Clinical index is needed to predict the outcome of pregnancy after in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) for infertile patients. Growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), also known as myostatin, is one of transforming growth factor-â superfamily localized in antral follicles in normal and PCOS ovaries but its function in female reproductive system is still unknown. Aim of the study is to assess the correlation between levels of GDF8 in follicular fluid (FF) with outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF/ICSI) in women with and without PCOS. A prospective case control study was performed enrolling (40) patients with PCOS and (40) non-PCOS women (male infertility) undergoing IVF/ICSI. The collection of follicular fluid was at the day of oocyte pick up. Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to measure the levels of FF. GDF-8. A significant higher GDF8 level was found in PCOS group compared to non-PCOS group. Also, significant higher antral follicle count (AFC) in PCOS group in comparison tonon-PCOS group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the mean of follicle diameter, endometrium thickness, aspirated oocytes, metaphase II (M II) oocyte, fertilized oocytes, embryo at 2pro nucleus (2PN), transferred embryo, grade1 (G1) embryo, maturity rate, cleavage rate, fertilization rate and pregnancy outcomes. There was a significant positive correlation between GDF8 and G1 embryo in non-PCOS group. In non-PCOS group, mean GDF8 level was significantly higher in pregnant group than nonpregnant group. In PCOS group, mean GDF8 level was significantly.
Background: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a disorder of systemic inflammatory condition. Its important features are represented by recurrent oral, genital ulcerations and eye lesions. Aims. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate and compare cytological changes using morphometric analysis of the exfoliated buccal mucosal cells in Behçet’s disease patients and healthy controls, and to evaluate the clinical characteristics of Behçet’s disease. Methods. Twenty five Behçet’s disease patients have been compared to 25 healthy volunteers as a control group. Papanicolaou stain was used for staining the smears taken from buccal epithelial cells to be analyzed cytomorphometrically. The image analysis software has been used to
... Show MoreBackground: Prosthodontists estimated the parallelism of the occlusal plane to different anatomical landmarks, which was somewhat arbitrary and depended mainly on their vision. The aim of this research was to assess the degree of accuracy of prosthodontists in determining the parallelism of two lines. This research was aimed to assess which technique would be more accurate for the prosthodontist to distinguish parallelism; the comparison of the occlusal plane with the interpupillary line or with the inferior border of the earlobes. Materials and methods: Twenty eight prosthodontic specialists were included in this research. Illustrations of two lines with different tilts were presented to the participants to distinguish whether parallel or
... Show MoreTo date, comprehensive reviews and discussions of the strengths and limitations of Remote Sensing (RS) standalone and combination approaches, and Deep Learning (DL)-based RS datasets in archaeology have been limited. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to review and critically discuss existing studies that have applied these advanced approaches in archaeology, with a specific focus on digital preservation and object detection. RS standalone approaches including range-based and image-based modelling (e.g., laser scanning and SfM photogrammetry) have several disadvantages in terms of spatial resolution, penetrations, textures, colours, and accuracy. These limitations have led some archaeological studies to fuse/integrate multip
... Show MoreA ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and du
... Show MoreIn this study, the preparation and characterization of hyacinth plant /chitosan composite, as a heavy metal removal, were done. Water hyacinth plant (Eichhorniacrasspes) was collected from Tigris river in Baghdad. The root and shoot parts of plant were ground to powder. Composite materials were prepared at different ratios of plant part (from 2.9% to 30.3%, wt /wt) which corresponds to (30-500mg) of hyacinth plant (root and shoot) and chitosan. The results showed that all examined ratios of plant parts have an excellent absorption to copper (Cu (II)). Moreover, it was observed that 2.9% corresponds (30mg) of plant root revealed highest removal (82.7%) of Pb (II), while 20.23% of shoot removed 61% of Cd (II) within 24 hr
... Show MoreThe inhibitive action of a blend of sodium nitrite/sodium hexametaphosphate (SN+SHMP) on corrosion of carbon steel in simulated cooling water systems (CWS) has been investigated by weight loss and electrochemical polarization technique. The effect of temperature, velocity, and salts concentrations on corrosion of carbon steel were studied in the absence and presence of mixed inhibiting blend. Also the effect of inhibitors blend concentrations (SN+SHMP), temperatures, and rotational velocity, i.e., Reynolds number (Re) on corrosion rate of carbon steel were investigated using Second-order Rotatable Design (Box-Wilson Design) in performing weight loss and corrosion potential approach. Electrochemical polarization measurements
... Show MoreThe fractional free volume (Fh) in polystyrene (PS) as a function of neutron -irradiation dose has been measured, using positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) method. The results show that Fh values decreased with increasing n-irradiation dose up to a total dose of 501.03× 10-2 Gy.
A percentage reduction of 2.14 in Fh values is noticed after the initial n-dose corresponding to a percentage reduction in the free volume equal to 42.14/Gy.
The total n-dose induces a percentage reduction of 7.26, corresponding to a percentage reduction of 1.45/Gy. These results indicate that cross -linking is the predominant process induced by n-irradiation.
The results suggest that n-irradiation induces structure changes in PS, causing cross-linking
Ampullary carcinomas are uncommon malignant tumours of the digestive system, they usually are adenocarcinomas presenting histologically as three types: intestinal, pancreaticobiliary and mixed. β-catenin is a multifunctional protein involved in physiological homoeostasis and intracellular adhesion. Abnormal nuclear accumulation of β-catenin has been described in many malignancies such as colon, breast, liver and others. The relationships between the immunohistochemical expression of β-catenin and the subtype, the grade and the stage of ampullary carcinoma are studied.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common opportunistic pathogen causing morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients due to its multiple resistance mechanisms. Therefore, as a therapeutic option becomes restricted, the search for a new agent is a preference. So P. aeruginosa is an extremely versatile Gram-negative bacterium capable of thriving in a broad spectrum of environments, and this performs main problems to workers in the field of health. One hundred and fifty samples were collected from different sources from Baghdad hospitals, divided into two main groups: clinical (100) specimens and (50) samples as an environmental, collected from October 2019 to the March 2020. All of these samples were cultured by specific and differential
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