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.
Abstract
Objective(s): To evaluate blended learning in nursing education at the Middle Region in Iraq.
Methodology: A descriptive study, using evaluation approach, is conducted to evaluate blended learning in nursing education in Middle Region in Iraq from September 26th, 2021 to March 22nd, 2022. The study is carried out at two Colleges of Nursing at the University of Baghdad and University of Tikrit in Iraq. A convenient, non-probability, sample of (60) undergraduate nursing students is selected. The sample is comprised of (30) student from each college of nursing, Self-report questionnaire is constructed from the literature, for e
... Show MoreThe military presence in the Gulf region after the British withdrawal from it in 1971 was one of the most important pillars of the American strategy to climb the ladder of global leadership, as the geostrategic features that the region enjoyed provided factors of controlling energy sources and global trade routes. The United States of America guarantees Western Europe and Japan the process of access to energy sources and the exclusion of its opponents from the region, especially the Soviet Union, and the growing American military presence in the Gulf after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. On the other hand, the region experiences many contradictions, some of which threaten its security, such as the exacerbation of disputes between its count
... Show MoreThe process of granting loans by banks is the confidence they give to their customers, but this trust should not be a cornerstone in granting loans even if granted these loans on the basis of sound banking should involve risks that may be exposed to the bank because of the failure of the client to meet The bank's financial obligations to the bank due to the unexpected economic conditions affecting the customers, which makes them in a state of faltering, which weaken the ability of banks to provide loans, which are the most important sources of revenue and profits, so the problem of non-performing loans is one of the main problems facing most of the banks Which impede the functioning of its work and the reasons that led to the agg
... Show MoreThe research deals with the problem of visual pollution, as it is one of the most important urban problems that cities suffer from. The concept of visual pollution has recently emerged to describe the deformation and degradation of the urban environment. Visual pollution is defined as any component of the surrounding environment that is inconsistent and not homogeneous with its natural and human components. The volume of visual pollution has doubled due to the non-compliance with the laws, regulations and controls set by the Municipality of Baghdad by the citizens, and to the weak municipal role that the municipality plays in implementing these laws. Therefore, it has become necessary to know the manifestations of visual pollution and th
... Show MoreImproving the quality of health services in the health sector is an important and necessary matter that must be taken care of and improved, and this study seeks to demonstrate the role of quality costs in improving the quality of health services and achieving a high level of quality to satisfy the beneficiaries and to provide health services of good quality, and the research concluded that the main point of service provision Good health is the costs of prevention and evaluation (costs of quality conformity) and attention to it, and that technical competition contributes greatly to the development of the level of quality, as well as the use of health and medical staff with competent expertise, and that the costs of internal failure and th
... Show MorePDBN Rashid, International Journal of Professional Studies, 2023
The amino acids in the liver of chick embryo was analysed for ages (7, 11, 14 and 19) days incubation and small chicken aged (14) days after hatching and adult. The study recorded (18) amino acid, the highest concentration of amino acids in the liver of embryo age (7) days incubation was Cysteine (Cys) and in small chicken aged (14) day after hatching, the following amino acids were found: Asparagine (Asn), Alanine (Ala), Histidine (His), Threonine (Thr), Valine (Val), Lysine (Lys), as well as in adult the following amino acids were recorded the highest concentration: Aspartic (Asp), Glutamic (Glu), Serine (Ser), Arginine (Arg), Proline (Pro), Glycine (Gly), Tyrosine (Tyr), Methionine (Met), Isoleucine (Ile), Leucine (Leu) and phenyl alanin
... Show MoreThe total and individual multipole moments of magnetic electron scattering form factors in 41Ca have been investigated using a widely successful model which is the nuclear shell model configurations keeping in mind of 1f7/2 subshell as an L-S shell and Millinar, Baymann, Zamick as L-S shell (F7MBZ) to give the model space wave vector. Also, harmonic oscillator wave functions have been used as wave function of a single particle in 1f7/2 shell. Nucleus 40Ca as core closed and Core polarization effects have been used as a corrective with first order correction concept to basic computation of L-S shell and the excitement energy has been implemented with 2ћω. The
... Show MoreSome of structural ,and electrical properties of pure and zinc (Zn) doped cadmium telluride thin films with impurity percentages (0.5, 1, 1.5)%, deposited on hot glass substrate (temperature equals to 423K) of thickness of 300nm and rate deposition of 0.5 nm.s-1 by thermal co-evaporation technique under vacuum of (2×10-5)Torr have been investigates. The structural properties for the prepared films were studied before and after. doping process by analysis of the X-ray diffraction, and it appeared that pure and dopant CdTe thin films are polycrystalline and have the cubic structure with preferential orientation in the [111] direction, and the crystal structure of the films were improved due to doping process. From d.c
... Show MoreIn this research, the mechanical properties of natural rubber blends in different proportions (70:30, 85:15, 100: 0 55:45 and phr) was studied through the use of two types of fillers (carbon black and titanium dioxide Nano) which show through tests conducted on the prepared models that increase fillers content which leads to improve the tensile properties (tensile strength, elastic modulus, elongation, hardness and compressibility). As shown by the results that the presence of polypropylene (PP) in the mix combination works to reduce the degree of intumescent and increase its content in the composition of mixtures which leads to get a great resistance to chemicals (acids, bases and oils).