Background: All diseases concerning bone destruction such as osteoporosis and periodontal diseases share common pattern in which the osteoclast cells are absolutely responsible for bone resorption that occurred when osteoclast activity exceeds osteoblast activity. Osteoprotegrin (OPG) considered as novel soluble decoy receptor known as “bone protector†since it prevents extreme bone resorption through inhibition of differentiation and activity of osteoclast by competing for binding site. It binds to receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and prevent its interaction with receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (RANK), thus inhibits osteoclast formation. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokines having a broad range of important roles in regulation of immune system and bone resorption through the stimulation of osteoclastogenesis. Alendronate (ALN) diminishes the expression of osteoclast activating factors and cytokines such as RANKL and enhances the production of decoy receptor osteoprotegerin in osteoblast cells. Moreover, it decreases the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α by macrophage, stimulates apoptosis of monocyte-macrophage cell lines derivative and reduces inflammatory response. Aims of the Study: 1. To assess the effect of alendronate treatment on salivary levels of osteoprotegrin and TNF-α in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and periodontal disease 2. To find any possible correlation between salivary levels of osteoprotegrin and TNF-α in control and study groups. Materials and Methods: Total sample of 90 female subjects (55-65 years) were divided into 3 groups, (30 subjects in each group): first control group involved systemically healthy subjects with healthy periodontium, second group involved postmenopausal women with osteoporosis under alendronate treatment for(3-6)months (alendronate group), third group involved postmenopausal women with osteoporosis without alendronate treatment(osteoporosis group). The last two groups were sub- divided in- to two sub –groups (15 subjects in each sub-group) of gingivitis and periodontitis subjects respectively. Salivary samples were collected from all subjects and salivary levels of osteoprotegrin and TNF- α were determined by enzyme –linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Highest median value of salivary (OPG) was found in alendronate group followed by control group while the lowest value was found in osteoporosis group. Highest median value of TNF- α was found in osteoporosis group followed by control group and alendronate group respectively with highly significant differences between them. Spearman correlation between salivary levels of TNF-α and OPG showed non- significant correlation at all subgroups. Conclusion: Subjects with osteoporosis in this study had greater levels of TNF-α and decrease in the level of OPG comparing with patients under alendronate treatment. Alendronate treatment for women with osteoporosis and periodontal disease may have beneficial outcome.
Hygienic engineering has dedicated a lot of time and energy to studying water filtration because of how important it is to human health. Thorough familiarity with the filtration process is essential for the design engineer to keep up with and profit from advances in filtering technology and equipment as the properties of raw water continue to change. Because it removes sediment, chemicals, odors, and microbes, filtration is an integral part of the water purification process. The most popular technique for treating surface water for municipal water supply is considered fast sand filtration, which can be achieved using either gravity or pressure sand filters. Predicting the performance of units in water treatment plants is a basic pri
... Show MoreHypothyroidism has been associated with disorders of glucose and insulin metabolism..The present study was designed to evaluate the possible change in some hormones (free testosterone, estradiol, prolactin, insulin), glucose and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in women with primary hypothyroidism under thyroid hormone replacement therapy .This cross-sectional study was carried on 62 hypothyroid patients׳ women and 22 healthy women as control group at the specialized center for endocrinology and diabetes, AL-Rasafa Directorate of Health Baghdad, with age range(15-60 years), diagnosed as having primary hypothyroidism on thyroxine replacement therapy with duration not less than four months.
... Show MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the healthcare sector and the productivity of medical staff and doctors. This study employs machine learning to analyze the post-COVID-19 impact on the productivity of medical staff and doctors across various specialties. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 960 participants from different specialties between June 1, 2022, and April 5, 2023. The study collected demographic data, including age, gender, and socioeconomic status, as well as information on participants' sleeping habits and any COVID-19 complications they experienced. The findings indicate a significant decline in the productivity of medical staff and doctors, with an average reduction of 23% during the post-COVID-19 period. T
... Show MoreThin films of CdTe were prepared with thickness (500, 1000) nm on the glass substrate by vacuum evaporation technique at room temperature then treated different annealing temperatures (373,473,and 573)K for one hour. Results of the Hall Effect and the electrical conductivity of (I-V) characteristics were measured in darkness and light.at different annealing temperature results show that the thin films have ability to manufacture solar cells, and found that the efficient equal to (2.18%) for structure solar cell (Algrid / CdS / CdTe /glass/ Al) and the efficient equal to (1.12%) for structure solar cell (Algrid / CdS / CdTe /Si/ Al) with thick ness of (1000) nm with CdTe thin films at RT.
Twenty five samples out of sixty wound swabs taken from burn patients were identified as P. aeruginosabacteria by conventional methods. Antibiotics susceptibility tests were performed against thirteen antibiotics. P. aeruginosa samples were treated with 0.5 mg/ml of Safranin O solution then irradiated with 532nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at four energy densities (0.324, 0.704, 1.380, and 1.831 J/cm2) for different times of 5, 8 and 11 minutes with 5Hz repetition rate. The viability, susceptibility to antibiotic and production of pyocyanin were determined before and after irradiation. The results showed that the number of CFU/ml of P. aeruginosa decreased with increasing the dose of irradiation. Complete killing of cells was observed at 1.8
... Show MoreCadmium oxide (CdO) thin films were deposited using the sequencing ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. In this study, the effect of the pH value of an aqueous solution of cadmium acetate at a concentration of 0.2 mol of the cadmium oxide film was determined. The solution source for the cadmium oxide film was cadmium ions and an aqueous ammonia solution. The CdO films were deposited on glass substrates at a temperature of 90 ℃. The cadmium oxide film thickness was determined by the weight difference method at pH values (7.2, 8.2). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the size of the crystals increased with the increase in the solution (pH). While the UV-visible spectra of the fil
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