Background: Skull secondary tumors are malignant bone tumors which are increasing in incidence.Objective: The objectives of this study were to present clinical features , asses the outcome of patients with secondary skull tumors ,characterize the MRI features, locations, and extent of secondary skull tumors to determine the frequency of the symptomatic disease.Type of the study: This is a prospective study.Methods: This is a prospective study from February 2000 to February 2008. The patients were selected from five neurosurgical centers and one oncology hospital in Baghdad/Iraq. The inclusion criteria were MRI study of the head(either as an initial radiological study or following head CT scan when secondary brain tumor is suspected , visible or palpabable skull mass is noted ) that revealed either calvarial or skull base metastases were included in this study.Results: During the period of the study 175 patients were included according the inclusion criteria. Primary sites were breast cancer (54.85%), lung cancer (14.28%), prostate cancer (6.28%), malignant lymphoma (5.14%), and others (19.42%). The mean time from primary diagnosis to skull metastasis diagnosis was 71 months for cases of breast cancer, 26 months for prostate cancer, 9 months for lung cancer, and 4 months for malignant lymphoma. Calvarial circumscribed intraosseous metastases were found most frequently (25.7%). The patients were mainly asymptomatic. However, some patients suffered from local pain or cranial nerve palsies that harmed their quality of life. Treatment, mainly for symptomatic cases, was by local or whole-skull irradiation.Conclusion: Secondary skull tumors are not rare, and most are calvarial circumscribed intraosseous tumors. MRI contribute to understanding their type, location, and multiplicity, and their relationship to the brain, cranial nerves, and dural sinuses. Radiation therapy improved the quality of life (QOL) of patients with neurological symptoms.
Background: Hyperfunction of the muscles of the upper lip is considered as the most common cause of excessive gingival display (EGD). The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of botulinum toxin (BT) injection as a conservative treatment for EGD due to muscular hyperfunction and to compare the outcome of 2 injection methods. Material and methods: This study included 40 participants who were randomly assigned into 2 groups of 20 each, The first group received 2.5IU BT injection at 1 point per side (2-points group), while the second group received a total of 5 IU of BT at 2 points per side (4-points group). The outcome variables were the reduction in the central and lateral gingival display expressed as the difference between
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In this research is to study the influence of the aging heat treatment on the pitting corrosion resistance of martensitic stainless steel (MSS), where a number of specimens from martensitic stainless steel were subjected to solution treatment at 1100 oC for one hour followed by water quenching then aging in the temperatures range (500-750) oC for different holding times (1,5,10,15&20) hr. Accelerated chemical corrosion test and immersion chemical corrosion test were performed on samples after heat treatment. The results of the research showed that the pitting corrosion resistance is significantly affected by the aging temperature. Where found that the aging samples at a temperature of 500 °C have the highest ra
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Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with increased oxidative stress and impaired endothelial function. Ticagrelor treatment improves antioxidant properties in addition to its antiplatelet effects. This study investigated the impact of Ticagrelor treatment on serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels and other biochemical parameters in PAD patients. It also evaluated the potential diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of specific biomarkers based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Seventy individuals were categorized into healthy control (n=40), baseline PAD patients not on Ticagrelor (B-PAD, n=30), and same PAD patients after treated with Ticagrelor (A-PAD, n=30). Parameters measured included SOD concent
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Background Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is widely used in the cancer therapy field. This type of plasma is very close to room temperature. This paper illustrates the effects of CAP on breast cancer tissues both in vivo and in vitro. Methods The mouse mammary adenocarcinoma cell line AN3 was used for the in vivo study, and the MCF7, AMJ13, AMN3, and HBL cell lines were used for the in vitro study. A floating electrode-dielectric barrier discharge (FE-DBD) system was used. The cold plasma produced by the device was tested against breast cancer cells. Results The induced cytotoxicity percentages were 61.7%, 68% and 58.07% for the MCF7, AMN3, and AMJ13 cell lines, respectively, whereas the normal breast tissue HBL cell line exhibited very li
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In this study, the optimum conditions for COD removal from petroleum refinery wastewater by using a combined electrocoagulation- electro-oxidation system were attained by Taguchi method. An orthogonal array experimental design (L18) which is of four controllable parameters including NaCl concentration, C.D. (current density), PH, and time (time of electrolysis) was employed. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal percentage was considered as the quality characteristics to be enhanced. Also, the value of turbidity and TDS (total dissolved solid) were estimated. The optimum levels of the studied parameters were determined precisely by implementing S/N analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimum conditions were found to be NaCl = 2.5
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Alice Walker (1944) ranks among the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. Through her novels Meridian and the color Purple, Alice outlines many issues concerning the effect of authoritarian thinking upon its often innocent victims, and the possibility of meaningful, productive resistance. Walker's texts aim at giving a voice to those who have no voice especially those poor, rural black women who are robbed of power and the right to make decisions about their own lives by a range of forces standing against them. These texts also aim at clarifying how Walker's female protagonists, Meridian and Celia try to free themselves from oppression, misery , fear and underestimation
... Show MoreThe using of waste products as a recycled material was one of the most important studies for saving money and reduces the pollution. Mortar and concrete mixes with (10, 20 and 30)% of brick, glass and tile powder as replacement by weight of cement was investigated. The concrete mixes using brick or glass as 10%replacement of cement exhibited enhancement in compressive strength about (6, 4.7 and 2.0)% and (7.2, 5.6 and 2)% at age 7, 28 and 90 days respectively compared to reference mix. The 20% replacement of glass powder also showed an increase in the compressive strength up to (8, 6.3 and 4) %at age 7,28 and 90 days respectively compared to reference mix. Finally concrete mix using (10, 20 and 30) % tile powder as replacement of cement sho
... Show MoreThe using of waste products as a recycled material was one of the most important studies for saving money and reduces the pollution. Mortar and concrete mixes with (10, 20 and 30)% of brick, glass and tile powder as replacement by weight of cement was investigated. The concrete mixes using brick or glass as 10%replacement of cement exhibited enhancement in compressive strength about (6, 4.7 and 2.0)% and (7.2, 5.6 and 2)% at age 7, 28 and 90 days respectively compared to reference mix. The 20% replacement of glass powder also showed an increase in the compressive strength up to (8, 6.3 and 4) %at age 7,28 and 90 days respectively compared to reference mix. Finally concrete mix using (10, 20 and 30) % tile powder as replacement of cement sho
... Show MoreBackground: In recent years, the prevalence of obesity has climbed sharply. Still, only a few safe and effective medications are approved as weight-loss drugs. Objective: This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of community pharmacists in Iraq regarding the use of Liraglutide and Semaglutide as weight-loss medications. Method: A cross-sectional survey was implemented using a validated questionnaire and a convenient sample of Iraqi community pharmacists from different governorates. The questionnaire was created after conducting a literature review of the most important articles about liraglutide and semaglutide. The questionnaire consists of three sections. The first part was used to collect demographic information. The
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