Background: Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is gram-negative bacterium, which causes Legionnaires’ disease as well as Pontiac fever. Objective: To determine the frequency of Legionella pneumophila in pneumonic patients, to determine the clinical utility of diagnosing Legionella pneumonia by urinary antigen testing (LPUAT) in terms of sensitivity and specificity, to compares the results obtained from patients by urinary antigen test with q Real Time PCR (RT PCR) using serum samples and to determine the frequency of serogroup 1 and other serogroups of L. pneumophila. Methods: A total of 100 pneumonic patients (community acquired pneumonia) were enrolled in this study during a period between October 2016 to April 2017; 92 samples were collected from patients attended and admitted to Al-Imamein Al-Kadhimein Medical City and 8 samples from those in the (Center of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation) in the Medical City of Baghdad. All patients were under therapy with antibiotics. Serum and urine specimens were obtained from all patients; urine samples were processed for urinary antigen test (rapid test). Serum samples were collected and submitted to DNA extraction for detection of L. pneumophila mip gene by q RT PCR assay. Results: The percentage of L. pneumophila in two hospitals in Bagdad was 30%. Of these 26% was serogroup 1 detected by urinary antigen testing (UAT). In the other hand, 23% of samples were positive by q RT PCR based mip gene, of these 19 % were serogroup 1 and 4% were another serogroup. The sensitivity of UAT is high (P value < 0.001), which means statistically highly significance than q RT PCR. Conclusion: LPUAT is a rapid tool for early diagnosis of Legionella infection, which highlights the need of using this test in hospitals and health institutions and there is a high prevalence of L. pneumophila in Iraq that refer to the necessity of considering this microorganism point of view in future studies for detection and treatment in pneumonic patients. Keywords: L. pneumophila, mip gene, quantitative real time PCR, urinary antigen. Citation: Gauad SA, Abdulrahman TR, Muhamad AK, Jawad AA, Hassan JS. Clinical utility of urinary antigen test and molecular method for detection of Legionella pneumophila. Iraqi JMS. 2018; 16(2): 207-215. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.16.2.13
Programs directed to children through the media in general and in television in particular are among the main factors that help in forming the cultural and educational values of this important segment of society, and in light of this the study problem was identified in answering a major question: What are the cultural and educational values that Ajyal channel seeks Space planted in children through my program, Iftah Ya Simsim (in its new season) and Friends of Ajyal? , While the objectives of the study were evident in identifying the most prominent cultural and educational values that the Ajyal satellite channel worked to instill in children, and identifying the nature of the techniques used by Ajyal channel in providing the value conten
... Show MoreThe need for optical fibers has emerged for its ability to transmit information with less attenuation and over long distances. In this work, four optical fibers with core radii from 1 μm to 4.75 μm in steps of 1.25 μm and a numerical aperture of 0.17 were studied and their modes properties have been calculated at a wavelength of 633 nm by using RP Fiber Calculator (free version 2022). Also, the effect of increasing the core radius on these properties has been studied. Multimode fibers can be obtained when the radius of the fiber core is large compared to the operating wavelength of the fiber which is less than the cutoff wavelength of the mode. Otherwise, a single-mode fiber is obtained. It has been concluded that all the calculated p
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The administrations of Presidents Clinton and Bush Jr. have seen the emergence of neoconservatives. The neoconservative were the establishment of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) project in 1997 during the Clinton administration. The neoconservatives, through the New Century Project, were able to make important foreign policy decisions, notably the Iraq Liberation Law, which was passed by Congress on January 26, 1998 and signed by President Clinton and became a law legitimized. Clinton became authorized to take whatever measures he saw fit to contribute to regime change in Iraq. The Bush administration has also undergone major and significant shifts in US strategy on US foreign policy. During the Bush admin
... Show MoreDC planar sputtering system is characterized by varying discharge potential of (250-2000 volt) and Argon gas pressures of (3.5×10-2 – 1.5) mbar. The breakdown voltage for silver electrode was studied with a uniform electric field at different discharge distances, as well as plasma parameters. The breakdown voltage is a product of the Argon gas pressure inside the chamber and gab distance between the electrodes, represent as Paschen curve. The Current-voltage characteristics curves indicate that the electrical discharge plasma is working in the abnormal glow region. Plasma parameters were found from the current-voltage characteristics of a single probe positioned at the inter-cathode space. Typical values of the electron temperature an
... Show MoreNowadays, the robotic arm is fast becoming the most popular robotic form used in the industry among others. Therefore, the issues regarding remote monitoring and controlling system are very important, which measures different environmental parameters at a distance away from the room and sets various condition for a desired environment through a wireless communication system operated from a central room. Thus, it is crucial to create a programming system which can control the movement of each part of the industrial robot in order to ensure it functions properly. EDARM ED-7100 is one of the simplest models of the robotic arm, which has a manual controller to control the movement of the robotic arm. In order to improve this control s
... Show MoreNowadays, there is increased interest in the biosynthesis of microbial melanin related to their numerous biological functions and applications in many fields, especially in medical fields, including immune-modulating, antimicrobial antibiotic, antiviral antivenin, anticancer, antitumor activity, and anti-biofilm activity. Pyomelanin is a hydrophobic macromolecule that is typically dark brown or black in color, formed by the oxidative polymerization of phenolic or indolic compounds. Pyomelanin is reported to be safe for consumption, thus providing a crucial strategy for biocontrol of biofilm. Furthermore, natural pyomelanin is known as a potent antioxidant, photoprotective, and free radical scavenging. Objective: This study focuses on the
... Show MoreLower extremity exoskeletons can assist with performing particular functions such as gait assistance, and physical therapy support for subjects who have lost the ability to walk. This paper presents the analysis and evaluation of lightweight and adjustable two degrees of freedom, quasi-passive lower limb device to improve gait rehabilitation. The exoskeleton consists of a high torque DC motor mounted on a metal plate above the hip joint, and a link that transmits assistance torque from the motor to the thigh. The knee joint is passively actuated by spring installed parallel with the joint. The action of the passive component (spring) is combined with mechanical output of the motor to provide a good control on the designed exoskeleton whi
... Show MoreThis research aims to develop transdermal patches of Ondansetron hydrochloride (OSH) with different types of polymers, ethyl cellulose and, polyvinyl pyrrolidone k30 in a ratio (3:0.5,3:1,3:2,2:1,1:1) with propylene glycol 20%w/w as a plasticizer. Prepared transdermal patches were evaluated for physical properties. The compatibility between the drug and excipients was studied by Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), where there is no interaction between the drug and polymers. From the statistical study, there is a statistical difference between all the prepared formulations p<0.05. In-vitro Release study of transdermal patches was performed by using a paddle over the disc. The release profile of OSH follow
... Show More74 fanners were randomily selected from the Lc:ital. of 406 fanners using the Modern Irrigation System up to November , 2000 , for the purpose of wide adoptation of such system. Rcsults indicated according to the data which has been obtained and statistically analysed by the statistical package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program showed that the majority of the farmers adopted this new system of irrigation due to the increase in the yield up to 5" .