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.
Crop yield prediction is a critical measurement, especially in the time when parts of the world are suffering from farming issues. Yield forecasting gives an alert regarding economic trading, food production monitoring, and global food security. This research was conducted to investigate whether active optical sensors could be utilized for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield prediction at the mid.le of the growing season. Three potato cultivars (Russet Burbank, Superior, and Shepody) were planted and six rates of N (0, 56, 112, 168, 224, and 280 kg ha−1), ammonium sulfate, which was replaced by ammonium nitrate in the 2nd year, were applied on 11 sites in a randomized complete block design, with four replications. Normalized difference ve
... Show MorePlentiful of healthcare practice is based on a disease/treatment approach rather than a prevention one. That is, the predominant focus is on treating existing symptoms and conditions that bring the patient to healthcare setting. There is no doubt about the significance of this approach for acute conditions, but there is some question whether this is the most efficient and effective way of distributing healthcare for increasing number of diseases and limited resources.
The evidences from everywhere have showed the profound cost benefit of prevention in healthcare practice. Healthy community, therefore, is the ultimate aim in any health services planning. The priority of care giver is shifted now to promote health and prevent
... Show More
(2)
Background: To elucidate the possible role of human cytomegalovirus in pregnancy loss through induction of certain pro-inflammatory adhesion molecules.
Methods: Paraffin embedded sections of curate samples were obtained from 34 women had spontaneous abortion, and 5 women had elective termination of pregnancy (as control), and then subjected for immunohistochemistry analysis to detect human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) early protein and VCAM-1 molecule.
Results: Nine out of 34 women with spontaneous abortion were positive for HCMV early protein, with a
significantly higher expression of VCAM-1 in HCMV positive cases as compared with HCMV negative and the control groups (p = 0.05, 0.001 respectively).
Conclusion: HCMV infection may p
In this work we reported the synchronization delay in
semiconductor laser (SL) networks. The unidirectional
configurations between successive oscillators and the correlation
between them are achieved. The coupling strength is a control
parameter so when we increase coupling strength the dynamic of the
system has been change. In addition the time required to synchronize
network components (delay of synchronization) has been studied as
well. The synchronization delay has been increased by mean of
increasing the number of oscillators. Finally, explanation of the time
required to synchronize oscillators in the network at different
coupling strengths.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic infection caused by an intracellular growth of Leishmania spp. in macrophage cells. The autoimmune disorder is a condition takes place when the immune system produces antibodies which incorrectly attacked its own body tissues. VL has been involved as an effect or on the autoimmune aspect. This study was conducted to identify the auto antibodies profile in patients infected with VL. The presences of auto antibodies in 21 Iraqi children infected with VL were tested for laboratory autoimmune aspect. The highest percentage of seropositive in Leishmania patients was observed for anti-ds DNA, anti-Mi-2, anti-Ku and anti-PCNA antibodies (90.5%, 90.5%, 90.5% and 61.9%) respectively, while the lowest percen
... Show More
(9)
(3)
This study was conducted to know some Immune responses in women with vaginal candidias is by Candidia species. Hemoglubin (Hb) was decreased significantly in patient women comparing with control group. The differential count of Blood cells revealed that neutrophils and monocytcs were increased significantly in patient women comparing with control group. The percentage of the Phagocytosis index was decreased significantly in patient women (66.45 + 15.05) comparing with control group (73.72 + 3.77) and the T- lymphocytes were decreased also in patient women (57.75 + 18.787) comparing with control group (74.25 + 7.759).
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a complication of gestation that is characterized by impaired glucose tolerance with first recognition during gestation. It develops when ?- cell of pancreas fail to compensate the diminished insulin sensitivity during gestation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between mother adiponectin level and ?- cell dysfunction with development gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and other parameters in the last trimester of pregnancy. This study includes (80) subjects ( pregnant women) in the third trimester of pregnancy, (40) healthy pregnant individuals as control group aged between (17 - 42) years and (40) gestational diabetes mellitus patients with aged between (20 - 42) years. The f
... Show More
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate is important for high yield and good quality of potato tubers. In this dissertation, I seek to study the response of different potato cultivars under different N fertilizer rates and how that can impact tuber quality, examine the performance of active optical sensors in improving a potato yield prediction algorithm, and evaluate the ability of active optical sensors (GreenSeeker (GS) and Crop Circle (CC)) to optimize a N recommendation algorithm that can be used by potato growers in Maine. This research was conducted at 11 sites over a period of two years (2018–2019) in Aroostook County, Maine; all sites depended on a rainfed system. Three potato cultivars, Russet Burbank, Superior, and Shepody, were planted u
... Show MoreResearch summary
Today, the Islamic nation is going through a phase that is one of the most dangerous that it has never experienced before. This phase was characterized by the following:
The nation is divided into states and its weakness in most of its doctrinal, political, social, economic and moral aspects.
Enemies targeting the nation's faith and capabilities, and the emergence of loyalty to the enemies of the nation from some groups of society, spreading misconceptions in the Muslim community.
Spreading the spirit of rebellion in all segments of society and striving to stir up the people against the rulers and put pressure on the rulers.
All these manifestations and others require the nation's wise men
... Show More