This study is to evaluate plasma levels of several cytokines in preeclamptic pregnancies compared to those of healthy pregnancies. Ninety pregnant women with preeclampsia (37 mild & 53 severe) and thirty healthy pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were taken and plasma levels of IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-? were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Preeclamptic women and their severe cases but not mild cases had significantly (P<0.05) increased levels of plasma IL-8, and IFN-? as compared with healthy pregnancies. By contrast, plasma levels of IL-10 was significantly (P<0.05) increased in healthy pregnant women as compared to all groups of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is associated with an imbalance between pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IFN-?) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10), and these support our suggestion of altered immune response in preeclampsia.
Background: Tubal ligation, recognized as a surgical intervention that ensures permanent contraception, has established itself as an option for women seeking a definitive solution for family planning. Objective: To assess the psychosexual implications of tubal ligation in a sample of women in Baghdad, Iraq. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a teaching hospital for 2 years, from the first of January 2022 to the end of December 2023, in which 203 women who underwent tubal ligation were included. Results: In the present study, we found that 158 (77.8%) had no depression, mild depression presented in 27 (13.3%), and moderate depression in only 15 (7.4%). While 163 (80.3%) of women did not suffer from anxiety, 32 (15.8
... Show MoreCeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic inflammation that essentially affects the small intestine and is caused by eating gluten-containing foods. This study sought to determine gene expression of NLRP3 Inflammasome in peripheral blood of Iraqi CD children using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. Thirty children with CD (12 males and 18 females) were enrolled in the study and their age range was 3-15 years. The diagnosis of the disease was confirmed by serological examinations and intestinal endoscopy. A control sample of 20 age-matched healthy children was also included. The children were stratified for age, gender, body max index (BMI), histological findings, and marsh classification. Fu
... Show MoreA sensitive, accurate, and affordable colorimetric method was developed for assaying prednisolone (PRZ) in various medicinal forms. The procedure involves the oxidation of PRZ by ferric ions, followed by complexation of the resulting ferrous ions with ferricyanide to produce a greenish-blue product. Common complexation conditions were thoroughly investigated. The mole ratio of FeCl₃·6H₂O to K₃Fe(CN)₆ was 8:1. The proposed mechanism of complexation was suggested and considered. Various parameters were optimized, including the reduction of the colorimetric reaction temperature to 50°C and the duration of heating and analysis to 20-30 minutes. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 1-60 µg/mL. The limit of detection (LOD
... Show MoreEnvironmental pollution is one of the world's biggest problems, and plant waste is one of its causes. For this reason, we have tried in this work to take advantage of this waste and benefit from it instead of being one of the pollutants. Seven dry waste from different plants (bitter orange peels, pomegranate peels, bitter orange leaves, Ziziphus leaves, albizia leaves, waste of black tea, and zahidi date palm fibers) were tested as cheap source of melatonin )MLT), which is a very important indoleamine compound. Throughout the current study, this hormone was extracted from these plants’ waste (which are considered as environmental pollutants) by applying different modified methods, whereby melatonin was identified and quantified by the
... Show MoreFifty one patients with serologically confirmed brucellosis and 70 healthy controls were phenotyped for HLA-A, -B, -DR and -DQ antigens by using standard microlympho-cytotoxicity method, and lymphocytes defined by their CD markers (CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD19). The results revealed a significant (Pc = 0.001) increased frequency of HLA-DR8 (41.18 vs. 10.0%) in the patients . A significant increased percentage of CD8+ lymphocytes was also increased in the patients (25.15 vs. 22.0%; P = 0.006), while CD3+ lymphocytes were significantly decreased (75.1 vs. 79.4%; P = 0.02).
In vitro antifungal susceptibility test of itraconazole was carried out against 38 isolates from nails, skin, oral cavity, vagina and wounds, This study was done in Ramadi Teaching Hospital in period from January to August 2010. According to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard (NCCLS ) M 27- A by using the broth dilution method. Inoculum size was 1-5X103 CFU/ ml, while final concentrations of itraconazole ranged from 0.025 – 6.4 μg / ml by using RPMI – 1640 broth media and the fungus was incubated at 35 oC. No resistant stain was recorded. MIC ranged from 0.05 – 6.4 μg / ml and the Mean ± SEM was 0.89 ± 0.28. MIC for nail isolates was 0.05 –
... Show MoreDoxycycline and levofloxacin are heterocyclic organic compounds that are now popularly used to treat some bacterial infections. In this study which was conducted on patients from a private clinic, we compared the use of two commonly used antibiotics for the treatment of diagnosed cases with vaginal chlamydial infection: levofloxacin and doxycycline. Vaginal chlamydial infection is considered to be a very common sexually transmitted infection. It may have minimal symptoms which can lead to neglect by the patient until it leads to some important complications among which is the inability to become pregnant. This indicates early diagnosis and treatment of this infection. By comparing the results of treatment we concluded that there is no much
... Show MoreNutlets of 22 taxa of Stachys (13 species and seven subspecies and two varieties), representing seven of the currently recognized sections distributed in northern Iraq were examined by light microscope. The basic shape of nutlets in most taxa studied is Obovoid, but Oblong also found in S.megalodanta Hausskn.& Bornm. ex P.H.Davis, S.setirefa C.A.Mey. subsp daenensis (Gandog.) Rech.f.and S. kurdica Boiss.& Hohen. var.kurdica, while the Subgloboid shape found in S. iberica M.Bieb. and S. inflata Benth., more over the Broad triangular shape was found in S. nephrophylla Rech.f. and S.lanigera (Bornm.) Rech.f.., the biggest size of nutlets was found in S.inflata L. and the smallest was in S.melampyroides Hand.-Mzt. Regarding sculpturing pa
... Show MoreThis study was conducted from February 2010 to December 2010. Water Samples were collected every two months in three stations in Baghdad city. The study involved the assessment of concentrations of some heavy metals such as: Chromium, Cadmium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Nickel and Zinc. the values of chromium were undetected for the entire of the study, while the rest of the heavy metal were ranged between 0.001 -0.438 mg / l, ND -0.077 mg / L, ND -0.778 mg / l, 0.36 - 0.011 mg / l, 0.011-0 .08mg/ l, ND - 0.1985 mg / l, ND -0.0416 mg / l, respectively. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals were fluctuated during the study period, except Lead which have high concentrations and exceeded the permit limits in all statio
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