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
Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic parasite in immune-compromised persons. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in psoriasis patients is investigated. In addition, the treatment effect on psoriasis patients infected with toxoplasmosis through evaluating Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) cytokine levels is studied. Blood samples were collected from 130 individuals who involved 60 control samples and 70 samples with psoriasis. They attended Medical City Hospital in Baghdad province from October 2017 - February 2018. Then, the anti- T. gondii antibodies (IgM and IgG) and TNF- α in the sera were determined via the enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay. The highe
... Show MorePrediction of penetration rate (ROP) is important process in optimization of drilling due to its crucial role in lowering drilling operation costs. This process has complex nature due to too many interrelated factors that affected the rate of penetration, which make difficult predicting process. This paper shows a new technique of rate of penetration prediction by using artificial neural network technique. A three layers model composed of two hidden layers and output layer has built by using drilling parameters data extracted from mud logging and wire line log for Alhalfaya oil field. These drilling parameters includes mechanical (WOB, RPM), hydraulic (HIS), and travel transit time (DT). Five data set represented five formations gathered
... Show MoreThis research is devoted to study the effect of different in weight percentage of Sio2 particles and glass fibers (5, 10, 15, 20) wt. % on the wear rate epoxy resin. The results show that the value of hardness increase with the increase for the weight percentage of reinforcing particles and fibers, while the wear rate decrease with the increase the load level of the reinforcing particles and fibers . The largest value of the hardness, and the lowest value of the wear rate for epoxy reinforced with 20% of SiO2, the wear rate increase in general with increasing the applied load.
This paper deals with modelling and control of Euler-Bernoulli smart beam interacting with a fluid medium. Several distributed piezo-patches (actuators and/or sensors) are bonded on the surface of the target beam. To model the vibrating beam properly, the effect of the piezo-patches and the hydrodynamic loads should be taken into account carefully. The partial differential equation PDE for the target oscillating beam is derived considering the piezo-actuators as input controls. Fluid forces are decomposed into two components: 1) hydrodynamic forces due to the beam oscillations, and 2) external (disturbance) hydrodynamic loads independent of beam motion. Then the PDE is discretized usi
The provision of openings in serviceable reinforced concrete beams may result in a substantial decline in the beam's capacity and integrity, indicating the necessity of opening strengthening. The present study investigates the experimental response of reinforced concrete T-beams with multiple web-strengthened openings disposed in shear span to static and impact loads. Fourteen RC T-beams were tested in two groups, each of seven beams. The first group was tested under static loading up to failure, while the second group was tested under repeated impact loading until the width of shear cracks reached 0.3 mm. The residual static strengths of the beams subjected to impact loading were then determined. The test variables considered were
... Show MoreTaking into account the significance of food chains in the environment, it demonstrates the interdependence of all living things and has economic implications for people. Hunting cooperation, fear, and intraspecific competition are all included in a food chain model that has been developed and researched. The study tries to comprehend how these elements affect the behavior of species along the food chain. We first examined the suggested model's solution properties before calculating every potential equilibrium point and examining the stability and bifurcation nearby. We have identified the factors that guarantee the global stability of the positive equilibrium point using the geometric approach. Additionally, the circumstances that would gu
... Show MoreThe provision of openings in serviceable reinforced concrete beams may result in a substantial decline in the beam's capacity and integrity, indicating the necessity of opening strengthening. The present study investigates the experimental response of reinforced concrete T-beams with multiple web-strengthened openings disposed in shear span to static and impact loads. Fourteen RC T-beams were tested in two groups, each of seven beams. The first group was tested under static loading up to failure, while the second group was tested under repeated impact loading until the width of shear cracks reached 0.3 mm. The residual static strengths of the beams subjected to impact loading were then determined. The test variables considered were
... Show MoreThe aim of the present research is to study different protein fractions in sera of children and adolescent with β –thalassemia major and minor and to compare the results with that of healthy control.One hundred fifty children and adolescents were enrolled in this study,including 50 patients with β- thalassemia major , 50 patients with β- thalassemia minor as pathological control group and another apparently 50 healthy individuals as a control group. The age of all studied groups ranged from (4-18)years.Total protein, albumin and immunoglobulins were estimated in sera of all subjects. A Significant decrease was found in the total protein and albumin&nb
... Show More4-[(2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethylphenyl)diazenyl]-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one has been readied by combination the diazonium salt of 4-aminoantipyrine with 3,5-dimethylphenol. Spectral studies ( FTIR, UV-Vis, 1H and 13CNMR) and microelemental analysis (C.H.N) are use to identified of the ligand. Complexes of some transition metals were performed as well depicted. The formation of complexes were characterized by using atomic absorption of flame, elemental analysis, infrared and UV-Vis spectral process as well conductivity and magnetic quantifications. Nature of compounds produced have been studied followed the mole ratio and continuous contrast methods, Beer's law followed during a concentration scope (1×10-4 - 3×10-4 M/L). height m
... Show MoreExperimental and numerical studies have been conducted on the effects of bed roughness elements such as cubic and T-section elements that are regularly half-channel arrayed on one side of the river on turbulent flow characteristics and bed erosion downstream of the roughness elements. The experimental study has been done for two types of bed roughness elements (cubic and T-section shape) to study the effect of these elements on the velocity profile downstream the elements with respect to different water flow discharges and water depths. A comparison between the cubic and T-section artificial bed roughness showed that the velocity profile downstream the T-section increased in smooth side from the river and decrease in the rough side
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