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.
Abstract
Oil is considered a commodity and is still an important and prominent role in drawing and shaping the Iraqi economic scene. The revenues generated from the export of oil are considered the main source of the general budget in cash flows.
Since the revenues consist of quantity and price and the latter is an external factor which is difficult to predict, The effect of any commodity on its price, which is proven in the theory of micro-economic, but it is observed through the research that the response is slow, which means not to take advantage of the rise in prices, by increasing the quantity exported, the result of several facto
... Show MoreThe current study is considered a field study to measure the level of satisfaction of the academic programs of Media Masters students. That was accomplished through surveying the attitudes of the students who are enrolled in the faculties of media at the following universities: (Petra University, The Middle East University (MEU), and Al-Yarmouk University). Those students were enrolled in the master’s program within the formal educational system during the second semester of the academic year (2015 – 2016). This survey aims to identify the services, facilities and academic programs provided by the concerned faculties. It, also, aims to identify the public relations, administrative, educational and services aspects of those faculties.
... Show Morethis research seeks to shed light on the study of the impact of Putinism on the Russian-Ukrainian war that broke out in early 2022, by studying the contents of the speeches of Russian President Vladimir Putin before the start of the war. This research uses the structural approach in analyzing the components of the Russian political regime. The research tools used in this research include case studies, content analysis of Russian speeches, and personal meetings of researchers and specialists in Russian affairs. It sums up a number of important conclusions, most notably are : 1) Putinism is a totalitarian regime that includes the political doctrine during the era of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 2) Duginism represents the totality of t
... Show MoreIn October 2019, Iraq and Lebanon witnessed widespread protests, which aroused the interest of the media, as they began with demands for the provision of services, then escalated with the overthrow of the political system. The researchers chose a satellite channel that represents a direction for a country accused of entering the line of protests. This paper aims to analyze the main bulletin of Al-Alam channel to find out how it deals with the protests in the news. It is classified descriptively, using the survey method and the method of content analysis. The study community was represented by the main news bulletin of Al-Alam channel. The researchers adopted a deliberate sample for the period from 1/10/2019 to
... Show MoreNew metal complexes of the ligand 4-[5-(2-hydoxy-phenyl)-[1,3,4- oxadiazol -2-ylimino methyl]-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-pyrazol-3-one (L) with the metal ions Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) were prepared in alcoholic medium. The Schiff base was synthesized through condensate of [4-antipyrincarboxaldehyde] with[2-amino-5-(2-hydroxy-phenyl-1,3,4- oxadiazol] in alcoholic medium . Two tetradentate Schiff base ligand were used for complexation upon two metal ions of Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ as dineucler formula M2L2.4H2O. The metal complexes were characterized by FTIR Spectroscopy, electronic Spectroscopy, elemental analysis, magnetic susceptidbility measurements, and also the ligand was characterized by 1H-NMR spectra, and m
... Show MoreA Survey Study Of A Sample Of The Public Of Baghdad Governorate
The current study aimed to identify the most prominent psychological and behavioral repercussions of the exposure of the elderly to the news of the Corona pandemic and to determine the mechanisms of their exposure. On an intended sample on both sides of (Al-Karkh and Al-Rasafa) and the simple random sample was adopted to choose the place of distribution of the questionnaire and the intentional sample.
The research concluded several results, most TV news is still a primary source of information and that most of the sample move between stations to see more information about the pandemic and that the presentation of views confuses the elderly ،There
... Show MoreIraq has seen many changes at the social, economic and political levels. This led to cause many shifts in the structure of its society and imposed great challenges reflected in the behavior and awareness of that society in general and youth in particular.
Those changes made the Iraqi society undergoing the transformation of value and culture aspects formed a political awareness that caused cultural and political diversity within the family and society. A greater openness to the outside world caused by the communication revolution, as the world has witnessed during the past two decades, has helped in making that change. Iraq had its share of media and political openness, which were included after the US occupation in 2003. As a re
... Show MoreThis study describes preparation a new series of tetra-dentate N2O2 dinuclear complexes Cr(III), Co(II)and Cu(II) of the Schiff base 2-[5-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylimino]-methyl-naphthalen-1-ol], (LH2) derived from 1-hydroxy-naphthalene-2-carbaldehyde with 2-amino-5-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole. These ligands were characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, Mass spectra, elemental analysis, and 1H-NMR. All prepared complexes have been characterized by conductance measurement, magnetic susceptibility, electronic spectra, infrared spectrum, thermal Analysis (TGA), and metal analysis by atomic absorption. The stoichiometry of metal to ligand, magnetic susceptibility, and electronic spectra measurements show an octahedral geom
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