4 Blood Res 2018;53:314-319. Received on August 11, 2018 Revised on August 30, 2018 Accepted on August 30, 2018 Background Iron overload is a risk factor affecting all patients with thalassemia intermedia (TI). We aimed to determine whether there is a relationship of serum ferritin (SF) and alanine ami- notransferase (ALT) with liver iron concentration (LIC) determined by R2 magnetic reso- nance imaging (R2-MRI), to estimate the most relevant degree of iron overload and best time to chelate in patients with TI. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 119 patients with TI (mean age years) were randomly se- lected and compared with 120 patients who had a diagnosis of thalassemia major (TM). Correlations of LIC, as determined by R2-MRI, with SF and ALT levels, were assessed in all participants. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results SF and LIC levels were lower in patients with TI than in those with TM; only ferritin values were significant. We found a statistically significant relationship between SF and LIC, with cut-off estimates of SF in patients with TI who had splenectomy and those who entered puberty spontaneously (916 and 940 ng/mL, respectively) with LIC >5 mg Fe/g dry weight (P<0.0001). A significant relationship was also found for patients with TI who had ele- vated ALT level (63.5 U/L), of 3.15 times the upper normal laboratory limit, using a cut-off for LIC ≥5 mg Fe/g dry weight. Conclusion We determined the cut-off values for ALT and SF indicating the best time to start iron chela- tion therapy in patients with TI, and found significant correlations among iron overload, SF, and ALT.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses magnetization and radio waves, rather than x-rays to make very detailed, cross- sectional pictures of the brain. In this work we are going to explain some procedures belongs contrast and brightness improvement which is very important in the improvement the image quality such as the manipulation with the image histogram. Its has been explained in this worked the histogram shrink i.e. reducing the size of the gray level gives a dim low contrast picture is produced, where, the histogram stretching of the gray level was distributed on a wide scale but there is no increase in the number of pixels in the bright region. The histogram equalization has also been discuss together with its effects of the improveme
... Show MoreChitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42
... Show MoreThe most common cause of upper respiratory tract infection is coronavirus, which has a crown appearance due to the existence of spikes on its envelope. D-dimer levels in the plasma have been considered a prognostic factor for COVID-19 patients.
The aim of the study is to demonstrate the role of COVID-19 on coagulation parameters D-dimer and ferritin with their association with COVID-19 severity and disease progression in a single-center study.
Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. In most patients, monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chains or light chains are produced and are associated with organ dysfunction. The growth factor B-cell activating factor (BAFF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma due to its ability to promote B-cell survival, expansion, and differentiation. Objective: to measure the circulatory level of B-cell activating factor in multiple myeloma patients in relapsed and remission states and explore its possible correlations with the clinical staging, β2-microglobulin, and interleukin-6. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 60
... Show MoreBackground: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects mainly the synovial membranes and articular structures and is characterized by chronic, systemic inflammation involving multiple joints.Being a synovial joint, the Temporomandibular Joint is subject to the same disorders affecting other synovial joints, including RA.Beside it was considered as a specific serological marker for diagnosing RA disease ,antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide have proven to be associated with joints destruction, though; it may play a potential role in the prediction of the disease severity. Materials and Methods: Sixty nine individuals (69) were enrolled in this study, forty nine (49) were patients diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a
... Show MoreAdenosine deaminase (ADA; Ec: 3.5.4.4), 5´- Nucleotidase (5´– NT; Ec: 3.1.3.5), and AMP – amino hydrolase (AMP – deaminase AMPDA; Ec: 3.5.4.6) activities were measured in sera of ovarian cancer patients before surgery, and after chemotherapy. The results indicated that ADA specific activity increased significantly (P<0.05), while 5´-NT and AMPDA specific activity decreased significantly (P<0.05) in ovarian cancer patients before surgery in comparison with those of their corresponding control women and benign tumors groups. When the activities of these enzymes were measured after chemotherapy, a significant decrease (P<0.05) in ADA activity, and a significant increase (P<0.05) in 5´- NT and AMPDA activities w
... Show MoreClopidogrel is a prodrug that must be transformed into an active metabolite by hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes to prevent platelet clotting. Polymorphisms of the CYP2C19 gene can cause a reduction or complete loss of CYP2C19 enzyme activity resulting in inhibiting clopidogrel metabolism, effectiveness and increase stroke recurrence risk in ischemic stroke patients. This study aims to investigate the correlation between genetic polymorphisms in CYP2C19*2 and*3 and recurrent risk in patients with ischemic stroke taking clopidogrel 75mg in Kurdistan region –Iraq. This retrospective case-control study was carried out at Kurdistan, Erbil, Medicina medical center, and Rizgary general hospital from January 2021 to
... Show MoreThe experiment was conducted in two stages: first stage: determination of the most effective dose of Cyperus rotundus tubers aquatic extract in male rats for 5 days, which was concentrated as (200 mg/kg body weight). The second stage was designed to observe and test the protective effects of C. rotundus tubers aquatic extract in the liver and kidney functions of male rats exposed to cadmium chloride poisoning (5 mg/kg bw) for 30 days. The animals were divided into (4) groups within each group (5) animals weighted (200-220g). The results of oral dose of cadmium chloride showed a significant increase of (P˂0.05) in the activity of both enzymes Alanine aminotransferas
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