Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a common health problem that has a worldwide distribution. Apart from the direct effect of the virus on the liver, there are many extrahepatic manifestations among which the probable effect on bone turnover associated with low bone mineral density (BMD). Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between treated and untreated chronic HBV infection with BMD. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included a total of 48 patients with chronic HBV (28 patients treated with tenofovir-disoproxil-fumarate [TDF] antiviral drug and 20 patients have not yet started treatment). Other age- and sex-matched 30 apparently healthy individuals were recruited to represent the healthy controls. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry on the anteroposterior lumbar spine (L1–L4 spine) views, from which T-score was calculated. Liver function tests were also evaluated from serum samples. Results: Treated patients showed a lower T‑score (−0.48 ± 0.72) than either healthy individuals (1.08 ± 0.84) or untreated patients (0.78 ± 0.51), with highly significant differences. In multivariate regression, only disease duration (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 9.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.8–16.68) and TDF treatment (adjusted OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 4.18–97.05) were significantly associated with BMD. Conclusions: Prolonged use of TDF in the treatment of HBV infection can significantly reduce BMD. Moreover, BMD can also be inversely affected in long-standing HBV, regardless of treatment regimen.
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition characterized by an elevation of oxidative stress, which has been implicated in diabetic progression and its vascular complications. Aim: Assessing the impact of gliclazide modified release (MR) versus glimepiride on oxidative stress markers, glycemic indices, lipid profile, and estimated glomerular filtration rate in uncontrolled type 2 diabetic patients on metformin monotherapy. Methods: This was an observational comparative study conducted in Thi-Qar specialized diabetic, endocrine, and metabolism center. Sixty-six patients were randomized into two groups based on the addition of the sulfonylureas (SUs). Group 1 (33 patients) was on gliclazide MR, whereas Group 2 (33 patients)
... Show MoreNatural honey is well known for its therapeutic value and has been used in traditional medicine of different cultures throughout the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Malaysian Gelam honey in inflammation-induced rats. Paw edema was induced by a subplantar injection of 1% carrageenan into the rat right hind paw. Rats were treated with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Indomethacin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) or Gelam honey at different doses (1 or 2 g/kg, p.o.). The increase in footpad thickness was considered to be edema, which was measured using a dial caliper. Plasma and paw tissue were collected to analyze the production of inflammatory mediators, such as NO, PGE2
... Show MoreBackground: To investigate the effect of different types of storage media on enamel surface microstructure of avulsed teeth by using atomic force microscope.Materials and methods : Twelve teeth blocks from freshly extracted premolars for orthodontic treatment were selected . The study samples were divided into three groups according to type of storage media :A-egg white , B- probiotic yogurt , and C-bovine milk . All the samples were examined for changes in surface roughness and surface granularity distribution using atomic force microscope, at two periods: baseline, and after 8 hours of immersing in the three types of storage media. Results: Milk group had showed a significant increase in the mean of the roughness values at
... Show MoreThe research aims to measure the impact of envy on job stress because the topic of envy represents a negative emotion that exists at all organizational levels, which may cause stress in the work environment.
The Research problem is represented by the lack of perception of most of the faculty staff on the negative effects of envy on their well-being in the Technical College of Management - Baghdad, and what is the impact level of envy on their job stress.
To achieve this, the scale of envy was based on two dimensions (being envied, Envying others), While the job stress scale was based on seven dimensions (workload, conflict role, Family factors, work environment, work relationships
... Show MoreBackground: Normal occlusal features of primary dentition are crucial for normal development of the permanent dentition. Breastfeeding is an important factor for both general and dental health of children. Aim: The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of the breastfeeding duration on the prevalence of normal occlusal features of the primary dentition among preschool children in Baghdad. Materials and Methods: The sample was 630 Iraqi children (270- boys, 360 girls), aged 3-5 years selected from four kindergartens in Baghdad city. The study was carried out through questionnaire and clinical examination. Normal occlusal features were examined as the presence or absence of interincisive spaces (IS) and primate spaces (PS), termi
... Show MoreAbstract Objective: The objective of this study was to explore in-depth the impact of after-hours academic work at home on the wellbeing of college pharmacy faculty members. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted through face-to-face individual-based interview with faculty members at the College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad in Iraq. A purposive sampling was used to enroll faculty with different levels in their academic carrier. Interviews were conducted till reaching the point of saturation. The interviews were conducted from Nov 7 through December 6, 2023. All interviews were audio-recorded. Qualitative interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: Twenty faculty members participated in the study: 16 have a P
... Show MoreAnaemia is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) where anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) are the two most frequent types. The distinction between these two types of anaemia has always been challenging requiring sophisticated techniques. Serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) a truncated soluble form of the transferrin receptor is one of the parameters that is influenced by the Iron content and supply to the erythrons and is not affected by inflammatory status and therefore the use of the sTfR/log ferritin (sTfR-F) index can be a reliable indicator of functional iron deficiency.
The content of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) is a crucial property of biodiesel and serves as an indicator of the transesterification reaction that converts vegetable oil into biodiesel. To facilitate the rapid estimation of FAME quickly in the biodiesel industries, simple methods such as measuring refractive index, density, and dynamic viscosity measurements were employed to monitor the progress of transesterification of castor oil to biodiesel. Blends of castor oil and biodiesel were mixed at different weights to find correlations between FAME content and refractive index, density, and dynamic viscosity measurements. The transesterification of castor oil with methanol was carried out to examine how the refractive index, density,
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