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.
China and India are considered both rising countries, and both are among the world's most populous and fastest growing economies. The long-term growth of both China and India has reinforced the importance of their bilateral relationship. The relations between China and India are complex, as relations between them have undergone great changes during the past seven decades, ranging from friendship to hostility. This study proceeds from the hypothesis that the nature and path of Sino-Indian relations after 2013 are affected by several factors and variables, some of which represent opportunities, others represent challenges and obstacles. Several opportunities have contributed to the reformulation of bilateral relations in terms of mutual ga
... Show MoreSamples of Iraqi bentonitic sediments, representing local montmorillonite brought from Traifawi region near the Syrian border. Mineralogical the samples were characterized as low grade of Ca-smectite, particle size, chemical analysis, XRD, and BET surface area analyses of the samples were carried out to examine the structure of bentonite before and after acid activation. The goal is to prepare a bleaching earth for edible oil production. Iraqi Bentonite was beneficiated and activated by series of physical and chemical steps, using 4N & 6N concentration of hydrochloric acid and at a temperature of 70-80 ° C. Surface area and pore volume of the samples were determined to assess the bleaching power
Ethanol as a solvent, a precursor of titanium isopropoxide and a stabilizer of either hydrochloric acid or ammonium hydroxide was used to prepare a titanium dioxide aqueous solution. The aqueous solutions with different values of pH and the morphology of the resultant reaction of the nanoparticles of titanium dioxide were investigated. The X-ray diffraction showed that at low temperatures and with acidic solutions, rutile structures are more favorable to grow on titanium dioxide synthesized, while at low and average temperatures and with base solutions, anatase phase is more pronounced. The crystalline form and the re-confirmation of the crystallite size growth were observed by the scanning electron microscopy. The atomic force micr
... Show MoreEngineered geopolymer composite (EGC) is a high-performance material with enhanced mechanical and durability capabilities. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and silica fume (SF) are common binder materials in producing EGC. However, due to the scarcity and high cost of these materials in some countries, sustainable alternatives are needed. This research focused on producing eco-friendly EGC made of cheaper and more common pozzolanic waste materials that are rich in aluminum and silicon. Rice husk ash (RHA), granite waste powder (GWP), and volcanic pumice powder (VPP) were used as partial substitutions (10–50%) of GGBFS in EGC. The effects of these wastes on workability, unit weight, compressive strength, tensile strengt
... Show MoreIn this paper, a methodology is presented for determining the stress and strain in structural concrete sections, also, for estimating the ultimate combination of axial forces and bending moments that produce failure. The structural concrete member may have a cross-section with an arbitrary configuration, the concrete region may consist of a set of subregions having different characteristics (i.e., different grades of concretes, or initially identical, but working with different stress-strain diagrams due to the effect of indirect reinforcement or the effect of confinement, etc.). This methodology is considering the tensile strain softening and tension stiffening of concrete in additio
In this study miconazole nitrate was formulated as topically applied emulgel; different formulas were prepared using sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) and carboxypolymethylene (carbomer 941) as gelling agents. The influence of type of gelling agent and concentration of both oil phase and emulsifying agent on drug release was studied and compared with commercially available miconazole nitrate cream (Mecozalen®). The results of in vitro release showed that SCMC emulgel bases gave better release than carbomer 941 bases and the release of drug increase from both bases as a function of increasing the concentration of emulisifying agent. The oil phase had retardation effect when
... Show MoreNystatin is the drug of choice for treatment of cutaneous fungal infections with main disadvantage that is the need for multiple applications to achieve complete eradication which may reduce patient compliance. Microparticles offer a solution for such issue as they are one of sustained release preparations that achieve slow release of drug over an extended period of time. The objectives of this study were to fabricate nystatin-loaded chitosan microparticles with the ultimate goal of prolonging drug release and to analyze the influence of polymer concentration on various properties of microparticles. Microparticles were prepared by chemical cross-linking method using glutaraldehyde as cross-linking agent. Five formulas, namely N1C1, N1C2,
... Show MoreThis study includes the synthesis of new derivatives of 1, 2, 4- Triazole which are contain Schiff bases derived from 1, 4, 5, 6- tetrahydropyrimidine. The structures of these derivatives were characterized from their melting points, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. These derivatives were tested for inhibition of E-coli and were all found to be active.
ZnO nanostructures were synthesized in one step reaction at 80℃ without any extra treatments.(Zn (NO₃) ₂. 6H2O) and (NaOH) were used for synthesis. Production of ZnO nanostructures occurred relatively in short time. The obtained ZnO nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the atomic force microscope AFM. Carboxymethyleted PVA (CPVA) has been prepared and characterized.(CPVA) were composite with different ZnO nanoparticles concentrations. The composites are cast into films. The dielectric constant properties of the films were measured with hp LCR meter.
Assimilation is defined ,by many phoneticians like Schane ,Roach ,and many others, as a phonological process when there is a change of one sound into another because of neighboring sounds.This study investigates the phoneme assimilation as a phonological process in English and Arabic and it is concerned specifically with the differences and similarities in both languages. Actually ,this study reflects the different terms which are used in Arabic to refer to this phenomenon and in this way it shows whether the term 'assimilation ' can have the same meaning of 'idgham' in Arabic or not . Besides, in Arabic , this phenomenon is discussed from&nb
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