Background: Prolactin is a hormone, as well as a cytokine which is synthesized and secreted from the anterior pituitary gland and various extra pituitary sites including immune cells under control of a superdistal promoter that contains a single nucleotide polymorphism -1149 G/T. Rheumatoid Arthritis has been associated with increased serum prolactin levels.Objectives: To investigate the association of the extra pituitary -1149 G/T promoter polymorphism among Iraqi rheumatoid arthritis patients and prolactin levels.Methods: We tested 73 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 40 healthy individuals. The DNA samples were genotyped using the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction fragment Length Polymorphism method and the levels of prolactin serum were measured using Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Results: The parameters rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum prolactin concentrations of rheumatoid arthritis patients were significantly increased compared with healthy controls. The frequency of T allele and TT genotype was highest in control group compared with their frequency in rheumatoid arthritispatients, vice versa the G allele and GG genotype. There issignificant differences in prolactin levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with healthy controls according to PRL-1149 G/T polymorphism. In rheumatoid arthritis patients, carriers of the GG, GT genotypes had higher prolactin levels in comparison to TT genotype but did not show any significant difference.Conclusions: There is a possible association between prolactin levels and rheumatoid arthritis. We found correlation between rheumatoid arthritis and prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism. The prolactin -1149 G allele is a genetic marker for increased rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility in Iraqi population. In addition, influence of prolactin -1149 G/T polymorphism on prolactin levels
Background: 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) has established itself in the field of oncology and it is useful in the initial staging and follow-up of a variety of malignancies. Significant thyroid uptake is often identified as an accidental finding on whole-body positron emission tomography for non-thyroid disease.
Aim of this study: to investigate the effect of 18F-FDG on thyroid gland function after performing PET scan compared to thyroid function prior to scan.
Materials and Methods: 43 subjects who had an 18F-FDG PET scan as part of a cancer screening program participated in this study. All cancers are diagnosed using 18F-FDG, except for prostate cancer,
... Show MoreIn this paper, we have employed a computation of three technique to reduce the computational complexity and bit rate for compressed image. These techniques are bit plane coding based on two absolute values, vector quantization VQ technique using Cache codebook and Weber's low condition. The experimental results show that the proposed techniques achieve reduce the storage size of bit plane and low computational complexity.
The influences of the Cu substitution at Hg site in the HgOd layer, upon the
microstructure, Tc and oxygen content of Hg-1223 have been investigated. High
temperature superconductor with a nominal composition Hg1-xCuxBa2Ca2Cu3O8 + δ for
Cu ( 0 £ x £ 0.5) have been prepared by the two-steps solid state reaction method
under optimum conditions. XRD showed a tetragonal structure with a high ratio of
Hg-1223 superconductor phase. Tc enhancement has been determined with the Cu
concentration was is found to be Tc = 153 K for x = 0.3, while the oxygen content
observed variously with Cu concentration. Hg1-xCuxBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ structure, oxygen
content and Tc behavior have been discussed.
The linear segment with parabolic blend (LSPB) trajectory deviates from the specified waypoints. It is restricted to that the acceleration must be sufficiently high. In this work, it is proposed to engage modified LSPB trajectory with particle swarm optimization (PSO) so as to create through points on the trajectory. The assumption of normal LSPB method that parabolic part is centered in time around waypoints is replaced by proposed coefficients for calculating the time duration of the linear part. These coefficients are functions of velocities between through points. The velocities are obtained by PSO so as to force the LSPB trajectory passing exactly through the specified path points. Also, relations for velocity correction and exact v
... Show MoreBased on the German language department’s theoretical and practical aspects as well as educational programs, the present study discusses the semantic relations in text sentences and their role in the science of translation. Through clarifying the semantic relationship between the text sentence and the methods used to express a news item, a situation or an occurrence and through the statement of the multiple theoretical semantic structures of the text’s construction and interrelation, a translator can easily translate a text into the target language.
It is known that language learners face multiple difficulties in writing and creating an inte
... Show MoreThe study aimed to reach the best rating for the views and variables in the totals characterized by qualities and characteristics common within each group and distinguish them from aggregates other for the purpose of distinguishing between Iraqi provinces which suffer from deprivation, for the purpose of identifying the status of those provinces in the early allowing interested parties and regulators to intervene to take appropriate corrective action in a timely manner. Style has been used cluster analysis Cluster analysis to reach the best rating to those totals from the provinces that suffer from problems, where the provinces were classified, based on the variables (Edu
... Show MoreShatt Al-Arab River in Al Basrah, Iraq, has recently recorded massive levels of TDS values (Total Dissolved Solids) in the water as a result of reduced fresh water discharge from sources, causing the river to become salinized due to salt wedge intrusion. Therefore, a block dam in the south reach is required to salt intrusion prevention. The main objective of this research is to simulate the hydraulic impact of a suggested barrage in Ras Al Besha on the Shatt Al-Arab River. The HEC-RAS (5.0.7) model was used to develop a one-dimensional unsteady model to gaining an understanding of the proposed barrage's influence on river behaviour. The daily discharges of the Tigris River provided as the upstream boundary conditions, wh
... Show MoreThis paper presents an efficient methodology to design modified evaporative air-cooler for winter air-conditioning in Baghdad city as well as using it for summer air-conditioning by adding a heating process after the humidification process. laboratory tests were performed on a direct evaporative cooler (DEC) followed by passing the air on hot water through heat exchanger placed in the coolers air duct exit. The tests were conducted on the 2nd of December /2011 when the ambient temperature was 8.1°C and the relative humidity was (68%). The air flow rate is assumed to vary between 0.069 to 0.209 kg/s with constant water flow rate of 0.03 kg/s in the heat exchanger. The performance is reported in terms of effectiveness of DEC, satura
... Show MoreGalway Kinnell (1927-) is considered as one of the most important contemporary American poets who brought about a drastic change in the American poetry of the nineteen sixties. Kinnell's poetry is characterized by being simple in style and deep in content. Poetry for him is a means through which he perceives the inner levels of consciousness in an attempt to comprehend the depths of the American self. Therefore, he writes narrative poems in which the emphasis is not on the rhetorical effects, but on the inner transformations through which the poet goes.
"The Bear" (1968) is typical of Kinnell's introspective poetry. It takes the form of a journey in which the rituals of hunting are used allegorically to embody the state of the sp
... Show MoreTo finalize any construction investment project, it would be necessary to identify the most significant problems and obstacles that lead to project reluctance and stalling. Unexpected events and conflicts may have disrupted these strategies and impacted project development. Due to the high initial investment costs of construction projects, crises can have an immediate impact, resulting in significant financial losses. The 2014 financial crisis was one of the most prominent crises that Iraq faced, which prompted the researcher to identify and evaluate those obstacles through this research and questionnaires using Pareto scientific theory to exclude factors that do not contribute to project lag. It was discovered that 28 o
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