The effect of 410nm with 100 mW output power and one centimetre spot size (0.128 W/cm2 power density) Diode laser irradiation at different exposure times on the growth of Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated. Seventy swap samples were collected from burn and infected wounds of 35 patients admitted to the burn-wound unit in Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad during the period from December 2014 to February 2015. These bacteria were isolated and identified depending on their growth on selective media, cultural characteristics, Gram stain morphology and biochemical tests and finally were confirmed by Vitek 2 compact system test .Susceptibility of bacterial isolates to 15antibiotics was tested using the disk diffusion method. Bacterial standard suspension of 108 cell/ml was prepared for P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Dilutions of 10-6 cell/ml for P. aeruginosa and 10-5 cell/ml for S. aureus were selected. Ten replicates were used for each experimental group. Following irradiation, CFU/ml was calculated, and antibiotic susceptibility test was performed for the most resistant isolate for each bacterial species. From the results, it was found that out of the 70 samples, 17 isolates (24.3%) were P. aeruginosa and 9 isolates (12.9%) were S. aureus. Antibiotic susceptibility test showed that all isolates of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were multidrug resistant. It was shown that laser irradiation did not affect the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa isolate to all antibiotics tested. However, a slight increase in the susceptibility of S. aureus isolate to Ampicillin/Cloxacillin, Tetracycline and Vancomycin was observed. Laser Irradiation experiments showed that the number of CFU/ml of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus was significantly reduced with increasing exposure times, reaching a100% bacterial mortality at 13 minutes for S. aureus and 19 minutes for P. aeruginosa. In conclusion, the blue laser irradiation seems to have more bactericidal effect on Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) than on Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa).
(1)
(1)
Background: It's believed that HBD-3 is involved in the tissue remodeling process of articular cartilage. Also, HBD-3 has anti-inflammatory properties. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assay human beta-defensine-3 (HBD-3) in serum from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and investigate its correlation with proinflammatory cytokines. Methods: In this case-control study, fifty-eight RA patients were aged 20–65 years, and 29 age-matched healthy subjects (HS) had no inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The disease activity score-28 joint erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) was used to measure RA activity. CRP, ACPA, HBD-3, TNF-α, and IL-1β were assessed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique (ELISA). Res
... Show More
(10)
(6)
Cement-based adhesive (CBA) is used as a bonding agent in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) applications as an alternative to epoxy-based adhesive due to the drawbacks of the epoxy system under severe service conditions which negatively affect the bond between the CFRP and strengthened elements. This paper reports the results of, an investigation carried out to develop two types of CBA using magnetized water (MW) for mixing and curing. Two magnetic devices (MD-I and MD-II), with different magnetic field strengths (9000 and 6000 Gauss) respectively, were employed for water magnetization. Different water flows with different water circulation times in the magnetizer were used for each device. Compressive and splitting tensile strength te
... Show More
(13)
(13)
(16)
(8)
For more than a decade, externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites successfully utilized in retrofitting reinforced concrete structural elements. The function of CFRP reinforcement in increasing the ductility of reinforced concrete (RC) beam is essential in such members. Flexural and shear behaviors, ductility, and confinement were the main studied properties that used the CFRP as a strengthening material. However, limited attention has been paid to investigate the energy absorption of torsion strengthening of concrete members, especially two-span concrete beams. Hence, the target of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of CFRP-strengthening technique with regard to energy absorption of two-span RC
... Show More
(27)
(21)
The Humidification-Dehumidification (HDH) desalination technique offers a viable solution for providing freshwater to populations in water-scarce, remote areas. This study experimentally investigates a novel humidifying method by cross airflow over water-wetted pottery tubes, which function as a humidifier, incorporating a thermoelectric cooler to condense water vapor for freshwater production. To optimize freshwater production and thermal efficiency, meticulous design of these components and appropriate operational parameters are selected. Experiments were performed in three environments with differing temperatures and relative humidity levels, while air velocity varied from 1.02 to 1.89 m/s, and thermoelectric cooler voltage ranged from 6
... Show More
(3)
(3)
(7)
(1)
The species of Opilio kakunini Snegovaya, Cokendolpher & Mozaffarian, 2018 was recorded for the first time in Iraq; as well as to four species belonging to this order which were recorded previously. In this paper, we added a new species to the checklist of Iraqi opilionid fauna with a description of the most important characteristics, along with genitalia, for both males and females are presented with digital photographs. Specimens of males and females were collected from Al- Rifai district northern of Dhi-Qar Province, southern of Iraq.
(1)
(1)
(1)