Elevated Interleukin-13 (IL-13) may play an important role in the pathophysiology of COVID-19, yet, the attenuated response did not notice across all severe cases. Susceptibility to asthma in specific populations is associated with several SNPs of multifunctional cytokines, such as IL-13, IL-31 and IL-33. This prospective case-control study is designed to investigate the extent of genetic susceptibility in subsets of Iraqi patients with COVID-19 by targeting the variants of interleukin IL-13rs20541 polymorphism in relation to disease susceptibility and severity of clinical presentation. One hundred samples were obtained from the throat, nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs enrolled in this study. Eighty samples of the throat, nasopharyngeal and nasal localization swabs were obtained from patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (both COVID-19 and non-COVID19 patients), while other 20 nasopharyngeal swabs were included as a healthy control group (AHC). Detection of IL-13rs20541 polymorphism was done by ARMS technique. The frequencies of GG- genotype in ARDS- patients with COVID-19, non-COVID19-, and AHC groups were respectively 14%, 12% and 3%, where, and as compared to the control group, showed a significant increase in COVID-19 patients. The AA- genotype in patients with COVID-19 group, non- COVID-19 group and healthy control group documented the frequency of 9%, 7%, and 14%, respectively, where the frequency decreased in the patient's groups as compared to the AHC group. Finally, and among the studied groups, an increase of AG- genotype (as rate OR=1.89) was documented compared to genotype GG and A-. Genetic polymorphisms in the IL-13rs20541 gene might influence its functions in patients with SARS-associated respiratory tract infection and thus might involve the pathogenicity of patients with COVID-19.
The importance of Public Relations activity has increased during the last half of the last century as a specialized and modern administrative function in most institutions. It has, moreover, become an integral part of activities of those institutions of various types, due to its pivotal role in building its reputation and drawing a good mental image among its audiences, as well as its influential and basic role in maintaining communication and the communication between its members at its various levels and their job tasks to ensure the greatest amount of understanding and to enhance trust between them. This is why public relations activity has become indispensable in all institutions, and without it, it is difficult to achieve any coordi
... Show MoreBackground: The American Joint committee on Cancer in their 8th edition staging manual regarded perineural invasion as one of the most important prognostic factors for Lip and Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, it also incorporated tumor depth of invasion in defining tumor size category in the new staging system. This study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of perineural invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma and the effect of approaching tumor depth in this process. Materials and Methods: fifty-four formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of radical resections of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma were cut and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain, then evaluated for perineural invasion, with estimation of tumor depth of i
... Show MoreThis research attempts to find the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL2+166 gene (rs2069763) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a sample of Iraqi patients. A total of 44 patients and 55 apparently healthy volunteers were genotyped for the SNP using polymerase chain reaction test. Three genotypes (GG, GT, and TT) corresponding to two alleles (G and T) were found to have SNP. Both study groups’ genotypes had a good agreement for the analysis of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The results revealed increased frequencies between the observed and expected GG and TT genotypes and IL2+166 SNP T allele in T2DM patients (40.9 vs. 40.0 %; OR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.47 - 2.31), whereas the values in the control group were
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to investigate the acetamiprid effects on biochemical aspects in albino mice. Thirty albino mice at the age of 6-8 weeks and average weight 25±5 g were divided into three groups each having ten (10) healthy mice. The first group was orally administrated with distilled water while the second and third groups were orally administrated with 50 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL respectively of acetamprid (0.1 mL) daily for one week. LD50 of acetamiprid was measured and found to be 200 mg/kg. The parameters of evaluations included liver function using Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP). Lipid profile was anal
... Show More
Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide and characterized by an increase in oxidative stress and inflammation. The most important factor that is responsible for oxidative stress and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is hyperglycemia. The major targets of ROS are proteins. The most common and widely used biomarker of severe oxidative protein damage is protein carbonyl content.
The study was designed to assess the serum level of protein carbonyl as a marker of protein oxidation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to evaluate the effect of age, body weight, waist circumference, diabetic control and disease duration on the level
... Show MoreBackground: Brush cytology is an accepted technique that gets renewed interest. It is now used as an aid for the diagnosis and observation of possible epithelial changes that could be associated with oral mucosal diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the cytomorphometric changes in gingiva and buccal mucosa of type II diabetics and to assess their relation to oral symptoms and glycemic status. Materials and methods: Cytological Papanicolaou stained smear were prepared from cheek and gingiva of 20 non treated cases, 20 treated diabetics and 20 healthy persons of both sex after measuring their HbA1c and recording their oral symptoms. Hundred unfolded epithelial cells were evaluated qualitatively using MCID software to measure nuclear and cy
... Show MoreBackground:. Children with spina bifida occulta require early surgery to prevent neurological deficits. The treatment of patients with a congenitally tethered cord who present in adulthood remains controversial.
Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the outcome obtained in 61 adult patients with congenital TCS and no prior surgical treatment who underwent surgical untethering.
Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 61 adult patients who underwent surgical untethering for spina bifida occulta at four neurosurgical centers in Baghdad / Iraq between March 2000 and January 2018. Patients who had undergone prior myelomeningocele repair or tet
... Show MoreFunctional dyspepsia is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms and attributed to various causes including Helicobacter pylori infection. AIM OF THE STUDY: To correlate Helicobacter pylori infection to functional dyspepsia and to identify the possible risk factors for this infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty patients who were referred to the endoscopy unit for dyspepsia symptoms, secondary gastric causes of dyspepsia were excluded during endoscopy, gastric biopsies were taken for histopathological study and for bedside urease test for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection. RESULTS: 62% of non-ulcer dyspeptic patients were infected with Helicobacter pylori, 74.2% of the patients were above 30 years old, female gender patient
... Show MoreObjective(s): To assess nurses' practices for neurological unconscious patients in intensive care units.
Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted that included (50) nurse who are working in intensive care
units in hospitals and departments of the nervous system in (4) hospitals (neuroscience hospital, teaching
neurosurgical hospital, surgical specialist hospital, and sheck zaied hospital) in Baghdad city from March, 30th
,
2009 to July, 30th 2009 for the purpose of assessing their skills towards unconscious patients. A purposive "nonprobability
sample" was selected that consisted of (50) nurse who are working in intensive care units. A
questionnaire format and observational checklist were used which consist of