The present study was designed to evaluate the immunological status in a sample of Iraqi males with primary infertility and them age range18-55 years, who were attending the Centre of Infertility and in vitro Fertilization (Kamal Al-Samaraie Hospital, Baghdad) during the period December 2008 – April 2009. They were divided into three groups; 40 patients with anti-sperm antibodies (ASA), 20 patients with Asthenozoospermia (AST) and 20 patients with azoospermia (AZO). In adition to20 fertile males was as control group. The parameters of evaluations were standard seminal fluid analysis, anti-sperm antibodies and anti-mitochondrial antibodies in serum, Therefore, two types of samples were collected from each subject; seminal fluid and blood. The following results were obtained: 1. There was a significant (P ? 0.05) decrease count of sperms in ASA (44.6 x 106 sperm/ml) and AST (46.9 x 106 sperm/ml) patients as compared to controls (63.2 x 106 sperm/ml) but the the result with in normal limit. 2. Serum anti-sperm antibodies were positive in 100.% of ASA patients, while in AZO patients, a much lower percentage was observed (25% for serum), and a much lower percentage was observed in controls (5% for serum but these influence were not clear). In contrast, none of the AST patients were positive ASA. These results were positively correlated with the corresponding serum and seminal fluid level, and the highest level was observed in ASA patients (107.6 U/ml). These differences were statistically significant. 3. Serum AMA showed different percentages in ASA, AST and AZO patients and controls (37.5, 25.0 and 20.0, 15.0%, respectively), but these differences were not significant. However, their serum level was significantly increased in ASA patients as compared to controls (11.9 vs. 6.5 U/ml).
This study conducted an analytical investigation on the behavior of concrete beams with openings reinforced by glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. In this study, five proposed beams reinforced by GFRP bars as flexural and shear reinforcement with openings were numerically examined. The variables were the opening orientation (vertical and horizontal) and the number of openings. These openings were located within the flexural zone of the proposed beams. The result shows that the vertical openings had a significant effect over the horizontal openings on reducing the ultimate load and increasing the mid-span deflection compared with the control beam. Moreover, the results showed t
This work deals with the effect of adding aluminum nanoparticles on the mechanical properties, micro-hardness and porosity of memory-shape alloys (Cu-Al-Ni). These alloys have wide applications in various industrial fields such as (high damping compounds and self-lubricating applications). The samples are manufactured using the powder metallurgy method, which involved pressing in only one direction and sintered in a furnace surrounded by an inert gas. Four percentages (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of aluminum nanoparticles were fabricated, which depended on the weight of aluminum powder (13%) in the sample under study. To find out which phase is responsible for the reliability of the formation of this type of alloy and its porosity, X-ray diffr
... Show MoreThis research is devoted to investigating the thermal buckling analysis behaviour of laminated composite plates subjected to uniform and non-uniform temperature fields by applying an analytical model based on a refined plate theory (RPT) with five unknown independent variables. The theory accounts for the parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the plate thickness and satisfies the zero-traction boundary condition on the surface without using shear correction factors; hence a shear correction factor is not required. The governing differential equations and associated boundary conditions are derived by using the virtual work principle and solved via Navier-type analytical procedure to obtain critica
... Show MoreBackground: The COVID-19 virus outbreak had a massive effect on many parts of people's lives, as they were advised to quarantine and lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading, which had a big impact on people's mental health, anxiety, and stress. Many internal and external factors lead to stress. This negatively influences the body's homeostasis. As a result, stress may affect the body's capacity to use energy to defend against pathogens. Many recent investigations have found substantial links between human mental stress and the production of hormones, prohormones, and/or immunological chemicals. some of these researches have verified the link between stress and salivary cortisol levels. The aim of this study is to measure salivary corti
... Show MoreIt is important to note that Posaconazole (POCZ) is a newly developed extended-spectrum triazole that belongs to BCS class II and has a solubility of less than 1µg/ml. In patients with a weakened immune system, POCZ has been shown to be effective as an antifungal treatment for invasive infections caused by candida and aspergillus species. The nano-micelles technique can be used to increase POCZ solubility. In order to increase their apparent solubility in water, nano-micelles are made by combining macromolecules that self-assemble into ordered structures capable of entrapping hydrophobic drug molecules in the interior domain. Dispersed colloidal systems, of which nano-micelles are a subset, are a large and diverse group. Composed of a p
... Show MoreIn the present study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with outside diameters of< 8 nm and 20−30 nm were covalently functionalized with β-Alanine using a novel synthesis procedure. The functionalization process was proved successful using Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, and TEM. Utilizing the two-step method with ultrasonication, the MWCNTs treated with β-Alanine (Ala-MWCNTs) with weight concentrations of 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.075%, and 0.1% were dispersed in distilled water to prepare water-based nanofluids. The aqueous colloidal dispersions of pristine MWCNTs were unstable. While for Ala-MWCNTs and after> 50 days from preparation, higher colloidal stability was obtained up to relative concentration of 0.955 and 0.939 for the 0.075-wt% samp
... Show MoreThis work concentrates on the effect of a flex-skin trailing edge flap on the aerodynamic characteristics of SD7037 airfoil at low Reynolds numbers, in the range of 2^10 to 5^10 using computational methods. The study used a range of angle of attack (AOA) associated with the take-off phase and different flap angles. The numerical model was set up in Siemens STAR-CCM+ package using the κ-ω shear stress transport turbulence model and the (γ-Reθ) transition model which ensured the approximate solution of Navier-Stokes equations. The verification of the computational solution was done by the comparison with the available experimental data of the plain flap, and it was discovered that the results matched pretty well at lower AoAs. Results in
... Show MoreUropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is problematic and still the leading cause of urinary tract infections worldwide. It is developed resistance against most antibiotics. The investigation, surveillance system, and efficient strategy will facilitate selecting an appropriate treatment that could control the bacterial distribution. The present study aims to investigate the epidemiology and associated risk factors of uropathogenic E. coli and to study their antibiotic resistance patterns. 1585 midstream urine specimens were collected from symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTI) patients (225 males and 1360 females) admitted to Zakho emergency hospital, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq from January 2016 until the end of December 2
... Show MoreThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in medical education and healthcare systems worldwide. The disease can cause life-threatening conditions and it presents challenges for medical education, as instructors must deliver lectures safely, while ensuring the integrity and continuity of the medical education process. It is therefore important to assess the usability of online learning methods, and to determine their feasibility and adequacy for medical students. We aimed to provide an overview of the situation experienced by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical students regarding electronic medical education.
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