Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases which occurs as a result of unknown reasons. This study was conducted at Baghdad Teaching Hospital/City of Medicine, where blood samples were taken from 60 Iraqi patients with RA (49 females and 11 males) and these patients were matched by age and sex with 20 healthy controls (16 females and 4 males). Patients with RA were diagnosed by a consultant rheumatologist according to ACR / EULAR criteria in 2010. In this study the patients were divided into four groups as follows; the first group consisted of 12 patients treated with methotrexate (MTX), the second group consisted of 10 patients treated with etanercept, the third group consisted of 18 patients treated with a combination of MTX, etanercept and prednisolone, the fourth group consisted of 20 patients treated with MTX and etanercept. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect CCL18/PARC antibodies, while a spectrophotometer (Humalyzer2000) was used for the measurement of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Serum levels of CCL18 / PARC showed a significant increase in RA patients compared with healthy controls (p ≤ 0.001). The levels of CCL18/PARC showed a significant correlation with disease activity (CDAI), except in RA patients treated with etanercept. There was also no significant correlation between CCL18/PARC and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The results showed a significant increase in serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was recorded in RA patients (with treatment) as compared to healthy controls (p ≤ 0.001).
Background: The aim of this study was to determine phototoxic effect of visible blue light on anaerobic periodontal pathogens namely Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Materials and methods: Strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were isolated from pockets of systemically healthy patients aged between 35-55 years old with pocket depths of 5-6 mm, the bacteria cultured on special blood Agar plates solid media, then subjected to visible blue light emitted from commercially available light cure devise (LED curing light); that emits blue light (400-500nm) of 1000mw energy at different periods of time exposures, then the CFU of each plate was measured by direct colony count
... Show More(1) Background: Plant flavonoids are efficient in preventing and treating various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of hesperidin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruits, in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation, which induced lethal toxicity in vivo, and to evaluate its importance as an antitumor agent in breast cancer. The in vivo experiments revealed the protective effects of hesperidin against the negative LPS effects on the liver and spleen of male mice. (2) Methods: In the liver, the antioxidant activity was measured by estimating the concentration of glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), whereas in spleen, the concentration of cytokines including IL-33 and TNF-α was measured. The in vitro expe
... Show MoreBackground: Smoking is the major environmental risk factor that has been associated with the pathogenesis and progression of periodontal diseases. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), has been associated with the immunopathology of periodontitis. Objectives: To determine the influence of smoking on salivary Interleukin-8 level from smokers and non-smokers with periodontitis and periodontally healthy control subjects.
Materials and Methods: Un-stimulated saliva samples were collected of 90 participants: 30 smokers and 30 non-smokers with chronic periodontitis, as well as 30 periodontally healthy control subjects. The clinical parameters such as the pocket depth, clinical attachment loss, plaque index, and gingiv
... Show MoreBackground: Atherosclerosis is well known related to age and certain cardiovascular diseases. Aging is one reason of arteries function deterioration which can cause loss of compliance and plaque accumulation, this effect increases by the presence of certain diseases such as hypertension and diabetes disease. Aim: To investigate the reduction of blood supply to the brain in patients with diabetes and hypertension with age and the role of resistive index in the diagnosis of reduced blood flow. Method: Patients with both diseases diabetic and hypertension were classified according to their age to identify the progression of the disease and factors influencing the carotid artery blood flow. By using ultrasound and standard Doppler techniq
... Show MoreBackground: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative autoimmune disease mediated by autoreactive T cells against myelin-basic proteins. Cytokines are suggested to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Among these cytokines is interleukin-2 (IL-2). Aim of the study: To investigate the association between IL2+166 G/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP: rs2069763) and MS in Iraqi patients. Serum level of IL-2 was also detected. Anti-rubella IgG antibody was further determined in the sera of patients. Patients and methods: Eighty MS patients (28 males and 52 females; age mean ± SD: 39.2 ± 16.1 years) and 80 healthy control matched patients for age (32.15 ± 16.13 years) and gender (28 males and 52 females) were en
... Show MoreDetermination of the level of adipokines (obestatin, vaspin, tumor necrosis factor-? and interleukin-6)in hypo-and hyperthyroid patients from Educational Baghdad Hospital in Baghdad City was investigated. Fifty patients with hypothyroidism and Fifty patients with hyperthyroidism were selected. A control group of thirty euthyroid persons was included. Blood was collected by vein puncture and serum was separated and stored at –20C. Adipokines (obestatin, vaspin, tumor necrosis factor-? and interleukin-6) were estimated using ELISA method. The findings show a significant (p<0.05) increase in obestatin level in hypothyroid patients, while there is no significant difference in hyperthyroid patientsas compared with the euthyroid subjects.
... Show MoreThe study conducted to investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and eye diseases (Glaucoma, Cataract, CSR and Uveitis). One hundred and four patients with multiple eye disorders (10-80) years were observed from 10/9/2020 to 18/11/2020 and compared to thirty-one healthy people (19 female and 12 male). Each participant was tested for H. pylori CagAAbs and TNF-α using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results have shown that there was a non-significant difference (p≥0.05) in the concentration of CagAantibodies in sera of patients with eye diseases except in the case of CSR (central serous chorioretinopathy), which was a significant difference (P≤0.05) compared to the control group. Also, the result
... Show MoreDiabetes mellitus is a global problem nowadays due to increase the disease cases all over the world, in both the developed and developing countries which may affect the quality of life (QOL ) of diabetic patients. This study was conducted to assess the quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and to determine some selected clinical and sociodemographic factors that affect the quality of life of these patients in Al Hila city-Iraq. This was a cross sectional study in which 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending diabetic outpatient clinics of Merjan Teaching Hospital-Al Hila. To assess the quality of life of those diabetic patients, the World Health Organizations Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL) was a
... Show MoreThis study aims to propose a novel research model to test the nexus between green human resource management processes, strategic excellence and the sustainability of educational institutions in Iraqi academic settings.
This examination in Iraqi higher education is finalised across three key stages: determining the knowledge gaps, reviewing the literature and building the hypothesised conceptual model. A case study complemented by a quantitative methodology using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment
Background: Patient satisfaction is of increasing importance and widely recognized as an important indicator of quality of the medical care. There was no homogeneous definition of patient satisfaction, since satisfaction concerns different aspects of care or settings, as well as care given by various professions.
Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the patients’ level of satisfaction with diabetes care and to identify the underlying factors influencing it.
Methods: This cross-sectional study had been conducted in the Specialized Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Baghdad Al- Rusafa 2018. Where150 type two diabetic patients attending their follow-up
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