Abstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead levels was taken from their medical records. Results: No significant differences were noticed between the prevalence of autism and both of age (P=0.843) and gender (P=0.699). The majority of children have no family history of autism (85%). Mean blood lead level for all participants was 16.01 μg/dl. The statistically significant difference in lead level was found between autistic and non-autistic children (17.38± 1.86 μg/dl in autism group versus 14.27± 1.57 μg/dl in non-autism group) with a P value of 0.001. Discussion: Mean blood lead level was high in all participants, compared to the international values, which might indicate a high level of lead exposure in Iraqi children due to environmental pollution. Autistic children have higher lead levels than non-autistic ones and this might explain the role of lead in the etiology of autism.
Baghdad Metro is a vital project to fulfill the rapidly increased traffic volume requirements. The proposed metro will connect both sides of Baghdad City, passing under the Tigris River. This study is employed finite elements software (PLAXIS 3D) to evaluate the seepage force developed around the sub-river segment during different construction stages and for other water levels of Tigris. The study found that when the water level changes from maximum to minimum, the developed seepage force decreases by (8 to 13%) and (22 to 27%) respectively. The seepage forces were found to be maximum during the excavation stage. The concrete lining process led to a noticeable reduction in seepage forces at all locations. The study also
... Show MoreField experiment conducted to measure vibrations on three axes longitudinal X, lateral Y and vertical Z on steering wheel, platform tractor and vertical vibration in seat tractor and seat effective amplitude transmissibility (SEAT) factor during operation tillage in silt clay loam soil with depth 18 cm in Baghdad. Split – split plot design under randomized complete block design with three replications least significant design 5 % used. Three factor were used in this experiment included two types of plows included chisel and disc plows which represented main plot, three tires inflation pressure was second factor included 1.1 ,1.8 and 2.7 bar, and three forward speeds of the tillage was third factor included 2.35 , 4.25 and 6.50 km/hr. Resu
... Show MoreBackground: ?-L-Fucose is a methyl pentose sugar, had the ability to kill bacteria, controlling infection and normalize immune function. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of sulcular injection of fucose on rabbits periodontium , throughout measuring the level of some proinflammatory cytokine ; interlukine 1beta ( IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor ( TNF-alpha) in sera of rabbits before fucose injection and at 3 days after fucose injection. Materials and Methods: The study was carried on using ( 20 ) male rabbits of the same species weighted (1-1.5 kg ) , the blood samples were collected from hearts of 20 rabbits before fucose injection and consider as( non injected group) , and after 3 days of fucose injection and con
... Show MoreSingle-input Multiple-output Signals Third-order Active-R Filter for different Circuit Merit Factor Q Configuration is proposed. This paper discusses a new configuration to realize third-order low pass, band pass and high pass. The presented circuit uses Single-input Multiple-output signals, OP-AMP and passive components. This filter is useful for high frequency operation, monolithic IC implementation and it is easy to design .This circuit gives three filter functions low-pass, high-pass and band-pass. This filter circuit can be used for different merit factor (Q) with high pass band gain. This gives better stop-band attenuation and sharper cut-off at the edge of the pass-band. Thus the response shows wider pass-band. The Ideal value of thi
... Show MoreA total of 722 algal taxa are recorded in Diyala River by different authors. Most of the identification algae belong to three Divisions: Bacillariophyceae (367, 50.8%), Chlorophyceae (179, 24.8%), and Cyanophyceae (126, 17.5%).
The grain hardness, wet and dry gluten contents, protein and ash contents are determined in grains from different cultivars of wheat which are important in food products, either which are present in raw materials or in final products. Wheat is also a very important food raw material, and flour as the final product of milling. The importance of knowing the physical and chemical properties of wheat and flour is due to the determination of quality and kind of flour which is produced after the milling process. In this work, some physical and chemical properties of different wheat cultivars are determined and the comparisons of these characteristics are performed in both wheat and flour. Uruq Wheat sample (W5) has the highest results when compar
... Show MoreObjective(s): To assess parents' attitude toward immunization and its relation with their compliance and to find out the relationship between parents' attitude and their socio-demographic characteristics.
Methodology: A descriptive design is conducted from the period of 19th September 2020 to the 6th of March 2021. A non-probability (convenient) sample of (292) parents was selected from (5) primary health care centers in Karbala city. These centers are distributed throughout (2) primary health care sectors selected randomly as (20%) from each sectors. The questionnaire is developed and composed of three parts: First part: parent's socio-demographic characteristics, Second part: parents' attitude domain, which involves (13 items), and
In the light of what is witnessing in the advertising arena of new ways and methods in delivering advertising message to consumers by finding new outlets to communicate with them especially through social networking sites, which became the first choice of advertising companies in order to spread its goods and services. These companies now are relying gradually on celebrities to appear with their products and goods to drive the audience's attention towards them. The thesis aims to find out the attitudes of young people towards the the advertisements that show famous celebrities on social networking sites. The researcher used survey method which aims to record, analyze and interpret the phenomenon after collecting the necessa
... Show MoreAn in-depth experimental study of the matrix effect of antifreeze (ethylene glycol) and water contamination of engine oil through FT-IR spectroscopy. With a comparison of the percent by volume concentration of contaminated fresh 15W-40 engine oil, there appeared to be a noticeable reduction in the O–H stretching signal in the infrared spectrum when ethylene glycol based antifreeze was included as a contaminant. The contaminants of distilled water, a 50/50 mixture of water and commercial ethylene glycol antifreeze, and straight ethylene glycol antifreeze were compared and a signal reduction in the O–H stretch was clearly evident when glycol was present. Doubling the volume of the 50/50 mixture as compared to water alone still res
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