Bac kground:: Multidrug resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial and community acquired infections. The glycopeptides vancomycin has been proposed as the drug of choice for treating such infections; this lead to the emergence of vancomycin intermediate sensitive S. aureus (VISA) and vancomycin resistant S.aureus (VRSA).
Objjec tt iiv es :: To identify the vancomycin resistance both phenotypically and genotypically among MRSA isolates from different hospitals and to determine the sensitivity of these isolates to different antimicrobial agents
Metthods:: A total of 204 S. aureus isolates were obtained randomly from various clinical specimens including (wound swab, burn swab, ear swab, urine, sputum, blood and other body fluids) from different inpatient and outpatient who were attending different hospitals in Baghdad. The susceptibility pattern of the S. aureus isolates to different antibiotics was determined by disk diffusion method and vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for MRSA isolates were determined using broth dilution method following clinical laboratory standard institution (CLSI) guidelines. Van A gene was amplified by PCR using standard primers. Res ull tts :: All VRSA isolates were MRSA. Twelve VRSA isolates were positive for van A gene, while the remaining ten isolates were negative. All VRSA had a vancomycin MIC of 16μg/ml or more. In the present study, VRSA showed resistance to a wide range of antimicrobial agents (Ampicillin, Cefalothin, Cefoxitin, Erythromycin, Gentamycin, Oxacillin, Penicillin, Rifampin, Tetracycline and Trimethoprim). Conc llus iions :: There were high incidences of resistance to the commonly used antibiotics among VRSA isolates compared to VISA and VSSA. Further molecular studies such as PCR technique to identify genes rather than van A (e.g van HAX analogue) might be suitable to predict VRSA lacking the van A gene
Background: Cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease with high morbidity and mortality. It is caused by mutations in the CTNS gene that encodes the cystine transporter, cystinosin, which leads to lysosomal cystine accumulation. It is the major cause of inherited Fanconi syndrome, and should be suspected in young children with failure to thrive and signs of renal proximal tubular damage. The diagnosis can be missed in infants, because not all signs of renal Fanconi syndrome are present during the first months of life. Elevated white blood cell cystine content is the cornerstone of the diagnosis. Since chitotriosidase (CHIT1 or chitinase-1) is mainly produced by activated macrophages both in normal and inflammator
... Show MoreBackground: Asthma is a pulmonary disorder characterized by reversible stenosis of the peripheral bronchi. This disease could affect the oral health; as a result asthmatic patients may have a higher risk of developing dental diseases. This study was conducted to evaluate the caries experience and salivary elements among asthmatic patients using Ventoline inhaler. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 30 male asthmatic patients with an age range 20-24years (under Ventoline inhaler). The control group includes 30 subjects matching with study group in age and gender. Plaque and DMFS index were used for recording caries experience. Stimulated salivary samples were collected and then salivary flow rate, S-IgA and salivary elements
... Show MoreBackground: A diverse group of bacteria live in biofilms in the oral cavity. On dental surfaces biofilms form plaque that is potentially involved in caries and periodontal diseases. Periodic studying of plaque microflora and their antimicrobial sensitivity patterns strongly affects the clinical practice in plaque-induced oral diseases. Materials and methods: Dental plaque samples were collected from 22 patients having ages ranged between 33 and 49 years with gingivitis that met the study criteria. Plaque, gingival and gingival bleeding indices (PI, GI, GBI) were measured for each patient. Laboratory procedures included microbiological examination of plaque samples followed by antibiotic sensitivity testing using disc diffusion method were
... Show MoreThe present study aims to investigate the seroprevalence rate of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its relation to some demographic factors among males in Duhok province/Iraq. A total of 424 random blood samples were collected from the male population of different ages (18-60) years and different social-economic classes. Out of 424 samples examined, 108 (25.47%) were seropositive to the anti- T. gondii antibodies; 88 (20.75%) were found seropositive for IgG, while 20 (4.72%) samples were seropositive for IgM. Regarding occupation, the highest percentage for chronic toxoplasmosis was reported in workers followed by policemen and pensioners at rates of 23.96%, 23.6%, and 23.07%, respectively. The age group 18-30 y
... Show MoreIn this paper, we are mainly concerned with estimating cascade reliability model (2+1) based on inverted exponential distribution and comparing among the estimation methods that are used . The maximum likelihood estimator and uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimators are used to get of the strengths and the stress ;k=1,2,3 respectively then, by using the unbiased estimators, we propose Preliminary test single stage shrinkage (PTSSS) estimator when a prior knowledge is available for the scale parameter as initial value due past experiences . The Mean Squared Error [MSE] for the proposed estimator is derived to compare among the methods. Numerical results about conduct of the considered
... Show MoreAbstract
The current study aims to identify the predictability of burnout in perceived self-competence among mothers of students with disabilities in the Sultanate of Oman. The study sample consists of (484) respondents who were mothers of students with disabilities. The researcher developed a burnout Scale which consists of (19) items and a perceived self-competence Scale which consists of (20) items. A correlation descriptive design was used. The results showed that the level of burnout was low (Mean= 2.30), while the level of burnout was high (Mean= 3.87). Regarding the correlation coefficient, the results showed that there was a significant negative correlation between burnout and perceived self-competence. A
... Show MoreAbstract
The current research aims to identify the effectiveness of social stories in increasing social interaction among children with an autism spectrum disorder. The researcher used the single-subject design methodology (Single Subject Designs, SSD) with
(A-B) design to answer the research questions. The study sample consisted of (3) children with autism spectrum disorder enrolled in a transit daycare center in the Asir region, Saudi Arabia. The results of the study showed that there is a positive functional relationship between social stories and play to increase social interaction among children with autism spectrum disorder, which contributed to the acquisition and generalization of this behav
... Show MoreThe current study aims to assess the ethical behavior among female students who are using a social media network in addition to describe the variables of interest (social media use and ethical behavior) among participants, in which to find out the effects of social media on the ethical behavior of high school female students. A quantitative approach was adopted to collect the relevant data for the study, six schools included in this study from the six directorates of education in Baghdad city. Subsequently, SPSS software was applied to analyze the relevant data of the study. To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire was composed of three sections: Part I: deals with the student's demographic information. Part II: deals with inf
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of six thinking hats on creative thinking among 10th grade female students in Tulkarm district. The sample comprises two sections of 10th grade female students (n=80) in Adawiya secondary School, The two sections were divided into two groups; one as an experimental group which works with six thinking hats, and the second as control group that learns traditionally. Creative thinking exam was used to measure the creative thinking with reliability (0.88).
The results of the study have shown the following:
There were statistically significant differences at (α ≤ 0.05) in the creative thinking among 10th grade female student
... Show MoreKidney damage in workers within environments of highly expected exposure to toxin, including heavy metals, could be a primary marker to expect hazards in population exposed to low levels of many environmental pollutants. The present study was designed to evaluate the possible effect of environmental exposure to cadmium and zinc on renal function among painters in Sulaimani city. Cross sectional study was performed on 37 male painting workers in Sulaimani city. Each worker was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Twenty five non-exposed healthy subjects were included as control group. Venous blood samples (10 ml) were obtained by vein puncture from both subjects and utilized for estimation of serum urea, creatinine levels, serum le
... Show More