Background: Coronary artery disease remains the main cause of death despite several preventive programs. Epicardial adipose tissue is a visceral fat depot of the heart located along the large coronary arteries and on the surface of ventricles and apex. Intima media thickness is commonly recognized as the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis. The development of ultrasound machines, advances in echocardiographic devices and high resolution transducers facilitate comprehensive analysis of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT).
Aim: To investigate the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT) with the severity of coronary artery disease.
Methods: A cross sectional multicenter diagnostic accuracy study carried out at Ibn Al-Nafis Cardiovascular Hospital, Ibn Al- Bitar Cardiology Center and Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital –Iraqi Center for Cardiology during the period between October 2016 and May 2017 assessing. History regarding demographic data and risk factors was taken. Two dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic measurements were done. EFT was measured from parasternal long axis view perpendicular to the right ventricular free wall. C-IMT was measured according to that recommended by the American society of echocardiography (ASE).
Results: The current study demonstrated that the EFT has a direct and significant correlation with the number of involved vessels (P value ˂ 0.001, r= 0.770). The validity of EFT to discriminate between multiple vessels disease and no vessel involvement is excellent (AUC= 0.984, cut point > 8mm, sensitivity=92.9%, specificity= 93.3%). There is inverse and significant correlation between ejection fraction (EF) and three vessels disease (P value ˂ 0.001, r= -0.507). Also there is a direct and significant correlation between C-IMT and severity of CAD. ROC analysis for validity of C-IMT to discriminate between multiple vessels disease and no vessel involvement is excellent (AUC= 0.961, cut point > 1.04mm, sensitivity=92.9%. specificity=86.7%). C-IMT is fair to discriminate between single vessel disease and no vessel involvement (AUC=0.738, cut point ˃ 0.84mm, sensitivity 100%), so if correlated with age, C-IMT above 0.84 can be used as a cut off point for the prediction of CAD. Finally, EFT and C-IMT are more likely to reflect severity of CAD than their ratio.
Conclusions: C-IMT and EFT are simple and reproducible parameters that can be used as a screening tool for the presence and severity of CAD especially before symptoms appearance in high risk patients
This study was conducted on the possibility of manufacturing kids’ foods fortified by legumes. Three raw materials of boiled vegetables (carrots, potatoes and zucchini) were used, one of the pre-boiled legumes was added to the mixture, which included chickpeas, lentils, mung, soybean, fenugreek, by the percentage of 5% and 10%. The results of the chemical analysis showed no statistically significant differences (P <0.05) between the coefficients of moisture, ash and fiber. However, the ash ratio increased from 0.76 to 0.88% and fiber from 0.43 to 0.87%. As for protein and fat, A8 coefficient (add 10% soybean bean) recorded highest ratio of 2.54 and 0.71% respectively, the results of the analysis of mineral elements showed that the A8 coef
... Show MoreSelf-compacting concrete (SCC) has undergone a remarkable evolution recently based on the results from several studies that have indicated the chain of benefits SCC provides. Micro and nano materials used as mineral additives in SCC offer several high-performance properties, and this research studies the effects of micro silica (MS) (10%, used as a reference) and colloidal nano-silica (CNS) (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) on the fresh and hardened properties of SCC. All mixtures were estimated using flow, L-box, and V-funnel tests to examine workability and compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and tensile strength as hardened properties. The use of CNS increased the overall compressi
New complexes of Al(III) such as [Al (Ura) (Phen) (OH2) Cl ] Cl. 2H2O, [Al(Ura)2(OA)(OH2)Cl].H2O and [Al(Ura)3Cl3]H2O type, where (Ura)=Uracil, (Phen)= 1,10-Phenanthroline monohydrate and (OA)= Oxalic acid dihydrate, were prepared. The elemental microanalysis, FT.IR, electronic spectra, and magnetic susceptibility as well as the conductivity measurements are characterized. For isolated three complexes for six coordinated of Al(III) are proposed with molecular formulas that depend on the nature of (Ura), (Phen) and (OA) present. The suggested molecular structure into all complexes for aluminum ion is octahedral geometries .The antibacterial efficacy was examined from metal salt (AlCl3), ligands and metal complexes into the pathogenic bacteri
... Show MoreThe social networking sites have brought about fundamental changes and a qualitative shift in the marketing industry and its strategies. The Iraqi ministries have used this site i.e. Facebook to spread and disseminate values in order to consolidate it in Iraqi society which has witnessed many changes in all aspects of life.
The researcher studies the pages of both ministries to know the values contained in the publications of the pages of these two ministries, the quality of grooming as well as the forms in which these values are marketed.
The researcher uses a survey method and content analysis for the publications of these two pages during the study period starting from January 1, 2
... Show MoreFounding a System to secure deposits and protecting the depositors is considered one of the important and exchanged subjects out there in the banking system/field in Iraq at the current time, and the reason behind the exchange and spread of this subject is due to the financial crisis of which the banking sector is suffering from and the stumbling of many banks, those factors have had led to the insecurity of the depositors and their mistrust towards banks, thus, it is necessary to create a system to secure deposits in which depositors would be compensated for the losses caused by the banks' failures. in addition, it could be a countermeasure system which maintains the banking stability, protects the rights of depositors and gains
... Show MoreThe study aimed to identify the social support and its relation with death anxiety for
olds who are listed at the Palestinian ministry of social affairs in the Jerusalem governorate,
the researcher uses the descriptive method and she bases her research on two types of
criterion: the social support and the criterion of death anxiety, these two criterion are applied
on a stratified random sample, amounted to (184) of the elderly.
The results show no statistical differences in the level of social support for olds who
are listed at the Palestinian ministry of social affairs according to the variables of sex.
Whereas there are statistical differences in the level of social support for those olds according
to the variab
Introduction/Aim. Seminal fluid analysis (SFA) plays a crucial role in helping infertility clinics diagnose the underlying reason of male infertility. The aim of the study was to investigate seminal fluid patterns of male partners of an infertile couple with apparently fertile female partners. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2019 and December 2022. Patients were attending consultations for delayed conception for more than 12 months with apparently fertile female partner. Results. Four hundred fifty-three patients were included in the study. The distribution of patients according to age groups showed that 277 patients were young, aged 21 - 30 years (61%). Two hundred sixty-two (58%) patien
... Show MoreThe behavior and shear strength of full-scale (T-section) reinforced concrete deep beams, designed according to the strut-and-tie approach of ACI Code-19 specifications, with various large web openings were investigated in this paper. A total of 7 deep beam specimens with identical shear span-to-depth ratios have been tested under mid-span concentrated load applied monotonically until beam failure. The main variables studied were the effects of width and depth of the web openings on deep beam performance. Experimental data results were calibrated with the strut-and-tie approach, adopted by ACI 318-19 code for the design of deep beams. The provided strut-and-tie design model in ACI 318-19 code provision was assessed and found to be u
... Show MoreIn this paper, Pentacene based-organic field effect transistors (OFETs) by using different layers (monolayer, bilayer and trilayer) for three different gate insulators (ZrO2, PVA and CYEPL) were studied its current–voltage (I-V) characteristics by using the gradual-channel approximation model. The device exhibits a typical output curve of a field-effect transistor (FET). Source-drain voltage (Vds) was also investigated to study the effects of gate dielectric on electrical performance for OFET. The effect of capacitance semiconductor in performance OFETs was considered. The values of current and transconductance which calculated using MATLAB simulation. It exhibited a value of current increase with increasing source-drain voltage.