Background: Acute appendicitis is a common surgical
problem that is associated with an acute-phase reaction.
Previous studies have shown that cytokines and acutephase proteins are activated and may serve as indicators for
appendicitis.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate of serum
levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in correlation to the severity
to acute appendicitis.
Methods: This is a prospective study from December 2008
to March 2009 of patients who had appendectomy in
Department of Surgery, Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital -
Baghdad/Iraq. Serum for estimating levels of interleukin-6
(IL-6) was taken pre-operatively. Depending on the
macroscopic evidence during the operation and the
histopathological examination of the specimens, the
patients were separated into 3 groups, group one with
negative appendectomy (normal appendix), group two with
non-complicated acute appendicitis (catarrhal,
suppurative), and group three with complicated acute
appendicitis (perforated, gangrenous). The
histopathological results were correlated with IL-6 values
statistically.
Results: A total number of 50 patients were included in
this study, 28 male (56%) and 22 female (44%). The mean
age was 23 year (ranged from 7 to 50). On histological
examination, there were 7 patients (14%) in group one, 29
patients (58%) in group two, and 14 patients (28%) in
group three. Serum IL-6 values gave true negative results
in 6%, true positive results in 82%, false negative results in
4%, and false positive results in 8%. We determined,
therefore, in the present study the sensitivity, specificity,
and accuracy of serum IL-6 were calculated as 95.34%,
42.85%, and 88% respectively.
Conclusion: Laboratory results should be considered to be
integrated within the clinical assessment. If used critically,
IL-6 can provide surgeons with complementary
information in discerning the necessity for urgent
operation
John Updike’s use of setting in his fiction has elicited different and even conflicting reactions from critics, varying from symbolic interpretations of setting to a sense of confusion at his use of time and place in his stories. The present study is an attempt at examining John Updike’s treatment of binary settings in Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories (1962) to reveal theme, characters’ motives and conflicts. Analyzing Updike’s stories from a structuralist’s perspective reveals his employment of two different places and times in the individual stories as a means of reflecting the psychological state of the characters, as in “The Persistence of Desire”, or expressing conflicting views on social and political is
... Show MoreAbstract:
The six Arab Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) play a vital role, especially with its geographical location and natural resources (oil and gas) as well as other cultural and civilizational elements, in achieving global economic balance and more specifically global energy security, naturally because of these countries have a comparative advantage in the field of fossil energy (oil and gas), thus this sector becomes more attractive for local and international investments alike. Being the energy sector a leader sector in the economic development process, and the basic factor to achieve savings and financial surpluses in thes
... Show MoreThe trematode Plagioporus skrjabin iKowal, 1951 was recorded in this study for the first time in Iraq from intestine of Mystus pelusius
(Solander, 1794) which were collected from different locations along Tigris River near Al-Shawwaka region, Baghdad city. The description and measurements of this parasite as well as its illustration were given.
Background: Simultaneous and staged guided bone regeneration (GBR) is one of the several surgical techniques that have been developed in the past two decades to regenerate bone and thus to allow implant placement in compromised sites (fenestration and dehiscence). It is a surgical procedure that consists of the placement of a cell-occlusive physical barrier between the connective tissue and the alveolar bone defect. The treatment concept advocates that regeneration of osseous defects is predictably attainable via the application of occlusive membranes, which mechanically exclude non-osteogenic cell populations from the surrounding soft tissues, thereby allowing osteogenic cell populations originating from the parent bone to inhabi
... Show MoreFinancial markets play an important role in the economy, as it contributes to the financial and economic system of the state stability, as it reduces the adoption of the companies on the loans granted by the banks, as financial markets contribute to attracting and channeling savings to small savers who will be able to buy a number of shares proportional to their savings, It also provides them the place of exchange, and play technology and information systems an important role in facilitating exchanges and increased market activity, in this research touched on the importance of information technology in effect on the activity of the financial markets. Research is divided into three demands of the first concept of eating and the importance
... Show MoreAlice 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 MoreObjective: To determine the effectiveness of the Nursing Management Education Program upon the Nurse
Managers' Knowledge about planning in Nursing Management at Baghdad City Hospitals.
Methodology: A Quasi-experimental study in which a purposive "non-probability" sample of (50) Nurse
Managers was selected from Baghdad City Hospitals. These Managers were divided into two equal groups of
(25) Nurse Managers for each (study and control ones). A questionnaire was developed as a tool for data
collection. A pilot study was carried out to test the reliability of the questionnaire for the period from April 2nd to
June 20th 2007. The pre-post test approach was applied to the study and control groups as mean for the quasiexperime
This study aims to assess the effect of adding twisted fins in a triple-tube heat exchanger used for latent heat storage compared with using straight fins and no fins. In the proposed heat exchanger, phase change material (PCM) is placed between the middle annulus while hot water is passed in the inner tube and outer annulus in a counter-current direction, as a superior method to melt the PCM and store the thermal energy. The behavior of the system was assessed regarding the liquid fraction and temperature distributions as well as charging time and energy storage rate. The results indicate the advantages of adding twisted fins compared with those of using straight fins. The effect of several twisted fins was also studied to discover
... Show MoreA finite element is a study that is capable of predicting crack initiation and simulating crack propagation of human bone. The material model is implemented in MATLAB finite element package, which allows extension to any geometry and any load configuration. The fracture mechanics parameters for transverse and longitudinal crack propagation in human bone are analyzed. A fracture toughness as well as stress and strain contour are generated and thoroughly evaluated. Discussion is given on how this knowledge needs to be extended to allow prediction of whole bone fracture from external loading to aid the design of protective systems.
Students' passive listening to their teacher's reading is one of main
reasons behindtheir weakness in the reading skill which in its turn may
hinderachieving the in desired objectives.
When exploiting critical thinking, which will lead to deeper
understanding of the intellectual content, in learning and accurate and
correct students' outcomes.
Active listening allows paying attention to the speaker, asking him,
arguing with him, judging what he says, and making decision on what
he says. For this reason, the researcher felt the need for preforming a
study to identify the effect of critical listening on developing students'
critical thinking at reading in the Kurdish language department.
The researcher has