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 range from 24-64 years and 25 apparently healthy volunteers their ages and sexes were matched with the patients were participated in this study. Periodontal parameters used in this study were plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level and bleeding on probing. Saliva samples were collected from all patients and controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out for estimation the salivary level of RANKL and OPG in studied groups. Results: The present data revealed that the median salivary levels of RANKL was elevated in patient as compared with control group (P<0.001), whereas the salivary levels of OPG doesn’t show any significant differences between the study groups (p>0.05). In contrast the ratio of RANKL/OPG ratio was significantly higher in patients when compared with the ratio in control group. Furthermore, negative significant correlation was noticed between RANKL and OPG. Regarding correlation between salivary (RANKL and OPG) and clinical periodontal parameters, RANKL levels was showed significant positive correlation with each of probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level. Otherwise no association between OPG levels and clinical parameters of periodontitis was found. Moreover; the ratio RANKL/OPG was showed significant positive correlation with each of gingival index, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that salivary levels of RANKL and OPG play a crucial role in pathogenesis of periodontitis, and the relative RANKL/ OPG ratio appears to be indicative of disease occurrence. Keywords: chronic periodontitis, RANKL, OPG.
Coral reef area in northwest of the Arabian Gulf was investigated for mineralogy and geochemistry to throw lights on such unique Iraqi Marine Environment; six specimens of two main species of coral reefs, Platygyra pini Chevalier, 1975 and Octocoral Menella were collected at two sites. While eight samples of the surrounding sediments are chosen from other two sites. The mineralogy is determined by XRD, and reveals that calcite, low magnesium-calcite, and aragonite are the main minerals that comprise the Octocoral Menella in site 1, whilst aragonite and calcite are dominate in the P. pini coral reef at site 4.
The non–carbonate fractions indicate that thes
... Show MoreNanoceria have shown numerous unique characteristics, such as biocompatibility and are excellent agents for biological applications. The aim of this study is to investigate cerium oxide nanoparticles for 2, 2- diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and their ability to offer protection against ionizing radiation. In vitro antioxidant activity study of nanoceria particles has shown good free radical scavenging activity for DPPH radical assayed within a concentration range of 0.01 to 0.05 g/l, at higher concentrations of nanoparticles showed reverse trend in absorbance and inhibition indicating this finite rang of concentration is suitable for scavenging free radicals, also nanoparticles were found to ha
... Show MoreCurcumin is a yellow pigment produced from the rhizomes of the Curcuma longa plant and a primary chemo preventive component of turmeric is used as a spice and food coloring ingredient. Curcumin has a large number of pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-infectious, and anti-inflammatory properties.Investigation of the geno-protective effect of curcumin on methotrexate induces chromosomal aberrations of spleen and bone marrow cells. In this study, 32 mice were used and divided into four groups (eight mice at each group) as follows: Group1 (negative control): Dimethyl sulfoxide was given intraperitoneally to mice every day for ten days.Group2 (positive control): Mice were received a single do
... Show MorePreviously, many empirical models have been used to predict corrosion rates under different CO2 corrosion parameters conditions. Most of these models did not predict the corrosion rate exactly, besides it determined effects of variables by holding some variables constant and changing the values of other variables to obtain the regression model. As a result the experiments will be large and cost too much. In this paper response surface methodology (RSM) was proposed to optimize the experiments and reduce the experimental running. The experiments studied effects of temperature (40 – 60 °C), pH (3-5), acetic acid (HAc) concentration (1000-3000 ppm) and rotation speed (1000-1500 rpm) on CO2 corrosion performance of t
... Show MoreThis study assessed the quality of hand-dug drinking water sources in Eku and its environs at Eku I, Samagidi, Eku 2, and Okuechi, using the weighted arithmetic water quality index method. Water samples collected from hand-dug wells at these locations returned values for analyzed parameters. Temperature 26 – 30(⁰C), dissolved Oxygen (D.O) 5.2-8mg/l, biological oxygen demand (BOD) 5.2-8(mg/l), Electrical Conductivity (EC) 77-119(µS/cm), Total suspended solids were (TSS) 20000-120000(mg/l), pH 5.31-7.09, Phosphates 2-9.2(mg/l), Alkalinity 28-160(mg/l), Turbidity, 0.02 -0.19(NTU) Total coliform 2 -48 (cfu/ml) and fungal count 1-502. Variations in the values of these parameters were only significant for phosphate, alkalinity, and turb
... Show MoreThe study aimed to investigate the effect of using the intructional computer individually or through the cooperative groups on the achievement of the ninth grade students in mathematics compared to the traditional method. The experimental method adapted three groups out of three schools were chosen, two groups of the students where applied the computer method. The comtrol group used the simple random method, and it used the diagnostic test as tool for the study.The result showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental groups and the control group on the post-test for the two experimental groups.
Background: Beta thalassemia major (β-TM) is an inheritable condition with many complications, especially in children. The blood-borne viral infection was proposed as a risk factor due to the recurrent blood transfusion regimen (hemotherapy) as human parvovirus B19 (B19V). Objective: This study investigated the B19V seroprevalence, DNA presence, B19V viral load, and B19V genotypes in β-TM patients and blood donors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study incorporating 180 subjects, segregated into three distinct groups each of 60 patients, namely control, β-TM, and β-TM infected with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). For the B19V prevalence in the studied group, the ELISA technique and real-time PCR were used. The genotyping was follo
... Show MoreBack ground: Diabetic nephropathy is rapidly becoming the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The onset and course of DN can be ameliorated to a very significant degree if intervention institutes at a point very early in the course of the development of this complication.
Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize risk factors associated with nephropathy in type I diabetes and construct a module for early prediction of diabetic nephropathy (DN) by analyzing their risk factors.
Methods: Case control design of 400 patients with type I diabetes mellitus (IDDM), aged 19-45 years. The cases were 200 diabetic patients with overt protein urea while the controls were 200 diabetic patients with no protein urea or micr
Galantamine was isolated from the bulb part of Narcissus jonquilla L. plant cultivated in Iraq. The compound was identified by different chemical analysis like: Fourier Transforms Infrared spectra (FTIR), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectroscopy and 1H-NMR.
The Current status of biomedical waste of solid, liquid and gaseous formulations from medical and educational laboratories in Iraqi universities and research centers was assessed using a well-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to scientists, researchers, medical technicians and graduate students who are directly involved in laboratoiy daily activities. The responses were analyzed statistically and interpreted accordingly. The results showed diat the frequency of questionnaire respondent's affiliation gave the highest percentage frequency (69.4%) with the questionnaire of Technical Medical Institute/Al-Mansour while constitute die responses of the Dnig Control Department/Ministry of Sciences and Technology gave the l
... Show More