Blastocystis is a ubiquitous human and animal protozoa that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. Metronidazole is considered the standard drug for the treatment of Blastocystis infection; however, there is growing evidence of treatment failure, hazardous side effects, and appearance of strains resistant to metronidazole. In the last era, many studies have been implicated in the quest for new treatments for Blastocystis infection, especially natural products. Attention has been focused on the effect of Amygdalin (B17) and pumpkin seed on eradicating parasitic infections. The current work was built up to explore the in vitro efficacy of two natural compounds, Amygdalin (B17) and pumpkin seeds against Blastocystis isolated from symptomatic patients. In vitro incubation of the parasite with B17 (200, 400µgmL¯¹), pumpkin seed (200, 400 µgmL¯¹) and metronidazole (100, 150µgmL¯¹) was counted at different periods (one, two, twenty-four and forty-eight hours) and morphological changes were evaluated using Light Microscope. Blastocystis detected from patients with symptoms was subtype 1. The B 17 and pumpkin seed demonstrated statistically significant (p<0.05) growth reduction of Blastocystis in culture. Such results showed the possible therapeutic effects of B 17 and pumpkin seed against blastocystosis as effective safe natural alternatives.
The Middle Cenomanian-Early Turonian Mishrif Formation includes important carbonate reservoirs in Iraq and some other surrounding countries due to their high reservoir quality and wide geological extension. The 2D models of this study for facies, effective porosity and water saturation indicate the vertical and lateral heterogeneity of the Mishrif Formation reservoir properties in the Majnoon oil field. Construction of 2D reservoir model of the Mishrif Formation to explain the distribution of facies and petrophysical properties (effective porosity and water saturation) by using RockWorks software. The increase of effective porosity is attributed to the presence of shoal facies.The high water saturation is attributed to the existence of rest
... Show MoreIn this article we analysis the data of Iraqi children aged 0-9 months covered in Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6-2018) to evaluate the nutritional status . Weight for-age z-score (WAZ), height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and BMI-for-age z-score were compared with the z-scores WHO standards. The overall prevalence of underweight and stunting of the children were 4 % and 11% respectively. Prevalence of overweight based on BMI-for-age for the sexes combined was 21%. Comparing the results obtained from MICS-6 with the results obtained from MICS-4, we find that there is an improvement in the nutritional status of Iraqi children concerning weight, but as for height, we find that there is an increase in the percentage of children who suffer fr
... Show MorePublic-private partnership (PPP) has been used over the past 20-30 years by governments in developed countries to meet the public demand for infrastructural services. In Iraq, the PPP concept is comparatively new to the Government of Iraq (GoI), where the government has historically taken most of the responsibility for providing public services. There are few PPP projects in Iraq. However, the number is increasing. Recently the Iraqi market has experienced a number of attempts of PPP in different sectors, especially after the new investment law in 2006. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the investment environment in Iraq and to indicate the main factors affecting PPP in particular for infrastructure projects. Some literature review and
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This study aims to identify maternal death cases caused by Coronavirus infection 2019 pneumonia, including disease progression, fetal consequences, and the fatality cause.
Patients and methodology: A retrospective case collection of Iraqi pregnant women in their second and third trimesters diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and died due to it.
The four cases were all of a young age, had a brief complaint period, and had no comorbidities. Fever, dyspnea, and fatigue were the most common symptoms. Hypoxia was present in all cases and was the cause of mortality in three cases, with thromboembolism being a potential cause in the fourth. Prelabour membrane breakup, fetal growth restriction, and fetal death are al
... Show MoreThe design of safe pedestrian facilities usually depends on the assessment of pedestrian characteristics and behavior. In this investigation, pedestrian walking speed through the religious occasion have been monitored at three locations, Al- Kadhimiya (Imam AL-Kadim), Najaf and Karbala (Imam AL-Husain) holy shrines. Video captures of the pedestrian through their walking to the two holy shrines have been prepared and analyzed for walking speed, gender, age groups, and clothing tradition. The pedestrian sample size is 468, 501, and 447 for Al- Kadhimiya, Karbala, and Najaf respectively. When the gender is taken into consideration, it can be noted that the walking speed of male and female pedestrian is (0.97, 1.68, and 1.63
... Show MoreThe reservoir units of Mishrif Formation in Majnoon oil field were studied by using available wireline logs (gamma ray, porosity and resistivity) and facies that derived from core and cutting samples for three wells including Mj-1, Mj-15, and Mj-20. The reservoir properties were determined and interpreted by using IP software. The results showed that unit D have the best reservoir properties due to high effective porosity, low water saturation and very low volume of shale. Furthermore, a large part of this unit was deposited in shoal environment. The other reservoir units are then graded in reservoir properties including units B, A, F & E respectively, except unit C, which is considered as a cap unit, because it consists of rest
... Show MoreThe kestrel Falco tinnunculus specimens coIldeted in Iraq are found infected with one or more species of the following helminthes; Physaloptera alata (Nematoda), Cladataenia globifera (Cestoda), Prosthogonimus cuneatus (Trernatoda), and Sphaeriorostris sp. (Acanthocephala) with a total infection rate of 30.56%. The results are compared and discussed with the pertinent literature.
The Present study investigated the drought in Iraq, by using the rainfall data which obtained from 39 meteorological stations for the past 30 years (1980-2010). The drought coefficient calculated on basis of the standard precipitation index (SPI) and then characteristics of drought magnitude, duration and intensity were analyzed. The correlation and regression between magnitude and duration of drought were obtained according the (SPI) index. The result shows that drought magnitude values were greater in the northeast region of Iraq.
The investigation of earth dams under significant earthquake loads, such as catastrophic earthquakes, is a critical subject in dynamic evaluation. Damage mitigation and structural performance during an earthquake are crucial considerations for an earthen dam. However, Iraq and its neighbors have experienced frequent earthquake activity, including the 2017 Halabja Earthquake, which may have damaged some existing earth dams, posing a higher risk of severe earthquake-induced damage than a cyclic shock. Therefore, assessing the dam’s safety is crucial for protecting downstream communities and determining the best strategies to prevent slope stability failure in the face of frequent s