Cytokines are signaling molecules between inflammatory cells that play a significant role in the pathogenesis of a disease. Among these cytokines are interleukins (ILs) 17A and 33, and accordingly, the current case-control study sought to investigate the role of each of the two cytokines in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Sixty-eight relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Iraqi patients and twenty healthy individuals (control group) were enrolled. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to determine serum levels of IL-17A and IL-33. Results revealed that IL-17A and IL-33 levels were significantly higher in MS patients than in controls (14.1 ± 4.5 vs. 7.5 ± 3.8 pg/mL; p < 0.001 and 65.3 ± 16.3 vs. 49.3 ± 20.0 pg/mL; p < 0.001, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that IL-17A was a very good predictor of MS (area under curve [AUC] = 0.869; 95% CI = 0.779 - 0.960; p < 0.001; cut-off value = 10.2 pg/mL; sensitivity = 80.8%; specificity = 75.0%). A similar prediction was presented by IL-33, but the AUC value was lower (AUC = 0.762; 95% CI = 0.63 - 0.89; p < 0.001; cut-off value = 56.4 pg/mL; sensitivity = 70.6%; specificity = 70.0%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis confirmed the significance of IL-17A and IL-33 in MS risk, and under three models of analysis, the estimated odds ratios for IL-17A (1.50, 1.49 and 1.50, respectively) and IL-33 (1.05, 1.05 and 1.06) were above 1.0. Patients stratified by gender (male and female), expanded disability status scale (EDSS: < 3 and ≥ 3) or medication (pre- and post-medication) showed no significant differences in serum levels of IL-17A and IL-33 for each stratum. However, with regard to response to medication, it was found that responding patients showed significantly higher levels of IL-33 than non-responders (70.9 ± 12.2 vs. 57.2 ± 18.2 pg/mL; p = 0.018). This difference was not observed when considering IL-17A. Pearson correlation analysis between IL-17A and IL-33 revealed that both cytokines were not significantly correlated. In conclusion, the study indicated that IL-17A and IL-33 were up-regulated in serum of MS patients, and this up-regulation was not influenced by age, gender, EDSS or medication status, but the elevated level of IL-33 was more pronounced in patients who responded to medication.
Mersing is one of the places that have the potential for wind power development in Malaysia. Researchers often suggest it as an ideal place for generating electricity from wind power. However, before a location is chosen, several factors need to be considered. By analyzing the location ahead of time, resource waste can be avoided and maximum profitability to various parties can be realized. For this study, the focus is to identify the distribution of the wind speed of Mersing and to determine the optimal average of wind speed. This study is critical because the wind speed data for any region has its distribution. It changes daily and by season. Moreover, no determination has been made regarding selecting the average wind speed used for w
... Show MoreIn this study, the electron coefficients; Mean energy , Mobility and Drift velocity of different gases Ar, He, N2 and O2 in the ionosphere have been calculated using BOLSIG+ program to check the solution results of Boltzmann equation results, and effect of reduced electric field (E/N) on electronic coefficients. The electric field has been specified in the limited range 1-100 Td. The gases were in the ionosphere layer at an altitude frame 50-2000 km. Furthermore, the mean energy and drift velocity steadily increased with increases in the electric field, while mobility was reduced. It turns out that there is a significant and obvious decrease in mobility as a result of inelastic collisions and in addition lit
... Show MoreThe aim of the research was to prepare the fields and items for safe environment scale form professional basketball players and coaches’ point of view. The researchers used the descriptive method on professional athletes of players and coaches from (11) clubs; for the pilot study (21) athletes were selected and for the building sample (103) athletes, and standardization sample (101) athletes from the participants in the Iraqi league (2018-2019). The scale of the safe environment was concluded with (6) fields and (52) items. The researchers came up with the safe environment scale from the point of view of professional basketball players and coaches. Finally the researchers recommended paying attention to providing safe environment for athl
... Show MoreMeasuring the level of communicative competence in news headlines and the level of stylistic and semantic processing in its formulation requires creating a quantitative scale based on the bases on building the scales and their standards. As judging by scientific of journalism studies lies in the possibility of quantifying the journalistic knowledge, i.e. the ability of this knowledge to shift from qualitative language to its equivalent in the language of numbers.
