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
Highly Modified Asphalt (HiMA) binders have garnered significant attention due to their superior resistance to rutting, fatigue cracking, and thermal distress under heavy traffic loads and extreme environmental conditions. While elastomeric polymers such as Styrene- Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) have been extensively used in HiMA applications, the potential of plastomeric polymers, including Polyethylene (PE) and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), remains largely unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the performance of reference binder (RB) modified with plastomeric HiMA asphalt in comparison to SBS-modified binders and determine the optimal polymer dosage for achieving an optimal balance between rutting resistance and fatigue durability. The experi
... Show MoreThe main aim of this study is to evaluate the remaining oil in previously produced zones, locate the water productive zone and look for any bypassed oil behind casing in not previously perforated intervals. Initial water saturation was calculated from digitized open hole logs using a cut-off value of 10% for irreducible water saturation. The integrated analysis of the thermal capture cross section, Sigma and Carbon/oxygen ratio was conducted and summarized under well shut-in and flowing conditions. The logging pass zone run through sandstone Zubair formation at north Rumaila oil field. The zones where both the Sigma and the C/O analysis show high remaining oil saturation similar to the open hole oil saturation, could be good oil zones that
... Show MoreAbstract
The aim of this study was to prepare rebamipide ocular inserts in order to extend its release on the ocular surface for dry eye treatment. Solubility study was applied to the drug with or without l-arginine using different solvents. Solvent casting technique was used to prepare the inserts; l-arginine was used to solubilize the drug, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose grades (E5 and K15M) and poly ethylene glycol 200 were used as excipients. The inserts were evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, moisture loss% and absorption %, surface pH, and in-vitro drug release. The use l-arginine exhibited an enhancement of rebamipide solubility in both deionized water and phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) by a
... Show MoreThe research aims to reveal the impact of media policy in Iraqi media outlets on the level of objectivity in these outlets. A study from the communicators’ point of view where the researcher used a survey method on the communicators in media outlets to reveal the extent of media policies knowledge as well as the pressures exerted by this policy on communicators in media outlets. It also reveals the extent of their commitment to objectivity, neutrality in dealing with information and the way used to transfer it.
The research sample included (179) respondents from communicators in a range of Media outlets such as (Press, Radio, and Television), The researcher was careful with the diversity of the sample, and
In this study, we focused on the random coefficient estimation of the general regression and Swamy models of panel data. By using this type of data, the data give a better chance of obtaining a better method and better indicators. Entropy's methods have been used to estimate random coefficients for the general regression and Swamy of the panel data which were presented in two ways: the first represents the maximum dual Entropy and the second is general maximum Entropy in which a comparison between them have been done by using simulation to choose the optimal methods.
The results have been compared by using mean squares error and mean absolute percentage error to different cases in term of correlation valu
... Show MoreIn the present work effect of recycled heating and cooling on the values of concrete compressive strength due to high temperature of 4000C was studied.
The tests show that the percent of reduction in compressive strength of the samples which exposed to a temperature of 4000C for one cycle was 32.5%, while the reduction was 52.7% for the samples which were exposed to recycled heating and cooling of ten times .
Moreover a study of the effect of specimen sizes on the percentages of compressive strength reduction due to high temperature
... Show MoreBackground: Bone mineral density has been assessed using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. Bone mineral density is measured according to the results of the Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry examination of the vertebral column and pelvis. Although diabetes mellitus type II (DM) is known to affect bone mineral density, at the present time this particular relationship is not clear. Objective: The aim of current study was to evaluate the effects of type II diabetes mellitus on bone mineral density of the upper and lower limbs as well as gender differences. Patients and Methods: This study involved 165 patients complaining of bone pain (85 males and 80 females), 85 patients of who suffered from diabetes, involving both genders. In addition,
... Show MoreBackground: Periodontal disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by destruction of supporting structures of the teeth. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was potentially reported to significantly associated with prevalence of gingivitis. Mild gingivitis was obtained in high IQ levels while moderate gingivitis may be attributed to poor oral hygiene seen among the subjects having low IQ levels. Method: One hundred volunteers aged between 20-45 years old were enrolled in this study, patients were equally divided into right- and left-handed (50 patients each)and each group then subdivided into patients with healthy gingiva(10), patients with gingivitis (20), and patients suffering from periodontitis (20).An IQ questionnaire was p
... Show MoreBackground: Oral diseases persist to be a major health problem all over the world. Various bacteria and fungi are found to be the possible pathogensresponsible for the oral diseases. Moringa oleifera it is an extraordinary nutritious vegetable tree with many different uses. These leaves have high medicinal value. In the present study, antibacterial and antifungal activities of aqueous extracts of plant Moringa oleifera in comparison to chlorohexidene gluconate and deionized water were determined. Materials and methods: The leaves of plant of Moringa oleifera were collected from College of Pharmacy; Baghdad, Iraq. Tested microorganism (bacterial and fungal) was isolated from different clinical specimens. In-vitroantimicrobial activity was pe
... Show MoreBackground: One of the significant public health problems is the traumatic dental injury to the anterior teeth, it has a great impact on children’s daily. Physical and psychological disturbance, pain and other negative impacts, such as tendency to avoid laughing or smiling may be associated with traumatic dental injuries, that may affect the social relationships. To determine the occurrence of traumatic dental injuries in relation to quality of life, this study was established among children of primary schools. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among private (574) and governmental (1026) primary school children in Baghdad city. Dental trauma was assessed according to Ellis and Davey classification in1970
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