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.
Baylisascaris procyonis is a helminth parasite of raccoons Procyon lotor and represents a health concern in paratenic hosts, including humans and diverse domestic and wildlife species. In North America the helminth is expanding its geographic range. To better understand patterns of infection in the Ozark region of the USA, raccoons (n = 61) were collected in 2013-2014 from five counties in Missouri and Arkansas, USA and necropsied. We documented B. procyonis in all surveyed locations. The overall prevalence of B. procyonis was 44.3 % (95 % CI = 31.9 - 57.4) and was significantly higher in females than males. There were also significant differences in prevalence among raccoons sampled
The geochemical study of the Oligocene-Miocene succession Anah, Euphrates, and Fatha formations, western Iraq, was carried out to discriminate their depositional environments. Different major and trace patterns were observed between these formations. The major elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, K, and Na) and trace elements (Li, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Zr, Cs, Ba, Hf, W, Pb, Th, and U) are a function of the setting of the depositional environments. The reefal facies have lower concentrations of MgO, Li, Cr, Co, Ni, Ga, Rb, Zr, and Ba than marine and lagoonal facies but have higher concentrations of CaO, V, and Sr than it. Whereas dolomitic limestone facies are enriched V, and U while depletion in Li, Cr, Ni, Ga, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ba, an
... Show MoreThe Next-generation networks, such as 5G and 6G, need capacity and requirements for low latency, and high dependability. According to experts, one of the most important features of (5 and 6) G networks is network slicing. To enhance the Quality of Service (QoS), network operators may now operate many instances on the same infrastructure due to configuring able slicing QoS. Each virtualized network resource, such as connection bandwidth, buffer size, and computing functions, may have a varied number of virtualized network resources. Because network resources are limited, virtual resources of the slices must be carefully coordinated to meet the different QoS requirements of users and services. These networks may be modifie
... Show MoreBackground The study covered thirty-three species which grown wildly in Iraq and a comparative study for all kinds of morphological characters were done. Principal Findings The most stable and important taxonomic characters were pointed out, diagrams, illustrations, scheduals, micrographs were also documented. Stamens, nutlets, basal leaves, bracts, bracteoles, calyces, corollas and their trichomes were very important taxanomic characters. The trichomes were variable in variable species therefore used as a diagnostic characters for the species. Conclusions New species Salvia margasurica Al-Musawi & Al-Hussaini was suggested to be new record for science. Keywords: Salvia, Morphology, Spec. Nov.
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 MoreEGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) initially responds well to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), yet resistance is nearly inevitable and responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remain limited. In a retrospective cohort of 57 patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab, the objective response rate was 12.3%, although responses were concentrated in a small subgroup with concurrent high PD-L1 expression and dense intratumoral CD8⁺ immune-cell infiltration. Emerging evidence links these outcomes to chemokine-network dysregulation that alters immune trafficking and spatial organization. Oncogenic EGFR signaling shifts chemokine networks away from effector T-cell recruitment
... Show MoreTwo locally isolated microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris Bejerinck and Nitzschia palea (Kützing) W. Smith) were used in the current study to test their ability to production biodiesel through stimulated in different nitrogen concentration treatments (0, 2, 4, 8 gl ), and effect of nitrogen concentration on the quantity of primary product (carbohydrate, protein ), also the quantity and quality of lipid. The results revealed that starvation of nitrogen led to high lipid yielding, in C. vulgaris and N. palea the lipid content increased from 6.6% to 40% and 40% to 60% of dry weight (DW) respectively.Also in C. vulgaris, the highest carbohydrate was 23% of DW from zero nitrate medium and the highest protein was 50% of DW in the treatment 8gl. Whil
... Show MoreAW Ali T, Journal of the Faculty of Medicine, 2015 - Cited by 3
תקציר :
המחקר הזה הוא ניסיון לשפוך אור על נושא מרכזי וחשוב בחייהם של היהודים, "הממד הדתי" אצל היהודים, מחקרי הנקרא "הממד הדתי בסיפור העברי המודרני" גם מתייחס להשפעת התרבות הדתית של המספר והחוג המשפחתי שחי בו, ואיך שיקף המספר את כל הדברים האלה ביצירותיו הסיפורית .
המספר בוחר במילים ובמונחים בעלי משמעויות דתיות או מביא את הסיפור הזה אשר קרוב אל נושא הסיפור ההולך באותה מגמה .גם כן השפעת התיאולג
... Show MoreDue to the remarkable progress in photovoltaic technology, enhancing efficiency and minimized the costs have emerged as global challenges for the solar industry. A crucial aspect of this advancement involves the creation of solar cell antireflection coating, which play a significant role in minimizing sunlight reflection on the cell surface. In this study, we report on the optimization of the characteristics of CeO2 films prepared by pulsed laser deposition through the variation of laser energy density. The deposited CeO2 nanostructure films have been used as an effective antireflection coating (ARC) and light-trapping morphology to improve the efficiency of silicon crystalline solar cell. The film’s thickness increases as laser fluence i
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