Background: In December 2019, an episode of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) was reported in Wuhan, China and has spread around the world, increasing the number of contagions. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are common herpesviruses that can cause persistent latent infections and affect the developing immune system.The study was conducted to explore the prevalence and reactivation of CMV and EBV antibodies in COVID-19 patients group in comparison to healthy group and to investigate the association between the presence of these viruses with each of severity of disease and oral hygiene. Materials and Methods: Eighty Five subjects were participated in this case control study (50 patients with COVID-19 and 35 healthy controls), their age range from 18 to 77 years. Oral health status was established by oral hygiene index. Serum obtained from patients and controls was analyzed using ELISA to assess levels of anti- CMV and anti- EBV antibodies. Results: The study revealed that the mean of anti-EBV IgG in patients was significantly elevated (p<0.01) than that in controls. Otherwise, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in levels of anti- EBV IgM, anti- CMV IgG and IgM between two groups (P>0.05). In addition there were no significant differences between patients and controls (p>0.05) in the number and percentage of anti-EBV and anti-CMV antibodies. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in the level of anti-CMV IgM in severe cases as compared to mild cases, (P<0.01). Furthermore, these results revealed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) in levels of anti-viral antibodies in patients with good oral hygiene compared to patients with poor oral hygiene. Conclusions: Higher frequency of anti-EBV IgG among patients indicates that latent infection is more common in COVID-19 patients. While an increased percentage of anti-CMV IgM indicated reactivation of latent infection and is related to disease severity suggesting that COVID-19 can cause cellular immune impairment.
Background: Moringa peregrina is widely used in the traditional medicine of the Arabian Peninsula to treat various ailments, because it has many pharmacologically active components with several therapeutic effects. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Moringa peregrina seed ethanolic extract (MPSE) against key enzymes involved in human pathologies, such as angiogenesis (thymidine phosphorylase), diabetes (α-glucosidase), and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (carbonic anhydrase). In addition, the anticancer properties were tested against the SH-SY5Y(human neuroblastoma). Results: MPSE extract significantly inhibited α-glucosidase, thymidine phosphorylase, and carbonic anhydrase with half-maximal i
... Show MoreIn this paper, the effect of sulfur substitution by arsenic on the structural, optical properties of thin films of the trivalent chalcogenide Se66S44-xAsx at different concentrations (where x = 0, 8, 16, and 24 at %) was studied. Thin films with a thickness of (300±10 nm) were prepared using thermal evaporation of bulk samples. Structural examinations were performed using XRD and AFM techniques. All the studied film samples were amorphous in structure and the intensity of the crystalline parts was high in the range of 10-40. Also, in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). It was found that increasing the concentration of arsenic affects the structural parameters such as surface roughness, particle density, and average grain size. As the ar
... Show MoreThe concept of transitional justice is newly emerging, as it was mainly associated with addressing issues of serious breaches and abuses of human rights during conflicts and situations resulting from violence and the use of force in societies that are in the process of democratization, as transitional justice aims primarily to restore civil peace and rebuild institutions The state needs multidimensional justice: a judicial system that achieves the rule of law, corrective restoration of the wounds of the past, and a distributive characteristic of the redistribution of wealth.
A silent film from Baghdad about love, war and poetry... _________________________ A new poetry book by the Iraqi poet Abdul Zahra Zaki has been published by Moment Books & Publications in an exclusively Digital Edition, entitled "Silent Film", and which subtitled "Poems of Blood, Bullets and Car Bombs", translated from the Arabic into English by Dr Adhraa A. Naser. This book is not trying to explain war, but simply to present it the way it is; the destruction it causes and the pain it leaves behind. For all who has changed forever because of war this book speaks the words of the killed and the killer. Zaki introduced the book with a line from his masterpiece The Hand Discovers describing the waves of bodies that stormed the country after t
... Show MoreA comprehensive review focuses on 3D network-on-chip (NoC) simulators and plugins while paying attention to the 2D simulators as the baseline is presented. Discussions include the programming languages, installation configuration, platforms and operating systems for the respective simulators. In addition, the simulator’s properties and plugins for design metrics evaluations are addressed. This review is intended for the early career researchers starting in 3D NoC, offering selection guidelines on the right tools for the targeted NoC architecture, design, and requirements.