BACKGROUND: Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) approved for use in North America since 1997 despite the fact that the concept of using SNS to treat patients with voiding dysfunction discussed first almost 50 years ago. AIM: The objectives of the study were to assess the effectiveness of SNS the short and long term for patients with overactive bladder (OAB) dysfunction and its relation to age, gender, and causes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a clinical prospective study that involved 50 cases (32 females and 18 males) with OAB. It was carried out at Ibn Sina Hospital, and the neurosciences hospital in Baghdad/Iraq from April 2015 to April 2018. All the patients were assessed preoperatively and certain inclusion criteria were used. The patients went through the 2 stage implantations of the Medtronic InterStim®. The patients were assessed at 6 months (short term) and 2 years (long term) postoperatively. RESULTS: The results of our patients were analyzed with respect to age, gender, causes of OAB, and post-operative complications. We found that younger age patients, female patients, and patients with neurogenic causes of OAB showed a better response in both the short- and long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: Considerable progress has been made in the surgical management of OAB. Proper selection of patients is the key to the success of SNS, and female patients have better results compared to male patients. Furthermore, younger patients and patients with neurogenic causes did better than older patients and patients with idiopathic causes. SNS is a safe minimally invasive surgery with a low complication rate, and the 2 stages procedure has better results than the percutaneous nerve evaluation.
This study reports on natural convection heat transfer in a square enclosure of length (L=20 cm) with a saturated porous medium (solid glass beads) having same fluid (air) at lower horizontal layer and free air fill in the rest of the cavity's space. The experimental work has been performed under the effects of heating from bottom by constant heat flux q=150,300,450,600 W/m2 for four porous layers thickness Hp (2.5,5,7.5,1) cm and three heaters length δ(20,14,7) cm. The top enclosure wall was good insulated and the two side walls were symmetrically cooled at constant temperature. Four layers of porous media with small porosity, Rayleigh number range (60.354 - 241.41) and (Da) 3.025x10-8 has been investigated. The obtained data of temperatu
... Show MoreIn this study, NAC-capped CdTe/CdS/ZnS core/double shell QDs were synthesized in an aqueous medium to investigate their utility in distinguishing normal DNA from mutated DNA extracted from biological samples. Following the interaction between the synthesized QDs with DNA extracted from leukemia cases (represents damaged DNA) and that of healthy donors (represents undamaged DNA), differential fluorescent emission maxima and intensities were observed. It was found that damaged DNA from leukemic cells DNA-QDs conjugates at 585 nm while intact DNA (from healthy subjects) DNA–QDs conjugates at 574 nm. The obtained results from the optical analyses indicate that the prepared QDs could be utilized as probe for detecting disrupted DNA th
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The purpose of our study was to develop Dabigatran Etexilate loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (DE-NLCs) using Glyceryl monostearate and Oleic acid as lipid matrix, and to estimate the potential of the developed delivery system to improve oral absorption of low bioavailability drug, different Oleic acid ratios effect on particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were studied, the optimized DE-NLCs shows a particle size within the nanorange, the zeta potential (ZP) was 33.81±0.73mV with drug entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 92.42±2.31% and a loading capacity (DL%) of 7.69±0.17%. about 92% of drug was released in 24hr in a controlled manner, the ex-vivo intestinal p
... Show MoreAbstract: Background: Staphylococcus aureus is Gram-positive bacteria that lives as a normal flora in living organisms but can be pathogenic to humans. Although a relatively unspectacular, nonmotile coccoid bacterium, S. aureus is a dangerous human pathogen in both community-acquired and nosocomial infections. Due to the increasing emergence of new strains of this antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it has become essential to approach different methods to control this pathogen. One of these methods is the antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation process using a low-level laser, in this paper, the Photodynamic effects of Rose Bengal and LLLL on the virulence factors of S.aureus were evaluated.
The effects of nutrients and physical conditions on phytase production were investigated with a recently isolated strain of Aspergillus tubingensis SKA under solid state fermentation on wheat bran. The nutrient factors investigated included carbon source, nitrogen source, phosphate source and concentration, metal ions (salts) and the physical parameters investigated included inoculum size, pH, temperature and fermentation duration. Our investigations revealed that optimal productivity of phytase was achieved using wheat bran supplemented with: 1.5% glucose. 0.5% (NH4)2SO4, 0.1% sodium phytate. Additionally, optimal physical conditions were 1 × 105 spore/g substrate, initial pH of 5.0, temperature of fermentation 30˚C and fermentation dura
... Show MoreThis paper presents a comparative study of two learning algorithms for the nonlinear PID neural trajectory tracking controller for mobile robot in order to follow a pre-defined path. As simple and fast tuning technique, genetic and particle swarm optimization algorithms are used to tune the nonlinear PID neural controller's parameters to find the best velocities control actions of the right wheel and left wheel for the real mobile robot. Polywog wavelet activation function is used in the structure of the nonlinear PID neural controller. Simulation results (Matlab) and experimental work (LabVIEW) show that the proposed nonlinear PID controller with PSO
learning algorithm is more effective and robust than genetic learning algorithm; thi
Asthma is one of the most common chronic, non-communicable diseases affecting children worldwide. The estimated prevalence of pediatric asthma in Iraq is 15.8%. Physiologic, inflammatory and structural factors contribute to the development of asthma. Assessment and monitoring of asthma control can be done by a validated children asthma control test (CACT). Management of asthma must address three components which are an appropriate management plan, the most appropriate medication if necessary, and the use of safe and effective medication. The management plan should consider patient counseling and education about the definition of asthma, signs, and symptoms, the pathophysiology of asthma, common triggers for asthma and how can avoid them,
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