Background: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology. Different techniques and magnetic resonance image sequences are widely used and compared to each other to improve the detection of multiple sclerosis lesions in the spinal cord. Objective: To evaluate the ability of MRI short tau inversion recovery sequences in improvementof multiple sclerosis spinal cord lesion detection when compared to T2 weighted image sequences. Type of the study: A retrospective study. Methods: this study conducted from 15thAugust 2013 to 30thJune 2014 at Baghdad teaching hospital. 22 clinically definite MS patients with clinical features suggestive of spinal cord involvement, patients were imaged with sagittal short tau inversion recovery sequences and sagittal T2 weighted. Results: The mean age of the patients was 32.5 ± 6.7years; female to male ratio was 2.7:1. The total number of spinal cord MS lesions was 44 of them 86.4% in the cervical spine, 68.2%of the lesions had less than one vertebra extension,79.6% of the lesions did not show changes in the spinal cord morphology. There was a significant upgrading in the lesions conspicuity at short tau inversion recovery sequence comparing to T2 weighted image, P<0.001. A significant difference had been found in artifact grading between both sequences; P<0.001. Conclusions: short tau inversion recovery magnetic resonance image sequences improve detection of MS spinal cord plaques compared with T2 weighted image and itincreasesthe conspicuity of the visualized T2weighted image lesions, but also it accentuates theartifacts more than T2weighted image.
In this work, monitoring of monthly variation (from May 2016 to October 2016) in the concentration of the metals (Co, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni and Fe) from Al-Diwaniya city of Iraq. Investigation about the pollution with these metals was achieved from five selected sites locate in study area by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed a wide variation in the levels of heavy metals from site to site and from month to month. A total of 180 surface soil samples were analyzed to detecting the pollution with selected samples. The resultsshowed that the highest concentration with Ni was 6.290 mg kg-1 while the lowest concentration detected with Ni was 0.080 mg kg-1. The results of pollution index (enrichment factor, contamination factor, po
... Show MoreAbrus precatorius L. is an important medicinal plant belonging to family Fabaceae. The present study was conducted to perform pre-clinical safety evaluation and study the pharmacological effects of the ethanolic seeds extract of A. precatorius in management of pain, psychiatric and neurological conditions. Acute toxicity was performed to study the general behavioural pattern of mice after treatment with the test extract (single doses of 1000, 2000, 3000,4000,5000 mg/kg, body weight) and sub-acute toxicity studies were performed to study the toxic effects of the test extract (1000,2000,3000 mg/kg, per os for 14 days) on different haematological parameters, body and organ weight and histopathology of liver and kidney. The toxicological evalua
... Show MoreAn isolate of Leishmania major was grown on the semisolid medium and incubated at 26ºC. The isolate was irradiated by He: Ne laser (632.8 nm, 10 mW) at exposure times (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30) minutes in their respective order. The unirradiated groups represent control group. Growth rate and percentage of viability were examined during six days after irradiation. The change in these two parameters reflects the effect of irradiation on the parasite. The results refers that the general growth effected by irradiation in comparison with un irradiation group, The growth rate of parasite decrease with increasing the exposure time in comparison with control group. Parasite viability decrease with irradiation and the percentage of living cell dec
... Show MoreThis study has been conducted to examin the effect of potassium sorbate at different level of 0.03,0.06,0.10% on the number of bacteria and mold and to extend the storage life of laboratory processed biscuit. The results indicated that the use of 0.03% potassium sorbate prolonged the storage peroid until the third month .three types of bacteria has been isolated from processed biscuit, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Esherichia coli using 0.06% potassium sorbate showed no growth of bacteria up to six month of storage ,while using of 0.03% and 0.06% potassium sorbate prevent the growth of mold up to three and six months of storage respectively. Both Aspergillus and Penicillium were isolated from the processed biscuit.
In spite of increasing clinical cases which caused by enteroviruses transferred by water and no documents about entericviruses in the Iraqi water standards. The use of coliphages as an indicator of enteroviruses and fecal pollution were suggested two procedures were applied . The first is Two-Step Enrichment Method and the second is Single Agar Layer Method. Both methods gives good results in Identification of coliphages through testing fifty different water samples (Tap water, Surface water and Bottled water) the study shows the presence of coliphages in fourteen samples.
The accumulation of toxic elements in vegetables and melons grown in agriculture, Brassica rapa - turnip, Solanum lycopersicum - tomato, Citrullus lanatus - watermelon, Capsicum annuum - bell pepper, Daucus carota - carrots, Cucurbita pepo - pumpkin, Cucumis melo - melon, and also Prunus armeniaca - apricot from fruit trees were analyzed. The excess of maximum allowable concentrations in agricultural crops of the element As by 1.65-1.75, Cd - 1.6-2.3, Cr -1.2-2.35, Cu -1.6-3.3, Ni - 1.16-3.53, Pb - 1.54-3.08, Al - 1.36-3.5, Sb - 2.0-33, Se - 1.1-3.3 times was established. The maximum allowable concentration of mercury in vegetables and melons was equal to 0.02 mg/kg,
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