Background: Gray-scale sonography is generally
considered as a first-line diagnostic tool for patient with
suspected acute cholecystitis. It is suggested by gallstones,
Murphy's sign, thickening of the gallbladder wall and bile
sludging, but the specificity of these sonographic findings
are not as high as their sensitivity. Blood flow of the
gallbladder wall is increased in acute inflammation.
Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of
power Doppler sonography and compared with conventional
color Doppler and gray-scale sonography in diagnosing
patients with acute cholecystitis.
Type of the study: This was a cross sectional study.
Patients and methods: The study was conducted through
the period from August 2014 to August 2015 on 80 patients
with acute right upper quadrant abdominal pain and
clinically suspected acute cholecystitis. Firstly, gray-scale
sonography of the abdomen was performed. Next, color
Doppler and power Doppler sonography of the gallblader
wall was done to detect mural flow. Quantifying intramural
vascularity was performed using Uggowitzer scoring
system. Grading of vascularity ++ and +++ were suggestive
of acute cholecystitis. Results of gray-scale and Doppler
sonography were compared with post cholecystectomy
histopathological results.
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is used in photovoltaic (PV) systems to enhance efficiency and maximize the output power of PV module, regardless the variation of temperature, irradiation, and the electrical characteristics of the load. A new MPPT system has been presented in this research, consisting of a synchronous DC-DC step-down Buck converter controlled by an Arduino microcontroller based unit. The MPPT process with Perturb and Observe method is performed with a DC-DC converter circuit to overcome the problem of voltage mismatch between the PV modules and the loads. The proposing system has high efficiency, lower cost and can be easily modified to handle more energy sources. The test results indicate that the u
... Show MoreAbstract Depending on their protective properties against different cases of Colorectal Cancer (CRC), vitamins C, D, and E are the main focus of this research. CRC is one of the global public health concerns. 30 healthy individuals provided serum samples, whereas the group of CRC patients was divided into three, totaling 90 individuals. Group I consisted of 30 newly diagnosed cases of CRC. Group II 30 consisted of consisted of 30 CRC patients who were administered three cycles of chemotherapy. Group III consisted of 30 diagnosed CRC patients who also have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The concentrations and groups of vitamins C, D, and E were evaluated using ELISA. The levels of Vitamin C were significantly lower (p &l
... Show MoreBack ground: This in vitro study was carried out to investigate the effect of post space regions (coronal, middle and apical), Time and the mode of polymerization (dual, self-cured) of the cements used on the bond strength between translucent fiber post and root dentin by using push-out test. Materials and Methods: Forty eight extracted mandibular first premolars (single root) were instrumented with ProTaper Universal system files (for hand use) and obturated with gutta percha for ProTaper and AH26® root canal sealer following the manufacturer instructions, after 24 hours post space was prepared using FRC postec® plus drills no.3 creating 8 mm depth post space. The prepared samples were randomly divided into two main groups (24 samples ea
... Show MoreBackground: Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that mostly involves the spine and sacroiliac joints. It is associated with a decreased quality of life. Biological medicines such as infliximab and its biosimilar are the mainstay treatments for active ankylosing spondylitis.
Objective: The study objective was to conduct a pharmacoeconomic study comparing the cost-effectiveness of the reference infliximab with its biosimilar in ankylosing spondylitis patients visiting public hospitals.
Subjects and Method: This is a two-center pharmacoeconomic study performed at two large teaching governmental hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq, which s
... Show MoreAtenolol was used with ammonium molybdate to prove the efficiency, reliability and repeatability of the long distance chasing photometer (NAG-ADF-300-2) using continuous flow injection analysis. The method is based on reaction between atenolol and ammonium molybdate in an aqueous medium to obtain a dark brown precipitate. Optimum parameters was studied to increase the sensitivity for developed method. A linear range for calibration graph was 0.1-3.5 mmol/L for cell A and 0.3-3.5 mmol/L for cell B, and LOD 133.1680 ng/100 µL and 532.6720 ng/100 µL for cell A and cell B respectively with correlation coefficient (r) 0.9910 for cell A and 0.9901 for cell B, RSD% was lower than 1%, (n=8) for the determination of ate
... Show MorePoly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) was introduced in dentistry as an alternative to metal alloys.
To assess the effectiveness of PEEK-fixed retainers in preserving the stability of mandibular anterior and participant satisfaction as compared to the Dead-soft coaxial fixed retainer (DSC).
A single-centre, two-arm parallel groups