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 designer must find the optimum match between the object's technical and economic needs and the performance and production requirements of the various material options when choosing material for an engineering application. This study proposes an integrated (hybrid) strategy for selecting the optimal material for an engineering design depending on design requirements. The primary objective is to determine the best candidate material for the drone wings based on Ashby's performance indices and then rank the result using a grey relational technique with the entropy weight method. Aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, composites, and wood have been suggested as suitable materials for manufacturing drone wings. The requirement
... Show MoreLately, a growing interest has been emerging in age estimation from face images because of the wide range of potential implementations in law enforcement, security control, and human computer interactions. Nevertheless, in spite of the advances in age estimation, it is still a challenging issue. This is due to the fact that face aging process is not only set by distinct elements, such as genetic factors, but by extrinsic factors, such as lifestyle, expressions, and environment as well. This paper applied machine learning technique to intelligent age estimation from facial images using J48 classifier on FG_NET dataset. The proposed work consists of three phases; the first phase is image preprocessing which include
... Show MoreAs they are the smallest functional parts of the muscle, motor units (MUs) are considered as the basic building blocks of the neuromuscular system. Monitoring MU recruitment, de-recruitment, and firing rate (by either invasive or surface techniques) leads to the understanding of motor control strategies and of their pathological alterations. EMG signal decomposition is the process of identification and classification of individual motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) in the interference pattern detected with either intramuscular or surface electrodes. Signal processing techniques were used in EMG signal decomposition to understand fundamental and physiological issues. Many techniques have been developed to decompose intramuscularly detec
... Show Moreأن صفة التغير المتسارع في نمط الحياة ولّد مبدأ اللايقين عند إتخاذ القرارات المالية لأي ظاهرة عموماً أو نشاط إقتصادي على وجه الخصوص. وهذا يتطلب الأستعانة بالأدوات الأحصائية كمنهج علمي يساعد في وصفها وتحليلها كمياً ومن ثم التنبؤ بها مستقبلاً كمحاولة لسبر غور اللايقين الذي يكتنف المستقبل كمجهول يتوجس منه الجميع. وقد أصبح متخذ القرار الأستثماري أو صاحب رأس المال وغيرهما من المضاربين والمتعاملين في الاسواق الما
... Show MoreThe goal of this research is to solve several one-dimensional partial differential equations in linear and nonlinear forms using a powerful approximate analytical approach. Many of these equations are difficult to find the exact solutions due to their governing equations. Therefore, examining and analyzing efficient approximate analytical approaches to treat these problems are required. In this work, the homotopy analysis method (HAM) is proposed. We use convergence control parameters to optimize the approximate solution. This method relay on choosing with complete freedom an auxiliary function linear operator and initial guess to generate the series solution. Moreover, the method gives a convenient way to guarantee the converge
... Show MoreThis paper adapted the neural network for the estimating of the direction of arrival (DOA). It uses an unsupervised adaptive neural network with GHA algorithm to extract the principal components that in turn, are used by Capon method to estimate the DOA, where by the PCA neural network we take signal subspace only and use it in Capon (i.e. we will ignore the noise subspace, and take the signal subspace only).
Many fuzzy clustering are based on within-cluster scatter with a compactness measure , but in this paper explaining new fuzzy clustering method which depend on within-cluster scatter with a compactness measure and between-cluster scatter with a separation measure called the fuzzy compactness and separation (FCS). The fuzzy linear discriminant analysis (FLDA) based on within-cluster scatter matrix and between-cluster scatter matrix . Then two fuzzy scattering matrices in the objective function assure the compactness between data elements and cluster centers .To test the optimal number of clusters using validation clustering method is discuss .After that an illustrate example are applied.
This study aimed at identifying the trend to applying the Joint Audit as an approach to improve the financial reports quality with all their characteristics (Relevance, Reliability, Comparability, Consistency), as well as enclose the difficulties that faced the auditors in the Gaza Strip in implementing the Joint Audit. In order to achieve the study aims, a measure was used to identify the trend to apply the Joint Audit and it was distributed to the study sample which is consisting of (119) individuals and retrieved thereof (99) valid for analysis, approximately (83.2%), (69) of them are Auditors, (30) financial managers and accountants. The researcher used the analytical descriptive method, and after analyzing the results, the s
... Show Moreيناقش هذا البحث مشكلة التعدد الخطي شبه التام في انموذج الانحدار اللاخطي ( انموذج الانحدار اللوجستي المتعدد) ، عندما يكون المتغير المعتمد متغير نوعيا يمثل ثنائي الاستجابة اما ان يساوي واحد لحدوث استجابة او صفر لعدم حدوث استجابة ، من خلال استعمال مقدرات المركبات الرئيسية التكرارية(IPCE) التي تعتمد على الاوزان الاعتيادية والاوزان البيزية الشرطية .
اذ تم تطبيق مقدرات هذا ا
... Show MoreThis paper tackles with principal component analysis method (PCA ) to dimensionality reduction in the case of linear combinations to digital image processing and analysis. The PCA is statistical technique that shrinkages a multivariate data set consisting of inter-correlated variables into a data set consisting of variables that are uncorrelated linear combination, while ensuring the least possible loss of useful information. This method was applied to a group of satellite images of a certain area in the province of Basra, which represents the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Shatt al-Arab in the province of Basra.
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