The advantage ofhorizontal well is to provide big drainage area and small pressure drawdown due to the long penetration. Manysimulation and physical models of CO2-AGD process have been implemented
... Show MoreThe contemporary development applications on scientific areas of acyclic and cyclic Schiff bases and their complexes.
Purpose – measure the relationship between operation management strategies as an independent variable on the customer's delight as an approved variable.
Design/methodology/approach – The research sample vocabulary included sales representatives and customers of the researched markets at a rate of (100%). The recovery rate is (95) Customers and (95) delegates for the products for the factory in neighbourhood (Banooks and Karrada ) regions were randomly chosen from an open community in these two residential areas. Statistical methods were used (arithmetic media, standard deviations, t-test, correlation coefficient (Horst), simple regression analysis).
Findings – The people in charge of the factory management nee
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