Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a common health problem that has a worldwide distribution. Apart from the direct effect of the virus on the liver, there are many extrahepatic manifestations among which the probable effect on bone turnover associated with low bone mineral density (BMD). Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between treated and untreated chronic HBV infection with BMD. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included a total of 48 patients with chronic HBV (28 patients treated with tenofovir-disoproxil-fumarate [TDF] antiviral drug and 20 patients have not yet started treatment). Other age- and sex-matched 30 apparently healthy individuals were recruited to represent the healthy controls. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry on the anteroposterior lumbar spine (L1–L4 spine) views, from which T-score was calculated. Liver function tests were also evaluated from serum samples. Results: Treated patients showed a lower T‑score (−0.48 ± 0.72) than either healthy individuals (1.08 ± 0.84) or untreated patients (0.78 ± 0.51), with highly significant differences. In multivariate regression, only disease duration (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 9.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.8–16.68) and TDF treatment (adjusted OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 4.18–97.05) were significantly associated with BMD. Conclusions: Prolonged use of TDF in the treatment of HBV infection can significantly reduce BMD. Moreover, BMD can also be inversely affected in long-standing HBV, regardless of treatment regimen.
Many waste materials can be repurposed effectively within asphalt concrete to enhance the performance and sustainability of pavement. One of these waste materials is sawdust ash (SDA). This study explores the beneficial use of SDA as a substitute for limestone dust (LD) mineral filler in asphalt concrete. The replacement rate was 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% by weight of total mineral filler. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to assess the surface morphology of Sawdust (SD), SDA, and LD. In addition, a series of tests, including Marshall stability and flow, indirect tensile strength,moisture susceptibility, and repeated uniaxial loading tests, were conducted to examine the performance characteristics of asphalt mixtures of diffe
... Show MoreThe condition known as hypothyroidism is common in women, even in those who are fertile. The quantity and caliber of follicles present in the ovary at any one moment are known as the ovarian reserve. Individuals who are susceptible to a decreased ovarian reserve ought to have an assessment of their ovarian reserve conducted. The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of hypothyroidism on Iraqi women's ovarian reserve using Inhibin B hormone and hormone tests FSH, LH. There was no discernible variation in the average (±SD) age from (20 to 40) years of the patient group compared to the control group (p-value 0.08). However the mean BMI of the patients were statistically significantly different from the controls (P- value 0.006).Wom
... Show MoreBackground: Waterpipe tobacco smoking has become common especially among young people, Waterpipe smoking misconcepted as a safer mean of smoking, so in this study we will highlight the effect of Waterpipe smoking ‎on periodontal and oral health.‎ Materials and method. The selected ‎‎‎100 male subjects of 30-40 years, ‎categorized into 4 groups (each group ‎‎25 subject): Waterpipe smoker ‎with ‎healthy periodontium, ‎Waterpipe smoker ‎‎with chronic periodontitis, Non-‎‎smoker ‎with healthy periodontium and Non-smoker ‎with chronic periodontitis. Whole ‎unstimulated ‎saliva was collected. Clinical measurements: plaque ‎index
... Show MoreBackground: Propolis has received great interest because of its wide range antimicrobial activity. Propolis also called (bee glue) due to its collection by (Apismellifera) honeybees from various plants resinous substance. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial effect of propolis extracts (aqueous and alcoholic) on anaerobic periodontal pathogen namely Aggregatibacteractinomycetemcomitans. Materials and Methods: Strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans wasisolated from pockets of systemically healthy patients aged between 35-55 years old suffering from chronic periodontitis with pocket depths of 5-6 mm, the bacteria cultured on special blood Agar plates solid media. Propolis was extracted by using water and alcohol.
... Show MoreArticle information: COVID-19 has roused the scientic community, prompting calls for immediate solutions to avoid the infection or at least reduce the virus's spread. Despite the availability of several licensed vaccinations to boost human immunity against the disease, various mutated strains of the virus continue to emerge, posing a danger to the vaccine's ecacy against new mutations. As a result, the importance of the early detection of COVID-19 infection becomes evident. Cough is a prevalent symptom in all COVID-19 mutations. Unfortunately, coughing can be a symptom of various of diseases, including pneumonia and inuenza. Thus, identifying the coughing behavior might help clinicians diagnose the COVID-19 infection earlier and distinguish
... Show MoreDoxycycline and levofloxacin are heterocyclic organic compounds that are now popularly used to treat some bacterial infections. In this study which was conducted on patients from a private clinic, we compared the use of two commonly used antibiotics for the treatment of diagnosed cases with vaginal chlamydial infection: levofloxacin and doxycycline. Vaginal chlamydial infection is considered to be a very common sexually transmitted infection. It may have minimal symptoms which can lead to neglect by the patient until it leads to some important complications among which is the inability to become pregnant. This indicates early diagnosis and treatment of this infection. By comparing the results of treatment we concluded that there is no much
... Show MoreLongitudinal data is becoming increasingly common, especially in the medical and economic fields, and various methods have been analyzed and developed to analyze this type of data.
In this research, the focus was on compiling and analyzing this data, as cluster analysis plays an important role in identifying and grouping co-expressed subfiles over time and employing them on the nonparametric smoothing cubic B-spline model, which is characterized by providing continuous first and second derivatives, resulting in a smoother curve with fewer abrupt changes in slope. It is also more flexible and can pick up on more complex patterns and fluctuations in the data.
The longitudinal balanced data profile was compiled into subgroup
... Show MoreBackground: Polycystic ovary syndrome is among the leading causes of fertility-related problems and menstrual irregularities in women of reproductive age. The granulosa cells of the developing pre-antral and antral follicles produce inhibin B, which triggers chemical responses in the ovaries. Inhibin B is most often observed in the follicular phase when levels peak early and then decline over time Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the role of serum inhibin B and the Luteinizing Hormone / Follicle Stimulating Hormone ratio in differentiation between the different phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome as well as to define the predominant PCOS phenotype. Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted in the
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