Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent clinical condition, that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Objective: To assess the level of soluble HLA-E (sHLA-E) as a biomarker in the diagnosis and immunopathogenesis of GERD patients. Methods: The case-control prospective study included 40 GERD patients who were consulted at the Gastroenterology Unit of AlKindy Teaching Hospital, as along with 40 healthy control subjects. The study period extended from January 2023 to May 2024. Blood was drawn from both groups and serum was separated to assesssHLA-E using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in sHLA-E levels between GERD patients and healthy controls (P=0.021). The median sHLA-E level was significantly higher in GERD patients (0.370 ng/mL) compared to controls (0.148 ng/mL). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of soluble HLA-E (sHLA-E) in predicting GERD. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the discriminatory ability of sHLA-E with a vlue of 0.649 (95% CI: 0.534-0.752, p = 0.021). The optimal cutoff value for sHLA-E was determined to be ≤0.65 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 85.1%, specificity of 27.3%, positive predictive value of 65.9%, negative predictive value of 69.4%, and accuracy of 35.0%. Conclusion: The study provides evidence of an association between elevated sHLA-E levels and GERD. It also suggests that sHLA-E has a moderate discriminatory ability as a biomarker in predicting GERD. © 2025, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Background: Cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease with high morbidity and mortality. It is caused by mutations in the CTNS gene that encodes the cystine transporter, cystinosin, which leads to lysosomal cystine accumulation. It is the major cause of inherited Fanconi syndrome, and should be suspected in young children with failure to thrive and signs of renal proximal tubular damage. The diagnosis can be missed in infants, because not all signs of renal Fanconi syndrome are present during the first months of life. Elevated white blood cell cystine content is the cornerstone of the diagnosis. Since chitotriosidase (CHIT1 or chitinase-1) is mainly produced by activated macrophages both in normal and inflammator
... Show MoreIn this study, the flexural performance of a new composite beam–slab system filled with concrete material was investigated, where this system was mainly prepared from lightweight cold-formed steel sections of a beam and a deck slab for carrying heavy floor loads as another concept of a conventional composite system with a lower cost impact. For this purpose, seven samples of a profile steel sheet–dry board deck slab (PSSDB/PDS) carried by a steel cold-formed C-purlins beam (CB) were prepared and named “composite CBPDS specimen”, which were tested under a static bending load. Specifically, the effects of the profile steel sheet (PSS) direction (parallel or perpendicular to the span of the specimen) using different C-purlins c
... Show MoreA novel Schiff base ligand (DBC) synthesized from 4-chlorobenzoic acid, along with its Cu (II) and Co (II) complexes, was prepared and characterized using FT-IR, 1H and 13C-NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, as well as magnetic and conductivity measurements. Based on this, a tetrahedral structure of [M(DBC)Cl2] was proposed for the complexes. Antioxidant activity of the compounds was assessed and compared to ascorbic acid, revealing that the copper complex exhibited superior antioxidant properties compared to the cobalt complex and the ligand. Furthermore, the antibiofilm potential of the copper and cobalt complexes was assessed against five clinically relevant bacterial species (P.aeruginosa, E.coli, K.pneumoniae, S.aureus and S.typhi) usin
... Show MoreRe-use of the byproduct wastes resulting from different municipal and industrial activities in the reclamation of contaminated water is real application for green projects and sustainability concepts. In this direction, the synthesis of composite sorbent from the mixing of waterworks and sewage sludge coated with new nanoparticles named “siderite” (WSSS) is the novelty of this study. These particles can be precipitated from the iron(II) nitrate using waterworks sludge as alkaline agent and source of carbonate. Characterization tests using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping revealed that the coating process was c
Curcumin (Cur) possesses remarkable pharmacological properties, including cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities. However, the utilization of Cur in pharmaceuticals faces constraints owing to its inadequate water solubility and limited bioavailability. To overcome these hurdles, there has been notable focus on exploring innovative formulations, with nanobiotechnology emerging as a promising avenue to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of these complex compounds. We report a novel safe, effective method for improving the incorporation of anticancer curcumin to induce apoptosis by reducing the expression levels of miR20a and miR21. The established
Background: DVT is a very common problem with a very serious complications like pulmonary embolism (PE) which carries a high mortality,and many other chronic and annoying complications ( like chronic DVT, post-phlebitic syndrome, and chronic venous insufficiency) ,and it has many risk factors that affect its course, severity ,and response to treatment. Objectives: Most of those risk factors are modifiable, and a better understanding of the relationships between them can be beneficial for better assessment for liable pfatients , prevention of disease, and the effectiveness of our treatment modalities. Male to female ratio was nearly equal , so we didn’t discuss the gender among other risk factors. Type of the study:A cross- secti
<div><p><em>This study investigates the use of the speech act of request by </em><em>Iraqi EFL (English as a foreign language) learners </em><em>in student-professor e-mail communication. It aims to examine request strategies and internal modifications in academic requests in e-mail. There has been little investigation of the issue of an academic request made by Arab EFL learners to a higher status person via an authentic data. Thus, this study intends to provide more investigation of the strategies and internal modifiers that are produced by Iraqi EFL learners when they interact with their professors via e-mail. However, this study adapts the CCSARP (cross-cultural speech act realization pr
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The research aims to study the role of e-government in enhancing institutional performance. The dimensions of e-government are: (support and commitment of senior management, technical structures, organization and human resources, knowledge and information, work procedures, attention to citizens' satisfaction, and client parties),while the dimensions of institutional performance are: (Service improvement, innovation, efficiency and effectiveness).
The research used electronic questionnaire as a main tool for data collection, The questionnaire included all the employees in the e-government project in Department of Government Coordinate and Citizen Affairs at the General Secretariat of the C
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