Background This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of once-daily liraglutide as an add-on to oral antidiabetics (OADs) on glycemic control and body weight in obese patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods A total of 27 obese T2D patients who received 7 months (0.6 mg/day for the first month, 1.2 mg/day for 3 months, and 1.8 mg/day for 3 months) of liraglutide treatment as an add-on to OADs were included. Data on body weight (kg), fasting plasma glucose (FPG, mg/dL), postprandial glucose (PPG, mg/dL), and HbA1c (%), were recorded. Results Liraglutide doses of 1.2 mg/day and 1.8 mg/day were associated with significant decreases in body weight (by 8.0% and 11.9%, respectively, p < 0.01 for each) and HbA1c (by 20.0 and 26.5%, respectively, p < 0.01), while all liraglutide doses yielded significant reductions in FPG (p ranging from < 0.001 to < 0.01) and PPG (p ranging from < 0.001 to < 0.01). Glycemic parameters showed a significant reduction from the 1.2 mg/day dose to the 1.8 mg/day dose (p < 0.01 for each), whereas no further reduction in body weight was noted. Conclusion Our findings indicate favorable efficacy of liraglutide as an add-on to OADs in weight reduction and improving glycemic parameters in obese patients with inadequately controlled T2D. Once-daily liraglutide treatment was associated with significant weight loss and improved HbA1c levels only at 1.2-mg and 1.8-mg doses, while a 1.8-mg dose compared with a 1.2-mg dose seemed to enable a further improvement in glycemic control but not in weight loss.
The neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have the potential to be inflammatory markers that reflect the activity of many inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the NLR and PLR as potential markers of disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
The study involved 132 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 81 healthy controls matched in terms of age and gender. Their sociodemographic data, disease activity scores using the Bath Ankylosing
Background: An accurate adaptation of the crown to the finish line is essential to minimize cement dissolution and to preserve periodontium in fixed partial denture cases. An accurate adaptation of crown is possible only when preparation details are captured adequately in the impression and transferred to cast. For these reasons, gingival displacement is necessary to capture subgingival preparation details.The aim of the present study is to measure in vivo the horizontal displacement of the gingival sulcus obtained by using three new cordless retraction materials (Magic Foam Cord®, Racegel and Astringent Retraction Paste) in comparison to medicated retraction cord. Materials and method: Thirty-two patients requiring porcelain fused to me
... Show MoreBackground: The physiologic, biochemical and anatomic changes that occur during pregnancy are extensive and may be systemic or local. However, most of these changes return to pre pregnancy status six weeks postpartum. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of dental caries among preterm postpartum women and it's relation to baby birth weight and salivary interleukin-6 (IL-6). Materials and methods: 66 postpartum women were examined, 33 preterm postpartum women (study group) and 33 full term postpartum women (control group). Dental caries was recorded using, decayed, missing and filled surfaces index, also assess the decayed lesion by severity. Salivary samples were taken from all subjects to estimate salivary IL-6 levels. Babie
... Show MoreBackground: Antimicrobial prescribing patterns have an important role in the emergence of resistance, and community pharmacists have a substantial influence on this issue. Objective: To assess community pharmacists' behaviors and attitudes toward antimicrobial dispensing, determine their proportions and categories, and examine the underlying rationales for this practice. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists in Iraq was conducted from June to August 2023, using a self-administered validated questionnaire. The attitudes, practices, and motivations driving the distribution of antimicrobials without a prescription (AWP) were explored in three areas. Results: A sizable proportion (61.6%) of respondents rejected
... Show MoreBackground: One common undesirable side effect of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances is the development of incipient caries lesions around brackets, particularly in patients with poor oral hygiene. Different methods have been used to prevent demineralization; the recent effort to improve the resistance against the demineralization is by the application of lasers. Materials and method: Thirty human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were used to test the effect of two energy level of ER-YAG laser on enamel resistance to demineralization. The brackets were bonded on the teeth and all the labial surface excluding 2 mm area gingival to the brackets were painted with acid resistance varnish. Three groups were generated. The fi
... Show MoreThe pharmacophore 2-aminothiazole has an interesting role in pharmaceutical chemistry as this led to the synthesis of many types of compounds with diverse biological activity. Schiff base derivatives at the same time contribute to drug evolution importantly. In this review, the Schiff base derivatives of 2-aminothiazole formed and some of their metal complexes are being focused on, and the antimicrobial and anticancer activity of them is being illustrated.
Cohesion is well known as the study of the relationships, whether grammatical and/or lexical, between the different elements of a particular text by the use of what are commonly called 'cohesive devices'. These devices bring connectivity and bind a text together. Besides, the nature and the amount of such cohesive devices usually affect the understanding of that text in the sense of making it easier to comprehend. The present study is intendedto examine the use of grammatical cohesive devicesin relation to narrative techniques. The story of Joseph from the Holy Quran has been selected to be examined by using Halliday and Hasan's Model of Cohesion (1976, 1989). The aim of the study is to comparatively examine to what extent the type
... Show MoreAs cultures are mainly divided into collectivistic and individualistic, members tend to emphasize, through communication, either their position as part of their group or their independence from the group. This emphasis is manifested in using the pragmatic concepts of positive politeness and negative politeness. The present study looks into the reflection of these two cultures in Rockstar’s renowned video game, Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). It aims at identifying the two cultures as present in the game and showing their significance to its narrative. It fills the gap in the studies of language used within video games as well as its cultural reflections. The study addresses the following question: What are the positive and negative
... Show MoreBackground: University dental students perceived a higher level of stress prior to the final exam associated with raised salivary cortisol levels which could be considered as a useful noninvasive biomarker for measuring acute stress. Using a Helkimo anamnestic and clinical dysfunction scoring for temporomandibular disorders can give a better insight about the association of this marker and temporomandibular joint disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluation level of salivary cortisol in stressor students with temporomandibular disorder and the relation between this marker in relation to temporomandibular disorder severity. This might give a better understanding to the role of psychological stress as an etiological factor for developin
... Show MoreBackground: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral
cavity (OSCC) is a highly invasive neoplasm. Many
MMPs play role in human cancer invasion and
metastases.
Aim: Estimating The MMp-7 expression level in
HPV-16 positive and HPV-16 negative OSCC
paraffin embedded sections.
Method: Biopsies from thirty three patients with oral
squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were obtained and
investigated for the presence of HPV-16 RNA with
the application of ISH and the MMP-7 expression
level using IHC .
Results: Expression level of MMP-7 found to be high
in OSCC sections 29 (87.8%) cases with no
significant difference in its expression level between
HPV-16 positive and HPV-16 negative OSCC cases
p= 1.00.
Conc