Abstract Asthma is a complex disease defined by chronic airway inflammation and airflow limitation causing variable respiratory symptoms which include shortness of breath (SOB), wheezing, chest tightness and cough. Asthma guidelines advocate adding a second long acting bronchodilator to medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) rather using high doses of ICS alone to control moderate to severe persistent asthma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of three medication regimens indicated for Iraqi patients suffering from persistent asthma. This study was interventional randomized clinical study conducted on a sample of adult Iraqi asthmatic patients in Baghdad City. The study composed of three visits distributed over eight weeks; baseline visit followed by first follow up and second follow up visits after four and eight weeks respectively. The study enrolled 78 adult patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma as diagnosed by specialist physician according to patient history and baseline pulmonary function test (PFT) and allocated them randomly to three groups (each group included 26 patients) to receive equivalent medium doses of budesonide inhaler in addition to either formoterol inhaler, oral modified release aminophylline tablets or tiotropium inhaler (first, second and third group respectively). Sixty four patients completed this study. The mean ages of patients were above 35 years with slightly more male predominance. The study groups developed significant increase of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced vital capacity (FVC) values at the first follow up visit compared to baseline values (p<0.001). Thereafter, the first and third groups achieved significant higher values at the second follow up visit compared to first follow up visit (p<0.001), while second group produced no change. All the groups developed significant improvement of Mini asthma quality of life questionnaire (MiniAQLQ) scores and percentage of symptom free days (SFD) at first follow up visit and continued further significant improvement at the second follow up visit (p<0.001). Generally, between groups comparison according to extent of change of study parameters revealed that third group produced the greatest improvement over the entire study period followed by the first group, whereas the second group was associated with the least extent of improvement. This study concluded that all groups caused significant improvement in study parameters compared to baseline values and also concluded that the third group of inhaled [tiotropium/budesonide] was associated with the highest extent of improvement followed by first group, while the second group was the least.
Background: To assess the alveolar bone crest level (ABCL) by Cone Beam Computed To-mography (CBCT) and to investigate several variables as predictors for the height of the alveolar bone in adolescents. Materials and methods: Age, sex, and ethnic groups were rec-orded for each patient. CBCT images were used to obtain measurements of the interproximal alveolar bone level from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar crest. The highest measurement in each sextant was recorded along with any presence of a vertical bone defect or calculus. Results: Total of 720 measurements were recorded for 120 subjects. No vertical bony defects or calculus were observed radiographically. Statistically significant (P< 0.05) differences were observed be
... Show MoreIn this paper, we introduce the concept of cubic bipolar-fuzzy ideals with thresholds (α,β),(ω,ϑ) of a semigroup in KU-algebra as a generalization of sets and in short (CBF). Firstly, a (CBF) sub-KU-semigroup with a threshold (α,β),(ω,ϑ) and some results in this notion are achieved. Also, (cubic bipolar fuzzy ideals and cubic bipolar fuzzy k-ideals) with thresholds (α,β),(ω ,ϑ) are defined and some properties of these ideals are given. Relations between a (CBF).sub algebra and-a (CBF) ideal are proved. A few characterizations of a (CBF) k-ideal with thresholds (α, β), (ω,ϑ) are discussed. Finally, we proved that a (CBF) k-ideal and a (CBF) ideal with thresholds (α, β), (ω,ϑ) of a KU-semi group are equivalent relations.
The purpose of this paper is to apply different transportation models in their minimum and maximum values by finding starting basic feasible solution and finding the optimal solution. The requirements of transportation models were presented with one of their applications in the case of minimizing the objective function, which was conducted by the researcher as real data, which took place one month in 2015, in one of the poultry farms for the production of eggs
... Show MoreSickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary ailment that can cause severe pain and suffering to people who are affected. However, with continued investment in research and treatment options, we can make progress towards improving the lives of those with SCD. Over 40% of patients experience painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), so we must work towards finding solutions and providing support for those living with this condition, These episodes, a hallmark of SCD, significantly contribute to morbidity, mortality, and a diminished quality of life, while also incurring substantial healthcare costs. Chronic pain particularly affects older adolescents and adults with SCD, with over half reporting daily discomfort. Opioid-based analgesics, though sti
... Show MoreCryptography algorithms play a critical role in information technology against various attacks witnessed in the digital era. Many studies and algorithms are done to achieve security issues for information systems. The high complexity of computational operations characterizes the traditional cryptography algorithms. On the other hand, lightweight algorithms are the way to solve most of the security issues that encounter applying traditional cryptography in constrained devices. However, a symmetric cipher is widely applied for ensuring the security of data communication in constraint devices. In this study, we proposed a hybrid algorithm based on two cryptography algorithms PRESENT and Salsa20. Also, a 2D logistic map of a chaotic system is a
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