Background: The prevalence of obesity is continuously rising world-wide. Obesity is an important risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic syndrome (MS), and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Objective: To estimate the frequency of MS in obese versus non-obese subjects in Basrah, Iraq .
Methods: This is a prospective clinical study performed in Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital, Basrah, and included 86 obese subjects (with a BMI ≥ 30), 39 males and 47 females, and 132 non-obese subjects ( with a BMI < 30 ), 60 males and 73 females as a control group. Measurement of height, weight, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure ( BP ), fasting blood glucose ( FBG ), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG ) and high density lipoprotein-

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder that affects cognitive brain functions and starts many years before its clinical manifestations. A biomarker that provides a quantitative measure of changes in the brain due to AD in the early stages would be useful for early diagnosis of AD, but this would involve dealing with large numbers of people because up to 50% of dementia sufferers do not receive formal diagnosis. Thus, there is a need for accurate, low-cost, and easy to use biomarkers that could be used to detect AD in its early stages. Potentially, electroencephalogram (EEG) based biomarkers can play a vital role in early diagnosis of AD as they can fulfill these needs. This is a cross-sectional study that aims to demon

The optical transmission and UV-VIS absorption spectra have been recorded in the wavelength range (200-1100m) for different composition of polyaniline and polyvinyl Alcohol(PVA ) blends thin films. Polyaniline was prepared in acidic medium to enhancement the solubility and processibility, The optical energy gap (Eopt) refractive index and optical dielectric constant real and imaginary part have been evaluated. The effects of doping percentage of prepared polyaniline on these parameters was discussed and the non –linear behavior for all these parameters was investigated.

A factorial experiment (2× 3) in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was conducted to examine the effect of honeycomb selection method using three interplant distances on yield and its components of two cultivars of bean, Bronco and Strike. Interplant distances used were 75× 65 cm, 90× 78 cm, and 105× 91 cm (row× plant) represent short (high plant density), intermediate (intermediate plant density), and wide (low plant density) distance, respectively. Parameters used for selection were number of days from planting to the initiation of first flower, number of nodes formed prior to first flower, and number of main branches. Results showed significant superiority of the Bronco cultivar represented in the number

Ganciclovir (GCV) is a drug included in BCS-Class III, having high solubility and low permeability. It is a synthetic acyclic nucleoside analog of 2′-deoxyguanosine, considered a potent inhibitor of herpes viruses and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are very common and are also considered a major cause of corneal blindness. This study intended to advance a pioneering nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) system for improving the ocular permeability of GCV. Several procedures were used for the preparation. Cold homogenization, solvent injection, and emulsifi cationultrasonication methods. A mixture of palmitic acid (PA) and oleic acid (OA) as a lipid matrix, cremophore EL, and transcutol HP wer

Arsenic is a prevalent and pervasive environmental contaminant with varied amounts in drinking water. Arsenic exposure causes cancer, cardiovascular, liver, nerve, and ophthalmic diseases. The current study aimed to find the best conditions for eliminating arsenic from simulated wastewater and their effect on biomarkers of hepatic in mice. Adsorption tests including pH, contact duration, Al-kheriat dosage, and arsenic concentrations were evaluated. Seventy-two healthy albino mice (male) were accidentally allocated into nine groups (n = 8), the first group was considered as healthy control, the second group (AL-Kheriat), and other groups received AL-Kheriat and arsenic 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 and 175 mg/kg, respectively. Next 10 days, the

Recent developments in two main phases of cumulus cloud studies are discussed; first the relations between the clouds and their energy sources in the subcloud layer and second, the interaction between the clouds and their environment in the cloud layer. Under the first heading, the various originating impulses for cumulus formation are mentionitd. and how the character of this impulse affects the spacing, scale and temperature structure of the clouds. The possible origins of trade cumuli are considered.

Back ground: Glass ionomer materials lack resistance to wear and pressure and are susceptible to moisture during the initial stages of setting and dehydration. So this study was done to assess diametral tensile strength and microhardness of glass ionomer reinforced by different amounts of hydroxyapatite. Materials and methods: In this study a hydroxyapatite material was added to glass monomer cement at different ratios: 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% (by weight). The diametral tensile strength test described by the British standard specification for zinc polycarboxylate cement was used in this study and the microhardness test was performed using Vickers microhardness testing machine and the microhardness values were calculated and statistical c

Criticism is inherently impolite and a face-threatening act generally leading to conflicts among interlocutors. It is equally challenging for both native and non-native speakers, and needs pre-planning before performing it. The current research examines the production of non-institutional criticism by Iraqi EFL university learners and American native speakers. More specifically, it explores to what extent Iraqi EFL learners and American native speakers vary in (i) performing criticism, (ii) mitigating criticism, and (iii) their pragmatic choices according to the contextual variables of power and distance. To collect data, a discourse-completion task was used to elicit written data from 20 Iraqi EFL learners and 20 American native speaker