Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries, threatening food production, healthcare, and life expectancy. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs can optimize antibiotic use, improve patient outcomes, lower AMR, and save healthcare costs. This observational-retrospective study in Dhi Qar Governorate aimed to assess antimicrobial prescribing patterns in Al-Nasiriya public hospitals. Dhi Qar Health Directorate comprises ten hospitals, and only one hospital was excluded from the study. The study used data from antibiotic stewardship committees, including antibiogram, antibiotic, and meropenem surveys, hospital pharmacies’ medical files, and the directorate statistics from 1/1/2023 to 1/10/2023. The number of patients undergoing antibiotic screening was 6090. Most patients (43.34%) were in the 18–49 years age range. Most cases of antibiotics' clinical indication were surgical procedures (41.82%), with cesarean sections being the most common (16.15%), followed by medical treatment (37.25%), with respiratory conditions (21.34%) being the most common. Most patients (99.72%) received empirical rather than targeted treatment, parenteral rather than oral treatment (98.93% were given parenteral antibiotics); more than half of patients (52.84%) were prescribed a combination of two or more antibiotics. Most cases (95.43%) in antibiotic screening were continued on the same dose without reviewing the antibiotic prescription after 48–72 hours. The treatment resulted in 87.75% healing, 53.57% discharge with antibiotic discontinuation, and a 1.21% death rate among patients. Metronidazole, ceftriaxone, meropenem, amoxicillin, and cefotaxime were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. The data from hospital pharmacies’ medical files showed the consumption of 14 types of antibiotics within the WHO's Watch group and 18 within the Access group. The most antibiogram-isolated bacteria were E. coli (19.06%), Staphylococcus non-aureus spp. (18.74%), Staphylococcus aureus (11.26%), Klebsiella pneumonia (10.15%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.88%). The antibiogram showed resistance to many antibiotics, and there was a significant difference in resistance distribution among the Access, Watch, and Reserve groups (P value = 0.024). Antibiotic practice showed empirical treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics (most of which are in the WHO Watch group), limited culture and sensitivity testing, and limited antibiogram use, making monitoring antibiotic resistance hard.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a potent superantigen produced by
Hydrate dissociation equilibrium conditions for carbon dioxide + methane with water, nitrogen + methane with water and carbon dioxide + nitrogen with water were measured using cryogenic sapphire cell. Measurements were performed in the temperature range of 275.75 K–293.95 K and for pressures ranging from 5 MPa to 25 MPa. The resulting data indicate that as the carbon dioxide concentration is increased in the gas mixture, the gas hydrate equilibrium temperature increases. In contrast, by increasing the nitrogen concentration in the gas mixtures containing methane or carbon dioxide decreased the gas hydrate equilibrium temperatures. Furthermore, the cage occupancies for the carbon dioxide + methane system were evaluated using the Van der Wa
... Show MoreBackground: Poly-ether-ether-ketone(PEEK) has been introduced to many dental fields. Recently it was tested as a retainer wire‎ following orthodontic treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of changing the bonding spot size and location on the performance of PEEK retainer wires. Methods: A biomechanical study involving four three-dimensional finite element models was performed. The basic model was with a 0.8 mm cylindrical cross-section PEEK wire, bonded at the center of the lingual surface of the mandibular incisors with 4 mm in diameter composite spots. Two other models were designed with 3 mm and 5 mm composite sizes. The last model was created with the composite bonding spot of the canine away from the center
... Show MoreObjective This study aimed to evaluate the effects of disinfectant solutions, namely, the alcoholic extract of Salvadora persica L. (A1 = 10% and A2 = 15%) and chlorhexidine digluconate (A3 = 2%), on the tear strength and hardness of room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) VST50F and heat temperature vulcanizing (HTV) Cosmesil M511 silicone elastomers before and after reinforcement with nanofillers (TiO2) and intrinsic pigment. Materials and Methods: A total of 320 specimens were prepared, with 160 specimens each for RTV and HTV silicone. Forty specimens were evaluated before disinfection and divided into two equal groups, namely, control (without additive) and experimental (with ad
A phytoremediation experiment was carried out with kerosene as a model for total petroleum hydrocarbons. A constructed wetland of barley was exposed to kerosene pollutants at varying concentrations (1, 2, and 3% v/v) in a subsurface flow (SSF) system. After a period of 42 days of exposure, it was found that the average ability to eliminate kerosene ranged from 56.5% to 61.2%, with the highest removal obtained at a kerosene concentration of 1% v/v. The analysis of kerosene at varying initial concentrations allowed the kinetics of kerosene to be fitted with the Grau model, which was closer than that with the zero order, first order, or second order kinetic models. The experimental study showed that the barley plant designed in a subsu
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The increasing of some traded Agricultural crops prices coincide with the increasing of crude oil prices in global market since the beginning of 21st century which indicate the possibility of short run and long run causality relation between the imported economic variables. The study aims to analysis the causality effects between some of Agricultural crops prices imported by Iraq and the prices of crude oil and Iraq dinar exchange rate in global markets for period (2004:1 -2016:4) theory for developing the adequate price and economic police for Iraqi economic sector. The results show the existence of short- run and long- run between the eco
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