Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative autoimmune disease mediated by autoreactive T cells against myelin-basic proteins. Cytokines are suggested to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Among these cytokines is interleukin-2 (IL-2). Aim of the study: To investigate the association between IL2+166 G/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP: rs2069763) and MS in Iraqi patients. Serum level of IL-2 was also detected. Anti-rubella IgG antibody was further determined in the sera of patients. Patients and methods: Eighty MS patients (28 males and 52 females; age mean ± SD: 39.2 ± 16.1 years) and 80 healthy control matched patients for age (32.15 ± 16.13 years) and gender (28 males and 52 females) were enrolled in the study. IL2+166 was detected by conventional polymerase chain reaction using allele-specific primers. Serum status of IL-2 and anti-rubella IgG antibody was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Significantly increased frequencies of IL2+166 GG and GT genotypes were observed in MS patients compared to control (30.0 versus 4.5; odds ratio: 5.29; 95% confidence interval: 2.04–13.72; pc < 0.01 and 55.0 versus 32.5%; odds ratio = 2.54; 95% confidence interval: 1.34–4.81; pc < 0.05 and, respectively). IL-2 level was significantly increased in patients compared to control (36.0 ± 13.3 versus 10.5 ± 5.7 ng/ml). Such level was influenced by IL2+166 genotypes. Twenty-three patients (28.8%) were seropositive for anti-rubella IgG antibody compared to 5% in control. Conclusions: IL2+166 is a susceptibility SNP among Iraqi MS patients. Rubella virus is also suggested to increase the risk of disease.
Salinity of soil or irrigation water is one of the most important obstacle towards crop production and productivity, especially with the increasing scarcity of fresh water in Iraq and the Arab countries. The impact of salinity will be alleviated with the increasing temperature due to global warming. The objectives of this article was to shed some light on traits more related to salinity stress tolerance in oats, and to identify genetic variation of these traits. A split-plot arrangement experiment with RCBD was applied through 2011-2013 on the farm of Dept. of Field Crops/Coll. of Agric./Univ. of Baghdad. The oats cultivars; Hamel, Pimula and Genzania were set in sub-plots, whereas water quality was set in main-plots. Water quality had two
... Show MoreIn order to find the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and hematological disease are disorders which primarily affect the blood and blood-forming organs. One hundred and three blood samples were taken for people aged (20-68) years for the period from 10/1/2021 to 1/3/2022, divided into three groups. The first group included 44-person H. pylori-infected with symptoms of infection, the second group had 19-person H. pylori-infected but without symptoms, and the third group included 40 people without H. pylori infection. All studied groups were carried out to measure anti-IgG Ab, Vac A and Ferritin by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. The statistical analysis indicates a non-significant difference in Vac A (p
... Show MoreSilver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are of potential interest because of their effective antibacterial and antiviral activities. Capping agents are used for exhibiting a better antibacterial activity than uncapped Ag NPs. There are very few reports that have shown the usage of AgNPs for in-vivo antibacterial therapy. Citrate-capped silver nanoparticles were synthesized chemically by citrate reduction method; the size of Cit-AgNPs was determined by an atomic force microscope (AFM) and was between 15-90 nm. Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) isolates were the only sensitive species to Cit-AgNPs. MICs and MBC of Cit-AgNPs were determined by using A. baumannii. The results showed an additive effect of Cit-AgNPs. Four mice groups were infected with
... Show MoreHematological malignancies remain one of the leading causes of death worldwide despite advances in cancer therapeutics. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a member of Paramyxoviridae that elicits considerable interest as an anticancer agent because it can replicate up to 10 000 times faster in human cancer cells than in most normal cancer cells. Several NDV strains reportedly induce the cytolysis of cancerous cell lines. The attenuated Iraqi strain (AMHA1) of NDV is a novel oncolytic agent with promising antitumor characteristics, including apoptosis induction. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of the AMHA1 NDV strain to induce apoptotic cell death in hematological tumors through caspase-dependent or independent apoptotic pathways. The
... Show MoreThe immune infertility caused by anti-sperm antibodies (ASAs) represented about 10–20% of infertility among the couples. The ASAs interfere with sperm parameters such as sperm motility and sperm ability to penetrate cervical mucus, sperm-oocyte binding, and fertilization and embryo development. Objectives: The present study designed to assess semen analysis, presence of ASAs and DNA fragmentation index as well as correlation within these parameters in normzoospermic Iraqi subjects Patients, Materials, and Methods: A total number of Iraqi subjects (116) with range of age (20-51) years and their mean duration of infertility (4.70 ± 2.77). Seminal fluid for macroscopic and microscopic assessments done according to WHO 2010 criteria. The
... Show MoreNerium oleander known as oleander has belonged to the poisonous plants its habitat in a tropical andsubtropical region. The chemical analysis with GC-Mass of the alcoholic extract of oleander leaves revealedthat this plant has many chemical compounds more than 80 compounds and high-peaks about 29 compoundswhich are represented by alkaloids, phenol, terpenes, and fatty acid. HPLC analysis showed many essentialoils that have many biological effects.To evaluate the antibacterial activity of the alcoholic extract of N. oleander against locally isolatedPseudomonas aeroginosa the broth micro-dilution method was adapted to different concentrations werestarted from 3.9 to1000 mg/ml. The results revealed that the alcoholic extract has antiba
... Show MorePrednisolone (SAID) was conjugated with ibuprofen (NSAID) through an amino acid (glycine) as a spacer arm to synthesize the following compound:
Prednisolone – glycine – ibuprofen.
The method employed consists of converting the carboxylic acid function of (R,S) – ibuprofen – glycine to the highly reactive acid chloride and subsequent reaction with the C21 hydroxyl group of prednisolone. This reactive intermediate was found to react as well with the C17 tertiary hydroxyl group of the steroid to form three compounds and eight diastereomers. These results were confirmed by T.L.C, and the desired compound was separated by column chromatograph
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