Excess alcohol consumption is associated with numerous metabolic changes and homeostasis disturbances of many macro- and micro-elements in the body. It has been associated with multiple pathologies at all levels. In the digestive apparatus, alcohol has generally been related to its toxic effects upon the liver. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (α-1 AT or AAT) plays an important role in controlling inflammation, coagulation and repair mechanisms in the body and most α-1 AT in the body is produced by the liver; from the other hand, Intrinsic factor (IF), which is a glycoprotein produced by the parietal cells of the stomach is necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12 in the small intestine. This study was designed to assess serum levels of α-1 AT and anti-IF Abs (IgG) among heavy alcoholics to clarify the relationship between alcohol addiction and such liver and/or stomach disorders. Fifty-four consecutive alcohol-dependent males were enrolled as a target group and 30 age matched males were considerate as a control group. The level of alpha-1 antitrypsin (α-1 AT) and anti-intrinsic factor (IF) antibodies were investigated by single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. We found from a total of 54 alcoholic patients that the mean age of patients is 37.5 years with a progressive increase in cases at third decade of age. They reported an average addiction period of more than 18 years. Most patients (93%) were currently smoking; and 18.5% were psychiatric; about 9% of them used to have co-addictions like heroin, valium and artin; another 9% had multiple sclerosis. We observed a non significant decrease of α-1 AT levels in alcoholics compared to control group (p>0.05), while there was a high significant increase in the level of anti-IF Abs in alcoholics, sera compared with control group (p<0.05). Furthermore; the serum level of α-1 AT and anti-IF Abs in alcoholic group are not related to age of starting consumption of alcohol. Specifically, we found no significant differences in the levels of α-1 AT and anti-IF Abs between those who start drinking prior to age 18 years (N=32), and after age 18 years (N=22) p>0.05. On the other hand; there is a statistically significant correlation between α-1 AT levels and the duration of alcohol consumption (p<0.05); similarly; theere was a highly significant correlation between the levels of anti-IF Abs and the duration of alcohol consumption was observed (p<0.05).The results suggest that Excess alcohol consumption is associated with numerous metabolic changes and homeostasis disturbancesof many macro- and micro-elements in the body. It has been associated with multiple pathologies at all levels.
In diabetes, impaired wound healing and other tissue abnormalities are considered major concerns. Many factorsaffect the time and quality of wound healing. One of the purposes of medical sciences is wound healing in a short time withreduced side effects. The herbal products are more precious in both prophylaxis as well as curative in delayed diabetic woundhealing activity when compared to synthetic drugs.A wide range of evidence has shown that capers plant possesses differentbiological effects, including antioxidant, anticancer and antibacterial effects. Phytochemical analysis shows thatC. spinosahashigh quantities of bioactive constituents, including polyphenolic compounds, which are responsible for its health-promotingeffects. The healing
... Show MoreBackground: Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G)and Toll-like receptor-9 (TLR-9)play a role in the regulation of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory processes. Aim of the study: To detect the HLA-G + 3142G > C gene polymorphism that associated with the susceptibility to SLE patients and associated with Hepatitis B infection and TLR-9 serum level. Patients and methods: This study was done on 75 SLE patients and 75 healthy control groups. Genotyping of HLA-G + 3142G > C were detected by PCR and PCR-RFLP methods. In addition to the estimation of Hepatitis B surface (HBs)antigen status by immunochromatography technique and TLR-9 serum level by ELISA technique. Results: The HLA-G + 3142G > C gene polymorphism between the SLE patients and controls
... Show MoreColorectal cancer is a malignant condition that can arise from multiple causative factors. It ranks second, behind lung cancer, as a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Extensive research has been conducted to unravel the genetic underpinnings and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, epigenetic modifications of histones at the DNA level have become significantly involved in several malignant diseases such as CRC. Hence, this research sought to assess, for the first time locally, the immunoexpression of HDAC-1 and 3 in a group of colorectal patients. Additionally, we explored potential correlations between the expression of HDAC-1, 3 and VEGF. This retrospective study enco
