Background: The occurrence of seizures in bacterial meningitis is important, as it has been reported to increase the risk of complications; however, its frequency and predictors are not well studied yet. Objective: To assess the frequency, clinical, and biochemical predictors of seizures in children with acute bacterial meningitis. Method: A cross-sectional study recruited confirmed acute bacterial meningitis cases based on positive CSF culture and sensitivity among children aged 2 months to 15 years admitted to the Central Child Teaching Hospital emergency department in Iraq. Patients were divided into two groups based on seizure at presentation time. Demographic characteristics [age, gender, residence, duration of fever and disease, presenting complaints and antibiotic intake]; hematological [WBC, neutrophils] Lymphocyte, N/L ratio, packed cell volume, platelets, blood sugar, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) indices were compared between groups. Results: Seizures had a frequency of 18% among the 122 children and were significantly higher in younger cases with female predominance. By multivariate analysis and odds ratio (OR), predictors for seizure were as follows: CSF lymphocytes (OR=0.25, 95%CI=0.08–0.26), lethargy (OR=8.15, 95%CI=1.03-68.65), headache (OR=0.09, 95%CI=0.02-0.45), neck stiffness (OR=0.07, 95% CI=0.01-0.61) and poor feeding (OR=4.8, 95%CI=1.21–18.97). Conclusions: CSF lymphocytes reliably predicted seizure with good sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 73%. Lethargy and poor feeding had the highest odds as clinical predictors of seizures. Together, those results can help with risk stratification and allocate resources for high-risk cases to improve patient outcomes
This work is aiming to study and compare the removal of lead (II) from simulated wastewater by activated carbon and bentonite as adsorbents with particle size of 0.32-0.5 mm. A mathematical model was applied to describe the mass transfer kinetic.
The batch experiments were carried out to determine the adsorption isotherm constants for each adsorbent, and five isotherm models were tested to choose the best fit model for the experimental data. The pore, surface diffusion coefficients and mass transfer coefficient were found by fitting the experimental data to a theoretical model. Partial differential equations were used to describe the adsorption in the bulk and solid phases. These equations were simplified and the
... Show MoreBackground: Day case surgery has become widely accepted as a safe alternative to the inpatient care in up to 70% of the cases at a children’s hospital. It has the advantage of minimizing the psychological trauma of hospitalization, decreasing nosocomial infection, less costly and frees up hospital beds.Objectives: To assess the advantages and disadvantages of this type of surgery.Methods: this is a prospective study, in which two hundred thirty childhood tonsillectomies were performed as a day-case in the department of otolaryngology at Al Shaheed Gazi hospital, Medical City Complex during the period from October 2009 to September 2010. The patients age range from 3-12 years (Mean 7.2 years).Results: 46.08% males and 53.91% females wer
... Show MoreThe clinical spectrum of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), an intracellular parasitic pathogen, ranges from a single sore healing to chronic crusty lesions with a manifestation of treatment resistance. The complicated interaction between Leishmania bodies and the early immune response, including innate and adaptive mechanisms, determines the evolution of nodules. This study examined the levels of the chemoattractant interleukin 8 (IL-8), pro-inflammatory nitric oxide (NO), and immunoregulatory macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) in the serum of subjects recently diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis, in parallel with patients being monitored during consecutive sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam) treatment. A total of 161 serum samples of newly di
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to examine the effect of endosulfan insecticide on some molecular and biochemical parameters in white mice. Thirty mice were separated randomly into three groups for treatment with endosulfan. One group (G1) served as the control, while the other two groups received intraperitoneal injections of endosulfan G2 (3 mg/kg) and G3 (17 mg/kg) twice a week for 21 and 45 days, respectively. A biochemical study by measuring liver function parameters, including (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and kidney function parameters, including (Blood Urea and Creatinine) and malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase activity (CAT). This study also tested DNA damage by comet assay (normal%, low%, med
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to examine the effect of endosulfan insecticide on some molecular and biochemical parameters in white mice. Thirty mice were separated randomly into three groups for treatment with endosulfan. One group (G1) served as the control, while the other two groups received intraperitoneal injections of endosulfan G2 (3 mg/kg) and G3 (17 mg/kg) twice a week for 21 and 45 days, respectively. A biochemical study by measuring liver function parameters, including (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and kidney function parameters, including (Blood Urea and Creatinine) and malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase activity (CAT). This study also tested DNA damage by comet assay (normal%, low%, medium%,
... Show MoreThis research aims to clarify the conceptual framework of social entrepreneurship shows the importance of the development of social entrepreneurship according to the contextual aspects and the social value achieved from these works. It also identifies the degree of level of a sample of women entrepreneurs in Iraq for the extent of the relationship between social entrepreneurship and women's empowerment. It also explains the impact of entrepreneurial work in empowering women and the extent to which there are individual differences between the average scores of the sample members’ estimation of the level of social entrepreneurship according to social status, age group, educational qualification, and specialization according to the s
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetes is defined by the World Health Organization as a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Families are co-regulating systems in which the stresses and strains of one family member affect the well-being of another member of the family. Caregivers of children with chronic illness report experiencing more parental stress than parents of healthy children.
Objective: A descriptive cross-sectional study had been conducted in four centers of endocrine diseases in Baghdad city and data was collected by using self-administered questionnaire regarding qua
... Show MoreAsthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. The treatment guidelines recommend theuse of a second controller drug in addition to medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) rather than the use of high doses ICS alone in the treatment of moderate-severe persistent asthma. This study was conducted to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of three treatment regimens in Iraqi patients with moderate-severe persistent asthma.The study included three groups; each group included 15 patients. Patients were administered beclomethasone inhaler alone 1500-2000 μg/day, beclomethasone inhaler 750-1000 μg/day plus oral controlled release aminophylline tablets 450 mg/day or
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