SARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which is the causative agent of spreading coronavirus disease 2019 that is known as COVID-19 pandemic, the disease leads to severe acute respiratory illness. Matrix metalloproteinases- 9 (MMP-9) plays several important physiological functions. This enzyme could also be implicated in the "cytokine storm" in some way, which may represent one of the possible scianrios during coronavirus infection, in addition to its role in the mechanism of lung fibrosis on molecular basis.. The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) are well characterized for controlling the activity of MMPs in extracellular matrix remodeling. They also considered as signaling molecules analogous to cytokine activities in the sense of impact on a variety of biological processes; this study aimed to investigate the link between each of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and COVID19 disease. A total of 58 COVID-19 patients and 30 apparently healthy adults were enrolled in this study. The ORF1ab, E. and N genes of SARS-CoV-2 were detected using Multiplex real-time PCR, while the ELISA technique was used to estimate the level of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and CRP. The study results demonstrated higher concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in COVID-19 patients compared with controls, with non-significant differences obtained. Unlike, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), showed considerably higher levels in the patients group than in controls, with high significant differences according to the data statistical analysis (p≤0.001). In a conclusion, the rising trend of TIMP-1 in COVID patients could be promising to suggest serum tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) as an applicable biomarker in the diagnosis of COVID‐19.
In this work, (ZnO)1-x(MnO2)x compounds were synthesized with composition (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) of manganese oxide content using solid state reaction. Thin films were prepared from these compounds on glass substrates at room temperature using pulsed laser deposition method. The structure of the prepared compounds and thin films were analyzed using x-ray diffraction while the optical properties was measured using UV-visible spectrophotometry. It was found that the synthesized composites declared many peaks in the diffraction pattern which indicate polycrystalline structure with hexagonal wurtzite hexagonal structure of ZnO, and MnO2 and Mn2O3 secondary phases. A narrowing in the optical energy gap was found as Mn content increas
... Show MoreSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the autoimmune disorders, generated by a production of specific autoantibodies against self-antigens before the occurrence of clinical symptoms. The etiology of disease is still unknown, although there have been several infectious agents that have been associated with SLE development, especially in genetically predisposed individuals. Herpes simplex virus-I and -II (HSV-I and -II) and Toxoplasma gondiiare two infectious agents that have been suggested to be involved in SLE etiology. Accordingly, the present study assessed anti- HSV-I and -II and anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in sera of 64 SLE female patients and 32 healthy control women. The patients w
... Show MoreBackground: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is an important respiratory bacterial pathogen, especially among children. It causes acute upper and lower respiratory infections.Objective: This study was aimed to measure anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies among hospitalized children who were admitted to hospital diagnosed with acute respiratory tract infections.Method: Automated ELISA technique was performed to detect anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies (IgM and IgG antibodies) in serum from 108 children less than 5 years old. The children were admitted to the Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Suleimani city/Kurdistan Region/Iraq because of acute respiratory tract infections. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic and clinical data fr
... Show MoreThe study is aimed at social support to the students of the College of Education for women (The research sample) and measuring the quality of life at students of the College of Education for women (The research sample) And to identify the relationship between social support and quality of life of students of the College Education for Women and research sample consisted of 200 students The adoption of the resolution as a tool for data collection and the most important results of the search results that the students of the College Education for Women have social support. In other words, parents and friends are supporting the students. The students have the quality of life any positive meaning to life and that when a person has a quality of
... Show MoreBackground: Morphological and histological examination of the testes can provide a suitable insight into the health of the reproductive system. Aim: The objective of the current study was to investigate the morphological and histological features of the testes of local pigeons (Columba livia domestica) at mature and immature stages of age. Methods: Two groups of collected specimens underwent macroscopic and microscopic investigation to evaluate and compare the main general properties of their testes. Results: The findings indicated that the testis has an oval shape in both pre-puberty and post-puberty stages, situated on the inner side of the kidney towards the caudal extreme of the lungs. However, the left testis was bigger than those on t
... Show MoreBackground: Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a simple, low cost and minimally invasive way to obtain a natural concentration of autologous growth factors and is currently being widely experimented in different fields of medicine for its ability to aid the regeneration of tissue with a low healing potential. Fields of application are sports medicine, orthopedics, dentistry, dermatology, ophthalmology, plastic and maxillofacial surgery, etc. The rationale for using platelets in so many fields for the treatment of different tissues is because PLTs constitute a reservoir of critical GFs and cytokines, which may govern and regulate the tissue healing process that is quite similar in all kinds of tissues. Materials and Methods: Screw titanium implan
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