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.
A rapid high performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of sphinganine (Sa) and sphingosine (So) in urine samples by employing a silica-based monolithic column is described. The samples were first extracted using ethyl acetate and derivatized using ortho-phthaldialdehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. C20 sphinganine was used as internal standard. Under the optimized conditions, separation was achieved using a mixture of methanol:water (93:7, v/v), column temperature at 30°C, flow rate of 1 mL min−1, and an injection volume of 10 μL. Good linearity was obtained for Sa and So over the concentration range 20–500 ng mL−1(correlation coefficients ≥0.9978). The detection limits were 0.45 ng mL−1 for Sa and
... Show MoreThe current study aims to assess the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioral programs in reducing stuttering and social anxiety among high-school students. The researchers used the experimental design. The sample consists of (20) male students who reported the highest score on the stuttering severity scale and social anxiety scale. The sample was divided into experimental and control groups (each group consists of 10 participants). The researcher used the type and severity of stuttering scale developed by Onslow et al (2003), translated by Mahmoud Ismail and the social anxiety scale was prepared by the authors. The results showed that there are statistically significant differences in pre-post and follow-up tests amongst the experiment
... Show MoreAn efficient networks’ energy consumption and Quality of Services (QoS) are considered the most important issues, to evaluate the route quality of the designed routing protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). This study is presented an evaluation performance technique to evaluate two routing protocols: Secure for Mobile Sink Node location using Dynamic Routing Protocol (SMSNDRP) and routing protocol that used K-means algorithm to form Data Gathered Path (KM-DGP), on small and large network with Group of Mobile Sinks (GMSs). The propose technique is based on QoS and sensor nodes’ energy consumption parameters to assess route quality and networks’ energy usage. The evaluation technique is conducted on two routing protocols i
... Show MoreThis study presented an endeavour to integrate the value chain activities with the Balanced Scorecard for a comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s strategic performance. It also demonstrated the connection and the integration of the activities of the value chain with the Balanced Scorecard. The financial measurement was linked with non-financial measurement by integrating these techniques to achieve an appropriate performance that supports all aspects of the organizational performance. Consequently, the research problem in this study emerged, which is due to the concentration of many organizations on the measurement of financial performance. Notably, the latter caused the decline of some organizations from the competitive market. T
... Show MoreThis work has been done to prepare a series of new alkene compounds derived from 4-thiozolidinones by substituting different aldehydes, P-acetamido-phenol, and 2-mercapto-benzoimidazole, which were used as starting materials to form ester [I]a,b and then make hydrazides [II]a,b, which were used to prepare 1, 3, and 4-oxadiazoles [III]a,b, which were then used for prepared Schiff bases [IV]a-f, The next step was the synthesis of 4-thiazoldinone derivatives [V]a-f from Schiff bases. The final step was the synthesis of alkenes [VII]a-f, the prepared derivatives were identified with spectral methods (FT-IR, 1H-NMR, mass, and CHNS). The antibacterial activity of the prepared derivatives was evaluated against four types of bacteria, pos
... Show MoreBackground: Color stability of glass ionomers (GIs) could be affected by many factors such as pH and consumption of liquid medications like antibiotics. Most common antibiotics used during childhood are amoxicillin suspension (AM.S) and azithromycin suspension (AZ.S) which have acidic and basic pH respectively. Aim: to evaluate and compare the effect of AM.S and AZ.S on color stability of nano resin-modified GI. Methods: Thirty disc of nano resin-modified glass ionomer (2mm height x 4mm diameter) were divided into three groups (n=10 for each) and independently exposed to AM.S, AZ.S, and artificial saliva (A.S.). Color stability was evaluated in triplicate by VITA Easyshade® before and after three immersion protocols, repeated over
... Show MoreMany stone tools were found on a hill south of the Hor Al-Dalmaj which is located in the central part of the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The types of rocks from which the studied stone tools were made are not found in the alluvial plain, because it consists of friable sand, silt, and clay. All existing sediments were precipitated in riverine environments such as point bar, over bank, and floodplain sediments. The collected stone tools were described with a magnifying glass (10 x) and a polarized microscope after they were thin sectioned. Microscopic analysis showed that these stone tools are made of sedimentary, volcanic igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as: sandstones, limestones, chert, con
... Show MoreTwo types of monofloral Malaysian honey (Gelam and Nenas) were analyzed to determine their antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid contents, with and without gamma irradiation. Our results showed that both types of honey can scavenge free radicals and exhibit high antioxidant-reducing power; however, Gelam honey exhibited higher antioxidant activity (p < 0.05) than Nenas honey, which is in good correlation (r = 0.9899) with its phenolic contents. Interestingly, we also noted that both irradiated honeys have higher antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid contents compared to nonirradiated honeys by Folin-Ciocalteu and UV-spectrophotometry methods, respectively. However, HPLC analysis for phenolic co
... Show MorePurpose: To evaluate the effect of different surface treatments on shear bond strength between dentin and IPS e.max lithium disilicate glass-ceramic. Materials and Methods: Eighteen extracted third molars were embeded in epoxy resin. The tooth was sectioned vertically in mesiodistal direction using a low speed hard tissue microtome. The buccal and lingual surfaces of each section were ground flat using 600 grit Silicone carbide paper. Eighteen ceramic discs consisted of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic were prepared with a diameter of 4.7mm and height of 2.2mm. The discs were divided in two groups (n=10): (1) IPS e.max treated with hydrofluoric acid and Monobond Plus (MBP) and (2) IPS e.max treated with Monobond Etch &Prime (MBEP). The toot
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