Background: Plaque retention during fixed orthodontic therapy is an important cause of developing enamel demineralization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different brackets types on the count of Streptococcus Mutans in orthodontic patients using conventional fluoridated toothpaste. Materials and Methods: Plaque samples were collected from maxillary 1st premolar teeth of twenty right handed patients (using split mouth technique) before bonding, after 48 hrs of bonding using tooth brush only, and after 2 weeks of using fluoridated toothpaste. Stainless steel bracket was bonded on right first premolar while the left one was bonded with sapphire bracket. The calculation of the Streptococcus Mutans count was done using the plate counting method utilizing colony counter. The differences between the two types of brackets were determined using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results: The median bacterial count on the right side was insignificantly higher than the left side; streptococcus mutans in the plaque sample around the sapphire brackets showed insignificantly less counts than around the stainless steel one, when the patients used tooth brush only or fluoridated toothpastes. Fluoridated toothpastes reduced streptococcus mutans insignificantly around both types of brackets. Conclusion: Fluoridated toothpaste acts effectively in reducing streptococcus mutans colony counts around sapphire and stainless steel brackets. Keywords: Streptococcus mutans, Stainless steel brackets, Sapphire brackets.
The aim of this study is to investigate the role of prodigiosin on P. aeruginosa' s biofilm genes involved in the pathogenicity and persistency of the bacteria; Materials and methods: Gram negative bacterial isolates were taken from burn and wounds specimen obtained from some of Baghdad hospitals. Forty six isolates were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and four isolates as Serratia marcescens by using biochemical tests and VITEK 2 compact system. Susceptibility test was performed for all P. aeruginosa isolates, the results showed that 100% were resistant to Amikacin and 98% were sensitive to Meropenem. Resistant isolates were tested for biofilm formation; the strong and moderate isolates (17) were detected by PCR for AlgD gene
... Show MoreThe performance of photovoltaic (PV) panel having staggered metal foam fins was examined experimentally in Baghdad, Iraq. Three staggered metal foam fin configurations attached to the backside of the PV panel were studied. The measured parameters were front and back surfaces temperature, open voltage and current circuits, maximum power, and PV efficiency. It was noted that the maximum electrical efficiency enhancement was 4.7% for staggered metal foam fins (case III) than the reference PV panel. The operating temperature of the cell was increased when the value of solar intensity was high. Thereby, the electrical efficiency was decreased. It was found that the metal foam fins decreased the PV temperature by 2-3 o
... Show MoreThis study included collecting of 150 specimens of the Iraqi Bird Bulbule Pycnonotus lecuotis mesoptamiae (Pycnotidae , Passeriformes), from the 1st of November 2004 to 30th of October 2005 in the city of Baghdad and its suburbs, in concern of identifying the internal parasite of the digestive tract of these birds and studying the diseases resulted from the infection. The study showed that the bird Bulbule is Parasitized by Four types of Cestodes ,two of them are recorded in this kind of bird in Iraq for the first time ,Paradicranotinae anormalis and Haploparaxis sp. , and the other two are Raillietina tetragona and Allohymenolepsis sp. ,and by two types of Pin Worm(Trematode) that are identified for the first time in the Bird Bulb
... Show MoreBackground: Apicoectomy and retrograde filling is indicated when conventional endodontic treatment is impossible or failed to achieve apical seal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ER: YAG laser on apical microleakage. Materials and Methods: Sixty extracted single-rooted teeth were used in this study. The roots were divided into six groups. Group 1: apicoectomy by fissure bur, and apical cavities prepared by round bur, then cavities were filled with MTA. Group 2: the roots preparations and fillings were the same as group 1, then the apical areas were treated by Er:YAG Laser. Group 3: apicoectomy by fissure bur, and apical cavities prepared by ultrasound retrotip and cavities were filled with MTA. Group 4: the roots prepara
... Show MoreAnastatica hierochuntica is believed to be very useful in Arab countries for treating various health disorders. The aqueous extract of Anastatica hierochuntica was investigated for its effects on hormones in mice females. the aqueous extract of plant at a dose level of 100mg/1mL showed significant increase (p<0.05) on levels of hormones LH, FSH, PRL level and PRO level. Clomid treated group showd significant increase in LH, FSH, and PRL while there was non-significant increase in PRO. From the above results, it is concluded for the first time that aqueous Anastatica hierchuntica extract offers significant effect of LH, FSH, PRL, and PRO in this mice females scompared with control.
Background: Dietary intakes are critical during pregnancy, because inadequate amounts of key nutrients may compromise fetal development or maternal health. In addition to that maternal diet could be one of the methods to select the gender of the baby. The aim of the study is to correlate the level of the minerals in the mother’s blood with the gender and wellbeing of the baby after delivery.Patients and Methods: Fifty women were involved in this study with a mean age (23.92 ± 4.75), collected from the labor room during labor in the period between December 2013 and May 2014, in Baghdad teaching hospital. After taking a full history from the women, 10 ml of blood was withdrawn from them, 2ml in EDTA tubes for lead estimation and 8 ml in pl
... Show MoreThis study aimed to identify the political factors influencing the performance of specialized journalists in Iraqi electronic newspapers. The significance of the study stems from the role of communication in newspapers that have established themselves in reality due to their wide dissemination, multiple uses, expanding freedom base, and the current diversity in perspectives. These newspapers highlight and publish societal issues of concern. The importance of these newspapers is associated with their creators who face various factors affecting their value and performance, whether positively or negatively. In light of this, the political factor was identified as the primary driver for other influencing factors. The
... Show MoreBackground: Tobacco smoking and tuberculosis (TB) are two major public health problems; Associations between smoking and tuberculosis including death from tuberculosis have been reported , A reduction in smoking could be expected to have a significant impact on TB incidence and prevalence .
Objectives: to assess the effect of smoking on tuberculosis.
Methods: This study was conducted from June 2011 to June 2012 in 200 patients, adult ( aged 17 years and more), newly diagnosed patients of pulmonary tuberculosis, at the chest and Respiratory Disease Specialized Center in Baghdad. Demographic data, presenting symptoms, data on smoking, and recurrence of disease were compared. Information on smoking status, tobacco smoking was collecte
Faujasite type NaY zeolite catalyst was prepared from locally available kaolin, then the prepared NaY zeolite have been modified by exchanging of sodium ion with ammonium to produce NH4Y zeolite. NH4Y zeolite was converted to HY zeolite by ion exchanging with oxalic acid. Zinc and nickel promoters have been added to the prepared HY zeolite catalyst, and the effect of these promoters on the catalytic activity of the prepared HY catalyst was studied in fluid catalytic cracking process using light gas oil as a feedstock. The experimental results show that the promoted catalyst gives higher gas oil conversion and gasoline yield than HY zeolite catalyst at the same reaction temperature and WHSV. It was also found that the promoted catalyst gi
... Show MoreIn the present work, asphaltenes and resins separated from emulsion samples collected from two Iraqi oil wells, Nafut Kana (Nk) and Basrah were used to study the emulsion stability. The effect of oil resins to asphaltene (R/A) ratio, pH of the aqueous phase, addition of paraffinic solvent (n-heptane), aromatic solvent (toluene), and blend of both (heptol) in various proportions on the stability of emulsions had been investigated. The conditions of experiments were specified as an agitation speed of 1000 rpm for 30 minutes, heating at 50 °C, and water content of 30%. The results showed that as the R/A ratio increases, the emulsion will be unstable and the amount of water separated from emulsion increases. It was noticed that the em
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