Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune disease, with a wide range of clinical symptoms. Some studies have indicated the association between RANKL, Sclerostin, PD-1, and vitamin D concentrations and the pathogenesis of SLE. The current study aimed to evaluate the role of RANKL, Sclerostin, PD-1 and vitamin D in the pathogenesis of SLE. The study included 180 females diagnosed SLE patients and healthy control (60 females as early diagnosed patients without treatment, 60 females as patients under treatment with (prednisolone, and hydroxychloroquine), and 60 females healthy as a control group, with ages ranging from 20 to 45 years. The serum concentration levels of RANKL, Sclerostin, PD-1 and vitamin D were assessed by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results of the current study showed no significant differences in the serum levels of RANKL and Sclerostin in both SLE patients’ groups (early diagnosed group and treated) compared with the control group (p<0.05). The serum level of PD-1 was significantly higher in both SLE patients’ groups compared with the control group (p<0.05). The serum level of vitamin D was significantly lower in both SLE patient groups compared with the control group (p<0.05). Based on these results, PD-1 may be considered a good therapeutic target for SLE and the level of vitamin D must be sufficient level especially in SLE patients.
An analytical model in the form of a hyperbolic function has been suggested for the axial potential distribution of an electrostatic einzel lens. With the aid of this hyperbolic model the relative optical parameters have been computed and investigated in detail as a function of the electrodes voltage ratio for various trajectories of an accelerated charged-particles beam. The electrodes voltage ratio covered a wide range where the lens may be operated at accelerating and decelerating modes. The results have shown that the proposed hyperbolic field has the advantages of producing low aberrations under various magnification conditions and operational modes. The electrodes profile and their three-dimensional diagram have been determined whi
... Show MoreAs one type of heating furnaces, the electric heating furnace (EHF) typically suffers from time delay, non-linearity, time-varying parameters, system uncertainties, and harsh en-vironment of the furnace, which significantly deteriorate the temperature control process of the EHF system. In order to achieve accurate and robust temperature tracking performance, an integration of robust state feedback control (RSFC) and a novel sliding mode-based disturbance observer (SMDO) is proposed in this paper, where modeling errors and external disturbances are lumped as a lumped disturbance. To describe the characteristics of the EHF, by using convection laws, an integrated dynamic model is established and identified as an uncertain nonlinear second ord
... Show MoreBackground: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death worldwide. Objective: To determine of coronary care unit nurses' knowledge regarding patient rehabilitation after myocardial infarction. Methodology: A cross- sectional study was designed in the Cardiac Care Unit of Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital and the Specialized Center for Cardiac Surgery and Catheterization for the period from (November 7, 2022) to (May 12, 2023). A non-probability (purposive) sample consisting of (75 nurses) working in the above-mentioned study site. To determination of coronary care unit Nurses' knowledge regarding patient rehabilitation after myocardial infarction, the researcher used a tool that consists of two parts: The first part:
... Show MoreRemoval of heavy metal ions such as, cadmium ion (Cd 2+) and lead ion (Pb 2+) from aqueous solution onto Eichhornia (water hyacinth) activated carbon (EAC) by physiochemical activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and carbon dioxide (CO2) as the activating agents were investigated. The Eichhornia activated carbon was characterized by Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. Whereas, the effect of adsorbent dosage, contact time of pH, and metal ion concentration on the adsorption process have been investigated using the batch process t
For the most reliable and reproducible results for calibration or general testing purposes of two immiscible liquids, such as water in engine oil, good emulsification is vital. This study explores the impact of emulsion quality on the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy calibration standards for measuring water contamination in used or in-service engine oil, in an attempt to strengthen the specific guidelines of ASTM International standards for sample preparation. By using different emulsification techniques and readily available laboratory equipment, this work is an attempt to establish the ideal sample preparation technique for reliability, repeatability, and reproducibility for FT-IR analysis while still considering t
... Show MoreEndophytic fungi live inside plants or any part of them without creating any visible pathogenic signs. Endophytic fungi are found within medicinal plants and have shown strong biologic activity, such as anticancer and antioxidant activities, as well as producing extracellular enzymes. In this study, different fungal strains were isolated from the leaves of the medicinal plant Ziziphus spina, including Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sp., Rhizopus sp., and Mucor sp. Extracellular enzymes have been quantified using agar plate-based methods in which fungi were grown in specified growth media to detect the enzymes produced. The results showed that A. niger has the highest ability to produce amy
... Show MoreSeepage occurs under or inside structures or in the place, where they come into contact with the sides under the influence of pressure caused by the difference in water level in the structure U / S and D / S. This paper is designed to model seepage analysis for Kongele (an earth dam) due to its importance in providing water for agricultural projects and supporting Tourism sector. For this purpose, analysis was carried out to study seepage through the dam under various conditions. Using the finite element method by computer program (Geo-Studio) the dam was analysed in its actual design using the SEEP / W 2018 program. Several analyses were performed to study the seepage across Kongele
Nanofluids, liquid suspensions of nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed in deionized (DI) water, brine, or surfactant micelles, have become a promising solution for many industrial applications including enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon geostorage. At ambient conditions, nanoparticles can effectively alter the wettability of the strongly oil-wet rocks to water-wet. However, the reservoir conditions present the greatest challenge for the success of this application at the field scale. In this work, the performance of anionic surfactant-silica nanoparticle formulation on wettability alteration of oil-wet carbonate surface at reservoir conditions was investigated. A high-pressure temperature vessel was used to apply nano-modification of oil-wet
... Show More