Background: The gene responsible for encoding the protein of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) has been found to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in different ethnic populations. But the association of +49A/G CTLA-4 polymorphism with susceptibility of RA among Iraqi Arab populations has not yet been determined. Methods: One hundred and seventy-eight patients were examined, 67 of them were males (mean age 54.71 ± 10.4 years), while 167 were examined for the control group, of whom 64 were males and the rest were females. CTLA-4 DNA genotyping was carried on to determine the +49 A/G (rs231775) polymorphism using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Enzyme-linked immunosor- bent assay (ELISA) was also applied here to measure the antibodies level for cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti- CCP) and Rheumatoid factor (RF). Results: The frequency of AG and GG genotypes in CTLA-4 + 49 were significantly higher among RA patients in comparing with controls (55.61% vs 42.51%, OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.62–3.79, P=0.003) and (20.22% vs 10.77%, OR = 2.61, 95% CI = 1.31–6.46, P = 0.002) respectively. G allele frequency was also significantly higher among RA cases (52.24% vs. 31.73%, OR = 3.02; 95% CI = 1.61–7.39, P = 0.001). The frequencies of the AA genotype and A allele, however, were significantly lower in cases than controls (24.15% vs 46.70%, P = 0.001) and (47.75% vs 68.26%, P = 0.001) respectively. Moreover, the levels of Anti-CCP and RF were raised signifi- cantly among RA patients than controls (P = 0.0001), but none of these parameters were correlated with ge- notypes of CTLA-4. Conclusions: Carries of CTLA-4 + 49 AG and GG alleles were at a high risk of developing functional disability of RA, unlike the AA allele carriers.
Background: The timing of eruption of permanent teeth is of considerable importance to the dental health planning for diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic measures for children and teenagers. The purposes of this study were to determine timing of maxillary and mandibular permanent teeth emergence (except third molars) and to evaluate the effect nutritional status by anthropometric measures on the eruption time of permanent teeth, investigations had been done according to jaw and gender variations. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among four to fifteen years old children and teenagers from kindergarten and schools in Basrah city in the south region of Iraq. The total sample composed of 1807 children and teenagers that were
... Show MoreLittle is known about hesitancy to receive the COVID‐19 vaccines. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the perceptions of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general population regarding the COVID‐19 vaccines, (2) to evaluate factors influencing the acceptance of vaccination using the health belief model (HBM), and (3) to qualitatively explore the suggested intervention strategies to promote the vaccination.
This was a cross‐sectional study based on electronic survey data that was collected in Iraq during December first‐19th, 2020. The electronic surve
Agility is considered an important motor ability for assistant referees and it is vital for passing modern tests issued in September 2016. The researcher used the experimental method. The subjects were (10) referees; four of them for pilot study. The experimental group followed the exercises designed by the while the controlling group used the traditional exercises followed by the refereeing committee. All referees were tested the standardized agility test issued by the FIFA. The researchers concluded that agility plays a vital role in developing some refereeing skill. Finally they recommend developing agility for improving refereeing skills.
Videogames are currently one of the most widespread means of digital communication and entertainment; their releases are attracting considerable interest with growing number of audience and revenues each year. Videogames are examined by a variety of disciplines and fields. Nevertheless, scholarly attention concerned with the discourse of videogames from a linguistic perspective is relatively scarce, especially from a pragma-stylistic standpoint. This book addresses this vital issue by providing a pragma-stylistic analysis of the digital discourse of two well-known action videogames (First Person Shooter Games). It explores the role of the digital discourse of action videogames in maintaining real-like interactivity between the game and the
... Show MoreIn this research, a new 1, 3, 4-Thiadiazole derivatives have been synthesized by many heterocyclic reactions. Starting from (2, 5 – dimercapto -1, 3, 4-Thiadiazole) a variety of derivatives have been synthesis. Compound (1) was synthesized by the reaction of hydrazine hydrate with carbon disulphide in absolute ethanol. The compound (1) was reacted with 1, 2-dibromoethane in presence of alkali ethanol to give the compound (2). The compound (3) was formed from the reaction of compound (2) with hydrazine hydrate. Schiff base (4) was obtained by reacting of compound (3) with the compound (p-hydroxybenzaldehyde) in absolute ethanol. A variety of phenolic Schiff base (Methylolic, Etheric, and Epoxy) derivatives have been synthesized. Methylol
... Show MoreBackground: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disorder that constitutes a major health problem worldwide. Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that may infect any nucleated cell. Toxoplasmosis is becoming a worldwide health threat, infecting 30–50% of the world’s human population. The studies that have been undertaken to investigate the link between T. gondii infection and diabetes have shown contradictory fi ndings. This research aimed to look at the possible link between T2DM and T. gondii infection. Methods and Subjects: The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) approach was used to screen for T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies in 69 patients with T2DM and 92 seemingly healthy persons as controls. Resul
... Show MoreThe interactive websites are the interaction between the product and the user, and interactive design is based on the user interface for communication and how the interface responds to the user and how to help him to achieve his goals and enjoy the use of the interface. The interactive design is based on the design of interactive programs, i.e., programs that directly interact with the user, taking into account the different culture of the audience, the age group and many other factors. An example for the use of the user interface: Web designs, smartphone application designs and it even includes computer operating systems and electronic game interface. The interaction is the communication between the source and the receiver. The we
... Show MoreTo maintain a sustained competitive position in the contemporary environment of knowledge economy, organizations as an open social systems must have an ability to learn and know how to adapt to rapid changes in a proper fashion so that organizational objectives will be achieved efficiently and effectively. A multilevel approach is adopted proposing that organizational learning suffers from the lack of interest about the strategic competitive performance of the organization. This remains implicit almost in all models of organizational learning and there is little focus on how learning organizations achieve sustainable competitive advantage . A dynamic model that captures t
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