Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health issue and a main cause of global morbidity and mortality. TB is the world's ninth leading cause of death despite the numerous treatment strategies for managing the disease.
Objective: To assess the traditional method (direct smear examination and culture) against real-time PCR as pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis laboratory diagnostic techniques.
Cases and methods: Samples were collected from (612) TB cases, (409) of whom were pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and (203) were extrapolmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). The cases were seeking care at the Specialized Chest and Respiratory Disease Center/ National Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis (NRL) in Baghdad, during the period 1st of May -1st of October 2019. Direct smear examination, Lowenstein-Jensen culture and Real Time PCR were used to diagnose TB.
Results: Out of 612 samples received, 82(13.4%) were positive by smear microscopy, while 90(14.7%) were able to grow on Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) media. Ninety DNA extracts from the samples which were positive on LJ media and 25 control specimens, were diagnosed with molecular analysis by using real time PCR to determine the species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The results revealed that the 71 samples (78.9%) were M. tuberculosis, three specimens (3.3%) were combined M. bovis and M. tuberculosis, and one M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and M. bovis BCG, while15 (16.7%) were negative and subsequently excluded from study.
Conclusion: The comparison between molecular diagnostic methods by using Real time PCR with conventional diagnostic methods, provides a new promising technique and is potentially a practical and rapid alternative to the slower traditional pulmonary and EPTB diagnostic culture. The results show M. bovis overall contribution on human TB in comparison to M. tuberculosis is minor among PTB and EPTB cases in the sample studied.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common comorbidities associated with enlarged extremities, occurring in 60 % of patients with acromegaly. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship of growth hormone and insulin such as growth factor-1 with obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10), as risk factors for cardiovascular disorder in acromegaly patients. Eighty subjects were included and categorized into two groups: 40 acromegaly patients and 40 of the control group. The results indicated weight excess, hyperglycemia, hypertension, lipid disorder, and elevated levels of interleukins (2, 6, and 10). The correlation of both GH and IGF-1 with each of weight, BMI, systolic blood p
... Show MoreObjective: Evaluation of women's knowledge about risk factors and early detection of breast cancer at
Ibn Rushd college of education in Baghdad University.
Methodology: The study sample included (184) women in the Ibn Rushd College / University of
Baghdad, whose age ranged between (17-58) years. Data were collected through a structured
questionnaire prepared by the National Cancer Research Center which were answered during a scientific
symposium about breast cancer. The score was calculated by correcting the results of the answer, giving
one score for each correct answer and then estimating the level of knowledge and inputting all data in a
statistical program.
Results: The results showed limited level of women's
Laser drilling is capable of producing small, precisely positioned holes with high degree of reproductively. In this paper , IR millisecond Nd:YAG single pulsed laser was used to determine the effect of laser parameters on the drilled hole of the glass - fiber reinforced epoxy composite FR-4 sample of 2 mm in thickness . The type of laser source was GSI lumonics JK760TR Series laser 1.064μm system in a CNC cabin. The JK760TR series has a 0.3-50ms pulse length and a maximum repetition rate 500Hz with an average power of 600W. The investigation of single pulse laser drilling in this paper was based on theoretical and experimental solutions. In single pulse technique, the investigation included focal plane position fpp, pulse shap
... Show MoreBiodiesel can be prepared from various types of vegetable oils or animal fats with the aid of a catalyst.
Calcium oxide (CaO) is one of the prospective heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel synthesis. Modification
of CaO by impregnation on silica (SiO2) can improve the performance of CaO as catalyst. Egg shells and rice
husks as biomass waste can be used as raw materials for the preparation of the silica modified CaO catalyst.
The present study was directed to synthesize and characterize CaO impregnated SiO2 catalyst from biomass
waste and apply it as catalyst in biodiesel synthesis. The catalyst was synthesized by wet impregnation
method and characterized by x-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence, nitr
Natural frequency under initial stresses for simply supported cross-ply composite laminated plates (E glass- fiber) are obtained using Refind theory (RPT). This theory accounts for parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strain through the plate thickness and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factors. The governing equations for Eigen value problem under initial stress are derived using Hamilton’s principle and solved using Navier solution for simply supported cross-ply symmetric and antisymmetric laminated plates. The effect of many design factors such as modulus ratio, thickness ratio and number of laminates on the Natural frequency and buckling stresses
... Show MoreEnhancement of the performance for hybrid solar air conditioning system was presented in this paper. The refrigerant temperature leaving the condenser was controlled using three-way valve, this valve was installed after the compressor to regulate refrigerant flow rate towards the solar system. A control system using data logger, sensors and computer was proposed to set the opening valve ratio. The function of control program using LabVIEW software is to obtain a minimum refrigerant temperature from the condenser outlet to enhance the overall COP of the unit by increasing the degree of subcooled refrigerant. A variable load electrical heater with coiled pipe was used instead of the solar collector and the storage tank to simulate the sola
... Show MoreSensitive information of any multimedia must be encrypted before transmission. The dual chaotic algorithm is a good option to encrypt sensitive information by using different parameters and different initial conditions for two chaotic maps. A dual chaotic framework creates a complex chaotic trajectory to prevent the illegal use of information from eavesdroppers. Limited precisions of a single chaotic map cause a degradation in the dynamical behavior of the communication system. To overcome this degradation issue in, a novel form of dual chaos map algorithm is analyzed. To maintain the stability of the dynamical system, the Lyapunov Exponent (LE) is determined for the single and dual maps. In this paper, the LE of the single and dual maps
... Show MoreRoughness length is one of the key variables in micrometeorological studies and environmental studies in regards to describing development of cities and urban environments. By utilizing the three dimensions ultrasonic anemometer installed at Mustansiriyah university, we determined the rate of the height of the rough elements (trees, buildings and bridges) to the surrounding area of the university for a radius of 1 km. After this, we calculated the zero-plane displacement length of eight sections and calculated the length of surface roughness. The results proved that the ranges of the variables above are ZH (9.2-13.8) m, Zd (4.3-8.1) m and Zo (0.24-0.48) m.
In order to investigate the presence of methicillin or multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus in food-chain especially Cows raw milk and white raw soft cheese and its whey, a total of 30 samples were collected randomly from different markets in Baghdad Province during December 2012 till February 2013, in which samples were analyzed by a standard isolation protocols of food microbiology with some modification processing by new, modern and rapid technology tools such as chromogenic medium Baird-Parker agar, Electronic RapIDTM Staph Plus Code Compendium Panel System (ERIC®) Dryspot Staphytect Plus and Penicillin Binding Protein (PBP2') Plus assays; as well as, studying the susceptibility of isolates to different selected antibiotics. The r
... Show More