News headlines and editorial processing are one of the journalistic knowledges that should be studied, analyzed stylistically and semantically; their conclusions drawn and expressed in numbers. Press knowledge is divided into two types:<
... Show MoreThe research aims to statement the main obstacles that prevent the application of total quality management (TQM) in a number of Iraqi service organizations, and by one organization in each of the sectors (health, finance, education, higher education, tourism), which are, (Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, Rafidain Bank/ Branch of Hay Al-Arabi Al-Jadid, Al-Karkh/1 Directorate of Education, College of administration and Economics/ Baghdad University, International Palestine Hotel). The research also, tries to classify the priority of the obstacles depending on the type of service organization surveyed. And diagnoses the extent to which or the difference of the research sample members views on the order of obstacles of TQM, and also proposes a
... Show MoreThe coronavirus-pandemic has a major impact on women's-mental and physical-health. Polycystic-ovary-syndrome (PCOS) has a high-predisposition to many cardiometabolic-risk factors that increase susceptibility to severe complications of COVID-19 and also exhibit an increased likelihood of subfertility. The study includes the extent of the effect of COVID-19-virus on renin-levels, glutathione-s-transferase-activity and other biochemical parameters in PCOS-women. The study included 120 samples of ladies that involved: 80 PCOS-patients, and 40 healthy-ladies. Both main groups were divided into subgroups based on COVID-19 infected or not. Blood-samples were collected from PCOS-patients in Kamal-Al-Samara Hospital, at the period between Decembe
... Show MoreThe research (Relationship of Communities of practice in adoption of, Strategic Change choices) aims to diagnose and interpretation of correlation nature between Communities of practice deportation (participation and spreading knowledge, confidence, social capital build) deportation strategic change choices (reengineering business process, business re-structuring, business innovation) in construction companies in the Iraqi Ministry of Construction and Housing, the research tested 4 construction companies working in investing sector in Iraq, the research applied on a sample of 102 persons who participated in Communities of practice distributed in several administrative levels (directors, division directors, projec
... Show MoreThis study included isolation and characterization of extremely halophilic bacteria from Al-Massab Al-Aam region in South of Iraq Fifty isolates were identified by using numerical taxonomy 40 strains belonged to the genus Halobacterium which inclucted Hb. halobium Hb. cutirubrum Hb. salinarium Hb. saccharovorum Hb. valismortis and Hb. volcanii. Ten strains belonged to the genus Halococcus which included Hc. morrhuae Hc. saccharolyticus. Growth curves were sensitive mutants determined for wild type and salt Generation time in logarthmic phase was measured and found to be (10.37 2hr 7 0.59) for Hb. salinarium / 18 (6.490 hr 0.24) for Hb. cutirubrum / 32, (6.700 hr + 0.488) for Hb. valismortis / 20, (11.243 hr + 0.96) for Hb. volcanii / 7. (7
... Show MoreAir pollution is considered one of the major environmental problems that contain many challenges and difficulties facing most countries of the world, including Iraq. The problem has emerged widely with the emergence of the industrial revolution in the world and the tremendous increase in the population and the increase in the number of transportation and its development in addition to excavation, maintenance and work Construction and weather fluctuations, such as dust and sandstorms, pollution resulting from oil refining, extraction, diversion and other processes that cause pollution, and the start of the world using methods that limit the volume of environmental pollution. The most prominent of these methods is the imposition of
... Show MoreThis study is an investigation of the drugs effect on some pathogenic Acanthamoeba isolated from Iraqi waters, where the problem of environmental adaptation that characterizes this organism in addition to being a reservoir for many pathogenic microorganisms that take shelter in it to escape disinfectants and medicines is sometimes difficult to treat it with traditional treatments. Twenty water samples were collected from different water regions in Iraq, namely the Dokan Lake, Tigris River, Euphrates River and Najaf Sea, 5 samples from each source. Acanthamoeba was isolated from water samples on NNA and PYG media, using an inverted microscope with an electron microscope to determine their phenotypic features. PCR and
... Show More