Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) play a role in the detoxification of environmental chemicals and mutagens, such as those inhaled during tobacco smoking. There have been conflicting reports concerning GST polymorphisms as risk factors in the development of lung cancer. No studies focused on Arab populations exposed to Waterpipe (WP) tobacco smoke have been undertaken. Here Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and gene sequenc- ing were applied to analyze allelic variations in GSTP1-rs1695 and -rs1138272 amongst 123 lung cancer patients and 129 controls. The data suggest that WP smoking raised the risk of lung cancer more than three-fold (OR 3.6; 95% CI 2.1–6.0; p < 0.0001). However, there was no s

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder with various clinical types. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is significantly elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients compared with that of healthy controls. The aim of this study is to evaluate serum levels of GFAP in relation to disease activity in relapsing-remitting MS patients and to compare them with those of healthy controls. Method: This study involved 58 MS patients of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) type, 22 in an active stage of the disease and 36 in remission, and 50 healthy individuals as age- and sex-matched controls. Blood samples were taken from the patients at the MS Clinic of the Baghdad Teaching Hospital, and the serum levels of GFAP were determ

           Vitamin E, having the well known antioxidant activity  through scavenging free radicals Ùˆ it occurs in several  isomeric forms , these isomers have relatively different functions . One of these actions is related to its ability to inhibit platelets aggregation and hence thrombosis. The present study included a total number of apparently healthy  62 males . 11of them served as standard group , treated  with 100 mg aspirin /day for more than one month . Another 31 subjects were randomly grouped into 5 groups that received different daily doses of α – tocopherol : 400 IU , 800 IU and 1200 IU for  2-6 months.The remainder ( 20 ) subjects served

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the cause of the major world health issue, tuberculosis (TB). The cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) has been implicated in protection against TB in the early stages of the disease. TNF-α is an effective cytokine in the killing of intracellular M. tuberculosis. This study inducted to investigate whether there is any relationship between levels of TNF-α in sera of TB patients and their recovery, and is there any difference in the level of this cytokine in sera of female and male TB patients. This study included 29 patients with pulmonary TB (18 female and 11 male), their ages ranging from 37 to 59 years. All of them received first line TB therapy. They were consulted at Pasture Center during Septem

Background: EOS (encoded by the IKZF4 gene) is a member of the zinc finger transcription factor IKaros family, and plays a critical role in Treg suppressor functions, and maintaining Treg stability. IL-6 is a soluble mediator with a pleiotropic effect on inflammation, immune response, and hematopoiesis. Aim: To estimate serum IL-6 level and EOS gene expression in Iraqi patients with psoriasis. Method: Twenty-two patients with psoriasis (8 females, 14 males) with age ranged 18-72 years, were recruited from Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Dermatology Clinic, Baghdad, and 24 healthy donors. The serum levels of IL-6 by ELISA and the gene expression of IKZF4 (EOS gene) by RT-qPCR technique. Results: The results showed a non-significant diffe

Economic units can benefit from the cleaner production strategy, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of economic activities while improving efficiency and profitability. Accordingly, the aim of the research was to clarify the knowledge foundations of cleaner production costs and to indicate their role in reducing the costs of poor quality (the costs of failure). A set of conclusions has been reached, the most important of which is that cleaner production has achieved a reduction in the costs of external failure, represented by the costs of guarantee, by an amount of 12,339,000 dinars. Contributes to reducing the costs of failure, and based on the conclusions, a set of recommendations were presented, the most important of w

Some genetic factors are not only involved in some autoimmune diseases but also interfere with their treatment, Such as Crohn's disease (CD), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriasis (PS). Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) is a most important pro-inflammatory cytokine, which has been recognized as a main factor that participates in the pathogenesis and development of autoimmune disorders. Therefore, TNF could be a prospective target for treating these disorders, and many anti-TNF were developed to treat these disorders. Although the high efficacy of many anti-TNF biologic medications, the Patients' clinical responses to the autoimmune treatment showed significant heterogeneity. Two types of TNF receptor (TNFR); 1 an