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
Laboratory studies were conducted at the biological control unit, college of Agriculture, University of Baghdad to evaluate some biological aspects of the predator Chilocorus bipustulatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), which is considered one of the most important predators on many insect pests, especially the scale insect, Parlatoria blanchardi, (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on date palms. The results showed that biological parameters of the predator were varied according to different degree of temperature. Egg incubation period was significantly different and reached to 7.5 and 5.44 day at 25 and 30°C respectively, Fertility was the same 100% at both temperature degrees. Larval growth periods were 17.41 and 16.12 day as well as the mortality du
... Show MoreIn this study, 158 clinical samples were collected from hospitalized burn patients during the period from December 2012 to June 2013 in Karbala province\ Iraq. Bacterial isolates were identified using conventional biochemical tests and then identification was confirmed by using Vitek-2 compact system. Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovery was 60 isolates in this study. These isolates were analyzed for antibiotic susceptibility by the disk diffusion test (DDT) according to Kirby Bauer's method using seven clinically important antipseudomonal agents: carbapenems (Imipenem and Meropenem), pencillins (Piperacillin), cephalosporins (Ceftazidim), monobactam (Aztreonam), quinolones (Ciprofloxacin) and aminoglycosides (Gentamicin). The results of resista
... Show MoreDiabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder categorized hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. Protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of phosphate groups from ATP to the tyrosine residues of many important proteins resulting in proteins phosphorylation. The aim of current study was to evaluate serum levels of protein tyrosine kinase enzyme and thyroid hormone (T3, T4and TSH) and to find the correlation between them in type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy Iraqi patients. Methods: This study was conducted at The National Diabetes Center, Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq and included 150 patients divided into three groups the first group included 50
... Show MoreBackground: Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a clinical syndrome that occurs when there is gradual decline in renal operation overtime.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression among medical students at university of Baghdad, college of medicine in Iraq and the association between some variables and depression.
Aim: This study aimed to identify the impact of tobacco use in the etiology of chronic renal failure among Sudanese patients in Omdurman Military Hospital and Omdurman Kidney Dialysis Center
Materials and methods: This descriptive community-based study was conducted in Khartoum State. A random sample of 100 cases with chronic renal failure and 100
... Show MoreBackground: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is the most common form of inherited ataxia, comprising one-half of all hereditary ataxias with a carrier rate between 1 in 60 to 1 in 90 and with a disease prevalence of 1 per 29,000. It can occur in two forms the classic form or in association with a vitamin E dependent ataxia. The precise role of Vitamin E in the nervous system is unknown; An Oxidative attack is suspected to play a role in Ataxia with Vitamin E deficiency, as well as in Friedreich ataxia. Vitamin E is the major free-radical-trapping antioxidant.
Objective: Theobjectives of the study is to asses vitamin E level in patients with Friedreichs ataxia phenotype in Iraqi patients.
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Abstract
The common types of movement disorders are ; dystonia which is a syndrome of repetitive muscle contractions. While , Huntington disease is autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder, which is characterized by involuntary movements (“chorea”).
Tetrabenazine therapy has been shown to effectively control this movements compared with placebo.
Design the proper dosing approach for patients treated with tetrabenazine with genotype polymorphisms and their hepatic effect on patients.
A prospective case controlled study was carried on 50 patients whom divided into 2 groups :first group involved 25 patients who had cho
... Show MoreColonialism as a movement was very popular in Europe more than two centuries before. It aimed at controlling and exploiting several countries in Africa and Asia in addition to imposing their power and control on uninhabited islands. It received adherence and criticism as well. There also appeared activists and nations who stood against it and its practices. English novels discussed this notion greatly by pointing out the bad practices of the colonizers and how the colonized received them. This paper explores two narrative fictions that tackle the different aspects of the term. While Defoe, in Robinson Crusoe (1719), shows a colonial European figure who expresses his superiority, Wells, in “The Country of the Blind” (1904), deconstructs
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