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.
Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a problem for pregnant women, and it affects general and oral health. This problem increases as vitamin D requirements increase during pregnancy. This study was conducted among pregnant women in urban and rural areas in order to assess the relation between salivary vitamin D3 and dental caries. Materials and methods: In this comparative cross-sectional study, all women participating were attending the primary Health Care Centers in Baghdad city in AL-Karkh sector, they were with age ranged from (15-44) years old. The total number 90 pregnant women in the second trimester only which include: The first group consists of (45) pregnant women attendance seeking dental treatment in urban areas, The second gr
... Show MoreThe study objectives were to (1) describe the characteristics of the pharmacy professionals and (2) explore the association between job satisfaction and factors, such as work control, work stress, workload and organization and professional commitments.
This study was a cross-sectional design. The survey items were mainly adapted from the US National Pharmacist Workforce Survey. An electronic (Qualtrics) questionnaire was posted on pharmacist social media in several A
Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is a general term used to describe drugs and devices that are utilized to prevent pregnancy following unprotected intercourse or in the event of contraceptive failure. This postcoital birth-control option is available by means of hormonal pills or copper-bearing intrauterine device.Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the women's knowledge regarding EC, to compare the knowledge of school teachers with other women in the community, as well as assessing the pre-post test knowledge of teachers.Type of the study: A cross sectional and quasi- experimental study.Methods: It was carried out in Duhok during the period from 20th of November 2014 to 6th of January 2015. A Simple and system
... Show MoreThe research aims to verify the presence of correlation between the financial cycle and the economic cycle in the Iraqi economy. During the research period, the Iraqi economy witnessed a crisis cycle due to the permanent deviations in the state budget and the occurrence of sustainable deficits during the period of the economic blockade with the coincidence of an inflationary economic cycle due to the cheap money policy and the occurrence of Negative supply shocks due to the blockade and the madly high general level of prices, in addition to the weak financial planning of the state budget during the post-economic blockade and the entry of the economy into a stagnant economic cycle due to security and political instability, low levels of priv
... Show MoreBackground: Several studies linked the development of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) to genetic variations in the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene, though a disparity in findings was underlined among children with different ethnic origins. Objective: This study examined the relationship between MDR1 variants (rs2032582 and rs2032583) and the risk of developing SRNS in Iraqi patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). Methods: This case-control study included children with steroid-sensitive INS (SSNS; n=30) and SRNS (n=30) from the Babylon Hospital for Maternity and Pediatrics. Sanger sequencing was used to determine the participants’ genotypes. Results: The rs2032582 genotypes and alleles were not associated
... Show MoreThe present study aims at empirically investigating the effect of vocabulary learning strategies on Iraqi intermediate school students’vocabulary performance and reading comprehension. The population of the present study includes all the 1st year male students of Al-Wark’a intermediate school of Al-Risafa 1/ General Directorate of Education for the first course of the academic year (2015-2016). To achieve the aim of the study ,a pre-test and post-test after (5) weeks of experiment are administrated .The sample of the present study consists of (100) subjects :(50) students as an experimental group and other (50) students as a control group . The subj
... Show MoreIn this study , Iraqi Bentonite clay was used as a filler for polyvinyl chloride polymer. Bentonite clay was prepared as a powder for some certain particle size ,followed by calcinations process at (300,700,900) OC ,then milled and sieved. The selected sizes were D ~75 µm and D ~150. After that polyvinyl Al-Cohool solution prepared and used as a coated layer covered the Bentonite powder before applied as a filler ,followed by drying , milling and sieving for limited recommend sizes. polyvinyl chloride solutions were prepared and adding of modified Bentonite power at certain quantities were followed .Sheet of these variables on the mechanical and thermal properties of the prepared reinforced particular polyvinyl chloride composite
... Show MoreThe analysis of the orientations of Iraqi art commodification contributed to the discovery of deliberation, which was founded in the deliberative discourse in the trends towards commodification in the Iraqi art, since the important transformations in social structures and relations produced a dictionary with new vocabulary and tools that replaced the traditions and norms that have been in circulation for a century. Deliberation and commodification have become more prevalent in the mechanics and trends of the art where the pace of change is becoming increasingly frantic towards the market. The general market for art constitutes one of the most effective phenomena within contemporary art, that there has been a proliferation of sales auctio
... Show MoreThis paper discusses the role of Auditors' Technological Maturity in reinforcing the quality of auditing profession, through focusing on the concepts of Technological Maturity and quality of auditing profession, as well as designing a proposed model for Technological Maturity which includes five evolutionary and sequential stages, and this proposed model would contribute to reinforce the quality of auditing. This proposed model will be employed in the field of auditing profession because the importance of the development and investment in this profession and the importance of the need for specialized knowledge in Information Technology, and the result of a proposed model is development of technological knowledge for the auditor to reach
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