Background: Cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) is a serum/cell surface glycoprotein; and it is a pattern recognition receptor. CD14 expressed on the surface of various cells, or it found soluble in saliva and other body fluids. It has been proposed that soluble CD14 (sCD14) may play a protective role by controlling Gram negative bacterial infections through its capacity to bind lipopolysaccharide. This study was conducted to assess the level of soluble CD14 in saliva of patients with different periodontal diseases and healthy subjects and determine its correlation with clinical periodontal parameters. Materials & Methods: A total of 80 subjects, age ranged (25-50) years old, divided into three main groups, group ? consisted of 45 chronic periodontitis patients, group ?? consisted of 20 gingivitis patients, lastly group ??? comprised 15 apparently- healthy volunteers. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected to determine levels of soluble CD14 in saliva by enzyme-linked immune–sorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical periodontal parameters were recorded at four sites per tooth including plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level. Results: A highly significant difference (P<0.01) was found for salivary sCD14 levels among the three groups, also it was greater in chronic periodontitis group than those detected for gingivitis and healthy controls with a highly significant difference (P<0.01). Furthermore, Spearman’s correlation analysis showed statistically highly significant strong correlations (P < 0.05) between salivary sCD14 levels and each of (probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level). And non-significant correlation between salivary sCD14 level with plaque, gingival & bleeding on probing indices. Conclusion: The findings of the present study reemphasize the importance of whole saliva as sampling method in terms of immunological purposes in periodontal disease and suggest that the elevated sCD14 concentration may be one of the host-response components associated with the clinical manifestations of periodontal disease.
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Background: Treatment of invasive prolactinoma, which has several characteristics including invasive growth into cavernous sinuses and formation of giant adenomas compressing adjacent neural structures, resulting in neurological dysfunction, has been very challenging. There are relatively few reports available describing long-term treatment outcome.
Aims of the study: In this study we evaluate the results of cabergoline administration as initial treatment during 4 years follow up period.
Methods: We prospectively categorized 36 patients into four groups according to the results of 3 months of cabergoline treatment: group 1, tumor volume reduction (TVR) ˃25% with normaliz
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Most of the recent works related to the construction industry in Iraq are focused on investigating the validity of local raw materials as alternatives to the imported materials necessary for some practical applications, especially in thermal and sound insulation. This investigation includes the use of limestone dust as partial substitution of cement in combination with foam agent and silica fume to produce sustainable Lightweight Foam Concrete (LWFC). This study consists of two stages. In the first stage, trial mixes were performed to find the optimum dosage of foam agent. Limestone dust was used as a partial replacement for cement. Chemical analysis and fineness showed great similarity with cement. Many concrete mixes were prepared
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The aim of the current research is to measure the sense of coherence among individuals with physical disabilities. The researcher adopted a scale of (29) paragraphs spread over three domains designed by Antonovski (1993) to measure the sense of coherence. A sample of (210) disabled individuals was chosen randomly to collect the required data. The data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The result showed a lack of sense of coherence among the sample.
This study investigates the influence of five nanomaterials nano-alumina (NA), nano-silica (NS), nano-titanium (NT), nano-zinc oxide (NZ), and carbon nanotubes (CNT)on enhancing the fatigue resistance of asphalt binders. NA, NS, and NT were incorporated at dosages of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%, while NZ and CNT were added at 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%. A series of physical, rheological, and performance-based tests were conducted, including penetration, softening point, ductility, and rotational viscosity. Based on the outcomes of the overall desirability evaluation, the first three dosages of each nanomaterial were selected for further testing due to their superior workability and binder flexibility. Subsequent investigations included the high-tem
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This study was focused on biotreatment of soil which polluted by petroleum compounds (Diesel) which caused serious environmental problems. One of the most effective and promising ways to treat diesel-contaminated soil is bioremediation. It is a choice that offers the potential to destroy harmful pollutants using biological activity. The capability of mixed bacterial culture was examined to remediate the diesel-contaminated soil in bio piling system. For fast ex-situ treatment of diesel-contaminated soils, the bio pile system was selected. Two pilot scale bio piles (25 kg soil each) were constructed containing soils contaminated with approximately 2140 mg/kg total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). The amended soil:
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This paper describes a number of new interleaving strategies based on the golden section. The new interleavers are called golden relative prime interleavers, golden interleavers, and dithered golden interleavers. The latter two approaches involve sorting a real-valued vector derived from the golden section. Random and so-called “spread” interleavers are also considered. Turbo-code performance results are presented and compared for the various interleaving strategies. Of the interleavers considered, the dithered golden interleaver typically provides the best performance, especially for low code rates and large block sizes. The golden relative prime interleaver is shown to work surprisingly well for high puncture rates. These interleav
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