Background: Lowering the amount of iodinated contrast material and tube voltage may increase pulmonary artery opacification and thrombus identification without compromising picture quality.

Objectives: To explore the efficiency of using lower tube voltage and a lower contrast medium dose for conducting computed tomography for pulmonary angiography (CTPA) aiming to increase its accuracy in detecting pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE).

Subjects and Methods:100 patients scheduled for CTPA with a preoperative diagnosis of PTE were grouped into two: group A, (50 patients) got 1 mL/kg at 120 kV and group B, (50 patients) received 0.5 mL/kg at 80 kV.The tec

The problem of non-Darcian-Bènard double diffusive magneto-Marangoni convection   is considered in a horizontal infinite two layer system. The system consists of a two-component fluid layer placed above a porous layer, saturated with the same fluid with a constant heat sources/sink in both the layers, in the presence of a vertical magnetic field.   The lower porous layer is bounded by rigid boundary, while the upper boundary of the fluid region is free with the presence of Marangoni effects.  The system of ordinary differential equations obtained after normal mode analysis is solved in a closed form for the eigenvalue and the Thermal Marangoni Number (TMN) for two cases of Thermal Boundary Combinations (TBC); th

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death among type 2 diabetic patients. Higher levels of plasminogen activator urokinase receptor have been found to predict morbidity and mortality across acute and chronic diseases in the common populace. This study aims to explore the role of serum plasminogen activator urokinase receptor levels as a cardiometabolic risk factor among type 2 diabetic Iraqi patients. Methods: Seventy type 2 diabetic patients (40 male and 30 female) (mean age: 46.20±7.56 years) participated in this study; 35 patients were with cardiovascular disease and 35 were without cardiovascular disease; their ages range was 40-55 years. In addition, 30 individuals who apparently healthy were selected a

Despite extensive investigations, an effective treatment for sepsis remains elusive and a better understanding of the inflammatory response to infection is required to identify potential new targets for therapy. In this study we have used RNAi technology to show, for the first time, that the inducible lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2 (LPCAT2) plays a key role in macrophage inflammatory gene expression in response to stimulation with bacterial ligands. Using siRNA- or shRNA-mediated knockdown, we demonstrate that, in contrast to the constitutive LPCAT1, LPCAT2 is required for macrophage cytokine gene expression and release in response to TLR4 and TLR2 ligand stimulation but not for TLR-independent stimuli. In addition, cells transfe

TNF-α-induced osteoclastogenesis is central to post-menopausal and inflammatory bone loss, however, the effect of phytoestrogens on TNF-α-induced bone resorption has not been studied. The phytoestrogens genistein, daidzein, and coumestrol directly suppressed TNF-α-induced osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. TRAP positive osteoclast formation and resorption area were significantly reduced by genistein (10(-7) M), daidzein (10(-5) M), and coumestrol (10(-7) M), which was prevented by the estrogen antagonist ICI 182,780. TRAP expression in mature TNF-α-induced osteoclasts was also significantly reduced by these phytoestrogen concentrations. In addition, in the presence of ICI 182,780 genistein and coumestrol (10(-5) -10(-6) M) augmente

Activation of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) markedly attenuates development of atherosclerosis in animal models. However, the underlying mechanism is not well elucidated. Here, we show that the FXR agonist, obeticholic acid (OCA), increases fecal cholesterol excretion and macrophage reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) dependent on activation of hepatic FXR. OCA does not increase biliary cholesterol secretion, but inhibits intestinal cholesterol absorption. OCA markedly inhibits hepatic cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) and sterol 12α‐hydroxylase (Cyp8b1) partly through inducing small heterodimer partner, leading to reduced bile acid pool size and al

This study was performed to assess the correlation of serum interleukins (ILs) levels with anthropometric data and lipid profile status in blood samples obtained from 100 Iraqi obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS. Obese non PCOS healthy women (n=75) matching in age (19-38 years) and body mass index(29.9-33.4kg/m²) served as a control group. The samples were collected from Kamal Al-Samurai Teaching hospital during the period of December 2017- June 2018.ELISA kits were used to measure serum levels of IL-6,IL-10,IL-18, IL-29,IL-33,tumor necrotic factor (TNF-α),high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP),  insulin, total testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin(SHBG).The biochemical measure

There is a theoretical controversy in the books of Usul al-Fiqh, in the past and the present, about whether the ruling should be attached to its reason (al-Hikmah), or its apparent and stable cause (al-Illah). Looking at the practical cases of the jurists, we found them sometimes attaching rulings to its reason, and sometimes to its cause, so there is a need to know the factors that affect their choices. By extrapolation, the researcher reached at nine factors that affect referring the ruling to its cause or to its reason in jurisprudential cases.

  The study sheds lights on the simple verbal formulas with its particular time suffixes as found in the Turgut Özakman’s play These Crazy Turks.

     The introduction of the study sheds light on the life of the author and playwright, as well as traces the different types of the verbal formulas in Turkish language.

     Oh Those Young is one of the most significant products of the Turkish literature of the young and Children where the literary messages of the playwright are addressed in a simple comic sarcastic style. Hence, the play, that has been studied and acted by many students and academics, drives its importance from this particular course of action.

The study aimed to explore the relationship between future anxiety and life orientation of male and female nurses, working in government hospitals of Gaza Strip governorates. The study sample consisted of 228 nurses (131 male nurses and97 female nurses. To achieve the study objectives , the researcher used the future anxiety scale, prepared by the researcher, and life orientation scale prepared by Scheier and Craver (1985 ) and translated into Arabic by Bader Al-Ansari . The results indicated that the level of future anxiety among nurses working at government hospitals was (64.85%), a high percentage, whereas life orientation was (65.96%), a low percentage. Additionally , the results showed that the Pearson correlation coefficient betwee