Chitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42 ng/ml, the TNF-a level which was 123.6 ng/ml, and the IL-1B level which was 204.365 pg/dl were significantly higher in patients compared to control 3.28 (1.58–4.99) ng/ml, 56.47 (9.38–77.01) ng/ml and 67.887 (15.493–122.689)pg/dl respectively. There was no correlation between serum YKL-40 and disease activity, while there were significant associations observed with TNF-α (r=0.5,p =0.0001) and IL-1β (r=0.41, p=0.001). YKL-40 indicating good levels of RA prediction at 2.47 ng/ml, sensitivity 87.9%, specificity 58.6%, accuracy 78.1%, PPV 80.9%, and NPV 70.8%. In conclusion, a higher level of serum YKL-40 is found in RA patients. The findings from our study suggest a strong association between YKL-40 and the proinflammatory biomarkers. As a result, these biomarkers together might play a role in RA pathogenesis, and YKL-40 may be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker for RA.
This paper focuses on the optimization of drilling parameters by utilizing “Taguchi method” to obtain the minimum surface roughness. Nine drilling experiments were performed on Al 5050 alloy using high speed steel twist drills. Three drilling parameters (feed rates, cutting speeds, and cutting tools) were used as control factors, and L9 (33) “orthogonal array” was specified for the experimental trials. Signal to Noise (S/N) Ratio and “Analysis of Variance” (ANOVA) were utilized to set the optimum control factors which minimized the surface roughness. The results were tested with the aid of statistical software package MINITAB-17. After the experimental trails, the tool diameter was found as the most important facto
... Show MoreWater is an essential aspect of life and important in evolution. Recently the potable water quality topic has received much attention. The study aims to determine drinking water quality in Al-Najaf City by collecting samples throughout Al-Najaf city and comparing the results with the Iraqi guidelines (IQS 417) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, as well as to calculate the WQI. Samples were tested in the laboratory between December 2021 and June 2022. The results showed that multiple parameters exceeded the allowable limits during both testing periods; during winter months, the results of TDS and turbidity exceeded the upper limits in multiple locations. Total hardness values also
... Show MoreIn this work ,medical zinc oxide was produced from zinc scraps instead of traditional method which used for medical applications such as skin diseases, Iraq is importing around 50 ton/year for samarra plant the producted powder has apartical size less than 5 micron and the purity was more than 99.98%,also apilot plant of yield capacitiy 15 kg/8hours wsa designed and manufactured .
Various industrial applications include the dyeing of textiles, paper, leather, and food products, as well as the cosmetics industry. Physic-chemical methods are required to breakdown dyes because they are known to be harmful and persistent in the environment. Many companies' treated effluents contain small amounts of dyes. When it comes to removing dye from wastewater, adsorption has verified to be aneconomical alternative to more traditional treatment procedures. It's important to degrade color impurities in industrial effluents since they constitute a serious health and environmental concern. One way that's been tried is using clay minerals as an adsorbent. Using adsorption for removing
... Show MoreThe construction of embankment for roadway interchange system at urban area is restricted due to the large geometry requirements, since the value of land required for such construction is high, and the area available is limited as compared to rural area. One of the optimum solutions to such problem is the earth reinforcement technique which requires a limited area for embankment construction. Gypseous soil from Al-Anbar governorate area was obtained and subjected to various physical and chemical analysis to determine it is properties. A laboratory model box of 50x50x25 cm was used as a representative embankment; soil has been compacted in five layers at maximum dry density (modified compaction) and an aluminum reinforcement strips we
... Show MoreIn this work, the antibacterial effectiveness of face masks made from polypropylene, against Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenic was improved by soaking in gold nanoparticles suspension prepared by a one-step precipitation method. The fabricated nanoparticles at different concentrations were characterized by UV-visible absorption and showed a broad surface Plasmon band at around 520 nm. The FE-SEM images showed the polypropylene fibres highly attached with the spherical AuNPs of diameters around 25 nm over the surfaces of the soaked fibres. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) of pure and treated face masks in AuNPs conform to the characteristics bands for the polypropylene bands. There are some differences
... Show MoreThere are many different methods for analysis of two-way reinforced concrete slabs. The most efficient methods depend on using certain factors given in different codes of reinforced concrete design. The other ways of analysis of two-way slabs are the direct design method and the equivalent frame method. But these methods usually need a long time for analysis of the slabs.
In this paper, a new simple method has been developed to analyze the two-way slabs by using simple empirical formulae, and the results of final analysis of some examples have been compared with other different methods given in different codes of practice.
The comparison proof that this simple proposed method gives good results and it can be used in analy
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