Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that triggers immune cells to produce cytokines and inflammatory mediators that are responsible for abnormal or aborted immune responses. This study highlights the evaluation of the Dectin-1 receptor and cytokine IL-37 in the serum of 80 patients who had miscarried in the first trimester and were infected with toxoplasmosis, as well as 40 pregnant women in the first trimester who had a successful pregnancy (control groups). The serum was first screened for the T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and then the serum levels of IL-37 and Dectin-1 were determined. The results showed that the serum level of Dectin-1 was significantly increased in anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG patients 362.382 ± 45.937 and 361.916 ± 71.993 ng/L respectively, as compared with the controls 155.702 ± 26.356 ng/L, while the serum level of IL-37 was convergent in anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG patients and controls 52.666 ± 4.272, 66.808 ± 9.132, and 51.984 ± 3.619 ng/L respectively, with no significant differences. In conclusion, Dectin-1 receptor may play a role in pregnancy loss, especially in T. gondii infection.
Iraqi crude Atmospheric residual fraction supplied from al-Dura refinery was treated to remove metals contaminants by solvent extraction method, with various hydrocarbon solvents and concentrations. The extraction method using three different type solvent (n-hexane, n-heptane, and light naphtha) were found to be effective for removal of oil-soluble metals from heavy atmospheric residual fraction. Different solvents with using three different hydrocarbon solvents (n-hexane, n-heptane, and light naphtha) .different variables were studied solvent/oil ratios (4/1, 8/1, 10/1, 12/1, and 15/1), different intervals of perceptual (15, 30-60, 90 and 120 min) and different temperature (30, 45, 60 and 90 °C) were used. The metals removal perce
... Show MoreStaphylococcus aureus is a common pathogenic agent due to its ability to cause various types of infections, ranging from mild skin infections to sever systemic diseases. One of the most virulence factors of this bacterium is its ability to from biofilms on solid surfaces by anchoring the planktonic cells and by producing a protective layer of extra polymeric substances. Biofilm formation is controlled through many genes. The most important ones are icaA and icaD. Dentures are prosthetic devices that are made of different materials to replace lost teeth. The aim of this study is to examine the ability of different types of denture materials to support the biofilm formation of S. aureus at phenotypic level by detecting ba
... Show MoreBackground: The diagnosis of prostatic pathology may be of challenging , as some difficult and suspected, atypical cases may lack basal cell layer by routine H&E sections . Antibodies against 34BE12(HMW-CK) and p63 aid the diagnosis of such cases , to distinguish benign from malignant prostatic lesions.
Objective: to identify basal cells in atypical prostatic lesions ,and distinguish benign from malignant prostatic lesions.
Type of the study: A retro-spective study.
Methods: 115cases of paraffin embedded prostatic tissue blocks ,diagnosed as : 76 cases were benign prostatic hy
... Show MoreBackground : The hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is defined as the triad of liver disease, arterial deoxygenation, and pulmonary vascular dilatation. The reported prevalence of HPS in cirrhotic patients varies between 5% -17.5%.Objective : To estimate the prevalence of hepatopulmonary syndrome among patients with chronic liver disease and portal hypertension and to study the correlation between HPS and the severity of liver disease.Patients and methods : Thirty patients were studied for the presence of HPS using transthoracic contrast echocardiography for detection of pulmonary vasodilatation. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was determined in erect and supine position using a pulse oximeter , (SaO2 ≤ 92 % in supine position and/or a d
... Show MoreBackground: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are one of the most common complaints following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Objective: This study was designed to compare the effects of dexamethasone, metoclopramide, and their combination on preventing PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Methods: A total of 135 patients enrolled in the study. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II patients were included in this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were randomly assigned to group A administered 8mg iv dexamethasone, group B received metoclopramide 10 mg, group C received combination of 8mg de
... Show MoreIn this paper, variable gain nonlinear PD and PI fuzzy logic controllers are designed and the effect of the variable gain characteristic of these controllers is analyzed to show its contribution in enhancing the performance of the closed loop system over a conventional linear PID controller. Simulation results and time domain performance characteristics show how these fuzzy controllers outperform the conventional PID controller when used to control a nonlinear plant and a plant that has time delay.
Flat-plate collector considers most common types of collectors, for ease of manufacturing and low price compared with other collectors. The main aim of the present work is to increase the efficiency of the collector, which can be achieved by improving the heat transfer and minimize heat loss experimentally. Five types of solar air collectors have been tested, which conventional channel with a smooth absorber plate (model I), dual channel with a smooth absorber plate (model II), dual channel with perforating “V” corrugated absorber plate (model III), dual channel with internal attached wire mesh (model Ⅳ), and dual channel with absorber sheet of transparent honeycomb, (model Ⅴ). The dual channel collector used for
... Show MoreIn the present work, Uranium (238U), Thorium (232Th) and Potassium (40K) specific activity concentration in (Bq/kg) was measured in five different types for wheat flours that are available in the Iraqi markets. The gamma spectrometry method with an NaI (Tl) detector has been used for radiometric measurements. Calculations of radium equivalent activity, annual effective dose equivalent, external hazard index (Hex), internal hazard index (Hin), representing gamma index and gamma dose rate in all flour samples were 17.98132 Bq/kg, 0.0100334, 0.04502, 0.04857, 0.06872, 0.125883 and 8.181244 respectively. It is found that the average of specific activity concentration of wheat flour sam
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