BACKGROUNDS Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) application is among presurgical management (PSM) techniques used for infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP). It helps to approximate the palatal cleft and to reshape the nasoalveolar complex prior to primary lip repair. This study aimed to explore types of PSM and the dental speciality provision for infants with CLP in Baghdad. The status of NAM usage and surgeons’ perceptions toward NAM usage were assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a cross-sectional paper-based questionnaire study that collected responses of surgeons perform primary lip and nose repair regarding PSM. The questionnaire was distributed amongst public and private hospitals in Baghdad. Twenty surgeons were enrolled (only those su

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive airflow limitation that is preventable but not curable. It is associated with persistent symptoms that cause a considerable burden on individual productivity at work, and daily activities, and reduced quality of life, also burdening the healthcare system and society. Objectives: The study aims to measure the burden of COPD on patients in terms of daily activities and work productivity. It also seeks to investigate some inflammatory biomarkers' levels and their correlation with selected outcomes. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study on 120 stable COPD patients who were diagnosed and treated according to the GOLD guidelines at Kirkuk General Hospital's

The effectiveness of upward training with weights to develop explosive power, characterized by speed and some functional variables for young volleyball players Many efforts of sports laboratories in various countries have been devoted to laying scientific foundations and rules in caring for the physical, skilled, planning, and psychological preparation of players and creating the conditions and requirements for reaching players to higher standards. The research aims to:1- Preparing an ascending training program with weights to develop explosive strength, which is characterized by speed and some functional variables for volleyball players.2- Identify the effect of the training program with upward training in weights to develop explosive stre

A simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been proposed for the determination of La (III) using 3-hydroxy -4-(2-hydroxy-phenyl azo) naphthalene -1- sulfonic acid as a chromogenic reagent. This method is based on the formation of a red-pink colored complex, upon the reaction of La(III) with the reagent in an alkaline medium (pH= 9.50), having a maximum absorbance at 459 nm. Beer's law is valid in the concentration range 0.512 µg.ml-1 with a Sandell's sensitivity value of 0.0188 µg.cm-2 and molar absorptivity of 7376.12 L.mol-1.cm-1. The stoichiometric composition of the chelate is 1:3. The effect of the presence of different cations as interferants in the determination of La(III) under the given optimum conditions wer

Imitation learning is an effective method for training an autonomous agent to accomplish a task by imitating expert behaviors in their demonstrations. However, traditional imitation learning methods require a large number of expert demonstrations in order to learn a complex behavior. Such a disadvantage has limited the potential of imitation learning in complex tasks where the expert demonstrations are not sufficient. In order to address the problem, we propose a Generative Adversarial Network-based model which is designed to learn optimal policies using only a single demonstration. The proposed model is evaluated on two simulated tasks in comparison with other methods. The results show that our proposed model is capable of completing co

The lead has adverse effects in contamination the aquatic environment, for this reason, a laboratory simulation was conducted using kaolinite collected from the Ga’ara Formation at western Iraq to be considered as a natural sorbent material that can be addressed Pb2+ from the aqueous environments. The Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy clarifying very fine grains and pure phase with a very little quantity of quartz and has a number of active sites for adsorption. The sorption of kaolinite for the Pb2+ has been carefully tested by several designed laboratory experiments. Five lead solutions of different concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 ppm) were tested under different values of pH (1.3-9)

Freedom of opinion is one of the freedoms that constitutions and laws have guaranteed to protect and is exercised through the media. However, this freedom must be exercised within certain limits, which include respecting a person’s right to preserve his privacy, image and reputation. Just as the media has the freedom to exercise its right to publish and express its opinion with complete frankness, it is in return obligated to respect the rights of others and avoid defaming them and violating their privacy. If the media does this, the injured party has the right to demand compensation for the damage he has suffered as a result.

Background: Birth defects are the leading cause of both neonatal and post-neonatal deaths, as an estimated 240,000 neonates die in their first month of life worldwide each year. In Iraq, local studies have shown varying frequencies and types of congenital anomalies. Objectives: To provide new insight into the incidence and types of congenital anomalies and to explore their possible risk factors in Baghdad City. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, a total of 2007 neonates were enrolled from six hospitals in Baghdad during the period extending between September and December 2020. Hospital records and personal interviews were used for data collection. These data included the neonates' demographic and clinical characte