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.
Gypseous soils are considered one of the most problematic soils. The skirted foundation is an alternative technology that works to improve the bearing capacity and reduce settlement. This paper investigates the use of square skirted foundations resting on gypseous soil subjected to concentric and eccentric vertical load with eccentricity values of 4, 8, and 17 mm in 16 experimental model tests. To obtain the results by using this type of foundation, a small-scale physical model was designed to obtain the load–settlement behavior of the square skirted foundation; the dimension of the square footing is 100 mm × 100 mm with 1 mm thickness, the skirt depth (
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of level pH and the growth phases of Coelastrella saipanensis on Chlorophyll a,b, total, and Carotene. The algae were cultured in BG11 media and grown at different pH levels. We measured chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, growth phases, and carotene concentrations. The results showed that at pH 8.5, the measurements of photosynthetic pigments-chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, and the total chlorophyll (0.183, 0.268, and 0.433 mg L-1, respectively). The highest values of chlorophyll a (0.185 mg L-1), and b (0.339 mg L-1), and the total chlorophyll (0.492 mg L-1) were recorded in the stationary phase. In addition, the study found that at pH 8.5 and the beginning of the stationary phase,
... Show MoreHealthcare professionals routinely use audio signals, generated by the human body, to help diagnose disease or assess its progression. With new technologies, it is now possible to collect human-generated sounds, such as coughing. Audio-based machine learning technologies can be adopted for automatic analysis of collected data. Valuable and rich information can be obtained from the cough signal and extracting effective characteristics from a finite duration time interval that changes as a function of time. This article presents a proposed approach to the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 through the processing of cough collected from patients suffering from the most common symptoms of this pandemic. The proposed method is based on adopt
... Show MoreThis article aims to identify the views of media elites on citizen journalism, a new media genre that strays away from the foundations and ethics of professional journalism, thus calling for in-depth exploration and scrutiny into the genre and its commitment to the professional standards of journalism.
For this purpose, the researcher opted for the survey method by distributing a questionnaire to a purposive sample consisting of 407 media elites. The research is also based on Habermas' public sphere theory.
This study aimed to explore the manufacture of high-fat pellets for obesity induction diets in male Wistar rats and determined its effect on lipid profiles and body mass index. It was an experimental laboratory method with a post-test randomized control group. Formulation of high-fat pellets (HFD) and physico-chemical characteristics of pellets were conducted in September 2019. This study used about 28 male Wistar white rats, two months old, and 150-200 g body weight. Rats were acclimatized for seven days, then divided into four groups: 7 rats were given a standard feed of Confeed PARS CP594 (P0), and three groups (P1, P2, P3) were given high-fat feed (HFD FII) 30 g/head/day. The result showed that the mean fat content of Formula II pell
... Show MoreOccupy public investment spending, a great deal of attention since the thirties of the last century, to play important role in economic and social development process and therefore most of the countries are trying different degree of economic development to the completion of the largest amount of public investment, especially in infrastructure, which is one of the pillars essential to economic development, and in order to maximize utilization of the completion of public investment should focus on achieving efficiency in completion.
The current reality of public projects in Iraq, indicating the absence of several key characteristics that must be provided if these proje
In recent decades, the identification of faces with and without masks from visual data, such as video and still images, has become a captivating research subject. This is primarily due to the global spread of the Corona pandemic, which has altered the appearance of the world and necessitated the use of masks as a vital measure for epidemic prevention. Intellectual development based on artificial intelligence and computers plays a decisive role in the issue of epidemic safety, as the topic of facial recognition and identifying individuals who wear masks or not was most prominent in the introduction and in-depth education. This research proposes the creation of an advanced system capable of accurately identifying faces, both with and
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