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
Evolutionary algorithms are better than heuristic algorithms at finding protein complexes in protein-protein interaction networks (PPINs). Many of these algorithms depend on their standard frameworks, which are based on topology. Further, many of these algorithms have been exclusively examined on networks with only reliable interaction data. The main objective of this paper is to extend the design of the canonical and topological-based evolutionary algorithms suggested in the literature to cope with noisy PPINs. The design of the evolutionary algorithm is extended based on the functional domain of the proteins rather than on the topological domain of the PPIN. The gene ontology annotation in each molecular function, biological proce
... Show MoreVisceral leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease on the rise in different regions of Iraq, especially in areas with poor hygiene and among refugee populations. The effectiveness of existing chemotherapy for leishmaniasis is constrained by its high toxicity, cost, and the development of drug resistance. The current research examined various concentrations (ranging from 125 to 1000 μM) of lupeol to evaluate its ability to boost the generation of nitric oxide, which has anti-leishmanial properties, in an ex-vivo macrophage model. Griess assay was used to detect the nitric oxide (NO) production in Leishmania donovani infected U937 cell-line macrophages along 24 and 48 hours post treated. The nitric oxide concentration was signifi
... Show MoreThe reticuloendothelial system (RES) play an important role in immunity against bacterial infection and Klebsiella pneumoniae one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired infections. Dextran70 (D70), a polysaccharide, may alter functions of this system through changing many biological activities in the tissues.
Background: Primary healthcare in Egypt has undergone significant reforms since the 1990s, including the pioneering Family Health Program (FHP). However, limited evaluation exists regarding the FHP's impact on enhancing the delivery of primary healthcare services. The primary objective of this study was to analyze and understand the efficiency and effectiveness of the FHP in altering the delivery of primary healthcare in Egypt. We aimed to outline the fundamental characteristics of the primary healthcare system, compare them between the conventional and the newly reformed FHP centers, and gauge the awareness level of these variances among key decision-makers, focusing specifically on Cairo, Egypt. Methods: This cross-sectional study employe
... Show MoreWe propose two simple, rapid, and convenient spectrophotometric methods which are described for the determination of cephalexin in bulk and its pharmaceutical preparations. They are based on the measurement of the flame atomic emission of potassium ion (in the first method) and colorimetric determination of the green colored solution at 610 nm formed after the reaction of cephalexin with potassium permanganate as an oxidant agent (in the second method) in basic medium. The working conditions of the methods are investigated and optimized. Beer's law plot shows a good correlation in the concentration range of 5-40?g ml-1. The detection limits are 2.573,2.814 ?g ml-1 for the flame emission photometric method and 1.844,2.016 ?g ml-1 for colo
... Show MoreOBJECTIVE: To determine the preferred specialties of graduated medical doctors working in Basra, and determine the factors behind their preferences. METHODS: The study was conducted in 38 primary health care centres and seven hospitals in Basra from January-June 2014. A cross-sectional study was adopted with the use of a self-administered questionnaire form. Two hundred ninety six graduated doctors were agreed to participate. Chisquare test and logistic regression were used to test the association between deciding a future speciality and influencing factors. RESULTS: The most preferred specialties were radiology and ultrasound, gynaecology and obstetrics, surgery, internal medicine, dermatology and paediatrics. Clinical specialties were sta
... Show MoreExtraction and identification of parsley (Petroselinum sativum) seeds flavonoids (apigenin), as well as evaluation its anticancer efficacy was the main aim of the current study. Thin layer chromatography results clarified that apigenin is the major flavonoid in parsley seeds. The cytotoxic effect of apigenin in mammary adenocarcinoma (AMN3) bearing mice was manifested through significant (P ≤ 0.01) reduction in tumor volume and growth rate inhibition (90.8 %) after 24 days of oral administration at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight. The volume of tumor in the treated group reached 1354.8 mm³ while the recorded size of the control was 14758 mm³. Transplanted cancer mice showed a significant (P ≤ 0.01) elevation in concentration of liver,
... Show MoreMethotrexate (MTX) was used for treatment of malignancies and now is widely used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In this research the evaluation of the effects of MTX on some liver enzymes and lipid profile was studied. Twenty four adult female mice divided into three groups (8 mice each). The first two groups were treated with MTX while the third group was used as a control. MTX was intraperitoneally given at 50 µg/ml and 75 µg/ml to the first and second groups respectively for 35 days ,whereas the control group was intraperitoneally injected with normal saline. The results showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in serum levels of glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) , glutamic pyruric transaminase (GPT), Alkaline pho
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to shed light on identifying the extent of the university professor's competencies and their roles in managing and training participants in e-training workshops as a pedagogical point view. The research sample consisted of a group of (30) university professors (lecturers) in the training workshops, in scientific,humanitarian and social disciplines, including (12) a university professor (holding a trainer certificate), , the research methodology is descriptive, and the community is a group of trained participants. (115) participated in (40) e-training workshops organized by the Center for Continuing Education at the University of Baghdad (and the selection of workshops within the researcher's specialization in the
... Show MoreThe research aims to verifying the tax exemptions granted in accordance with the Iraqi tax legislations, showing their suitability for basic tax rules, and identifying their role to reduce the tax evasion phenomenon and the negative effects resulting therefrom, which arerepresented by a decrease in the proceeds of tax revenue and therefore leadings to a reduction of public revenues of the state. Also, the research tries to identify the ways to reduce cases of tax evasion due to their reflection positively on the public budgetof the state. The data of the research was collected through two models of questionnaires distributed to a sample of taxpayers from some professions and a sample of the tax administration staff. The research has reac
... Show More