Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. In most patients, monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chains or light chains are produced and are associated with organ dysfunction. The growth factor B-cell activating factor (BAFF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma due to its ability to promote B-cell survival, expansion, and differentiation. Objective: to measure the circulatory level of B-cell activating factor in multiple myeloma patients in relapsed and remission states and explore its possible correlations with the clinical staging, β2-microglobulin, and interleukin-6. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 60 multiple myeloma patients, with 30 in remission and 30 in relapse, as well as 20 healthy individuals serving as a control group. The study was conducted in the Hematology department of Baghdad Teaching Hospital in the Medical City Complex from January to September 2020. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique was used to measure plasma levels of B-cell activating factor, β2-microglobulin, and interleukin-6. Results: The B-cell activating factor levels were significantly higher in multiple myeloma patients compared to the control, and in relapsed patients compared to those in remission. The level of B-cell activating factor increased with advanced disease, in both remission and relapse states. There are positive correlations with β2-microglobulin and interleukin-6 levels in both relapsed and remission states. Conclusion: Increased B-cell activating factor level in relapse more than remission states is a useful biomarker of disease activity in multiple myeloma and has positive correlations with β2-microglobulin and interleukin-6 levels.
Exploring the B-Spline Transform for Estimating Lévy Process Parameters: Applications in Finance and Biomodeling Exploring the B-Spline Transform for Estimating Lévy Process Parameters: Applications in Finance and Biomodeling Letters in Biomathematics · Jul 7, 2025Letters in Biomathematics · Jul 7, 2025 Show publication This paper, presents the application of the B-spline transform as an effective and precise technique for estimating key parameters i.e., drift, volatility, and jump intensity for Lévy processes. Lévy processes are powerful tools for representing phenomena with continuous trends with abrupt changes. The proposed approach is validated through a simulated biological case study on animal migration in which movements are mo
... Show MoreSeeds of the two rice genotypes namely Amber 33 (A33) and Amber Baghdad (AB) were divided into two groups; the first was presoaked in different concentrations of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) as chemical mutagen for different duration times (3, 6 and 12) hrs, and the other was exposed to different exposure times of ultra violate (UV-B) radiation (280-320 nm) as physical mutagen for different times (20, 40 and 60) min at room temperature. Treated and non-treated seeds were transferred into the callus induction medium containing 2.5 mg/L 2,4- dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.5 mg/L benzyl adenine (BA) under aseptic conditions. Calli were divided into two groups the first was treated with several EMS concentrations (0.0, 0.50. 1.0, 1
... Show MoreBackground: Environmental chemicals are thought to
adversely affect human reproductive function.
Objective : To estimate the concentration of cadmium(Cd)
, lead ( Pb ) and Zinc ( Zn ) in serum and seminal plasma
among infertile men .
Methods: A sample of 70 infertile men was investigated.
The relationship of trace elements concentration in serum and
seminal plasma was studied in relation to sperm density,
motility and sperm count.
Results: Except for Zinc the concentration of (Pb) and (Cd)
were generally higher in serum than in seminal plasma. The
mean concentration of (Zn) in seminal plasma was more than
25 times higher than in serum There were no statistical
significant differences observed in the
The aquatic crude extract of Silybum marianum dry grains prepared by melting them in distil water by the method of soak and shake. The effect of Silybum marianum crude extract studied in vitro on three tumor cell line the Hep-2, AMN-3 and RD for 24, 48 and 72 hours of exposure, and one cell line of normal cells REF for 72 hr exposure. The results showed that the prescence of toxic effect of the aquatic crude extract on the cell lines of Hep-2, AMN-3 and RD at 10 and 100 µg/ ml upto the higher concentrations when they exposed to the extract for 48 hr. as compared with the control treatment, and when the exposure period increased to 72 hr. the toxic effect started at low concentrations (5 and 10 µg/ ml) as compared with the control g
... Show MoreObjective: Per-implantitis is one of the implant treatment complications. Dentists have failed to restore damaged periodontium by using conventional therapies. Tissue engineering (stem cells, scaffold and growth factors) aims to reconstruct natural tissues. The paper aimed to isolate both periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and use them in a co-culture method to create three-layered cell sheets for reconstructing natural periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue. Materials and methods: BMMSCs were isolated from rabbit tibia and femur, and PDLSC culture was established from the lower right incisor. The cells were co-cultured to induce BMMSC differentiation into PDL cells. Cell morphology, stem cel
... Show MoreBackground: Globally, hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases. Estimates indicate that at least 2 billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), with more than 378 million people being chronic carriers. Those individuals at higher risk for acquiring HBV and transmitting disease like pregnant women should be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to prevent transmission by vaccination and operation. Aim of study: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg and its associated parameters in pregnant women who referred to antenatal clinic in Baghdad Province. Methods: The 234 apparently healthy pregnant women and their families, husbands and children were se
... Show MoreThe main objective of this paper is to study the behavior of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete (NPRC) beams with and without rectangular openings either when exposed to fire or not. The experimental program involves casting and testing 9 NPRC beams divided into 3 main groups. These groups were categorized according to heating temperature (ambient temperature, 400°C, and 700°C), with each group containing 3 NPRC beams (solid beams and beams with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings). For beams with similar geometry, increasing the burning temperature results in their deterioration as reflected in their increasing mid-span deflection throughout the fire exposure period and their residual deflection after cooling. Meanwhile, the existing ope
... Show MoreThe main objective of this paper is to study the behavior of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete (NPRC) beams with and without rectangular openings either when exposed to fire or not. The experimental program involves casting and testing 9 NPRC beams divided into 3 main groups. These groups were categorized according to heating temperature (ambient temperature, 400°C, and 700°C), with each group containing 3 NPRC beams (solid beams and beams with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings). For beams with similar geometry, increasing the burning temperature results in their deterioration as reflected in their increasing mid-span deflection throughout the fire exposure period and their residual deflection after cooling. Meanwhile, the existing ope
... Show MoreIt is well-known that the existence of outliers in the data will adversely affect the efficiency of estimation and results of the current study. In this paper four methods will be studied to detect outliers for the multiple linear regression model in two cases : first, in real data; and secondly, after adding the outliers to data and the attempt to detect it. The study is conducted for samples with different sizes, and uses three measures for comparing between these methods . These three measures are : the mask, dumping and standard error of the estimate.