Introduction and Aim: The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-39, a member of the IL-12 family plays a key role in the inflammatory response by modulating immune cell activity and inflammation. A literature search shows no study undertaken for the effect of IL-39's on arthritis so far. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of IL-39 in rheumatoid arthritis. Materials and Methods: This study involved 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis registered at the Rheumatology Clinic at Baghdad teaching hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on treatments received. Group 1 included patients who were not on any treatment for arthritis, Group 2 with patients on hydroxychloroquine and or prednisone treatment, and Group 3 that received Enbrel® (etanercept) and HUMIRA® (adalimumab) treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. A control group was included in the study. Patients in all groups were assessed for their serum IL-39 concentration, C - reactive protein, Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACCP) and ESR. Results: The patient age and BMI were not significantly different between the groups receiving treatment for Rheumatoid arthritis. A significant increase in the interleukin 39 concentration was observed in treatment groups (G1, G2, G3) as compared to normal healthy controls regardless of whether they were positive or negative for the anti-CCP test. Conclusion: This study showed that the serum interleukin IL-39 levels significantly increased in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis thus suggesting that IL-39 could be considered as a potential inflammatory biomarker of RA.
Aim: To determine the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-2) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the difference in its expression level between positive and negative HPV-16 (human papilloma virus- 16) OSCC patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 33 biopsies obtained from patients with OSCC and 10 normal oral mucosa as controls. In situ hybridization (ISH) was used to investigate the presence of HPV-16, while immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to estimate the expression level of TIMP-2. Results: The TIMP-2 was expressed in 27 (81.8%) of OSCC sections with no significant difference between its expression level in HPV-16 positive and HPV-16 negative OSCC cases (p=0.058). TIMP-2 was found to be hig
... Show MoreThe adult worms of the Microphallidae family are mainly found as intestinal parasites of birds and mammals, while metacercariae is most commonly found in decapodal crustaceans. The Microphallidaeare family is spread throughout the world. It includes approximately 47 genera. Mature worms usually enter the digestive system of vertebrates, especially birds and mammals. Microphallidae contain eight subfamilies: Androcotylinae - Basantisiinae - Endocotylinae - Gynaecotylinae - Levinseniellinae - MaritrematinaeMicrophallinae - Sphairiotrematinae. Therefore, due to the lack of studies on the Microphallidae family in Iraq, we began to develop a database on this important family.
The plant Papaver rhoeas ,which belongs to family Papaveraceae and known as common poppy is wildly grown in Iraq .It was used in traditional medicine in wide range of diseases including inflammation, diarrhea, sleep disorders, treatment of cough, analgesia, and also to reduce the withdrawal signs of opioid addiction.
The project provide the first comprehensive research done in Iraq to study the phytochemical and the methods of extraction and separation of alkaloids from Papaver rhoeas wildly grown in Iraq .The plant was harvested in April 2019 from Zurbatiya is an Iraqi town located at the northeast of Waist province in Iraq.The collected plant was washed thoroughly, dries under shade, and grounding in a mechani
... Show MoreTHE ROLE OF ELECTRONIC-PAYMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF E-BANKING IN IRAQ - AN APPLIED RESEARCH IN CENTRAL BANK OF IRAQ
An environmental study conducted on diatoms in Al Yusifiya river beyond its branching from Euphrates river. Four sites were selected along the river for the period from march 2013 to September 2013. The present study involved the measurement of physicochemical parameters, also the qualitative and quantities of diatoms. The studied parameters values ranged as follows: 19-44Cº and 16-30 Cº for air and water temperature respectively, 6.9-8.7, 595-1248 µS/cm, 6.4-8.0 mg/l for pH, electric conductivity and dissolved oxygen respectively. A total of 74 taxa were recorded for diatoms, where the pinnate diatom was the predominant and recorded 64 taxa while 10 taxa for centric diatoms. The total number of diatoms was 1197.55*104 cell /l. The tota
... Show MoreNaturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) contaminated sites at Al-Rumaila Iraqi oil fields have been characterized as a part of soil remediation project. Activity of radium isotopes in contaminated soil have been determined using gamma spectrometer High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) and found to be very high for Al-Markezia, Al-Qurainat degassing stations and storage area at Khadhir Almay region. The activity concentration of samples ranges from 6474.11±563.8 Bq/kg to 1232.5±60.9 Bq/kg with mean value of 3853.3 Bq/kg for 226Ra, 843.59±8.39 Bq/kg to 302.2±9.2 Bq/kg with mean value of 572.9 Bq/kg for 232Th and 294.31±18.56 Bq/kg to 156.64±18.1 Bq/kg with mean value of 225.5 for 40K. S
... Show MoreAl-Chibayish Marsh (CM) is considered as the major part of Central Marshes area of this marsh is 1050 Km². The water quality of these marshes is suffering from salt accumulation due to intensive dam construction, limited supply of water from sources, climate change impacts, and the absence of outlet flow from these marshes, specifically at low flow periods. So, the current research aims to assess and improve these marshes' hydraulic behavior and water quality and define the best location for outlet drains. Field measurements and laboratory tests were conducted for two periods (November 2020 and February 2021) to define the (TDS) concentrations at nine different locations. Samples were also examined for water's phy
... Show MoreAbstract Depending on their protective properties against different cases of Colorectal Cancer (CRC), vitamins C, D, and E are the main focus of this research. CRC is one of the global public health concerns. 30 healthy individuals provided serum samples, whereas the group of CRC patients was divided into three, totaling 90 individuals. Group I consisted of 30 newly diagnosed cases of CRC. Group II 30 consisted of consisted of 30 CRC patients who were administered three cycles of chemotherapy. Group III consisted of 30 diagnosed CRC patients who also have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The concentrations and groups of vitamins C, D, and E were evaluated using ELISA. The levels of Vitamin C were significantly lower (p &l
... Show MoreAutomatic Programming Assessment (APA) has been gaining lots of attention among researchers mainly to support automated grading and marking of students’ programming assignments or exercises systematically. APA is commonly identified as a method that can enhance accuracy, efficiency and consistency as well as providing instant feedback on students’ programming solutions. In achieving APA, test data generation process is very important so as to perform a dynamic testing on students’ assignment. In software testing field, many researches that focus on test data generation have demonstrated the successful of adoption of Meta-Heuristic Search Techniques (MHST) so as to enhance the procedure of deriving adequate test data for efficient t
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