Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. A total of 110 Iraqi Arab individuals were included in this study; 60 individuals of them had prostate cancer with increased levels of TPSA (patients group); their age range 52-90 years. They were referred for diagnosis and treatment to the National Al-Amal Hospital for oncology in Baghdad during the period from July 2017 to October 2017. While the other 50 apparently healthy subjects were the control group, their age range similar to patients group. Sera and blood samples were collected from all patients and controls than used to assess for the level of IL-18 and DNA extraction, respectively. The polymorphisms were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-single specific primer (PCR-SSP), at the position -137 G\C (rs187238) in the promoter of IL18 gene. The genetic polymorphism of the IL18 gene promoter -137G/C (rs187238) was determined and presented with three genotypes (GG, GC, and CC) in prostate cancer patients and controls. Testing for Hardy-Weinberg (H-W) equilibrium revealed that Prostate cancer patients showed insignificant variation in the distribution of IL-18 -137 genotypes (P> 0.05). While the control samples showed significant variation (p ≤0.05) between the observed and expected. Comparing patients with controls indicated that IL-18-137 alleles or genotypes showed no association with the risk of prostate cancer development in Iraqi Arab population or protection against them. Serum level of IL-18 was highly significant (P ≤ 0.001) increased in patients compared to control. The IL-18 serum levels differences in GG and GC genotypes was significant (p <0.05) between patients and control. While there were no significant differences between the three IL-18 -137 genotypes inpatient or in controls.
Common carp ( Cyprinus carpio L.) juveniles averaging 7.68± 0.25 - 8.12± 1.14 g in weight were used for 6 weeks to investigate their survival and growth preferences. The experimented carp were stocked at 12 tanks formerly adjusted with different pH levels values as: 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0. Growth and survival of common carp was assessed every Sunday of each week. Growth rates significantly (P < 0.05 ) increased at pH 7 and pH8 respectively. Therefore, the results suggest that the water with pH ranged from 7 to 8 was the best range for growth performance and survival rate of carp. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved at pH 6 and 9 respectively. In general, the results indicated that water p
... Show MoreGlobal warming and environmental damage have become major problems. The production of Portland cement releases large quantities of gas, which cause pollution to the atmosphere. This problem can be solved via the use of sustainable materials, such as glass powder. This study investigates the effect of partial replacement of cement with sustainable glass powder at various percentages (0, 15, 20, and 25%) by weight of cement on some mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, absorption, and dry density) of Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) containing a percentage of Polypropylene fibers (PRPC) of 1% by weight. Furthermore, steam curing was performed for 5 hours at 90oC after hardening the sample directly. The RPC was
... Show MoreThe electrospun nanofibers membranes (ENMs) have gained great attention due to their superior performance. However, the low mechanical strength of ENMs, such as the rigidity and low strength, limits their applications in many aspects which need adequate strength, such as water filtration. This work investigates the impact of electrospinning parameters on the properties of ENMs fabricated from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solved in N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF). The studied electrospinning parameters were polymer concentration, solution flow rate, collector rotating speed, and the distance between the needle and collector. The fabricated ENMs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the surface morphology and es
... Show MoreObjectives Dental implant is a revolution in dentistry; some shortages are still a focus of research. This study use long duration of radiofrequency (RF)–magnetron sputtering to coat titanium (Ti) implant with hydroxyapatite (HA) to obtain a uniform, strongly adhered in a few micrometers in thickness. Materials and Methods Two types of substrates, discs and root form cylinders were prepared using a grade 1 commercially pure (CP) Ti rod. A RF–magnetron sputtering device was used to coat specimens with HA. Magnetron sputtering was set at 150 W for 22 hours at 100°C under continuous argon gas flow and substrate rotation at 10 rpm. Coat properties were evaluated via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), scanning electro
... Show MoreThis study was aimed to determine the impact of Conocarpus erectus L. compost fertilizer, and some micronutrients on growth and production of potato. This research was conducted at one of the fields of the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences - University of Baghdad. The experiment was implemented using factorial arrangement (4X3X3) within randomized complete block design with three replicates. Conocarpus fertilizer was represented the first factor with three levels (7.5, 15, 30 ton.ha-1), which symbolized (C2, C3, C4). Chemical fertilizer as recommended dose as a control, which symbolized (C1). The second factor was foliar spraying with three levels of iron (0, 100, 200 mg.L-1), which symbolized (F0, F1, F2). The third fact
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