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
A novel demountable shear connector for precast steel-concrete composite bridges is presented. The connector uses high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the top flange of the steel beam with the aid of a special locking nut configuration that prevents bolts from slipping within their holes. Moreover, the connector promotes accelerated construction and overcomes the typical construction tolerance issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connector allows bridge disassembly. Therefore, it can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow including the following: (1) precast deck panels can be rapidly uplifted and replaced; (2) connectors can be rapidly removed and replaced; and (
... Show More
(98)
(82)
(33)
(23)
(4)
(4)
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients. The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study. The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there were
... Show More
(9)
(8)
(24)
(13)
The temperature control process of electric heating furnace (EHF) systems is a quite difficult and changeable task owing to non-linearity, time delay, time-varying parameters, and the harsh environment of the furnace. In this paper, a robust temperature control scheme for an EHF system is developed using an adaptive active disturbance rejection control (AADRC) technique with a continuous sliding-mode based component. First, a comprehensive dynamic model is established by using convection laws, in which the EHF systems can be characterized as an uncertain second order system. Second, an adaptive extended state observer (AESO) is utilized to estimate the states of the EHF system and total disturbances, in which the observer gains are updated
... Show More
(41)
(38)
The aim of this work is to detect the best operating conditions that effect on the removal of Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ ions from aqueous solution using date pits in the batch adsorption experiments. The results have shown that the Al-zahdi Iraqi date pits demonstrated more efficient at certain values of operating conditions of adsorbent doses of 0.12 g/ml of aqueous solution, adsorption time 72 h, pH solution 5.5 ±0.2, shaking speed 300 rpm, and smallest adsorbent particle size needed for removal of metals. At the same time the particle size of date pits has a little effect on the adsorption at low initial concentration of heavy metals. The adsorption of metals increases with increas
... Show More
(12)
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients. The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study. The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there were
... Show More
(9)
(8)
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer.
This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients.
The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study.
The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there wer
... Show More
(9)
(8)
Ten isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, seven isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and nine isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, were obtained from 100 urine samples collected from Baghdad hospitals. All isolates were identified biochemically and confirmed by using VITEK 2 and were then tested for their susceptibility towards 6 antibiotics and for phenolic extracts of Thymus vulgaris and Cinnamomum cassia. All bacteria were greatly affected by T. vulgaris, especially K. pneumoniae. Viable count was performed, it was noted that the number of bacterial cells reduced from 1×108 CFU to 1.2× 103, 2×105 and 1.8×106CFU of K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus respectively. While C. cassiahad a slight effect on them. K. pneumoniae isola
... Show More
(3)