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.
إن المقصود باختبارات حسن المطابقة هو التحقق من فرضية العدم القائمة على تطابق مشاهدات أية عينة تحت الدراسة لتوزيع احتمالي معين وترد مثل هكذا حالات في التطبيق العملي بكثرة وفي كافة المجالات وعلى الأخص بحوث علم الوراثة والبحوث الطبية والبحوث الحياتية ,عندما اقترح كلا من Shapiro والعالم Wilk عام 1965 اختبار حسن المطابقة الحدسي مع معالم القياس
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Healthcare professionals routinely use audio signals, generated by the human body, to help diagnose disease or assess its progression. With new technologies, it is now possible to collect human-generated sounds, such as coughing. Audio-based machine learning technologies can be adopted for automatic analysis of collected data. Valuable and rich information can be obtained from the cough signal and extracting effective characteristics from a finite duration time interval that changes as a function of time. This article presents a proposed approach to the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 through the processing of cough collected from patients suffering from the most common symptoms of this pandemic. The proposed method is based on adopt
... Show MoreAbstractBackground:Reduced glomeular filtration rate isassociated with increasedmorbidity in patientswith coronary arterydisease.Objectives :To analyze the declining eGFR andmortality risks in a patients with Chronic KidneyDisease and have had Coronary Artery Diseaseincluding risk factors .Patientsand Methods:The study included (160)patientsbetween the ages of 16 and 87years.Glomerular filtration rate was estimated (eGFR)using the Modification of Diet in Renal Diseaseequationand was categorized in the ranges<60 mL· min−1 per 1.73 m2and≥ 60 ml/min/1.73 m2.Baseline risk factors were analyzed by category ofeGFR,.The studied patients in emergencydepartment, were investigatedusing Coxproportional hazard models adjusting for traditiona
... Show MoreNanopesticides are novel plant protection products offering numerous benefits. Because nanoparticles behave differently from dissolved chemicals, the environmental risks of these materials could differ from conventional pesticides. We used soil–earthworm systems to compare the fate and uptake of analytical‐grade bifenthrin to that of bifenthrin in traditional and nanoencapsulated formulations. Apparent sorption coefficients for bifenthrin were up to 3.8 times lower in the nano treatments than in the non‐nano treatments, whereas dissipation half‐lives of the nano treatments were up to 2 times longer. Earthworms in the nano treatments accumulated approximately 50% more b
Irisin is a novel myokine and adipokine, its role during pregnancy and its association with some metabolic risk factors especially pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) need more evaluation. The aim of the study is to find whether the pre-BMI could predict irisin levels during normal pregnancy and to clarify associations of irisin with some pathological parameters.
Irisin levels were estimated by ELISA in sera of 59 normal pregnant women who enrolled from December 2016 to May 2017 at Maternity Hospital, Zakho city, Kurdistan region (Iraq). Thirty-two normal-weight pregnant (pre-BMI≤24.9 kg/m2, Age=24.03 mean±3.7standard deviation) and 27 overweight/obese-pregnant (pre-BMI>25 kg/m2, Age=27.6 mean±3.9
... Show MoreBackground: Febrile convulsions are the most frequent type of seizures in children under 6 years of age. Significant percentage of these children will later suffer from recurrence of febrile convulsion.Objectives: To identify the main risk factors for recurrent febrile convulsions in children.Methods: we carried out a case control study involving 89 children those who experienced first attack of febrile convulsions and 92 children with recurrent attack of febrile convulsions. The study was conducted in Central Children Teaching Hospital, Baghdad during the period 2006- 2007. Results: Compared to children with first attack of febrile convulsion, children with recurrent seizures were younger at onset (4- 12m) (67% vs. 44%), mainly male (70
... Show MoreConstruction projects are characterized as projects with multi phases and activities, complex, unique, and have many different parties and stakeholders. Risks could appear at one or more of the construction project stages and may affect the achievement of project objectives. Therefore, one of the key elements in the planning phase of any project is the risk management process (RMP). This study attempts to understand the terminology of risk in general, risk management, and response to risk in particular. This study is mainly a review of thirty-eight studies that have been published between 1997 and 2020 that demonstrate the importance of the crucial phase of risk response from the risk management process and its impact on
... Show MoreThe process of risk assessment in the build-operate transfer (BOT) project is very important to identify and analyze the risks in order to make the appropriate decision to respond to them. In this paper, AHP Technique was used to make the appropriate decision regarding response to the most prominent risks that were generated in BOT projects, which includes a comparison between the criteria for each risk as well as the available alternatives and by mathematical methods using matrices to reach an appropriate decision to respond to each risk.Ten common risks in BOT contracts are adopted for analysis in this paper, which is grouped into six main risk headings.The procedures followed in this paper are the questionnaire method
... Show MoreThe present study has been carried out to estimate heavy metals mobility, bioconcentration and transfer from polluted soil to roots tissues and from roots tissues to aerial parts using bioconcentration factor and translocation factor. Soil samples and the biomass of the eight vegetable species have been collected during summer season, 2019 from four different sites in Wadi Al-Arg, Taif Governorate, KSA. In general, heavy metals content of soil samples in site III and IV have recorded elevated values compared with those of site I and II. The soil from site IV has shown the highest concentration of Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cu, and Cd amounted 31.63, 14.05, 13.56, 22.79, 31.02 and 2.98 mg/kg dry soil respectively, while the soil from site III has sh
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