Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory dermatological condition, exhibits heterogeneous responses to anti-TNF therapies such as etanercept (ETN), underscoring the need for predictive biomarkers. This study investigated the association of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) gene promoter polymorphisms (rs1143623 C/G, rs752338864 C/G, and rs1143627 C/T) with ETN efficacy in 80 Iraqi patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Patients were categorized according to treatment response: responders achieved ≥ 75% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), whereas non-responders demonstrated ≤ 50% reduction. Post-treatment serum IL-1β levels were significantly higher in non-responders (50.35 ± 15.81 pg/mL) compared to respo

insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) gene has been described in several studies as a candidate gene for growth. The present study attempts to identify associations between body weight traits and polymorphisms at 279 position of 5'UTR flanking region of IGF-1 gene in broiler chickens. Three hundred broiler chickens from two breeds (Cobb 500 and Hubbard F-15) were used in this study. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at 279 position of 5'UTR region of the IGF-1 gene was identified in 20.6 and 60.3% of Cobb 500 and Hubbard F-15, respectively, using the PCR-RFLP technique. Allele frequencies were 83.87 and 42.80% for the T allele and 16.13 and 57.20% for the C allele in Cobb500 and Hubbard-15 breeds, respectively. Genotype frequencies were

Background Type two diabetes (T2DM) is characterized by insufficient insulin production and secretion. Additionally, the body develops insulin resistance which affects 90–95% of diabetics. Complex cytokines, receptors, genetic pathways, and the immune system are involved in T2DM. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is one of the inflammatory cytokines associated with Type 2 diabetes. Environmental and genetic variables, including genetic polymorphisms, can increase T2DM risk and its consequences. Single nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) are important risk factors for diabetes that can be used to find the disease early and treat it better. Objective This study aimed to determine the levels of IL-18 in the serum of Iraqi patients with Type 2 diabetes

The nature and intensity of the association of myasthenia gravis (MG) with distinct human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes differ between ethnic populations, so this study determined the association of HLA class II antigens with myasthenia gravis (MG) in Iraq.The study included Iraqi patients diagnosed with MG and two control groups the first of 54 insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients and the second of 237 subjects as a normal control group. The test used was microlymphocytotoxicity test.The work was done in the Teaching Laboratories/Medical City/Baghdad.Results: positive associations were observed (etiological risk factors) as follows: 1. HLA-DR locus showed one positively associated allele when compared to healthy control and th

Osteoporosis (OP)is one of the most important metabolic disorder also affected by interaction of genetic and environmental factors by almost 70% and 30% respectively. Genetic components are identified to strongly effect bone mineral density, bone building and turnover, so they play an important role in determining risk of OP and fragility fractures. This study consists of patient and control group; Group A: (70) postmenopausal women with OP and osteopenia, Group B: (20) control group.  five milliliters of blood sample were divided into three tubes; one tube (1ml) contain gel for obtain serum to measure glucose level, the others tubes containing ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), in 2 tube 2ml stored in deep freeze at (–40

To investigate the effects of losartan and enalapril on serum uric acid in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome, one hundred and twenty six newly diagnosed mild hypertensive patients, having markers of metabolic syndrome included  in the study. The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 (60 patients) was given losartan (50 mg/ day) and group 2 (66 patients)  enalapril (20 mg/ day) for a duration of 2 months. A control group of seventy apparently healthy individuals were included. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome related to the American National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III. Serum uric acid levels were measured bef

The effects of nutrients and physical conditions on phytase production were investigated with a recently isolated strain of Aspergillus tubingensis SKA under solid state fermentation on wheat bran. The nutrient factors investigated included carbon source, nitrogen source, phosphate source and concentration, metal ions (salts) and the physical parameters investigated included inoculum size, pH, temperature and fermentation duration. Our investigations revealed that optimal productivity of phytase was achieved using wheat bran supplemented with: 1.5% glucose. 0.5% (NH4)2SO4, 0.1% sodium phytate. Additionally, optimal physical conditions were 1 × 105 spore/g substrate, initial pH of 5.0, temperature of fermentation 30˚C and fermentation dura

En el contexto iraquí, el análisis de las dificultades léxicas de los estudiantes de ELE es fundamental para poder llevar a cabo prácticas que respondan dos necesidades concretas. Por un lado, ofrecer experiencias de aula que garanticen el desarrollo de competencias comunicativas que optimicen el uso adecuado de la lengua española (L2); por otro, atender a las exigencias que se hacen desde el PCIC y el MCER para tener unos parámetros claros de evaluación. Así las cosas, en este artículo se propone la caracterización de la competencia léxica como parte de las competencias lingüísticas desde la perspectiva del MCER, para señalar cuál es el alcance de su optimización para los estudiantes arabófonos en general y los ira

Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs-OH) network with thickness 4μm was made by the vacuum filtration from suspension (FFS) method. The morphology, structure and optical properties of the MWCNTs film were characterized by SEM and UV-Vis. spectra techniques. The SEM images reflected highly ordered network in the form of ropes or bundles with close-packing which looks like spaghetti. The absorbance spectrum revealed that the network has a good absorbance in the UV-Vis. region. The gas sensor system was used to test the MWCNT-OH network to detect NH₃gas at room temperature. The resistance of the sensor was increased when exposed to the NH₃gas. The sensitivities of the network w