The purpose of this study was to measure serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP7), Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Growth Hormone (GH), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and insulin in acromegaly patients and healthy controls. The acromegaly group had 60 patients, while the population group had 30 people who had never had acromegaly before. The concentration of IGFBP7, IGF-1, GH, IL-6, and insulin were determined. The results of the present study indicate that IGFBP7 level in the acromegaly group was significantly lower (1.690.07 ng/mL vs. 2.740.12 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.001). IGF-1, GH, IL-6, and insulin concentrations were also significantly higher in acromegaly patients. The diagnostic accuracy (2.194) was excellent in separating acromegaly from the healthy patient group, and the area under the curve (AUC = 0.871, p = 0.001). From the results of the present study, we can conclude that serum IGFBP7 can be used to distinguish acromegaly patients from healthy individuals.
Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 and Heparanase in salivary pleomorphic adenoma, and to correlate the two studied markers with each other and with clinicopathological parameters including: age, sex, tumor site and histopathological presentation. Methods: Sections of twenty five formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks specimens of salivary pleomorphic adenoma were immunostained using monoclonal antibodies (Fibroblast growth factor-2 and Heparanase) to assess their expression in this tumor. Results: The expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 and Heparanase were positive in all pleomorphic adenoma cases (100%). The positive expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 was signi
... Show MoreCOVID-19 is a unique viral infectious illness that causes a variety of symptoms and health hazards, particularly to the respiratory system and has been declared a worldwide pandemic. The disease is characterized by a cytokine release in severe conditions. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a proinflammatory cytokine, mediates an important immunomodulatory process. Also, vitamin D was identified to have a role in the innate immunity of individuals. Our study was designed to find the role of IL-6 and vitamin D in COVID-19 patients, as well as, to see whether there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and cytokine syndrome development. The study included 90 COVID-19 patients and 30 control people from Baghdad, Iraq. The age of the participants was non-s
... Show MoreBackground: Dental calculus is mineralized dental plaque formed on teeth and dental prosthesis surfaces in the oral cavity. Urinary stone is a crystal aggregation formed in urinary system due to minerals saturation present in urine. The structure of dental calculus is similar to that of urinary stone. Objective: To assess oral hygiene and gingival status in patients with urinary stone. And compared with healthy subjects. Patients and Methods: Sixty participants, 25-40 years, were involved in this study who were divided into study and control group. The study group involved patients with urinary stone while the control group involved healthy subjects. Clinical parameters including plaque, calculus and gingival indices were recorded for al
... Show MoreBackground: Anterior disc displacement with reduction (ADDWR) is the most common form of the internal derangement (ID) of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It is a painful progressive dysfunction and clinically characterized by reciprocal clicking due to shift in the disc anteriorly in relation to the condyle and fossa during mandible elevation. Minimally invasive therapy such as intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used. PRP is a natural autologous product with a high platelet concentration obtained by centrifugation process to enhance tissue healing through several growth factors (GFs), which are released after endogenous activation. The aim of this study is to assess this technique which is increasingly used toda
... Show MoreThis study deals with the measurement of the specific activity radiation for beryllium -7 isotope in Baghdad city for samples of surface soils, by using gamma ray spectrometer technique. Twenty one samples were collected from surface soil of Baghdad city from Risafa and Karkh sides, (7) samples from Risafa side and(14) samples from Karkh side, where the axis for locations which are fixed by using (G.P.S.) . Gamma-ray spectrometry system (DSA 2000) with high purity germanium detector was used, which has (50%) efficiency and resolution of (2.2 keV) at gamma line (1332 keV) of 60Co source. The specific activity values for beryllium -7 isotope in surface soil of R
... Show MoreDeception is an inseparable facet of political discourse in attaining strategic political gains though compromising public opinion. However, the employment of discursive deception strategies by the policy-making institutions of think tanks has not received due attention in the literature. The current study aims at exploring how the ideologizing deception strategies are utilized by the conservative American think tank of the Washington Institute to reproduce socio-political realities and re-shape public opinion. To fulfill this task, van Dijk’s (2000) notion of ideological polarization which shows positive self-representation and negative other representation is adopted to conduct a critical discourse analysis of four Arabic texts relea
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