Background: Quality of life in brain tumor patients is an emerging issue and has prompted neurosurgeons to recon¬sider the need for cognitive assessment in the course of treatment. To date there has been a lack of comprehensive neuropsychological assessment performed preoperatively and in the acute postoperative period in our hospitals.Objectives: to establish the effects of tumors and their surgical treatment, from a neuropsychological perspective, on cognitive functioning in patients with cerebral Gliomas. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in the Neurosurgical Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from January 1999 to January 2001. Any patient admitted during the period of the study with clinical history, signs, symptoms, and contrast enhanced MRI suggesting a cerebral glioma and confirmed by postoperative histopathological results of glioma has been included in this study. While multifocal lesions, long-lasting epilepsy, use of antiepileptic therapy, multiple cranial lesions, previous cranial surgery, any chronic illness, and histopathological result of other tumors were exclusion criteria. All patients were at their first operation for brain tumors. Patients were examined by analyzing several functional domains (intelligence, executive functions, memory, language, praxis, gnosis and mood state) in order to establish the effect of tumor and surgery on cognition.Results: 29 patients who fulfilled the selection criteria were included. Mean duration of clinical history was 5 months (range 1–9 months). At baseline, using test- and domain-based criteria, 79% and 38% of patients, respectively, were impaired, the former related to tumor factors such as edema (P < 0.05), larger size (P < 0.05) and higher grade (P = 0.001). Verbal memory, visuospatial memory and word fluency were the most frequently affected functions, partly associated with depression. Postoperatively, 38% and 55% of patients, respectively, were unchanged, 24% and 21% improved, and 38% and 24% worsened; 24% and 62% of patients were intact, respec-tively.Conclusions: The extent of removal did not influence the outcome. Improvement involved previously impaired functions and was correlated with high-grade tumors. Worsening regar¬ded executive functions was related to tumor size and was partly explained by radiological findings on postoperative MRI. This prospective study, focusing on the effects of tumor and surgery, showed that tumor significantly affects cognitive func¬tions, mainly due to the mass effect and higher grading. Surgical treatment improved the functions most frequently affected preoperatively and caused worsening of execu¬tive functions soon after operation, leaving the overall cognitive burden unchanged and capable of improvement prospectively.
Tigris River is one of the main important surface water resources in Iraq. This necessitates continuous study of its quality . The present study is concerned with the characteristics and quality of Tigris water passing through in Baghdad city. (eight) samples were collected from the river in the area Grea't City. The study periods were carried over four season, which has been sampled once represent the every season. First sampling 12-11-2012 represent the autumn season The second sampling 20-1-2013 to represent the winter season. The third in 25-3- 2013 to represent the Springer season. The fourth during 29-5-2013 to represent the summer spring season. In order to specify the water quality, a group of physical and chemical analyses have bee
... Show MoreIn the present work, heterojunction diode detectors will be prepared using germanium wafers as a substrate material and 200 nm tin sulfide thickness will be evaporated by using thermal evaporation method as thin film on the substrate. Nd:YAG laser (λ=532 nm) with different energy densities (5.66 J/cm2 and 11.32 J/cm2) is used to diffuse the SnS inside the surface of the germanium samples with 10 laser shots in different environments (vacuum and distilled water). I-V characteristics in the dark illumination, C-V characteristics, transmission measurements, spectral responsivity and quantum efficiency were investigated at 300K. The C-V measurements have shown that the heterojunction were of abrupt type and the maximum value of build-in pot
... Show More5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a is Pyrimidine analogue widely used in the treatment of various malignancies It belongs to the antimetabolites family that acts during the S-phase of the cell cycle thus it prevents DNA synthesis.N-acetylcysteine is nutritional complement acts as antioxidant.The purpose of the current study is to investigate whether there is a protective role of N-acetylcystein against intestinal toxicity induced by 5-fluorouracil in albino rats.18 healthy adult rats were distributed into 3 groups of 6 rats for each. Group A as a control group.Group B injected with 5-FU (20 mgs dissolved in 2ml normal saline per kilogram body weight intraperitoneally for 7 successive days while Group C received N-acetylcy
