Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuro-inflammatory disorder in which the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is proposed to have a pathogenic role. Therefore, a case-control study was performed (93 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 113 healthy controls (HC) to analyze the prevalence and viral load of EBV infection using real time-polymerase chain reaction. Prevalence of EBV infection was lower in patients compared to HC but the difference was not significant (12.9 vs. 21.2%; probability [p] = 0.187). EBV-positive MS cases were more common in females than in males (83.3 vs. 16.7%), while an opposite distribution was observed in HC (37.5 vs. 62.5%), and the difference was significant (p = 0.041). Blood group O frequency was higher in EBV-positive patients compared to the corresponding HC but the difference was not significant (33.3 vs. 20.8%; p = 0.443). EBV-positive MS cases showed similar frequency in the two groups of the expanded disability status scale (EDSS: < 3.0 and ≥ 3.0; 50% each). EBV load was significantly elevated in EBV-positive MS cases compared to EBV-positive HC (94.6 ± 84.2 vs. 17.0 ± 16.3 DNA copy/100 cells; p = 0.009). When EBV-positive MS cases were classified by gender, EDSS groups or ABO blood groups, there were no significant differences between EBV loads in each stratum. However, a significant correlation between EBV load and EDSS was found (correlation coefficient = 0.620; p = 0.031). In conclusion, the prevalence of EBV infection showed no significant differences between MS patients and HC, while EBV load was significantly higher in patients.
Interleukin-35 (IL-35) is a new member of IL-12 family of cytokines, and its role in pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been recently suggested. Accordingly, a case-control study was conducted during June - October 2018 to determine IL-35 serum level in Iraqi patients with chronic HBV infection. The results revealed that IL-35 level was significantly decreased in patients as compared to control (163 vs. 301 pg/ml; p < 0.001). However, such decreased level was more pronounced in patients at the age groups < 40 and 40 – 50 years (165 and 145 pg/ml, respectively) as compared to the corresponding age groups in control (482 and 234 pg/ml, respectively). In the case of gender groups, both male
... Show MoreBack ground: Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common chronic liver disease at present, and HCV infection is found with variable prevalence in dialysis populations in different parts of the world.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of sialic acid and immunoglobulins level in the sera of patients with chronic renal failure whom infected with Hepatitis C virus, and the effect of hemodialysis on them.
Patients&Methods: Regarding to this aim, total sialic acid levels (TSA) and immunoglobulins level were studied on the blood samples of 20 patients with chronic renal failure + Hepatitis C virus (positive group) and 20 patients with chronic renal failure (negative group) and 20 healthy volunteers.
The study aimed to assess the level of ANG‑2 in MM patients at diagnosis and in remission state and elaborate on its correlation with interleukin‑6 (IL‑6) and beta‑2 microglobulin (B2M) levels. Sixty MM patients; 20 newly diagnosed (ND), and 40 patients in remission were included. Twenty healthy individuals were included as a control group. Plasma levels of ANG‑2, B2M, and IL‑6 were tested by enzyme‑lin ked immunosorbent assay. There are significant statistical differences between ND patients and those in remission in hemoglobin, neutrophil count, blood urea, serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, B2M, IL6, and ANG‑2 (P = 0.001, 0.033, 0.005, 0.001, 0.001, 0.001, 0.004, and 0.001, respectively). ANG‑2 showed signifi
... Show MoreMultiple myeloma is hematological disease produces many complications in the bone, kidney, neural and other complications. The study aims to measure serum biomolecules like fetuin-A and resistin and determined the possibility to use these biomarkers as disease predictor. blood samples were isolated from 58 patients and 24 sex and age-matched control, serum then isolated, and proper ELISA kit then used to a determined level of B2 microglobulin, resistin, and fetuin-A. The result demonstrated significant increase in B2 microglobulin, fetuin-A and resistin in patients compare to control (1.3470.714 vs. 0.9130.253), p = 0.000, (14.00310.352 vs. 9.2594.264), p= 0.005, (1.9673.595 vs. 0.6040.622), p = 0.009, respectively. &
... Show MoreBackground: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune illness, which is consider by three main features: Sclerotic changes in the skin and internal organs, Vasculopathy of small blood vessels, Particular autoantibodies (1). The most important autoantibodies appeared significantly in SSc patients are anti-topoisomerase I autoantibody (Scl-70), anti-centromere autoantibody (ACA), and anti-RNA polymerase III autoantibody (RNAP3) (2). Anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) are infrequent in rheumatic conditions and in healthy persons but occur commonly in limited systemic sclerosis (CREST syndrome), and rarely appeared in the diffuse form of systemic sclerosis (3). Anti-Ro/SSA and antiLa/SSB, antibodies directed against Ro/La ribonucleoprot
... Show MoreBackground: The prevalence of spinal cord lesions is high in multiple sclerosis particularly in the cervical cord, and their detection can assist in both the diagnosis and follow-up of the patients. For spinal multiple sclerosis, MRI is considered the first line investigation.
Objective: To evaluate the value of sagittal 1.5 Tesla proton density-fast spin echo (PD-FSE) MRI in the detecting and increasing conspicuity of multiple sclerosis lesions in cervical cord in comparison with sagittal T2 fast spin-echo (T2-FSE) MRI.
Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study carried out from 3rd of January 2017 to 1st of January 2018 in the MRI department of
... Show MoreObjective(s): To measure serum C-reactive protein (CRP) titer as a predictive diagnosis of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infection.
Methodology: Two hundred and ten patients with acute HCV infection and 234 apparently healthy individuals as
control group were enrolled in this study in Baghdad medical city (Teaching Laboratories). The patents include
74(35.2%) females and 136 (64.8%) males with mean age (27±16.5) years. The control group includes 114 (48.7%)
females and 120 (51.3%) males with mean age (26±5.8) years. Blood samples were collected from out patients from
Alfadul in Baghdad city. Sera were separated and stored at 20 0
C. The diagnosis of acute HCV infection was based on
detection of HC Ag and anti- H
In this paper, we study the effects of coherent and incoherent illumination on the optical imaging system. The effects were studied qualitatively in terms of Point Spread Function (PSF) and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), and quantitatively in terms of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Different values of radius of aperture were investigated in the presence and absence of spherical aberration with various magnitudes of spherical aberration (M=1, 2, and 3). The experiments were performed using homogeneous media.
The results show that imaging with incoherent illumination is better than imaging with coherent illumination, especially for small aperture. Also, we found that the effects of spherical aberration
... Show MoreThe road networks is considered to be one of the determinants that controls to specify the areas of human activities, which it depend on to specify the arrival cost , in addition it is useful to achieve the connectivity for interaction and human activities , and shorten the distance and time between the population and places of service. The density of the road network in any space directly affected by the density of population and the type of economic activities and administrative functions performed by the space. On this basis, the subject of this study is reflected in the quantitative analysis of the roads network in the Governorate of Karbala. The study consists the quantitative analysis for the roads network and the Urban Nodes in th
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