One hundred isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were obtained from patients admitted to Baghdad hospitals, Iraq during the period between May 2018 until July 2018. These isolates were distributed as 15 isolates from blood, 25 isolates from urinary tract infections, 10 isolates from sputum, 12 isolates from wounds, 15 isolates from ear infections, 15 isolates from bronchial wash of patients suffering from respiratory tract infections in addition to 8 isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. The isolates were initially identified by culturing on MacConkey agar, blood agar and P. aeruginosa agar then diagnosed by performing some morphological and biochemical tests. The second diagnosis was done by API 20E system followed by Vitek 2 compact system. Antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out towards 15 antibiotics using disc diffusion method (Kirby–Bauer method). The results of sensitivity test showed that P. aeruginosa isolates possessed high resistance towards most antibiotics under study, the most antibiotic resistance was towards Gentamicin 87 (87%), whereas the lowest resistance was towards Imipenem 10 (10%). In this study, two types of methods were used in the detection of biofilm formation: the first one was Congo red agar method and the second one was microtiter plate method. In the first method, results showed that biofilm formed by 57/100 (57%) according to black color production on media, whereas in the second method was 69/100 (69%) produce strong adherence according to OD in ELISA reader. Genotypic detection of many virulence factors related to P. aeruginosa was performed using conventional PCR. These included: gene coded for exoenzyme S (exoS), exoenzyme U (exoU), exotoxin A (toxA), two phospholipases C encoded by (plcH) and (plcN), alginate (algD), (lasB), rpsl, proteaseIV, and Neuraminidase (nan1). The results revealed that the most frequent gene was exoS as it was detected in 87/100 (87%) isolates, whereas the least frequent gene was nan1 as it was detected in only 9/100 (9%). The frequency of detection of other genes were as follows: toxAi in 55/100 (55%); plcH in 45/100 (45%); exoU in 42/100 (42%); plcN in 33/100 (33%); proteaseIV in 31/100 (31%), algD in 29/100 (29%); lasB in 28/100 (28%), and rpsl in 25/100 (25%). Phylogenetic analysis by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC-PCR), ERIC-DNA Fingerprinting revealed the diversity of all isolates in Baghdad by using Dice coefficient and the unweighted pair group method with arthmetic average (group method) of phylogenetic analysis. The percentage level of similarity clearly showed that the isolates examined by species were divided into two distinct cluster numbers, in addition to three single isolates (clone), that clustered at a similarity level of (93%). According to the statistical analysis, it was found that the correlation coefficient of ERIC genotyping method with virulence genes in this study and antibiotics sensitivity test was significant at P < 0.05 (two-tailed), whereas correlation with biofilm was not significant
Self-repairing technology based on micro-capsules is an efficient solution for repairing cracked cementitious composites. Self-repairing based on microcapsules begins with the occurrence of cracks and develops by releasing self-repairing factors in the cracks located in concrete. Based on previous comprehensive studies, this paper provides an overview of various repairing factors and investigative methodologies. There has recently been a lack of consensus on the most efficient criteria for assessing self-repairing based on microcapsules and the smart solutions for improving capsule survival ratios during mixing. The most commonly utilized self-repairing efficiency assessment indicators are mechanical resistance and durab
... Show MoreBackground: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal
disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and alteration in bowel habits. It is more
common among adolescents and young age groups.
Objectives: to estimate the prevalence and identify potential determinants of IBS among high school
students in Baghdad, Iraq, 2017.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by using multi-staging cluster probability
sampling technique. All students in the sixth grade were considered eligible. Students with "red flag"
symptoms were excluded. Rome III criteria questionnaire of IBS was considered to define IBS. A
self-administered questionnaire used to compile socio-demograph
Osteoarthritis (OA) is recognized as a main public health difficult. It is one of the major reasons of reduced function that diminishes quality of life worldwide. Osteoarthritis is a very common disorder affecting the joint cartilage. As there is no cure for osteoarthritis, treatments currently focus on management of symptoms. Pain relief, improved joint function, and joint stability are the main goals of therapy. The muscle weakness and muscle atrophy contribute to the disease process. So, rehabilitation and physiotherapy were often prescribed with the intention to alleviate pain and increase mobility. Medical therapy provides modest benefits in pain reduction and functional improvement; however, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory dru
... Show MoreTwo prevalent neurodevelopment disorders in children are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describes autism as a condition marked by limitations in social communication as well as restricted, repetitive behavior patterns. While impulsivity, hyperactivity, and lack of concentration are signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Boys experience it more frequently than girls do. This study sought for possible factors that put children at risk for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it investigated the association between neurodevelopment disorders in children and parental risk factor i
... Show MoreA bolted–welded hybrid demountable shear connector for use in deconstructable steel–concrete composite buildings and bridges was proposed. The hybrid connector consisted of a partially threaded stud, which was welded on the flange of a steel section, and a machined steel tube with compatible geometry, which was bolted on the stud. Four standard pushout tests according to Eurocode 4 were carried out to assess the shear performance of the hybrid connector. The experimental results show that the initial stiffness, shear resistance, and slip capacity of the proposed connector were higher than those of traditional welded studs. The hybrid connector was a ductile connector, according to Eurocode 4, with slip capacity higher than 6 mm. A nonli
... Show MoreNew two experiments of the three factors, in this study were constructed to investigate the effects, of the fixed variations to the box plot on subjects' judgments of the box lengths. These two experiments were constructed as an extension to the group B experiments, the ratio experiments the experiments with two variables carried out previously by Hussin, M.M. (1989, 2006, 2007). The first experiment box notch experiment, and the second experiment outlier values experiment. Subjects were asked to judge what percentage the shorter represented of the longer length in pairs of box lengths and give an estimate of percentage, one being a standard plot and the other being of a different box lengths and
... Show MoreThis paper focuses on Load distribution factors for horizontally curved composite concrete-steel girder bridges. The finite-element analysis software“SAP2000” is used to examine the key parameters that can influence the distribution factors for horizontally curved composite steel
girders. A parametric study is conducted to study the load distribution characteristics of such bridge system due to dead loading and AASHTO truck loading using finite elements method. The key parameters considered in this study are: span-to-radius of curvature ratio, span length, number of girders, girders spacing, number of lanes, and truck loading conditions. The results have shown that the curvature is the most critical factor which plays an important
The charge density distributions (CDD) and the elastic electron scattering form
factors F(q) of the ground state for some odd mass nuclei in the 2s 1d shell, such
as K Mg Al Si 19 25 27 29 , , , and P 31
have been calculated based on the use of
occupation numbers of the states and the single particle wave functions of the
harmonic oscillator potential with size parameters chosen to reproduce the observed
root mean square charge radii for all considered nuclei. It is found that introducing
additional parameters, namely; 1 , and , 2 which reflect the difference of the
occupation numbers of the states from the prediction of the simple shell model leads
to very good agreement between the calculated an
The charge density distributions (CDD) and the elastic electron scattering form
factors F(q) of the ground state for some odd mass nuclei in the 2s 1d shell, such
as K Mg Al Si 19 25 27 29 , , , and P 31
have been calculated based on the use of
occupation numbers of the states and the single particle wave functions of the
harmonic oscillator potential with size parameters chosen to reproduce the observed
root mean square charge radii for all considered nuclei. It is found that introducing
additional parameters, namely; 1 , and , 2 which reflect the difference of the
occupation numbers of the states from the prediction of the simple shell model leads
to very good agreement between the calculated an