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.
Genetic material is the most important component of cells because it contains the genetic information; hence any disruption to the structure chromosome of cells could lead to very bad results. Genotoxicity use to evaluate the safety of any chemical compounds on genetic materials. Artificial food flavoring additive are chemical substances to produce specific placebo effects added to foods but impart specific flavor to it.
The present study evaluates the genotoxic effect of artificial food flavoring additive on structure of chromosomes at three different concentrations (50%, 100%and 150%) on both bone marrow cells and spleen cells in mice for fourteen successive days. It was found that artificial food flavoring addit
... Show MoreSickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary ailment that can cause severe pain and suffering to people who are affected. However, with continued investment in research and treatment options, we can make progress towards improving the lives of those with SCD. Over 40% of patients experience painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), so we must work towards finding solutions and providing support for those living with this condition, These episodes, a hallmark of SCD, significantly contribute to morbidity, mortality, and a diminished quality of life, while also incurring substantial healthcare costs. Chronic pain particularly affects older adolescents and adults with SCD, with over half reporting daily discomfort. Opioid-based analgesics, though sti
... Show MoreCopula modeling is widely used in modern statistics. The boundary bias problem is one of the problems faced when estimating by nonparametric methods, as kernel estimators are the most common in nonparametric estimation. In this paper, the copula density function was estimated using the probit transformation nonparametric method in order to get rid of the boundary bias problem that the kernel estimators suffer from. Using simulation for three nonparametric methods to estimate the copula density function and we proposed a new method that is better than the rest of the methods by five types of copulas with different sample sizes and different levels of correlation between the copula variables and the different parameters for the function. The
... Show MoreBackground: One way to target polypharmacy and inappropriate medication in hemodialysis (HD) patients is with medication deprescribing. Objective: To assess the impact of implementing a pharmacist-led deprescribing program on medication adherence among HD patients. Method: A prospective interventional, one-group pretest-posttest-only design study was conducted at a hemodialysis center in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. Medication reconciliation followed by medication review based on the deprescribing program was done for all eligible patients, and the patients were monitored for three months for any possible complications. Results: Two hundred and seventy patients were screened for eligibility. Only one hundred and eighteen were enrolled i
... Show MoreIn this paper we proposed the method of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) determination of some essential trace elements in medicinal herbs and vitamin-mineral complexes at the level of 100-101 mg/ml. To increase sensitivity and selectivity of the determination we simple and effective approach based on the extraction of metal ions from aqueous solutions with chemically modified polyurethane foam sorbents followed by direct XRF analysis. The conditions of sorption preconcentration of Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions with modified sorbents were optimized. The proposed approach is used for the determination of trace elements in several kinds of medicinal herbs (coltsfoot leaves, nettle leaves and yarrow herb) and vitamin-mineral
... Show MoreThis study aimed to find out the impact of work-life balance on employee satisfaction in five-star hotels in Amman, Jordan based on a descriptive analytical approach. The questionnaire of the survey was designed and distributed to a sample of participants in order to collect the necessary data for this study and they were analyzed later through the SPSS V22 program. The study population was the hotel sector in Jordan, while the study sample included the five-star hotels in the capital, Amman, and the sampling unit included the employees of the middle and lower levels of management in the five-star hotels in Amman. The study showed a number of results, including the existence of a good level of work-life balance by employees in top manage-me
... Show MoreBackground: The apical seal is the single most important factor in determining the success of surgical endodontics, the aim of this study was to compare the sealing ability of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate in three different cavity designs. Materials and Methods: Thirty extracted human single-rooted teeth were divided into three groups of ten teeth per group, a retrograde cavity preparation was carried out using a low speed handpiece and round bur with parallel walls in the first group, ultrasonic retrotip and unit in the second group and a low speed handpiece with a carbide inverted cone bur with undercuts in the third group, all the cavities were filled with MTA. microleakage was measured by dye penetration technique using methylene blue. Re
... Show MoreBackground: Hair loss is a common distressing disease and challenging problem for many dermatologist. Telogen effluvium is the most common hair loss disease in which nutritional deficiencies may precipitate the disease through their effect on hair structure and growth.
Study Aim : Validating role of serum ferritin level and body mass index in Chronic Telogen Effluvium and analyzing association between these factors with socioeconomic, demographic, gynecological factors and weight loss effect. Establishing a nutritional preventive advice to improve treatment successfulness and decrease the disease occurrence.
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The interaction of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICME) with each other and with co-rotating interaction regions (CIR) changes their configuration, dynamics, magnetic field and plasma characteristics and can make space weather forecasting difficult. During the period of March 20–25, 2011, the Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory (