Background: Periodontal diseases are initiated by microbial plaque, which accumulates in the sulcular region and induces an inflammatory response. The Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand / osteoprotegerin (RANKL/OPG) axis is involved in the regulation of bone metabolism in periodontitis, in which an increase in receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand or a decrease in osteoprotegerin can tip the balance in favor of osteoclastogenesis and the resorption of alveolar bone that is the hallmark of periodontitis. This study was performed to investigate the role of salivary levels of RANKL and OPG in pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis. Subjects and Methods: Fifty five subjects with chronic periodontitis with ages rang

Background: disturbed physiological rhythm of blood pressure in preeclampsia is a common finding. The role of oxidative stress in pathogenesis of preeclampsia is well accepted. Melatonin is a powerful free radical scavenger so it's rapidly consumed by enhanced reactive oxygen species in preeclampsia causing non-dipping in blood pressure.Objective: To evaluate the change in plasma melatonin levels in patients with preeclampsia and its relationship with blood pressure.Patients and methods: In this prospective case control study a total of 40 primigravidae pregnant women were recruited during the period of 11 months between August 2015 and August 2016 in Baghdad teaching hospital, medical city, Iraq, divided into two groups:First group

There is substantial data supporting the importance of both endogenous and exogenous estrogen in maintaining reproductive health and preventing chronic disease, androgens in women's health are rarely discussed. This is one of the first researches to investigate correlates of blood testosterone concentrations in women with osteopenia, in anticipation of the growing interest in the role of androgens in women's health. A 65 volunteer women were enrolled in the current study, they were divided into two groups, 35 postmenopausal women with osteopenia were in the first group, and the second group contained 30 postmenopausal women without osteopenia as a control. Blood samples were collected from all participants and analyzed for testosterone l

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common disease, and a major determinant of morbidity and mortality in all races. The pleiotropic effects of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) such as modulation of cell survival, mineralization and inflammation, make it an interesting candidate mediator in the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic lesions.Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the role of RANKL in the pathogenesis of ACS.Methods: The levels of RANKL were measured by ELISA method in sera of 60 ACS patients, 31 patients with unstable angina (UA) and 29 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in comparison with 20 apparently healthy controls.Results: Current data indicate

Electromyography (EMG) is being explored for evaluating muscle activity. For gait analysis, EMG needs to be small, lightweight, portable device, and with low power consumption. The proposed superficial EMG (sEMG) system is aimed to be used in rehabilitation centers and biomechanics laboratories for gait analysis in Iraq.

The system is built using MyoWare, which is controlled by using STM32F100 microcontroller. The sEMG signal is transferred via Bluetooth to the computer (about 30m range) for further processing. MATLAB is used for sEMG signal conditioning. The overall system cost (without computer) is about $80. The proposed system is validated using wired NORAXON EMG using the mean root mean squared metho

Three cohesionless free flowing materials of different density were mixed in an air fluidized bed to study the mixing process by calculating performance of mixing index according to Rose equation (1959) and to study the effect of four variables (air velocity, mixing time, particle size of trace component and concentration of trace component) on the mixing index and as well as on mixing performance. It was found that mixing index increases with increasing the air velocity, mixing time and concentration of trace component until the optimum value. Mixing index depends on the magnitude of difference in particle size The first set of experiments (salt then sand then cast iron) give higher mixing index and better performance of mixing than the

Background:Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems refer to a group of heterogeneous pain and dysfunction conditions involving the mastication, reducing life quality of the patients. Arthrocentesis is a simple and less invasive surgical method for the treatment of inflammatory-degenerative disease than other conservative procedures and better than arthroscope. This clinical study aimed at evaluating the benefit of arthrocentesis with injection of hyaluronic acid in the management of inflammatory-degenerative disease of the TMJ. Material and methods: Eighty consecutive patients were enrolled in this study with pain symptoms of TMJ, insufficient masticatory efficiency during function and limitation of mouth opening; they were assessed with

Elbow stiffness is hard to treat and commonly resulted from trauma or degenerative arthritis. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of using ultrasound therapy in management of stiff elbow joint resulted from several etiological factors. A total number of 42 patients (35 male and 7 female) allocated randomly from the Department of Physiotherapy at Al-yarmouk Teaching Hospital during 2013. Each patient examined physically by physiotherapist taking in consideration the measurement of the joint movement angle using goniometer in flexion and the extension, and the pain score using visual analogue scale (VAS). Ultrasound therapy initiated thrice weekly for two weeks. At the time of entry, the means degree of flexion and extension

S Khalifa E, N Adil A, K Nabeel O…, 2008