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
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This study presents, for the first time, an innovative Jet Plasma-assisted technique for the green synthesis of TiO₂@Ag core–shell nanoparticles using chard leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The Jet Plasma provides a highly energetic environment that accelerates nucleation and core–shell formation at low temperatures without toxic precursors. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited uniform and stable structures, as confirmed by comprehensive characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and zeta potential analysis. XRD patterns confirmed the crystalline anatase
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In this study, manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via the hydrothermal method and utilized for the adsorption of Janus green dye (JG) from aqueous solutions. The effects of MnO₂ NPs on kinetics and diffusion were also analyzed. The synthesized NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), with XRD confirming the nanoparticle size of 6.23 nm. The adsorption kinetics were investigated using three models: pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), and the intraparticle diffusion model. The PSO model provided the best fit (R² = 0.999), indicating that the adsorpti
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This study investigates the impact of copper sulfate (CuSO4) doping and glycerin plasticization on the structural, electrical, dielectric, and optical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and glycerin gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs). The GPEs were prepared using a solution casting method with varying CuSO4 concentrations (5 and 10 wt.%). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the semi-crystalline nature of the polymer blend and also confirmed the presence of CuSO4. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the miscibility of PVA, PVP, and glycerin through interchain hydrogen bonding and indicated the successful incorporation of Cu2+ ions into the polymer blend matrix. The PVA/PVP/glycerin blend containi
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