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.
Background: Patients who have both neurological impairment and kyphotic deformity can be treated medically, and this treatment can be achieved with anti-tuberculous drugs alone.
Objective: To evaluate conservative medical management of patients with tuberculosis of the spine (Pott disease). The prognostic significance of various clinical, radiological, and long-term follow-up findings in these patients was also evaluated.
Methods: Between January 2009 and January 2018 data were collected prospectively at The Neurosciences Hospital/ Baghdad/ Iraq in 44 patients with Pott disease in the thoracic and lumbar spine. These patients had no major neurological deficits or
... Show MoreThis work includes the synthesis and identification of ligand {3-((4-acetylphenyl)amino)-5,5-dimethylcyclohex2-en-1-one} (HL* ) by the treatment of 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione with 4-aminoacetophenone under reflux. The ligand (HL* ) was identified via FTIR, Mass spectrum, elemental analysis (C.H.N.), 1H and 13C-NMR spectra, UV-Vis spectroscopy, TGA and melting point. The complexes were synthesized from ligand (HL* ) mixed with 3-aminophenol (A) and metal ion M(II), where M(II) = (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd) at alkaline medium to produce complexes of general formula [M(L* )(A)] with (1:1:1) molar ratio. These complexes were detected via FT-IR spectra, UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis (A.A) and melting point, conductivit
... Show MoreCardiovascular disease is one of the most common comorbidities associated with enlarged extremities, occurring in 60 % of patients with acromegaly. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship of growth hormone and insulin such as growth factor-1 with obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10), as risk factors for cardiovascular disorder in acromegaly patients. Eighty subjects were included and categorized into two groups: 40 acromegaly patients and 40 of the control group. The results indicated weight excess, hyperglycemia, hypertension, lipid disorder, and elevated levels of interleukins (2, 6, and 10). The correlation of both GH and IGF-1 with each of weight, BMI, systolic blood p
... Show MoreThe research problem focused through the researcher's experience in the gymnastics game and the lack of use of educational models that give the student an important role in the educational process, so it became necessary to identify the type of prevailing style for students, and the need for diversity in the use of educational models based on scientific theories, including the Daniel Document model. Based on three theories of learning, which are structural, behavioral, and meaningful learning. The research aimed to identify the effect of using the Daniel model for people with two types of brain control (left and right) to learn the skill of the Cartwheel in artistic gymnastics for students of the second stage. The researcher used the experi
... Show MoreThe serum protein test includes measurement of the level of total protein(albumin, globulin). Fetuin-A is a blood protein made in liver. It can inhibit insulin receptor, enhance insulin sensitivity and make the individuals more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, then disorder in lipid profile (Total cholesterol(TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), Triglyceride(TG) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c) . To evaluate Fetuin-A, total protein, albumin, globulin, HbAlc and lipid profile in 200 adult and elderly Iraqi patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus were taken and compare them with 200 subjects as a healthy control. The laboratory analysis(for patients and
... Show MoreThe subject of social capital is of great importance, as it provides an analytical framework for researchers interested in understanding the impact of the Internet on many dimensions of human and social life. And because social networking sites have infiltrated societies and produced new variables at the level of human and social communication, this study came to examine the relationship between the use of the social networking site Facebook and the accumulation of social capital among a sample of University of Algeria 3 students, by researching the variables of intensity of use and patterns of use as independent variables and their relationship to social capital. The results of the field study revealed a strong relationship between the
... Show MoreThe digital communication of a product of communication and information revolution. It is characterized by accurate and comprehensive in its services and its effects, which brought changes in the structure of many communities and their organizational structures. They have significant impacts on the social systems and social relations, especially in the Arab societies, which are the focus of the globalized Western media, for many reasons: economical, political , cultural and social.
According to this perception, the Arab identity has become in an encounter with big challenges by the globalized media of trade and the media, which aims to achieve greater profits because of identity and its importance to the communities. This occurs par
The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect a mixture of threespecies of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus etunicatum, G. leptotichum andRhizophagus intraradices) double and triple mixture and organic matter by usingplastic pots in the greenhouse at some mycorrhiza and physiological limitationscharacteristics in tomato plant after four and eight weeks of cultivation. Theresults of the determinants mycorrhiza significant increase the percentage ofmycorrhizal frequency F% dry weight of roots mycorrhiza (g.plant-1) andorganic matter in all mycorrhiza single, double and triple mixture after four andeight weeks cultivation treatments. The highest percentage of mycorrhizalfrequency and increase the dry weight of the root in the trea
... Show MoreThe present study was set to investigate the potential association between the level of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), as a key component of the pro-inflammatory response, with different thalassemia’s biological and clinical features. For this purpose, one hundred fifty blood samples were collected from 100 beta-thalassemia patients, who attended the Genetic Hematology Centre at Ibn Al- Baladi Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, and 50 healthy subjects who were employed as a control group. IL-6 levels were estimated using an ELISA Kit, whereas other thalassemia-related clinical features (such as HbA, HbF, ferritin, blood transfusions, splenectomy status, and the history of frequent infection) were additionally assessed. The results of the present s
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