Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, immune mediated disease of the central nervous system, mostly affecting young adults with mean age of 30 years, twice as high in women compared to men. The etiology of MS is not fully elucidated. MS symptoms are directly related to demyelination and axonal loss, along with other psychological symptoms, can result in functional limitations, disability and reduced quality of life (QoL). The QoL assessments in patients with a chronic disease may contribute to improving treatment and could even be of prognostic value. The goals of this study were to compare the QoL of Iraqi patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS),using three different diseases modifying therapies(DMTs) administered orally, subcutaneously, and by slow infusion; namely, fingolimod,interferonB-1b, and natalizumab, respectively. And to assess the role of disability status, educational status, occupational status, MS duration, and treatment duration as a predictor for the QoL. Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) questionnaire version 4 was used to assess QoL. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were tested by univariate and multivariate regression analyses to assess the contribution of these predictors to QoL. No significant differences were found in symptoms, thinking/fatigue subscales and FAMS total scores among the three DMTs. In conclusion: Iraqi MS patients using InterferonB-1b, fingolimod or natalizumab have a comparable low level of QoL. The expanded disability status scale (EDSS) is negatively associated with QoL of MS patients in all of the three therapies, while other predictors such as occupational status, educational status, smoking habit and MS duration have different impact in different treatments.
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease with episodes of exacerbation. Variable factors including infectious pathogen can predispose for this exacerbation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of intestinal protozoa in COPD exacerbation. A total of 56 patients with COPD were included in this study. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the frequency of exacerbation during the last 6 months: those with ≤1 exacerbation (32 patients) and those with ≥2 exacerbations (24 patients). Stool specimens from each patient were collected two times (one week interval) examined for intestinal parasite. In univariate analysis, rural residence and parasitic infection were more common among patie
... Show MoreLearning Disabilities are described as a hidden and puzzling disability. Children with these difficulties have the potential to hide weaknesses in their performance because they are a homogenous group of disorders that consist of obvious difficulties in acquiring and using reading, writing, Mathematical inference. Thus, the research aims to identify the disabilities of academic learning in (reading, writing, mathematics), identify the problems of behavior (general, motor, social). Identify the relationship among behaviour problems. The research also aims to identify the counseling needs to reduce the behavioral problems. The researcher adopted the analytical descriptive method by preparing two main tools for measuring learning disabiliti
... Show MoreThis research deals with the most important heritage in Iraq, which are the Iraqi marshes, especially Abu Zarag marsh in Al-Nasiriyah city south of Iraq. The research is divided into two parts. The first part deals with evaluating the water quality parameters of Abu Zarag marsh for the period from December 2018 to April 2019 which is the flooding season. The parameters are Temperature, pH, Electrical Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen, Sulfate, Nitrate. The second part is a comparison between the water quality parameters during the recent period with the same period during the previous years from 2014 to 2019. The results are
This study has been conducted to investigate the influence of preservatives(sodium propionate and potassium sorbate) at different levels to extend the storage life of laboratory processed biscuit.The results have shown that When%0.10 sodium propionate was added bacteria and fungi was not found for three months while found in the fourth month of storage.However bacteria and mold didnot grow until the sixth month of storage as %0.20 and %0.30 concentration was used. On the other side as %0.03 potassium sorbate was used,the growth of bacteria was cheched for 3 months and 4 months for molds..When %0.06 potassium sorbate was used no growth of bacterial or mold was found until the sixth month of storage . Three types of bacteria have been appeare
... Show MoreHard-grade asphalt binders like AC20-30 typically exhibit excessive stiffness, reduced penetration, and compromised workability, necessitating modification before use in paving applications. This study evaluates the efficacy of regular polyalphaolefin (PAO), a synthetic olefin-based lubricant, as a performance-enhancing modifying agent for such binders. AC20-30 was blended with PAO at dosages ranging from 2 wt.% to 10 wt.%, and the modified binders were characterized via penetration, ductility, softening point, and rotational viscosity measurements, alongside advanced rheological and chemical-morphological analyses. Incorporating PAO in AC20-30 asphalt progressively reduced the binder stiffness and enhanced its flexibility, with all modifie
... Show MoreThe problem of research was the lack of research that dealt with issue of the organizational environment, job design approach that is more suitable for knowledge work, therefore, the research aims to determine the impact of quality of working life and job enrichment on knowledge capital, starting from the hypothesis that there significant impact of quality of working life and job enrichment on knowledge capital, to achieve this goal the researcher from the theoretical literature and related studies conclude to the construction of the scheme shows the hypothetical relationship between the variables, which was adopted quality of working life and job enrichment as independent variable while knowl
... Show MoreThe study aimed at identifying the domains of abuse of the elderly (each field separately) of the research sample. The study sample consisted of (100) senior citizens residing in nursing homes in Baghdad and Kirkuk cities. They were selected in a simple random way. In order to achieve the research objectives, two scales were developed to measure the abuse of the elderly consisted of six domains: Neglection abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, social abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse), and the other to measure the life review. The results showed that the level of abuse of older people in the sample is higher than the average in the society they belong to, the level of life review was higher than the average they belong to, and the a
... Show MoreLaser shock peening (LSP) is deemed as a deep-rooted technology for stimulating compressive residual stresses below the surface of metallic elements. As a result, fatigue lifespan is improved, and the substance properties become further resistant to wear and corrosion. The LSP provides more unfailing surface treatment and a potential decrease in microstructural damage. Laser shock peening is a well-organized method measured up to the mechanical shoot peening. This kind of surface handling can be fulfilled via an intense laser pulse focused on a substantial surface in extremely shorter intervals. In this work, Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) and pure water as a coating layer were utilized as a new technique to improve the properti
... Show MoreFibroblast growth factors-23 (FGF-23) are a class of cell signaling proteins produced by macrophages. They have a range of roles, but they play a particularly important role in the development of animal cells, where they are essential for appropriate growth. Phosphate, which is found in the body as both organic and mineral phosphate, plays crucial roles in cell structure, communication, and metabolism. Most phosphate in the body resides in bone, teeth, and inside cells, with less than 1% circulating in serum. The aim of the study is to evaluate the levels of the Fibroblast Growth Factors-23 and phosphate and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) in acromegaly patients against healthy control. A case control study Fibroblast Growth Fact
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