Elevated Interleukin-13 (IL-13) may play an important role in the pathophysiology of COVID-19, yet, the attenuated response did not notice across all severe cases. Susceptibility to asthma in specific populations is associated with several SNPs of multifunctional cytokines, such as IL-13, IL-31 and IL-33. This prospective case-control study is designed to investigate the extent of genetic susceptibility in subsets of Iraqi patients with COVID-19 by targeting the variants of interleukin IL-13rs20541 polymorphism in relation to disease susceptibility and severity of clinical presentation. One hundred samples were obtained from the throat, nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs enrolled in this study. Eighty samples of the throat, nasopharyngeal and

Background: Calcium hydroxide and calcium-silicate materials used as direct pulp capping materials. The aims of this in vitro study is to compare among these materials in, the calcium ion release and pH change in soaking water after immersion of materials’ specimens in deionized water. Also Solubility and water sorption of materials’ specimens measured after soaking time. Calcium-silicate materials used were Biodentine, TheraCal and MTA Plus. Materials and methods: Four materials used in this study; Urbical lining (as control group), Biodentine, TheraCal and MTA Plus. Ten discs fabricated from each tested material, by using plastic moulds of 9 mm diameter and 1 mm thickness. Each specimen was immersed in 10 ml of d

In this study, concentrations of radon were measured for seventeen samples of soil distributed in three Sulphuric Spring, in addition to other regions as a background in Hit City in AL-Anbar Governorate. The radon concentrations in soil samples measured by using alpha-emitters registration that emits from radon (222Rn) in (CR-39) track detector. The concentrations values were calculated by a comparison with standard samples. The results show that the radon concentrations in first spring varies from (258.253- 347.762 Bq/m3), second spring (230.374-305.209 Bq/m3), third spring (292.002-336.023 Bq/m3) and the average radon concentration in other regions (187.821 Bq/m3). As a conclusion of the study radon concentration in Sulphuric Spring is r

Production of  the steroidal saponin digitonin  in multiplied shoots of Digitalis purpurea , (var. Excelsior Mixed) has been achieved in vitro by two experiments. In the experiment 1, shoot tips ( 1cm length ) explants  from the sterilized seedlings were excised and cultured on MS medium ( Murashige and Skoog medium) supplemented with 0.5 mg/L TDZ (thidiazuron) and   cholesterol at the concentrations 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 or 4.0 mg/L. After 45 day, results showed that the treatment with 0.5 mg/L TDZ and 2.0mg/L cholesterol had a positive effected on increasing the dry weight of multiplied shoots and their production of digitonin when compared with other treatments, where this treatment gave 2

Congenital valvular pulmonary stenosis accounts for 5-10% of all congenital heart disease. Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty is a safe and effective method in reduction of moderate to severe valvular pulmonary stenosis. This retrospective study done in Hawler surgical specialty cardiac center on pediatric patients who had pulmonary valve stenosis (with echocardiographic peak gradient 2:50mmHg) and treated by balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. A total of 178 cases were involved, 93(52.25%) patient was male and 85 (47.75%) patients was female. 160 patient (89.89%) were treated with single balloon method 18 patient (10.11%) were managed by double balloon method technique. Follow up period of these patients range from 1 year to 10 years (mean of 5.

The study aimed to evaluate the benefits of transferrin saturation percentage (TSAT) and serum ferritin in assessing body iron status, which can influence erythropoietin treatment in patients with ESRD. Forty end-stage renal disease patients on regular hemodialysis participated in this study. Clinical data were obtained. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, ferritin, albumin, creatinine, and C-reactive protein were investigated. Thirty healthy people were enrolled as a control group. ESRD patients had a mean age of 45.1±13.9 years, with 60% being males. They exhibited significantly lower hematocrit (25.3±6.5%), and higher platelet (285.7±148.1x10^9/L) and WBC (9.4±3.1x10^9/L) counts compared to healthy contro

Panax ginseng (PG), one of the most widely used herbal medicines, has demonstrated various beneficial effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer impacts. Naturally occurring ginsenosides in the ginseng plant inhibit cell proliferation and significantly reduce liver damage induced by certain chemicals. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a primary mycotoxin due to its hepatotoxic, immunotoxic, and oncogenic effects in animal models and humans. In this study, we examined the effects of assorted doses of PG aqueous crude extract on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 1 and 7 (MMP-1 and MMP-7) in the kidney, spleen, and liver of experimental AFB1-exposed mice, using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mice were orally administered

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) referring to a syndrome that is recognized as a life-course disease and has both metabolic and reproductive signs; main pathophysiological cause includes insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, and oxidative stress state. The study aimed to assess the impact of combining Myoinositol and Metformin, the main insulin-sensitizing drugs, on improving clinical, metabolic, and hormonal parameters in females with PCOS. A clinical trial that was prospective, randomized, and comparative on 54 patients (aged 18-40 y) are divided into three groups: group1 patients allocated to receive Myo-inositol(4g), group2 patients assigned to receive Metformin(1g) and group3 patients assigned to receive Myo-inositol(4g) + Metformin

The aim of this study is to describe the leech species that are used in some of the alternative medicine clinics in Baghdad Province based on morphometric measurements and colouring pattern of the body. A collection of twenty leeches was provided from some clinics. All specimens were identified and described based on standard available keys. The morphometric characteristics and colouring patterns were recorded and the indicated that these leeches were Hirudo orientalis Utevsky & Trontelj, 2005 and H. verbana Carena, 1820.