Background: Several infectious lung diseases often develop in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially during immunosuppressive medication, including disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The present study aimed to determine the role of respiratory tract bacterial infection in RA activity. Methods: Blood and sputum samples were collected from 31 patients with RA and 12 healthy subjects as control. The bacterial isolates were isolated and identified in collected sputum by biochemical tests and Vitec 2 system. Results: In the present study, thirty-one patients with RA were compared with 12 healthy subjects. Eight patients with RA were not infected with pathogenic bacteria (RA-NIPB) (25.8%). Twenty-three RA patients were infected with pathogenic bacteria (RA-IPB) (74.19%). From 23 RA-IPB, 10 RA patients were infected with Staphylococcus aureus, 6 RA patients were infected with Klebsiella pneumonia, 4 RA patients were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae, and 3 RA patients were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. No pathogenic bacteria were isolated from the sputum of a healthy subjects. There was no significant difference between RA-NIPB and RA-IPB in terms of the level of disease activity score DAS28. Conclusion: The current study showed that patients with RA have a higher incidence of being infected with pathogenic bacteria than the healthy control group. No significant effect of bacterial species infection on the level of DAS28. The present study is the pioneer study that showed no effect of bacterial respiratory infections and different RA treatments on RA disease activity.
The performance of photovoltaic (PV) panel having staggered metal foam fins was examined experimentally in Baghdad, Iraq. Three staggered metal foam fin configurations attached to the backside of the PV panel were studied. The measured parameters were front and back surfaces temperature, open voltage and current circuits, maximum power, and PV efficiency. It was noted that the maximum electrical efficiency enhancement was 4.7% for staggered metal foam fins (case III) than the reference PV panel. The operating temperature of the cell was increased when the value of solar intensity was high. Thereby, the electrical efficiency was decreased. It was found that the metal foam fins decreased the PV temperature by 2-3 o
... Show MoreIn this paper, SiO2 nanoparticles thin films were synthesised at different PH values of solution by sol gel method at fixed temperature (25oC) and molar ratio (R =H2O/precursor) of (Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate) TEOS as precursor at (R=1). The structure and optical properties of the thin films have been investigated. All thin films were tested by using X-RAY diffraction. All X-RAY spectrum can be indexed as monoclinic structure with strong crystalline (110) plane. The morphological properties of the prepared films were studied by SEM. The results indicate that all films are in nano scale and the particle size around (19-62) nm .The size of silica particles increases with increasing PH value of solution where both the rate of hydrolysis and
... Show MoreThe work concerned with studying the effect of (SiO2) addition as a
filler on the adhesive properties of (PVA). Samples were prepared as
sheets by using casting method. The mechanical properties showed
that increase in tensile strength from (34MPa) to (68MPa) when
(SiO2) added to (PVA). The adhesive strength showed that joint
properties depend upon specific adhesive characteristic of material
(PVA) and (SiO2\PVA)composites at different concentrations (1.5%,
2.5%, 3.5%, 4.5wt%), the cohesive strength of the adhesive material,
the joint design, and adherent type (Sponge Rubber(SR), Natural
leather (NL), Vulcanized Rubber(VR), and Cartoon). The results
proved the tensile strength increased with (SiO2) ratio, so
Nano gamma alumina was prepared by double hydrolysis process using aluminum nitrate nano hydrate and sodium aluminate as an aluminum source, hydroxyle poly acid and CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) as templates. Different crystallization temperatures (120, 140, 160, and 180) 0C and calcinations temperatures (500, 550, 600, and 650) 0C were applied. All the batches were prepared at PH equals to 9. XRD diffraction technique and infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy were used to investigate the phase formation and the optical properties of the nano gamma alumina. N2 adsorption-desorption (BET) was used to measure the surface area and pore volume of the prepared nano alumina, the particle size and the
... Show MoreA field experiment was carried out to find out the effect of some herbicides(Pallas, Crash, U46) on the companion weed to three cultivars of the oat crop (Shefa, Hamel, and Pimula) and the yield and its components of these cultivars. The results showed the superiority of the two treatments of spraying weed herbicides (T1 and T2 ) by giving the best results, as they recorded the lowest number of weed plants after 30 days of spraying reached 1.44 and 1.67 plant/m2 . Besides, the lowest weed dry weight was 0.11 and 0.00 g/m2, and the highest inhibition percentage in dry weight was 98.44% and 100.0% of the two treatments, respectively. The treatment T2 was also superior by giving the highest control percentage of 93.28% compared to the compari
... Show MoreNosocomial infection is acquired contamination of hospitals and health care units caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. Currently, bacterial resistance to antimicrobial medication represents a complicated public health problem. Recent studies on the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) attracted researchers worldwide to focus on the safe synthesis of AgNPs as antimicrobial agents against multidrug resistant bacteria. The antimicrobial efficacy of AgNPs on pathogenic bacteria isolated from clinical cases of acquired hospital infection was targeted in this project. Fifty specimens of stool were collected through private laboratories in Baghdad from patients who suffered diarrheal symptoms. Bacterial isolation, identific
... Show MoreIntroduction and Aim: Cancers are a complex group of genetic illnesses that develop through multistep, mutagenic processes which can invade or spread throughout the body. Recent advances in cancer treatment involve oncolytic viruses to infect and destroy cancer cells. The Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an oncolytic virus has shown to have anti-cancer effects either directly by lysing cancer cells or indirectly by activating the immune system. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) has been widely used in studying the anti-tumor activity of oncolytic viruses. This study aimed to study the anticancer effect of a recombinant rNDV-GFP clone on NCI-H727 lung carcinoma cell line in vitro. Materials and Methods: The GFP gene was inserted t
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