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.
This study aimed to estimate the serum levels of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and interleukin-36 alpha (IL-36α) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to examine their relationship with age and body mass index (BMI). A total number of collected specimens are 75, which were 45 patients and 30 healthy control women participated in this study from different private clinics in Baghdad/ Iraq, for the period starting December 2023 to February 2024. The age ranges for both patients and controls was 18–40 years, with mean ages of 25.60 ± 6.38 years for patients and 29.44 ± 11.61 years for controls. BMI was determined for all participants, revealing a statistically highly
... Show MoreDuring infection, T. gondii disseminates by the circulatory system and establishes chronic infection in several organs. Almost third of humans, immunosuppressed individuals such as HIV/AIDS patients, cancer patients, and organ transplant recipients are exposed to toxoplasmosis. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the possibility that Toxoplasma infection could be a risk factor for COVID-19 patients and its possible correlation with C-reactive protein and ferritin. Overall 220 patients referred to the Al Furat General Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq were enrolled from 2020–2021. All serum samples were tested for T. gondii immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) antibodies, C-reactive protein and ferritin levels. In patients with COVID-19, the results
... Show MoreBackground Immunological gene and serum level for interleukin- 9 rs 17317275 have been established to have linked to predisposition systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its severity. SLE is a severe, systemic autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody generation, complement activation, and immune complex deposition. In the pathophysiology of SLE, cytokines have a pleiotropic function. Recently, IL-9 was discovered to mediate strong anti-inflammatory effects in numerous cells or experimental autoimmune models. Objective This study aimed to determine the role of age, IL-9 serum level and genetic polymorphism, C-reactive protein (CRP), Anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and Anti- double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) to recognize SLE pathogenesis.
... Show MoreRelationship between thyroid dysfunction and periodontal disease has been mediated through an immune response. Cytokines are implicated in the initiation, consequences of immune response and a crucial role in the pathogenesis of thyroid disease, directly target thyroid follicular cells; and in the development and progression of periodontitis. This study aimed to detect cytokines levels which known to be associated with periodontitis in serum and saliva, to test the hypothesis that hypothyroidism influences the levels of biomarkers of periodontitis. Samples were collected from sixty patients with hypothyroid age ranged (20-64) years, thirty of patients were without periodontitis (group I) and 30 with periodontal disease (II); moreover, 30 su
... Show MoreThe use of legislation related to electronic contracting, through the adoption of the method of enactment of legislation and legislative intervention, and to be careful and cautious in the issuance of legislative texts that do not adversely affect the business activity, which is taking its steps for the first time on the path of electronic commerce in this new world by the new knowledge of the subject theoretically and practically , With the necessary assistance of legal expertise so that legislation does not constitute barriers and obstacles to the development of electronic commerce.
The current research aims to identify the self-regulation of university students, as well as to identify the significance of the difference in self-regulation according to the variable of sex (male-female), specialization (scientific-human), and grade (first-fourth). To achieve the research objectives, the two researchers developed a scale of (28) items about self-regulation According to the theory of (Pandora, 1991). The scale was administered to (500) students from the first and fourth stages of Al -Mustansiriyah University who were selected based on the random stratification method for the 2020/2021 academic year. The results showed that university students have a good level of self-regulation. There are no significant differences in
... Show MoreIn recent decades, global obesity has increased significantly, causing a major health problem with associated complications and major socioeconomic issues. The central nervous system (CNS), particularly the hypothalamus, regulates food intake through sensing the metabolic signals of peripheral organs and modulating feeding behaviors. The hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions such as the brain stem to perform these vital functions. The gut plays a crucial role in controlling food consumption and energy homeostasis. The gut releases orexigenic and anorexigenic hormones that interact directly with the CNS or indirectly through vagal afferent neurons. Gastrointestinal peptides (GIP) including cholecystokinin, peptide YY, Nesf
... Show MoreBackground: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that has several functions, including stimulating growth and inhibiting cell death. It has the potential to operate as a biomarker for the accurate prediction of disease severity and activity, platelets-rich plasma was used in the treatment of oral lichen planus and can change the salivary IL-6 level.
Objectives: To study the clinical outcome of intralesional platelets-rich plasma in patients with oral lichen planus and to measure salivary IL-6 levels before and after the treatment with platelets-rich plasma were the aims of this study.
Subjects and Methods: In this clinical trial, for each patient a standardi
... Show MoreObjectives: to evaluate patient knowledge with hemodialysis and to determine the effectiveness of Self-regulation Fluid Program on Patients with hemodialysis self-efficacy for fluid adherence in Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental design (two group design: pre-test and post-test) was used. This study was conducted in Al-Diwaniya Teaching Hospital for the period from (15th of October 2018 to 20th of May 2019) on a non-probability (purposive) sample consisting of (60 patients) treatment in hemodialysis units. A questionnaire was built as a data collection tool and consisted of four parts:
First part: Demographic characteristics of the pati
... Show More