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.
The majority of Arab EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners struggle with speaking English fluency. Iraqi students struggle to speak English confidently due to mispronunciation, grammatical errors, short and long pauses while speaking or feeling confused in normal conversations. Collaborative learning is crucial to enhance student’s speaking skills in the long run. This study aims to state the importance of collaborative learning as a teaching method to EFL learners in the meantime. In this quantitative and qualitative study, specific focus is taken on some of Barros’s views of collaborative learning as a teamwork and some of Pattanpichet’s speaking achievements under four categories: academic benefits, social benefits,
... Show MoreGestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the most common metabolic disorder that found during gestation and is define as hyperglycemia of variable severity with onset or first recognition during gestation that does not clearly characterize any form of the preexisting diabetes (American Diabetes Association [1]). It affects approximately 16.5% of pregnancies worldwide (Plows, et al.[2]). The placenta is an organ that connects the mother and her fetus during pregnancy (Gul, et al.[3]). In the placenta, glucose can be transformed into glycogen for storage by either glycogen synthase or using glycogenin as a prime. However, the function of glycogen deposition stays a matter of debate, it may be the source of fuel for placenta itself or the storag
... Show Moreلم تولد الجماهيرية العالية للسينما من فراغ، إنّما تحققت من إيمان المتلقي العميق، بأن الفيلم أبعد من محاولة للترفيه، فالسينما هي فلسفة العصر، التي تتناول القضايا المهمة لتقدمها عبر حكايتها مؤطّرة بمنطق محدّد ومدفوعة ببناء عاطفي مؤثر، يهيئ المتلقي للاهتمام بهذه القضايا واستيعابها، والتغير المناخي واحد من أهم المواضيع التي بدأت السينما في الحقبة السابقة بتبنيها وتقديمها ضمن بنى حكائية تزيد من وعي المتل
... Show MorePollen morphology characterization is an important field in taxonomy. This study aims to identify and characterize the pollen morphology for fourteen species from subfamily Caesalpiniodeae (Fabaceae). The results showed the similarity of all species pollen in terms of being monad and tri,zono-colporate type, and each Ceratonia siliqua and Senna occidentalis distinguished by having tetra,zono-colporate pollen as well, and the results revealed the prevalence of reticulate configuration in most studies species, while Ceratonia siliqua characterized by striates configuration, Cassia fistula distinguished by verrrucate-gemmate wall, and Senna species by verrrucate- perforate, as for the shape, showed a discrepancy in the general shape fr
... Show MoreRecently The problem of desertification and vegetation cover degradation become an environmental global challenge. This problem could be summarized as as the land cover changes. In this paper, the area of Al- Muthana in the south of Iraq will be consider as one of Semi-arid lands. For this purpose, the Ladsat-8 images can be used with 15 m in spatial resolution. In order to over Achieve the work, many important ground truth data must be collected such as, rain precipitation, temperature distribution over the seasons, the DEM of the region, and the soil texture characteristics. The extracted data from this project are tables, 2-D figures, and GIS maps represent the distributions of vegetation areas, evaporation / precipitation, river levels
... Show MoreReducing the drag force has become one of the most important concerns in the automotive industry. This study concentrated on reducing drag through use of some external modifications of passive flow control, such as vortex generators, rear under body diffuser slices and a rear wing spoiler. The study was performed at inlet velocity (V=10,20,30,40 m/s) which correspond to an incompressible car model length Reynolds numbers (Re=2.62×105, 5.23×105, 7.85×105 and 10.46×105), respectively and we studied their effect on the drag force. We also present a theoretical study finite volume method (FVM) of solvi
Screw piles are widely used in supporting structures subjected to pullout forces, such as power towers and offshore structures, and this research investigates their performance in gypseous soil of medium relative density. The bearing capacity and displacement of a single screw pile model inserted in gypseous soil with various diameters (D = 20, 30, and 40) mm are examined in this study. The soil used in the testing had a gypsum content of 40% and the bedding soil had a relative density of 40%. To simulate the pullout testing in the lab, a physical model was manufactured with specific dimensions. Three steel screw piles with helix diameters of 20, 30, and 40 mm are used, with a total length of 500 mm. The helix is continuous over the
... Show MoreIn recent years, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are attracting more attention in many fields as they are extensively used in a wide range of applications, such as environment monitoring, the Internet of Things, industrial operation control, electric distribution, and the oil industry. One of the major concerns in these networks is the limited energy sources. Clustering and routing algorithms represent one of the critical issues that directly contribute to power consumption in WSNs. Therefore, optimization techniques and routing protocols for such networks have to be studied and developed. This paper focuses on the most recent studies and algorithms that handle energy-efficiency clustering and routing in WSNs. In addition, the prime
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