... Show MoreIn this work, an anti-reflection coating was prepared in the region (400-1000) nm of wavelength, with a double layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) as an inner layer and the second layer of the mixture (SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) with certain ratios, as an outer layer using the chemical spraying method with a number of 6 sprays of layer SiO2 and 12 sprays of layer SiO2 - TiO2. Using the method of chemical spraying deposited on the glass as a substrate with a different number of sprays of SiO2, and a fixed number of TiO2-SiO2. The optical and structural properties were determined using UV-Vis spectroscopy and atomic force mi
... Show MoreBackground: Angiogenesis is defined as the formation of new blood vessels. However, angiogenesis in cancer will lead to tumour growth and metastasis. Therefore, anti-angiogenesis is one of the ways to slow down growth and spreading of tumour. Moringa oleifera is also known as a “Miracle tree” which has high nutritive value and various therapeutics effect in different parts of the plant. This study aims to determine the anti-angiogenic property of Moringa oleifera leaves extract by using chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Materials and Methods: The extracts were prepared by decoction method using methanol and water. The qualitative phytochemical screening was carried out for
... Show MoreAlthough allowable amounts of glycol contamination in diesel engine oil, no research has been conducted on how these levels and varying loads affect engine performance. The research used a four-stroke diesel engine to investigate the effect of different glycol contamination levels (0, 120, and 220 ppm) under two engine loads (4.5 and 9 kW). Brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, friction power, and exhaust gas temperature were measured to determine the engine performance. The experiment used the factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. Increasing the contamination levels from 0 to 120 and then to 220 ppm under constant engine load significantly increased brake specific fuel con
... Show MoreObjective : To study the effect of some risk factors like age, smoking and Diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients with
certain cardiovascular diseases (Angina pectoris and Myocardial infarction), in addition to the assessment of the Creactive
protein (CRP) in the sera of those patients.
Methodology: The study was carried out on (100) subjects who were hospitalized in the Iraqi Center of heart Diseases
in Baghdad city and were suffering from Myocardial InfarcƟon (MI) (16) and Angina Pectoris (AP) (79) or from both (5)
over a period from September 2009 to June 2010. The results of paƟents were compared with those of (30) healthy
and age-matched individuals as a control group. Data were obtained from patients who were alr
Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder caused by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals characterized by chronic inflammation that essentially affects the small intestine. Objective: this study was designed to measure the potential role of some serological biomarkers including vitamin B12 and homocysteine (HCY) in the progression of CD as well as their relations to global DNA methylation (5mC). Materials and methods. Forty CD patients were enrolled in the study with an average age of (36.60 ± 2.03) years (range between 15 and 60). The diagnosis of the disease was confirmed by serological examinations and intestinal endoscopy in Gastroenterology and Liver Teaching Hospital in the Medical City Hospital in Baghdad
... Show MoreAdvancing the multi-scale performance of asphalt pavements requires innovative binder modifications that address limitations in rutting resistance, fatigue resistance, and durability across the binder, mixture, and structural levels. This study evaluates the performance of asphalt cement, mixtures, and pavement systems modified with a combination of polyethylene (PE) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The binder was modified using 4% PE and varying CNT contents (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% by weight of the modified binder). Binder performance was assessed through conventional and rheological tests, including penetration, softening point, viscosity, performance grade (PG) evaluation, and master curve analysis. Mixture-level performance was eval
... Show More4 Blood Res 2018;53:314-319. Received on August 11, 2018 Revised on August 30, 2018 Accepted on August 30, 2018 Background Iron overload is a risk factor affecting all patients with thalassemia intermedia (TI). We aimed to determine whether there is a relationship of serum ferritin (SF) and alanine ami- notransferase (ALT) with liver iron concentration (LIC) determined by R2 magnetic reso- nance imaging (R2-MRI), to estimate the most relevant degree of iron overload and best time to chelate in patients with TI. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 119 patients with TI (mean age years) were randomly se- lected and compared with 120 patients who had a diagnosis of thalassemia major (TM). Correlations of LIC, as determined by R2-MRI, with SF
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