Objectives: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is WNT/b-catenin pathway antagonist which plays a detrimental role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This research aimed to assess serum DKK-1 levels in diabetic patients who have and have not developed DR and, compare them with the control subjects finding out whether we can use it as an indicator for DR early diagnosis and to find out which one of the widely used two groups of antidiabetic treatments had the greater effect on this biomarker and hence on the progression of DR. Methods: The study participants were divided into two subgroups: First, 70 patients (36 male, 34 female) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, among them 35 patients diagnosed with DR and 35 with no evidence of DR, and s

The experiment aimed to compare different methods of measuring the Feed pellet durability through the effect of pellet die speeds and the particle size (mill sieve holes diameter). Feed pellet durability was studied in four different ways: pellet direct measurement (%), pellet lengths (%), pellet water absorption (%), pellet durability by drop box device (%), pellet durability by air pressure device (%). Three pellet die speeds 280, 300, and 320 rpm, three mill sieve holes diameter 2, 4, and 6 mm, have been used. The results showed that increasing the pellet die speeds from 280 to 300 then to 320 rpm led to a significant decrease in the feed pellet durability by direct measurement, drop box device, and air pressure device, while pel

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the most common metabolic disorder that found during gestation and is define as hyperglycemia of variable severity with onset or first recognition during gestation that does not clearly characterize any form of the preexisting diabetes (American Diabetes Association [1]). It affects approximately 16.5% of pregnancies worldwide (Plows, et al.[2]). The placenta is an organ that connects the mother and her fetus during pregnancy (Gul, et al.[3]). In the placenta, glucose can be transformed into glycogen for storage by either glycogen synthase or using glycogenin as a prime. However, the function of glycogen deposition stays a matter of debate, it may be the source of fuel for placenta itself or the storag

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced as a result of biochemical processes that are not in balance with the body's antioxidant defense mechanism. This metabolic dysfunction is referred to the oxidative stress (OS).  Metabolic dysfunction-associated diseases are affected by changes in the redox balance. It is now widely recognized that oxidative stress significantly affects diabetes mellitus (DM), particularly type 2 diabetes. The biochemical changes associated with  DM could  disturb the oxidative milieu, leading to several microvascular complications in diabetic patients. Thus, DM is a perfect disease to explore the harmful consequences of oxidative stress and how to treat it. Oxidative stress triggered by hyperglycemia is

Objective:To Evaluate of Estradiol and Prolactin hormones levels for Breast Cancer women in
Baghdad City.
Methodology: The current study was conducted on 60 breast cancer women and 40 apparently
healthy subjects to evaluate the levels of estradiol and prolactin "hormones in the serum" of
({premenopausal & postmenopausal}) breast cancer and healthy controle women. Estradiol and
prolactin hormones estimated for all cases by using the IMMULITE 2000 instrument that performs
chemiluminescent immunoassays results are calculated for each sample.Data were analysed using
SPSS-18.data of two groups was comparison by the student's t-test.
Results: The results showed a non significant""(P>0.05) elevation in the –mean

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) were investigated in 143 pretreatment orthodontic patients (43 males and 102 females) whose age ranged between 10-25 years at the College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Iraq. The study was undertaken to elucidate the prevalence and severity of TMDs in malocclusion patients and to defme the relationships between malocclusion and TMDs. The clinical signs and subjective symptoms were recorded according to the principles introduced by Helkimo (1974b). Subjective symptoms were reported by 65.7% of the patients with 22.40/0 described as severe, and the most common symptoms were TMJ sounds and feeling offatigue. Clinical signs were observed in 81.8% of the sample with 22.4 and 6.3% described as moderate and

Background: Mental health is integrated into PHC as a strategy of WHO to fill the gap in mental health treatment. Part of this strategy needs a level of task shifting so that mental health care is provided by different level of PHC workers and not only specialists such as psychiatrists and psychologists.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of family doctors regarding the provision of psychological health in PHCC and if there is an association between the certificates of these family doctors and their Knowledge and attitudes to psychological health.

Subjects and Methods:  A cross-sectional descriptive study with analytic elements was conducted in 8 famil