The central nervous system (CNS) disease known as multiple sclerosis (MS) is essentially an inflammatory demyelinating condition with a variety of clinical manifestations and variable histological findings. A number of immunological and biochemical markers may alter MS, which is also characterized as an autoimmune illness. MS patients (n = 100) were divided into two groups: newly diagnosed (n = 42) and patients with ongoing treatments (n = 58). These groups were compared to healthy subjects (n = 55); the mean age ±SD was (30±8.46 years), (37±8.06 years), and (31±8.73 years) for MS newly diagnosed patients, patients with ongoing treatments, and healthy subjects, respectively. Studies for serum levels of eotaxin-1, myelin basic protein (MBP), IL-23, 27, 9, and 37 were measured by the ELISA technique. Eotaxin-1, MBP, IL-23, 27, and alkaline phosphate were significantly higher in all MS patient groups, but for IL-37, there was no significant difference between newly diagnosed patients when compared with patients with ongoing treatment. Weak positive correlations were found between IL-9 and myelin (r = 0.282, p≤0.05) and a weak positive correlation between IL-23 and ALP (r = 0.209, p≤0.05) in MS patients. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied for the parameters eotaxin-1, MBP, IL-23, 27, and alkaline phosphate, which showed a high sensitivity according to the area under the curve. The present results conclude that eotaxin-1, MBP, IL-23, 27, and alkaline phosphate can be used as diagnostic markers for multiple sclerosis.
To investigate the role of IL-6 and IL-8 in the immune-regulatory mechanisms involved in the recurrent spontaneous abortion of the first trimester of pregnancy. Serum level of IL-6 and IL-8 were determined in 25 women of age (20-35) years who had a spontaneous abortion of unknown aetiology during the first trimester of pregnancy .They were compared with the corresponding levels of 20 pregnant and non-pregnant women as control groups .cytokine levels were measured by (ELISA) technique .The women with spontaneous abortion had highly significant (P < 0.01) increased serum level of IL-8 and highly significant (P < 0.01 ) decreased level of IL-6 compared to those with normal pregnant and non-pregnant women. The results of this study ma
... Show MoreBackground: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most common infections associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in Iraq.
Aim of the study: To determine the prognostic factor value of Programmed Cell Death-1 (PD-1) and Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint biomarkers among CKD patients with HCV infection under HD.
Methodology: ELISA technique was used for the measurement of the above-mentioned biomarkers in the serum of 90 Iraqi patients. The participants were divided into three groups; Group I included 30 patients infected with HCV without antiviral treatment, group II included 30 patients infected wit
... Show MoreBackground: Widal test and blood culture together must be depended to diagnosis of typhoid fever.
Background: Tinea versicolor is a common dermatological problem ,world wide distribution , caused by a dimorphic fungus called Malassezia furfur ,it live normally on skin as a commensal . Many factors play a role in the etiology of TV among these could be the disturbed immune system which may be related to the ability of TV alter the immune system by a process called Immunomodulation leading to subsequent infection. Immuno-inflammatory activity mediated by different cytokines could have a role in the etiology of TV.
Objective: To evaluate the serum level of the inflammatory cytokines ,IL-4andIL-8,in patients with TV as compared to immunocompramized patients and healthy groups.
Patients and methods
Direct determination of trace metals Zn, Mn, Cu and Co were performed in serum
blood samples of two groups diabetic patient type 2 and non diabetes by ICP spectrometric
method. Results show the low levels of these elements Zn, Mn and Co while high level of Cu
detected compared with non diabetes according to these results good evidence can be made to
control these levels through a special diet containing these metals.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common human pathogen that causes severe infections in newborns and immunocompromised patients. Conjunctivitis or corneal epithelial keratitis is caused by HSV type 1 all over the world and at all times of the year. The present study was aimed at detecting HSV in patients suffering from conjunctivitis. One hundred and ten (110) clinical samples (90 patients and 20 controls, both males and females) of eye conjunctiva swabs were collected from patients of different ages. The samples were analyzed using qPCR and ELISA techniques. The qPCR results revealed that HSV was present in 47 (52.2%) of the 90 patients who were infected. Of these patients, 25 (48.0%) were males and 22 (57.8%) were females, indicati
... Show MoreBackground: Leukemia isba type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow that is characterized by an abnormal increase of white blood cells.
Background: To elucidate the possible role of human cytomegalovirus in pregnancy loss through induction of certain pro-inflammatory adhesion molecules.
Methods: Paraffin embedded sections of curate samples were obtained from 34 women had spontaneous abortion, and 5 women had elective termination of pregnancy (as control), and then subjected for immunohistochemistry analysis to detect human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) early protein and VCAM-1 molecule.
Results: Nine out of 34 women with spontaneous abortion were positive for HCMV early protein, with a
significantly higher expression of VCAM-1 in HCMV positive cases as compared with HCMV negative and the control groups (p = 0.05, 0.001 respectively).
Conclusion: HCMV infection may p
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most prevalent cutaneous parasitic protozoan infections in Iraq; characterized by a chronic infection and granulomatous disease that invades the skin. Type 1 immune was predominates in CL patients with exacerbated production of pro-inflammatory cytokine, therefore this study aimed to evaluate serum level of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and monokine induce by interferon gamma (MIG/CXCl9) as a useful markers of disease development in patients during different stage of infection (<1 month .. early , 1-6 month.. chronic and >6 months.. late). The result showed that there was an early effort to eliminate the parasite proliferation which illustrated by a high significant increase of both IFN-γ
... Show MoreOne hundred and six S. aureus were isolated from 250 Nasal swabs of
Healthcare workers and patients at Al- Kadhamia teaching Hospital and Al-
Numan hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. The study was undertaken over a period of
ten months between August 2011 and June 2012. S. aureus isolates were
diagnosed based on phenotypic traits and biochemical tests. Antibiotics
sensitivity to 11 antibiotics, revealed that S.aureus is totally resistant to
Pencillin G (100%), highly resistant to Cefoxitin (alternative to Methicillin)
(94.3%) While there are varied resistance percentage for the rest of
antibiotics: Erythromycin (37.7%), Tetracycline (34.9%), Gentamicin
(29.3%), Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (50%), Ciprofloxacin (29.2%),<