BSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris(AV)is chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous unit of young people. Patients with acne with or with out scarring might differ in regard to their immunological background from those free from acne. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the problem of facial AV especially patients with scarring and to determine the frequency of associated skin diseases and to be compared with acne free control. METHODS: A cross sectional randomized controlled epidemiological study was conducted from Oct.2005-Oct. 2006.Three hundred students from Basra University; 132 (44%) males and 168 (56%) females were enrolled, their ages ranged from 18-25 (20.9±1.8) years. They were divided into: Group A those free from acne (98 individuals),Group B with non scarring facial AV (96 patients), and Group C with scarring facial AV (106 patients). History and examination were done for their acne, scarring acne and associated skin diseases. Allen and Smith grading system for AV were used, and a new invented multiparametric scoring system for scarring acne was applied. RESULTS: AV was in 98(73.24%) males and 104 (61.9%) females. Scarring was 54 (50.95%) males and 52 (49.05%) females. Greasy skin was the most common type among Group B 67 (69.8%) versus 39 (39.8%) among Group A(P=0.000029) and was more common among Group C 84(79.2%) (P=0.00000001).Family history of AV was nearly similar in A and B Groups 55(57.29%) and 56 (52.83%) respectively, while in Group A was 39 (39.79%). Family history of scarring acne was in 35(33.02 %) of Group C, 16 (16.66 %) of Group B, and 3 (3.1%) in Group A; (P=0.00000017). The age of onset was similar in A and B Groups between 15-16 years. Majority of patients in Group B had non inflammatory type or mild inflammatory (papular) 65 (67.8%) patients, most of case were mild and moderate 86 (89.58%) patients, while high percent in Group C had inflammatory type 95 (89.62%), and more than half of them had severe and very severe types upon grading 56 (52.8%). The aggravating factors were similar in A and B Groups with stress and hot weather being the leading aggravating factors. Squeezing and digging habit was in 53 (50%) in Group C versus 23 (23.95%) in Group B (P=0.00024). In most cases of scarring acne, scarring was mild and moderate 85 (80.19%), and the most common type scars was the flat hyperpigmented [50 (47.17%) and 66 (62.26%) respectively].The most common effect of scarring acne on psyche was mild discomfort and mild dysmorphophobia 75 (70.75%).Associated skin diseases were more common among Group A 31 (31. 63%) than among Group B 22 (22.91%) and least common among Group C 14 (13.20%) (P=0.0067) and they were mainly dermatitis and skin infections. CONCLUSION: AV might reflect the immunological status especially among patients with scarring. The frequency of skin diseases was much less among patients with scarring acne
This paper analyzes a piled-raft foundation on non-homogeneous soils with variable layer depth percentages. The present work aims to perform a three-dimensional finite element analysis of a piled-raft foundation subjected to vertical load using the PLAXIS 3D software. Parametric analysis was carried out to determine the effect of soil type and initial layer thickness. The parametric study showed that increasing the relative density from 30 % to 80 % of the upper sand layer and the thickness of the first layer has led to an increase in the ultimate load and a decrease in the settlement of piled raft foundations for the cases of sand over weak soil. In clay over weak soil, the ultimate load of the piled raft foundation w
... Show MoreHydrogels are hydrophilic biocompatible polymers that can be used as a drug delivery material in different medical branches, including vital pulp therapy. The aim of this study is to characterize the physical and biological properties of the newly developed formula as a candidate direct pulp-capping material. The hydrogel composite was prepared from natural and synthetic origins (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hyaluronic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA)) with the incorporation of bioactive Moringa. Different formulas of hydrogel containing different concentrations were evaluated for physicochemical (FTIR, XRD, SEM, degradation, and swelling), mechanical (viscosity, folding endurance, film thickness), and biological (antioxidant, antibacterial,
... Show MoreThe compressive residual stresses generated by shot peening, is increased in a direct proportional way with shot peening time (SPT). For each metal, there is an optimum shot peening time (O.S.T) which gives the optimum fatigue life. This paper experimentally studied to optimize shot peening time of aluminium alloy 6061-T651 as well as using of and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Two types of fatigue test specimens’ configuration were used, one without notch (smooth) and the other with a notch radius (1,25mm), each type was shot peened at different time. The (O.S.T) was experimentally estimated to be 8 minutes reaching the surface stresses at maximum peak of -184.94 MPa.
A response surface methodology (RSM) is presen
... Show MoreA solar updraft tower power plant (solar tower) is a solar thermal power plant that utilizes a combination of solar
air collector and central updraft tube to generate an induced convective flow which drives pressure staged turbines to generate electricity.
This paper presents practical results of a prototype of a solar chimney with thermal mass, where the glass surface is replaced by transparence plastic cover. The study focused on chimney's basements kind effect on collected air temperatures. Three basements were used: concrete, black concrete and black pebbles basements. The study was conducted in Baghdad from August to November 2009.
The results show that the best chimney efficiency attaine
... Show MoreThe presence of antibiotic residues such as ciprofloxacin (CIPR) in an aqueous environment is dangerous when their concentrations exceed the allowable. Therefore, eliminating these residues from the wastewater becomes an essential issue to prevent their harm. In this work, the potential of efficient adsorption of ciprofloxacin antibiotics was studied using eco-friendly ZSM-5 nanocrystals‑carbon composite (NZC). An inexpensive effective natural binder made of the sucrose-citric acid mixture was used for preparing NZC. The characterization methods revealed the successful preparation of NZC with a favorable surface area of 103.739 m2/g, and unique morphology and functional groups. Investigating the ability of NZC for adsorbing CIPR antibioti
... Show MoreDicephalus parapagus twinning (DPT) is the rarest conjoined twinning entity of all conjoined twins. The presence of DPT is always associated with mortality before or after delivery. Antenatal diagnosis is crucial for planning labor, assembling a team, and providing counseling. Case presentation: A 23-year-old patient (G2P1A0) at 21 weeks of pregnancy attended the ultrasound clinic for routine care. A monoamniotic-monochorionic pregnancy was observed; the twin fetuses had two heads but one body, which corresponded to dicephalus parapagus twinning. A detailed ultrasound and fetal echocardiography reveal one heart without congenital anomalies. The liver, kidneys, and bladder appeared to be normally developed. Fetal MRI and karyotyping wer
... Show MoreIn this study, a new class of polymeric nanocomposites was synthesized and characterized. One mole of dimethyl adipate and two moles of thiosemicarbazide in ethanol first reacted to form the compound [C1]. Compound [C1] then reacted with sodium hydroxide to produce compounds [C2]. Hydrazine hydrate reacted with compound [C2] to generate compound [C3]. Compound [C4] was synthesized from compound [C3] and maleic anhydride. A polymer [C5] is formed by the reaction of the compound [C4] with ammonium persulfate as an initiator. This polymer was then combined with nano: ZnNPs, AgNPs, SiNPs, or IONPs using a hotplate stirrer for 3 hours to produce nanocomposites [C6-C9]. FTIR, 1H-NMR, and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) were
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