Background: During Ramadan, Muslims fast throughout daylight hours. There is a direct link between fasting and increasing incidence of infections. Antibiotic usage for treatment of infections should be based on accurate diagnosis, with the correct dose and dosing regimen for the shortest period to avoid bacterial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the practices of physicians in prescribing suitable antibiotics for fasting patients and the compliance of the patients in using such antibiotics at regular intervals. Materials and methods: An observational study was carried out during the middle 10 days of Ramadan 2014 in two pharmacies at Baghdad. A total of 34 prescriptions (Rx) for adults who suffered from infections were examined. For each included Rx, the researchers documented the age and sex of the patient, the diagnosis of the case, and the name of the given antibiotic(s) with dose and frequency of usage. A direct interview with the patient was also done, at which each patient was asked about fasting and if he/she would like to continue fasting during the remaining period of Ramadan. The patient was also asked if the physician asked him/her about fasting before writing the Rx. Results: More than two-thirds of participating patients were fasting during Ramadan. Antibiotics were prescribed at a higher percentage by dentists and surgeons, for which a single antibiotic with a twice-daily regimen was the most commonly prescribed by physicians for patients during the Ramadan month. Conclusion: Physicians fail to take patient fasting status into consideration when prescribing antibiotics for their fasting patients. Antibiotics with a twice-daily regimen are not suitable and best to be avoided for fasting patients in Iraq during Ramadan – especially if it occurs during summer months – to avoid treatment failure and provoking bacterial resistance. Keywords: fasting, Ramadan, antibiotics, dosing regimen
In this paper the nuclear structure of some of Si-isotopes namely, 28,32,36,40Si have been studied by calculating the static ground state properties of these isotopes such as charge, proton, neutron and mass densities together with their associated rms radii, neutron skin thicknesses, binding energies, and charge form factors. In performing these investigations, the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock method has been used with different parameterizations; SkM*, S1, S3, SkM, and SkX. The effects of these different parameterizations on the above mentioned properties of the selected isotopes have also been studied so as to specify which of these parameterizations achieves the best agreement between calculated and experimental data. It can be ded
... Show MoreThe petroleum industry, which is one of the pillars of the national economy, has the potential to generate vast wealth and employment possibilities. The transportation of petroleum products is complicated and changeable because of the hazards caused by the corrosion consequences. Hazardous chemical leaks caused by natural disasters may harm the environment, resulting in significant economic losses. It significantly threatens the aim for sustainable development. When a result, determining the likelihood of leakage and the potential for environmental harm, it becomes a top priority for decision-makers as they develop maintenance plans. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the risks associated with oil and gas pipeli
... Show MoreThe high cost of chemical analysis of water has necessitated various researches into finding alternative method of determining portable water quality. This paper is aimed at modelling the turbidity value as a water quality parameter. Mathematical models for turbidity removal were developed based on the relationships between water turbidity and other water criteria. Results showed that the turbidity of water is the cumulative effect of the individual parameters/factors affecting the system. A model equation for the evaluation and prediction of a clarifier’s performance was developed:
Model: T = T0(-1.36729 + 0.037101∙10λpH + 0.048928t + 0.00741387∙alk)
The developed model will aid the predictiv
... Show MorePortland Cement is manufactured by adding 3% gypsum to clinker which is produced by grinding, pulverizing, mixing, and then burning a raw mix of silica, and calcium carbonate. Limestone is the main source of carbonates, while clay collected from arable land is the main source of silica. The marl in the Euphrates Formation was studied as an alternative to arable lands. Nine boreholes drilled and penetrated the marl layer in selected locations at the Kufa cement quarry. Forty-one samples of marl from boreholes and four samples of limestone from the closed area were collected. The chemical content of the major oxides and the hardness of the marl layer was very encouraging as a raw material for Portland Cement as they are SiO2 (17.60),
... Show MoreToday, the prediction system and survival rate became an important request. A previous paper constructed a scoring system to predict breast cancer mortality at 5 to 10 years by using age, personal history of breast cancer, grade, TNM stage and multicentricity as prognostic factors in Spain population. This paper highlights the improvement of survival prediction by using fuzzy logic, through upgrading the scoring system to make it more accurate and efficient in cases of unknown factors, age groups, and in the way of how to calculate the final score. By using Matlab as a simulator, the result shows a wide variation in the possibility of values for calculating the risk percentage instead of only 16. Additionally, the accuracy will be calculate
... Show MoreThe aim of this paper is to design artificial neural network as an alternative accurate tool to estimate concentration of Cadmium in contaminated soils for any depth and time. First, fifty soil samples were harvested from a phytoremediated contaminated site located in Qanat Aljaeesh in Baghdad city in Iraq. Second, a series of measurements were performed on the soil samples. The inputs are the soil depth, the time, and the soil parameters but the output is the concentration of Cu in the soil for depth x and time t. Third, design an ANN and its performance was evaluated using a test data set and then applied to estimate the concentration of Cadmium. The performance of the ANN technique was compared with the traditional laboratory inspecting
... Show MoreAbstract
Public debt has posed a major challenge to both developing and developed countries, which has focused attention on the optimal limits (threshold of debt) and its determinants.
The study examines the effect of the Public bank debt on the foreign reserves and the work of the foreign reserve as a limitation on the process of bank debt (part of the internal debt) for the period (2017-2004), in addition to finding the type and nature of the relationship between them according to the hypotheses of the study, Public bank debt and foreign reserves.
The study was based on data from the Iraqi banking sector, which showed that Iraq has a foreign reserve in line with internat
... Show MoreOptimum perforation location selection is an important study to improve well production and hence in the reservoir development process, especially for unconventional high-pressure formations such as the formations under study. Reservoir geomechanics is one of the key factors to find optimal perforation location. This study aims to detect optimum perforation location by investigating the changes in geomechanical properties and wellbore stress for high-pressure formations and studying the difference in different stress type behaviors between normal and abnormal formations. The calculations are achieved by building one-dimensional mechanical earth model using the data of four deep abnormal wells located in Southern Iraqi oil fields. The magni
... Show MoreIn the present study, MCM-41 was synthesis as a carrier for poorly drugs soluble in water, by the sol-gel technique. Textural and chemical characterizations of MCM-41 were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The experimental results were analyzed mesoporous carriers MCM-41. With maximum drug loading efficiency in MCM-41 determined to be 90.74%. The NYS released was prudently studied in simulated body fluid (SBF) pH 7.4 and the results proved that the release of NYS from MCM-41 was (87.79%) after 18 hr. The data of NYS released was found to be submitted a Weibull model with a correlation coefficient of (0.995). The Historical
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