Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an inflammatory, systemic rheumatic condition that mostly affects the axial skeleton. Tenascin-C (TN-C) is a hexameric glycoprotein of considerable size, upregulated in many inflammatory conditions, while Interleukin-17 (IL-17) a cytokine that plays an important role in SpA symptoms. Objective: to investigate the upregulation between the serum levels of TN-C and IL-17 in Iraqi axSpA patients and the disease characteristics. Patients and Methods: Seventy-four axSpA patients and 28 matched controls were studied. Fifty-four patients received a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and 20 did not. Serum TN-C and IL-17 concentrations were determined using the ELISA technique. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was assessed. For statistical tests, Chi Square, Mann Whitney, Independent Samples T, and Pearson's correlation tests are used. Results: Patients mean age was 35.6±0.9 years, 65 males and 9 females, and disease duration was 5.18±0.6 years. 47.4% were smokers, 47% had inflammatory low back pain, and HLA-B27 was present in 91%. BASDAI mean was 6.1±0.4 in non-TNFi and 2.6±0.3 in those on TNFi. The serum TN-C concentration was significantly increased in patients, especially those on non-TNFi (79±9.6 pg/mL) compared to those on TNFi (69.1±3.2 pg/mL) and control (53±3.9 pg/mL) (p=0.003). Serum IL-17 was significantly elevated in those receiving TNFi (877.9±257 pg/mL) compared to non-TNFi (487.2±234 pg/mL) and control (182.4±36.6 pg/mL) (p=0.033). The TN-C significantly correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r=0.27, p=0.02) and with hemoglobin (Hb) concentration (r=0.26, p=0.02). TN-C and IL-17 were non-significantly related (r=0.14, p=0.2). Conclusions: axSpA Patients demonstrated high levels of serum TN-C, particularly in those not receiving TNFi, and high IL-17 levels in those receiving TNFi, suggesting that there is an association with tissue injury from the disease and stimulation of immunological and resident tissue cells. Patients who had not received TNFi showed significantly higher disease activity than others.
Samples of Oxytricha falax were collected from Tigris River by 55µ. mesh net. Culturing of O. falax were cultivated in specific conditions (DO 3-5mg/l.; W.Temp. 24±1ºC; pH: 6.8-7.5).The effect of various furfural concentration 0, 20, 40, 80,100 and 124 ppm and toluene concentration 0, 15, 30, 34.2, 34.5 and 35 ppm after two periods of treatment (24 and 48 hr.) on the physiological parameters of O. falax ciliate were observed. This study showed that the lethal concentration of furfural was 124ppm and 80ppm after 24hr. and 48hr. from treatment which killed all the individual community respectively. Furthermore the treatment of O. falax individuals with different concentrations of toluene indicated that 34.5 ppm of it caused disappearance o
... Show MoreField of translation is sampled with many types of translation, such as the literary, scientific, medical, etc. The translation of grammatical aspects has always been with difficulties.
Political translation is the focus here. There are many general problems faced by translators when translating political texts from Arabic into Spanish. The aim here is to clarify the definition of functions or terms within the text, and to arrive at the correct from of translation of such texts from Spanish into Arabic. It is worth mentioning that the paper is of two parts: the first exemplifies what is meant by translation, the prerequisites of a translator, along with mentioning the methods followed&nbs
... Show MoreAt thermal energies near stellar conditions, nuclear reactions are sensitive to resonance strengths of the nuclear reaction cross-section. In this paper, the resonance strengths of nuclear reaction were evaluated numerically by means of nuclear reaction rate calculations using a written Matlab code, at the energies of interest in stellar nuclear reactions. The results were compared with standard reaction before and after application of a statistical analyses, to select the best parameters that made theoretical results as close as possible to the standard values. Fitting was made for different temperature ranges up to 10 GK, 0.6 GK and 0.25 GK. The evaluated results showed that as the temperature range becomes narrower, more error is ad
... Show MoreThis research represents a practical attempt applied to calibrate and verify a hydraulic model for the Blue Nile River. The calibration procedures are performed using the observed data for a previous period and comparing them with the calibration results while verification requirements are achieved with the application of the observed data for another future period and comparing them with the verification results. The study objective covered a relationship of the river terrain with the distance between the assumed points of the dam failures along the river length. The computed model values and the observed data should conform to the theoretical analysis and the overall verification performance of the model by comparing it with anothe
... Show MoreThe porosity of materials is important in many applications, products and processes, such as electrochemical devices (electrodes, separator, active components in batteries), porous thin film, ceramics, soils, construction materials, ..etc. This can be characterized in many different methods, and the most important methods for industrial purposes are the N2 gas adsorption and mercury porosimetry. In the present paper, both of these techniques have been used to characterize some of Iraqi natural raw materials deposits. These are Glass Sand, Standard Sand, Flint Clay and Bentonite. Data from both analyses on the different types of natural raw materials deposits are critically examined and discussed. The results of specific surface are
... Show MoreObjectives: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the effect of adding poloxamer surfactant to irrigant solutions on the penetration de..
This effort is related to describe and assess the performance of the Iraqi cement sample planned for oil well-cementing jobs in Iraq. In this paper, major cementing properties which are thickening time, compressive strength, and free water in addition to the rheological properties and filtration of cement slurry underneath definite circumstances are experimentally tested. The consequences point to that the Iraqi cement after special additives encounter the requests of the API standards and can consequently is used in cementing jobs for oil wells. At this research, there is a comparative investigation established on experimental work on the effectiveness of some additives that considered as waste materials which are silica fume, baux
... Show MoreAtomic Force Microscope is an efficient tool to study the topography of precipitate. A study using Continuous Flow Injection via the use of Ayah 6SX1-T-2D Solar cell CFI Analyser . It was found that Cyproheptadine –HCl form precipitates of different quality using a precipitating agent's potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) and sodium nitroprusside. The formed precipitates are collected as they are formed in the usual sequence of forming the precipitate via the continuous flow .The precipitates are collected and dried under normal atmospheric pressure. The precipitates are subjected to atomic force microscope scanning to study the variation and differences of these precipitates relating them to the kind of response to both precipitates give
... Show MoreThis study aims to find out the effect of the mediator on scaffolding fourth yearstudent- teachers' teaching competencies and their self-efficacy. The present study combines scaffolding and self-efficacy by using a mediator on scaffolding students affects teaching competencies and selfefficacy and from the results of which the existence of student-teachers’ selfawareness was ensured as an effect of the same independent variable. The model affects their teaching competencies and led them to be aware of the needs of their pupils and themselves.