Background This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of once-daily liraglutide as an add-on to oral antidiabetics (OADs) on glycemic control and body weight in obese patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods A total of 27 obese T2D patients who received 7 months (0.6 mg/day for the first month, 1.2 mg/day for 3 months, and 1.8 mg/day for 3 months) of liraglutide treatment as an add-on to OADs were included. Data on body weight (kg), fasting plasma glucose (FPG, mg/dL), postprandial glucose (PPG, mg/dL), and HbA1c (%), were recorded. Results Liraglutide doses of 1.2 mg/day and 1.8 mg/day were associated with significant decreases in body weight (by 8.0% and 11.9%, respectively, p < 0.01 for each) and HbA1c (by 20.0 and 26.5%, respectively, p < 0.01), while all liraglutide doses yielded significant reductions in FPG (p ranging from < 0.001 to < 0.01) and PPG (p ranging from < 0.001 to < 0.01). Glycemic parameters showed a significant reduction from the 1.2 mg/day dose to the 1.8 mg/day dose (p < 0.01 for each), whereas no further reduction in body weight was noted. Conclusion Our findings indicate favorable efficacy of liraglutide as an add-on to OADs in weight reduction and improving glycemic parameters in obese patients with inadequately controlled T2D. Once-daily liraglutide treatment was associated with significant weight loss and improved HbA1c levels only at 1.2-mg and 1.8-mg doses, while a 1.8-mg dose compared with a 1.2-mg dose seemed to enable a further improvement in glycemic control but not in weight loss.
Specialized hardware implementations of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) can offer faster execution than general-purpose microprocessors by taking advantage of reusable modules, parallel processes and specialized computational components. Modern high-density Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) offer the required flexibility and fast design-to-implementation time with the possibility of exploiting highly parallel computations like those required by ANNs in hardware. The bounded width of the data in FPGA ANNs will add an additional error to the result of the output. This paper derives the equations of the additional error value that generate from bounded width of the data and proposed a method to reduce the effect of the error to give
... Show MoreTo assess the impact of COVID‐19 on oral hygiene (OH) awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, fear of infection and economic impact in the Middle East.
This survey was performed by online distribution of questionnaires in three countries in the Middle East (Jordan, Iraq and Egypt). The questionnaire consisted of five sections: the first section was aimed at collecting demographic data and the rest sections used to assess OH awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, degree of fear and economic impact of COVID‐19. The answers were either multiple choice, closed‐end (Yes or N
Persons with spinal cord injury are at high risk of developing pressure injuries, and their caregivers are in a critical position to help prevent them. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program for caregivers of persons with spinal cord injuries to prevent pressure injuries in Iraq. A pre- and post-test design was used and involved 25 caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury during the acute care phase in an SCI-specific unit of a hospital. A scale and questionnaire were used to gather the participants’ demographic information, pre- and post-educational program knowledge, and observations of their pre- and post-program performance of pressure injury preventive tasks. Descriptive s
... Show MoreThe study showed significant differences between the average weight lens and the average amount protein in the lens between that Kestrel Falco tinnunculus L. and the Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto F. , also the study electrical migration of lens proteins having one bundle of crystalline –? in Kestrel compared with three bundles in Collared Dove, two bundles of crystalline – ? in both , and crystalline – ? appeared as one bundle in both birds.
During recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the investigation of the cytokines roles in pathogenesis of cancer, thus the study aimed at evaluating the level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-?) in sera of Iraqi multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Beta 2-microglobulion (?2-m) was assessed to determine if there was any association between this cytokine and the level of ?2- m, as the latter is related to the stage of the disease. In addition, the age and gender were also taken into consideration. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between IgG and TNF-? in sera of patients. 49 Iraqi patients (27 males and 22 females).The patients were also divided into two groups: the first group included (17) patients who were
... Show MoreThe current study investigates the role of smart sports bracelets on physical and motor skills development among youth volleyball players, closing the research gap of wearable technology in sport training. Understanding the necessity of up-to-date training measures of handicaps for perfection of athletic performance, the research is focused on comparison of the effect of strength, agility and flexibility achieved with the use of smart sports bracelet with real time feedback (test group) and without (control group). The research adopted a quasi-experimental design through a sample of (12) players et al.-Karkh Sports Club, (6) of them were in the experimental group (who used the smart bracelet) and (6) of them were in the control group (who u
... Show MorePurpose: The purpose of the study is to compare and evaluate Earnings Management in Tunisia and Iraq. Theoretical framework: Earnings Management is an important topic that has been studied by a significant number of researchers, as well as those who are interested in the accounting profession. Earnings Management has gotten a lot of attention from academics, professionals, and other interested parties in recent years (e.g. Kliestik et al., 2020; Rahman et al., 2021; Gamra &Ellouze, 2021) Design/methodology/approach: The sample includes ten banks listed on the Bourse of Tunisia and Iraq Stock Exchanges for the year 2017. We have used a model of Kothari et al., (2005) as a tool to measure Earnings Management in both mark
... Show MoreSocial responsibility has achieved tremendous attention by academicians and practitioners to focus on social responsibility accounting. However, many studies around the globe have been conduct to measure the outcomes of social responsibility accounting. This paper presents the impact of applying the supply chain strategy (SCS) on the agribusiness field to optimize productivity and decreasing cost which will have a direct impact on the net income of the organization. The inconclusive results of earlier studies stimulated this research to social responsibility accounting-financial performance. The equivocal results of this phenomenon urge this study to investigate the role of other factors in the relationship of social responsibility accounti
... Show MoreRefrigerant R134a has been widely utilized in automotive air conditioning systems (AACSs); R134a has a high global warming potential (GWP) of 1430 despite having zero ozone depletion potential (ODP). Coming refrigeration systems must include refrigerants with low GWP and zero ODP. The aim of this experimental study is to evaluate the thermal performance of an (AAC) with different values of compressor speeds, i.e., (1000, 1700, and 2400 rpm) and two thermal loads, i.e., (500 and 1000 Watt) with the absence and presence of liquid suction heat exchanger (LSHX) using R134a. The results showed that adding LSHX enhanced the COP cycle by 7.18%, 10.7%, and 3.09% for the first, second, and third speed, respectively, at 500 Watt, while the en
... Show MoreBackground: Posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA) is branch of the maxillary artery. It usually supplies the lateral wall of the sinus and overlying membrane. Evaluation and awareness of the anatomy of maxillary sinus before surgery is crucial to avoid surgical complications. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence, location of the (PSAA) in relation to the floor of the maxillary sinus and alveolar crest using computerized tomography (CT) scans. Materials and Methods: This study included 180 Iraqi subjects (99 males and 81 females) with age more than 16 years old. CT scans for (right and left) Maxillary sinuses were done for each patient. The information obtained was assessed in a coronal multi planar reconstructions images (
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