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.
Electrospun nanofiber membranes are employed in a variety of applications due to its unique features. the nanofibers' characterizations are effected by the polymer solution. The used solvent for dissolving the polymer powder is critical in preparing the precursor solution. In this paper, the Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based nanofibers were prepared in a concentration of 10 wt.% using various solvents (NMP, DMF, and DMSO). The surface morphology, porosity, and the mechanical strength of the three prepared 10 wt.% PAN-based nanofibers membranes (PAN/NMP, PAN/DMF, and PAN/DMSO) were characterized using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Dry-wet Weights method, and Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA). Using DMF as a solvent resulted in a lon
... Show MoreThe genus Larra Fabricius, 1793 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) is recorded for the first time from Vietnam. Three species and two subspecies belonging to this genus as follows: L. amplipennis (F. Smith, 1873); L. carbonaria (F. Smith, 1858); L. fenchihuensis Tsuneki, 1967; L. polita polita (F. Smith, 1858) and L. polita luzonensis Rohwer, 1919 are presented. Keys to both sexes of the three species and two subspecies reported here are provided.
Over the last few decades, many instructors have been trying all kinds of teaching methods, but without benefit. Nevertheless, in the 1986, a new technique is appeared which called K-W-L technique, it is specified for reading comprehension passages because reading skill is not easy matter for students for specific purposes (ESP).therefore, the K-W-L technique is a good one for thinking and experiences. To fulfill the aims and verify the hypothesis which reads as follows" it is hypothesized that there are no significant differences between the achievements of students who are taught according to K-W-L technique and those who are taught according to the traditional method
... Show MoreWhenever, the Internet of Things (IoT) applications and devices increased, the capability of the its access frequently stressed. That can lead a significant bottleneck problem for network performance in different layers of an end point to end point (P2P) communication route. So, an appropriate characteristic (i.e., classification) of the time changing traffic prediction has been used to solve this issue. Nevertheless, stills remain at great an open defy. Due to of the most of the presenting solutions depend on machine learning (ML) methods, that though give high calculation cost, where they are not taking into account the fine-accurately flow classification of the IoT devices is needed. Therefore, this paper presents a new model bas
... Show MoreThe aerodynamic characteristics of general three-dimensional rectangular wings are considered using non-linear interaction between two-dimensional viscous-inviscid panel method and vortex ring method. The potential flow of a two-dimensional airfoil by the pioneering Hess & Smith method was used with viscous laminar, transition and turbulent boundary layer to solve flow about complex configuration of airfoils including stalling effect. Viterna method was used to extend the aerodynamic characteristics of the specified airfoil to high angles of attacks. A modified vortex ring method was used to find the circulation values along span wise direction of the wing and then interacted with sectional circulation obtained by Kutta-Joukowsky theorem of
... Show MoreThe influence of Cr3+ doping on the ground state properties of SrTiO 3 perovskite was evaluated using GGA-PBE approximation. Computational modeling results infered an agreement with the previously published literature. The modification of electronic structure and optical properties due to Cr3+ introducing into SrTiO 3 were investigated. Structural parameters assumed that Cr3+ doping alters the electronic structures of SrTiO 3 by shifting the conduction band through lower energies for the Sr and Ti sites. Besides, results showed that the band gap was reduced by approximately 50% when presenting one Cr3+ atom into the SrTiO 3 system and particularly positioned at Sr sites. Interestingly, substituting Ti site by Cr3+ led to eliminating the ban
... Show MoreIn this work, we use the explicit and the implicit finite-difference methods to solve the nonlocal problem that consists of the diffusion equations together with nonlocal conditions. The nonlocal conditions for these partial differential equations are approximated by using the composite trapezoidal rule, the composite Simpson's 1/3 and 3/8 rules. Also, some numerical examples are presented to show the efficiency of these methods.
The main aim of this paper is studied the punching shear and behavior of reinforced concrete slabs exposed to fires, the possibility of punching shear failure occurred as a result of the fires and their inability to withstand the loads. Simulation by finite element analysis is made to predict the type of failure, distribution temperature through the thickness of the slabs, deformation and punching strength. Nonlinear finite element transient thermal-structural analysis at fire conditions are analyzed by ANSYS package. The validity of the modeling is performed for the mechanical and thermal properties of materials from earlier works from literature to decrea
... Show MoreThe problem of the research is that some companies lack the mechanisms and policies that to enhance the loyalty of these valuable resources, which led to difficulties in generating knowledge, producing, storing, investing and investing information to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. In addition, companies are still working with the traditional wage system (monthly salaries), which makes people not think about adding value to work. The research aims to determine the level of variables for researchers to clarify the impact of the organizational innovation climate on sustainable competitive advantage. The Qualitative approach is used based on research. The research was applied
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