Background: Birth defects are the leading cause of both neonatal and post-neonatal deaths, as an estimated 240,000 neonates die in their first month of life worldwide each year. In Iraq, local studies have shown varying frequencies and types of congenital anomalies. Objectives: To provide new insight into the incidence and types of congenital anomalies and to explore their possible risk factors in Baghdad City. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, a total of 2007 neonates were enrolled from six hospitals in Baghdad during the period extending between September and December 2020. Hospital records and personal interviews were used for data collection. These data included the neonates' demographic and clinical characteristics, maternal, pregnancy, and immediate postnatal conditions. Description of the defects in those with birth defects was recorded from hospital records and as described by the parents. Statistical analysis was performed as required. Results: There were 64 (3.2%) neonates with birth defects, i.e., an incidence of 32/1000 total births (28/1000 live births); of them, 38 (59.4%) were males, 8 (12.5%) were stillborn, 43 (66.2%) were born with a cesarean section, the majority (87.5%) had maternal age between 20 and 40 years, and 35 (54.6%) had a low birth weight and were statistically significant. In addition, reduced fetal movement, prematurity, and not receiving tonics during pregnancy were also statistically significant. Among the 64 births with congenital anomalies, multiple congenital anomalies were the most common defects [26 (40.6%)]. An isolated defect was detected in 38 (57.8%) of them. The predominant system involved was the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) [12 (18.8%)] cases, followed by the central nervous system (CNS) with 11 (17.2%) cases, and the musculoskeletal system (MS) with 6 (9.4%) cases. Conclusion: The incidence of birth defects in Baghdad is close to global figures at 28/1000 live births with multiple congenital anomalies, gastro-intestinal, central nervous, and musculoskeletal systems defects being the most frequent, while cardiovascular, genitourinary, and skin defects being the least frequent. Possible risk factors included maternal age, drug intake, and not receiving tonics during pregnancy.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents an advanced stage of technological development, characterized by the integration of digital, physical, and biological technologies, with a strong focus on smart connectivity and advanced data analysis. At the core of this revolution stands Artificial Intelligence (AI), which enables the processing of vast amounts of data, decision-making with speed and accuracy, automation of processes, and enhancement of productivity and quality. This research examines the transformative role of AI in the humanities, particularly in archaeological, historical, and geographical studies, where traditional methods face limitations in handling complex and extensive datasets.The study aims to highlight these l
... Show MoreObjective: Comprehending microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns is essential for efficient treatment protocols. This study sought to determine the incidence of bacterial and fungal pathogens responsible for burn and wound infections and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 140 patients with burn or wound infections. Sterile swabs and pus aspiration were employed to collect samples, which were subsequently processed using standard microbiological procedures. Antibiotic resistance was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method, following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 25.0, and the Chi-
... Show MoreBackground: Candida albicans is a prevalent commensal that can cause severe health problems in humans. One such condition that frequently returns after treatment is oral candidiasis. Aim: the goal of this research is to evaluate the efficiency of 940 nm as a fungicidal on the growth of Candida albicans in vitro. Material and Methods: In vitro samples (fungal swabs) were taken from the oral cavity of 75 patients suffering from oral thrush. Following the process of isolating and identifying Albicans. The samples are divided into four groups:(Group 1): Suspension of C. albicans was put in a solution of saline as a control group. (Group 2): Suspension of C. albicans that had been treated wit
... Show MorePublication and edition of two tablets from the library in the Ebabbar Temple of Sippar, a manuscript of the ‘Babylonian Poem of the Righteous Sufferer’ (
Contours extraction from two dimensional echocardiographic images has been a challenge in digital image processing. This is essentially due to the heavy noise, poor quality of these images and some artifacts like papillary muscles, intra-cavity structures as chordate, and valves that can interfere with the endocardial border tracking. In this paper, we will present a technique to extract the contours of heart boundaries from a sequence of echocardiographic images, where it started with pre-processing to reduce noise and produce better image quality. By pre-processing the images, the unclear edges are avoided, and we can get an accurate detection of both heart boundary and movement of heart valves.
The functional properties of the defatted powder and protein isolate of germinated mung bean seeds were studied and the estimation of the amino acids was carried out. The results showed a significant increase in the values of the amino acids leucine, lysine, phenylalanine and valine. The results of studying the functional properties of the protein isolate and defatted powder showed that there were significant differences between the sample The defatted and protein isolate, if the water absorption capacity of the defatted mung powder was 2.5% water/gm protein and the water absorption capacity of the protein isolate was 3%ml water/g protein, the fat binding capacity of the defatted powder was 0.3 ml fat/g protein and the isolate The ratio was
... Show MoreIn the present work, the pollutants of the municipal wastewater are reduced using Chlorella vulgaris microalgae. The pollutants that were treated are: Total organic carbon (TOC), Chemical oxygen demand (COD), Nitrate (NO3), and Phosphate (PO4). Firstly, the treatment was achieved at atmospheric conditions (Temperature = 25oC), pH 7 with time (1 – 48 h). To study the effect of other microorganisms on the reduction of pollutants, sterilized wastewater and unsterilized wastewater were used for two types of packing (cylindrical plastic and cubic polystyrene) as well as algae's broth (without packing), where the microalgae are grown on the packing then transported to the wastewater for treatment. Th
... Show MoreHazardous materials, heavy metals, and organic toxins released into the environment have caused considerable harm to microbes, plants, animals, and humans. Wastewater is one of the most contaminated ecosystems due to heavy metals emitted mostly by human activity. Bioremediation of wastewater is an ecologically acceptable and cost-effective method of removing heavy metals from sewage; the general purpose of this study is to analyse the dependability of anaerobic sludge biomass in removing sulfur compounds and heavy metals from waste water. The anaerobic sludge biomass evaluated in this work was taken from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Al-Rustumiya, Baghdad, and grown in the mineral medium for anaerobic growth. In serum bottl
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