BACKGROUND: HLA-B27 can effect clinical presentation and course of ankylosing spondylitis. Different detection techniques of HLA-B27 are available with variable sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To compare serologic and molecular diagnostic techniques of detecting HLA-B27 status and to correlate it with some clinical variables among ankylosing spondylitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 Iraqi patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were reported. HLA-B27 status was determined in all patients by real-time PCR using HLA-B27 RealFast™ kit; ELISA method was used as well to detect soluble serum HLA-B27 antigens using Human Leukocyte Antigen® kit. RESULTS: The mean age of patients ± SD was (38.4±9.8) years. Male to female ratio was 9:1. Disease onset occurred <30 years in 78% of cases. All (100%) cases had lower back pain, 44 (54%) patients had enthesitis, 14 (16.9%) had peripheral arthritis, 12 (14.5%) had eye involvement, whil
In recent years and decades, there is a great need for developing new alternative energy sources or renewable sustainable energy. On the other hand, new technology approaches are growing . towards benefits from the valuable nutrients in wastewater which are unrecoverable by traditional wastewater treatment processes. In the current study, a novel integrated system of microbial fuel cell and anoxic bioreactor (MFC-ANB) was designed and constructed to investigate its potential for slaughterhouses wastewater treatment, nitrogen recovery, and power generation. The system consisted of a double-chamber tubular type MFC with biocathode inoculated with freshly collected activated sludge. The MFC-ANB system was continuously fed with real-fi
... Show MoreThe necessary optimality conditions with Lagrange multipliers are studied and derived for a new class that includes the system of Caputo–Katugampola fractional derivatives to the optimal control problems with considering the end time free. The formula for the integral by parts has been proven for the left Caputo–Katugampola fractional derivative that contributes to the finding and deriving the necessary optimality conditions. Also, three special cases are obtained, including the study of the necessary optimality conditions when both the final time and the final state are fixed. According to convexity assumptions prove that necessary optimality conditions are sufficient optimality conditions.
... Show MoreSolar photovoltaic (PV) has many environmental benefits and it is considered to be a practical alternative to traditional energy generation. The electrical conversion efficiency of such systems is inherently limited due to the relatively high thermal resistance of the PV components. An approach for intensifying electrical and thermal production of air-type photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems via applying a combination of fins and surface zigzags was proposed in this paper. This research study aims to apply three performance enhancers: case B, including internal fins; case C, back surface zigzags; and case D, combinations of fins and surface zigzags; whereas the baseline smooth duct rep
This study aims to examine the sources of organizational power prevailing among the academic leaders at the University of Tabuk from the faculty members’ viewpoint. The purposes behind such an aim are: to reveal the level of administrative and technical institutional creativity, the nature of the relationship between the reality of organizational power and the level of institutional creativity, and to disclose statistically the significant differences between the averages of faculty members’ responses attributed to the demographic variables (gender, years of experience, academic degree). The study used the descriptive approach, both survey and correlational. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a simple random sample o
... Show MoreThe struggle between two identities is a crucial subject everywhere. Some people travel abroad in quest of a new identity after struggling at home. People migrate and embrace a new identity for different reasons. They find themselves in a state of internal conflict as they navigate the tension between their newly adopted identities and their old ones. The individual is haunted and overwhelmed by their previous experiences. This research explores the universality of the subject matter by examining the motivations underlying the adoption of a new identity in a distinct geographical and temporal context. This paper examines the literary works of Kincaid's Lucy (1990) and Blasim's "The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes" (2014). Kincaid’s pro
... Show MoreA new ligand (H4L) and its complexes with ( ZnII, CdII and HgII) were prepared. This ligand was prepared in two steps. In the first step a solution of terephthaldehyde in methanol was reacted under reflux with 1,2-phenylenediamine to give an precursor compound which reacted in the second step with 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to give the ligand. The complexes were then synthesized by direct reaction of the corresponding metal chloride with the ligand. The ligand and complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1 HNMR, and atomic absorption, chloride content, HPLC, mole-ratio determination. in addition to conductivity measurement. The data of these measurements suggest a distorted tetrahedral geometry for ZnII, C
... Show MoreThis study was conducted in the poultry field of Al-Mustansiriya University/ Baghdad, to show the effect of adding different levels 0, 1, 5 and 10% of the fenugreek seeds in the rations containing many contaminated microbes on the productive performance of broilers. 150-day-old rose meat was used with a 41 average weight (gm), were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 3 replicates, and for each treatment 15 chicks per repetition: 0, 1, 5, and 10% (T0-T3), respectively. The results of this study showed that fenugreek seeds contain good amounts of protein, fat, ash and carbohydrates, which are 24.92, 8.82, 3.08 and 54.28 respectively. Fenugreek seeds also have high levels of tannins, coumarins and flavones, followed by saponins,
... Show MoreBackground: Birth weight is a powerful predictor of infant growth and survival. Evidence now shows that children born with low birth weight face an increased risk of chronic diseases and have many health problems including oral health. The aims of this study were to assess the salivary flow rate, viscosity, and salivary cortisol among low birth weight kindergarten children aged 5 years old in Hilla centre, in relation to dental caries and compares them with the normal birth weight children of the same age and gender. Materials and methods: The total sample involved 80 children (40 low birth weights and 40 normal birth weights) aged 5 years old. The diagnosis and recording of severity of dental caries was recorded through the application of
... Show MoreThis study was conducted during the period 1/9/2014 – 1/2/2015 and aimed to identify the polymorphisms of IGF-1 gene in broiler chickens and their effects on some biochemical traits. A total of 300 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb500, n=150; Hubbard F-15, n=150) were evaluated in this study. Blood samples were individually collected from all birds for DNA extraction. PCR-RFLP method being used for determination the genotypes of IGF-1 gene which then correlated with biochemical traits studied. Cobb500 broilers with TT genotype had significantly (p˂0.05) higher serum triglycerides values than those of TC and CC genotypes. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) were significantly (p˂0.05) higher in Hubbard F-15 broilers with TT genotype than those
... Show MoreThe research aims to: build and record a measure of cognitive participation among second-year female students at the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Baghdad. The researchers used the descriptive approach in the survey style for the research sample. The sample was selected from female students and divided into: (10) female students for the survey sample, and (80) female students for the construction and codification sample. The data were statistically analyzed by the researchers using SPSS, the T-test for independent and correlated samples, Pearson's simple correlation coefficient, Cronbach's alpha, Chi-square, and Spearman-Brown. They were recruited for the samples. The study concluded that constr
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