Vitiligo is an acquired idiopathic skin disorder characterized by depigmented macules due to loss of cutaneous melanocytes. A potential role of the immune dysfunction has been suggested in vitiligo, so to test this hypothesis, certain cytokines (IL-17A and TNF-?) and immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG, IgA and total IgE) were investigated in all participants. The study included: 60 patients with age range between (6-55) year; 30(11 males and 19 females) were untreated and 30(12 males and 18 females) were treated with Narrow Band Ultraviolet-B (NB-UVB) and 30 (14 males and 16 females) apparently healthy control. Serum was separated and cytokines (IL-17A and TNF-?) and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) were detected by using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); while immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG and IgA) were detected by using Single Radial Immunodiffusion (SRID) method. The results showed that the mean levels of serum IL-17A and TNF-? in both untreated and NB-UVB treated vitiligo patients were increased significantly (p ? 0.05) as compared with healthy control. The mean levels of serum IgG and IgA in untreated vitiligo patients showed non significant decreased (P<0.05) as compared to healthy control; while serum IgM and IgE levels were found to be increased, but the increase was statistically non significant (P<0.05). The mean levels of serum IgM and IgG in NB-UVB treated vitiligo patients showed a significant increased (p ? 0.05) as compared to both untreated vitiligo patients and healthy control, while serum IgA level found to be increased, but the increase was statistically non significant (P<0.05) as compared to untreated vitiligo patients. From these findings we can conclude that marked high serum levels of IL-17A and TNF-? in vitiligo patients clarify their important participation in the pathogenesis of vitiligo, also the alteration in the mean levels of serum immunoglobulins indicate the role of humoral immunity in vitiligo patients. Among the treatment options available in vitiligo, phototherapy especially NB-UVB was one of the safest and most effective especially in patients with generalized vitiligo.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a condition of an inadequate supply of oxygenated blood to a portion of the myocardium. It typically occurs when there is an imbalance between supply and demand of myocardial oxygen. The most common cause of myocardial ischemia is atherosclerotic disease of an epicardial coronary artery or arteries which is sufficient to cause a regional reduction in myocardial blood flow and inadequate perfusion of the myocardium supplied by the involved coronary artery. Fifty CAD subjects (23 females and 27 males) were enrolled in this study in addition to thirty healthy control subjects (13 female and 17 male). This study aimed to measure the serum levels of interleukin IL- 33, C- reactive prot
... Show MoreZinc, Copper, Selenium, Magnesium, Manganese, Chromium, Iron, Nickel, Cobalt, Vanadium and Germanium were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) in blood serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, (30) patients (14male and 16female) with age range (37-60) years compared with normal tensive control. The analysis of results showed that the mean value of concentration (Magnesium, Manganese and Nickel) were significantly higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to that of healthy, while the mean levels of serum (Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Chromium, Iron, Cobalt and Germanium) were significantly lower than controls. There were no significant changes in overall mean concentration of serum Vanadium in patients
... Show MoreBackground: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is caused of 85% of all lung cancers. Among the most important factors for lung tumor growth and proliferation are the tyrosine kinase receptors that coded by the epidermal growth factor recep-tor (EGFR) gene. Activation of EGFR ultimately leads to developing of lung cancer. The present study was undertaken with an objective to detect EGFR mutations in bronchial wash from Iraqi patients with NSCLC before treatment. Methods: DNA was extracted from bronchial wash samples collected from 50 patients with NSCLC by using a Qiamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Then, EGFR mutations were determined by using real-time RCR combined with two technologies, Amplification Refractory Mutation System (
... Show MoreAxial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic rheumatic inflammatory disease affecting mainly the spine and sacroiliac joints. Since the copper-to-zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) indicates an inflammatory response, the change in ratio is expected to correlate with axSpA. This study compared levels of Cu/Zn in the serum of axSpA patients. Serum samples were obtained from 53 patients with axSpA divided according to biological treatment into cohorts A and B, and 28 healthy control as cohort C. Serum levels of Cu and Zn were determined first by a fully automated chemistry analyzer TC-Matrix Plus, then the ratio was obtained. The elevated serum Cu concentration means of cohort B (189.32 ± 13.808 µg/dL) compared to cohort A (168.85 ± 7.244 µg/dL) a
... Show MoreThe long-term monitoring of land movements represents the most successful application of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), particularly the Global Positioning System. However, the application of long term monitoring of land movements depends on the availability of homogenous and consistent daily position time series of stations over a period of time. Such time series can be produced very efficiently by using Precise Point Positioning and Double Difference techniques based on particular sophisticated GNSS processing softwares. Nonetheless, these rely on the availability of GNSS products which are precise satellite orbit and clock, and Earth orientation parameters. Unfortunately, several changes and modifications have been mad
... Show MoreThe current study included the collection of 175 samples (blood-urea) of patients suffering from rheumatism, collected from Baghdad Teaching Hospital (Educational Laboratory), Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital, Al-Imamian Al-Kadhimya in Medical City in Baghdad at different duration between 2016/10/1-2017/2/1. The bacterial growth results showed that 80% of urea samples positive for bacterial culture, while the rate of samples did not show any bacterial grow this 20%. The isolation subjugates to morphological, microscopically and biochemical tests, as also diagnosis by Api system. The most frequent bacterial pathogenic is E. coli which appeared highly rate (41.97)% followed by E. cloacae (21.25)%, P. aeruginosa (12.5)%, Salmonella (10)% and the pro
... Show MoreThis study reflected on the relationship between contactin associated protein-like
2 gene (CNTNAP2) and autism spectrum disorders. The study includes forty autistic
patients and forty non autistic children as control groups (twenty unaffected sibling
and twenty unrelated children). DNA was extracted from Blood samples for
molecular detection of CNTNAP2 mutations associated with ASDs by using
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique and sequencing analysis. PCR reaction
was performed to amplify exon 20 of CNTNAP2 gene. The PCR results revealed that
identical bands related to exon 20 of CNTNAP2 gene were present in all samples.
Therefore, five samples (four from autistic patients and one from control sibling)
we
Background: Duplex ultrasound is inexpensive, non-invasive and can provide functional and anatomical information about vessel stenosis and plaque morphology. Color duplex flow ultrasonography has thus become the most widely used noninvasive method of assessing extra cranial cerebrovascular occlusive disease.
Objectives:To find the relation of the severity of carotid artery stenosis, intima media thickness, and atheromatous plaque morphology with the size of cerebral infarction.
Patients and Methods: A prospective study, conducted from September 2010 to May 2011, in Department of Radiology in Baghdad Teaching Hospital. A total of 62 Patients with clinical & radiological (brain CT) diagnosis of acute stroke, (42 males & 20 fe
The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the possible role of statins on the inflammatory biomarkers in patients with periodontal disease (PD) This cross-sectional study involved 74 patients with PD and/or dyslipidemia divided into Group A: 34 patients with PD (nonstatins users); Group B: 40 patients with PD (statins users); and Group C: 30 healthy controls. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured . Blood pressure prolife and indices of PD were evaluated in each group. Statistical analysis was conducted by using SPSS version 20.0.