... Show MoreAl-Rustamiya sewage treatment plant (WWTP) serves the east side of Baghdad city (Rusafa) and is considered one of the largest projects.It consists of three parts (old project F0, first extension F1, and second extension F2) that treat wastewater and the
effluent is discharged into Diyala river and thus into the Tigris River. These plants are designed and constructed with an aim to manage wastewater to reachIraqi effluent standard for BOD5, COD, TSS and chloride concentrations of 40, 100, 60 and 600
mg/L respectively. The data recordedfrom March till December 2011 provided from Al-RustamiyaWWTP, were considered in this study to evaluate the performance of the plant. The results indicated that the strength of the wastewater enterin
This study investigates the treatment of used lubricating oils from AL-Mussaib Gas Power Station Company-Iraq, which was treated with different extractive solvents (heptane and 2-propanol). The performance activity of these solvents in the extraction process was examined and evaluated experimentally. Operating parameters were solvent to oil ratios of (1:2, 1:4, 1:6, and 1:8), mixing time (20, 35, 50, and 65 min), temperatures (30, 40, 50, and 60 ºC), and mixing speed (500 rpm). These parameters were studied and analyzed. The quality is determined by the measuring and assessment of important characteristics specially viscosity, viscosity index, specific gravity, pour point, flash point, and ash content. The results confirm that the
... Show MoreThis study investigates the treatment of used lubricating oils from AL-Mussaib Gas Power Station Company-Iraq, which was treated with different extractive solvents (heptane and 2-propanol). The performance activity of these solvents in the extraction process was examined and evaluated experimentally. Operating parameters were solvent to oil ratios of (1:2, 1:4, 1:6, and 1:8), mixing time (20, 35, 50, and 65 min), temperatures (30, 40, 50, and 60 ºC), and mixing speed (500 rpm). These parameters were studied and analyzed. The quality is determined by the measuring and assessment of important characteristics specially viscosity, viscosity index, specific gravity, pour point, flash point, and ash content. The results confirm that the solve
... Show MoreThis work deals with thermal cracking of slack wax produced as a byproduct from solvent dewaxing process of medium lubricating oil fraction in AL-Dura refinery. The thermal cracking process was carried out at a temperature ranges 480-540 ºC and atmospheric pressure. The liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) for thermal cracking was varied between 1.0-2.5 . It was found that the conversion increased (61 - 83) with the increasing of reaction temperature (480 - 540) and decreased (83 - 63) with the increasing of liquid hourly space velocity (1.0 - 2.5).
The maximum gasoline yield obtained by thermal cracking process (48.52 wt. % of feed) was obtained at 500 ºC and liquid hour space velocity 1 . The obtaining liquid product at the best op
Background: Recurrent aphthous ulcer is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa. Substance P has activity in the inflammatory response. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) as immune-modulators regulates the immune response and has anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory effects. Pistacia lentiscus (mastic) of Anacardiaceae family have pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and used in treatment of wound and repair. The aim of this study is to find the safety and efficacy of a new product mastic orabase; experimentally and clinically. Methods: This research studied two parts: first; experimentally for assessment of mastic orabase effects on rabbit dermal irritation, efficacy of mastic orabase on the indu
... Show MoreBackground/Objectives: Nonsurgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) is the gold-standard technique for treating periodontitis. However, an individual’s susceptibility or the inadequate removal of subgingival biofilms could lead to unfavorable responses to NSPT. This study aimed to assess the potential of salivary and microbiological biomarkers in predicting the site-specific and whole-mouth outcomes of NSPT. Methods: A total of 68 periodontitis patients exhibiting 1111 periodontal pockets 4 to 6 mm in depth completed the active phase of periodontal treatment. Clinical periodontal parameters, saliva, and subgingival biofilm samples were collected from each patient at baseline and three months after NSPT. A quantitative PCR assay was us
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