Background: Coronary artery disease remains the main cause of death despite several preventive programs. Epicardial adipose tissue is a visceral fat depot of the heart located along the large coronary arteries and on the surface of ventricles and apex. Intima media thickness is commonly recognized as the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis. The development of ultrasound machines, advances in echocardiographic devices and high resolution transducers facilitate comprehensive analysis of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT).
Aim: To investigate the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT) with the severity of coronary artery disease.
Methods: A cross sectional multicenter diagnostic accuracy study carried out at Ibn Al-Nafis Cardiovascular Hospital, Ibn Al- Bitar Cardiology Center and Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital –Iraqi Center for Cardiology during the period between October 2016 and May 2017 assessing. History regarding demographic data and risk factors was taken. Two dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic measurements were done. EFT was measured from parasternal long axis view perpendicular to the right ventricular free wall. C-IMT was measured according to that recommended by the American society of echocardiography (ASE).
Results: The current study demonstrated that the EFT has a direct and significant correlation with the number of involved vessels (P value ˂ 0.001, r= 0.770). The validity of EFT to discriminate between multiple vessels disease and no vessel involvement is excellent (AUC= 0.984, cut point > 8mm, sensitivity=92.9%, specificity= 93.3%). There is inverse and significant correlation between ejection fraction (EF) and three vessels disease (P value ˂ 0.001, r= -0.507). Also there is a direct and significant correlation between C-IMT and severity of CAD. ROC analysis for validity of C-IMT to discriminate between multiple vessels disease and no vessel involvement is excellent (AUC= 0.961, cut point > 1.04mm, sensitivity=92.9%. specificity=86.7%). C-IMT is fair to discriminate between single vessel disease and no vessel involvement (AUC=0.738, cut point ˃ 0.84mm, sensitivity 100%), so if correlated with age, C-IMT above 0.84 can be used as a cut off point for the prediction of CAD. Finally, EFT and C-IMT are more likely to reflect severity of CAD than their ratio.
Conclusions: C-IMT and EFT are simple and reproducible parameters that can be used as a screening tool for the presence and severity of CAD especially before symptoms appearance in high risk patients
<span lang="EN-US">We are living in the 21<sup>st</sup> century, an era of acquiring necessity in one click. As we, all know that technology is continuously reviving to stay ahead of advancements taking place in this world of making things easier for mankind. Technology has been putting his part in introducing different projects as we have used the field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) development board of low cost and programmable logic done by the new evolvable cyclone software is optimized for specific energy based on Altera Cyclone II (EP2C5T144) through which we can control the speed of any electronic device or any Motor Control IP product targeted for the fan and pump. Altera Cyclone FPGAs’ is a board thro
... Show MoreWastewater recycling for non-potable uses has gained significant attention to mitigate the high pressure on freshwater resources. This requires using a sustainable technique to treat natural municipal wastewater as an alternative to conventional methods, especially in arid and semi-arid rural areas. One of the promising techniques applied to satisfy the objective of wastewater reuse is the constructed wetlands (CWs) which have been used extensively in most countries worldwide through the last decades. The present study introduces a significant review of the definition, classification, and components of CWs, identifying the mechanisms controlling the removal process within such units. Vertical, horizontal, and hybrid CWs
... Show MoreTo develop a petrol engine so that it works under the bi-engine pattern (producer gas-petrol) without any additional engine modifications, a single-point injection method inside the intake manifold is a simple and inexpensive method. Still, it leads to poor mixing performance between the air and producer gas. This deficiency can cause unsatisfactory engine performance and high exhaust emissions. In order to improve the mixing inside the intake manifold, nine separate cases were modelled to evaluate the impact of the position and angle orientation inside the intake manifold on the uniformity and spread of the mixture under AFR=2.07. A petrol engine (1.6 L), the maximum engine speed (8000 rpm), and bi-engine mode (petrol-producer ga
... Show MoreThe best means and ways to develop an athlete's physical and skill capabilities, and among these means is the use of training aids that help develop some bio-kinetic abilities, and prepared exercises have had an important role in improving athletic performance in badminton, where the player must possess physical fitness, explosive power, and strength. Characterized by speed as well as accuracy, awareness, and focus while playing on the court, the badminton player must be physically fit through a continuous movement of small and large muscles to achieve good performance, which requires special physical abilities and skills, and the most important of these bio-kinetic abilities are agility, coordination, and measuring the coordination
... Show MoreBackground: The vasoconstricting agents: nor-adrenaline and 5- hydroxytryptamine
(5-HT) have a stimulant action on smooth muscle contractility of the rat vas deferens.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to continuous
darkness and continuous light on the contractility of the vasa deferntia smooth
muscles from rats to applied nor-adrenaline and 5-HT.
Method: Male albino wistar rats were divided into 3 experimental groups. Group 1:
Control animals, were exposed to the ordinary photoperiod each day. Group 2: Rats
were kept in a dark room. Group 3: In a room under a bright artificial light.
All animals were killed after 4 weeks.
Results: Vasa deferentia preparations from continuous dar
Abstract
The scope of the humanitarian tragedies in the Arab region has widened after the conflicts that erupted over the past years, exacerbation to include educational, cultural, and social dimensions, economic and moral aspects of the displaced families, especially after the emergence of terrorist organizations and sectarian conflicts which overthrew human and led to various political and demographic changes, forcing citizens to leave their homes, fleeing with their families from the danger of murder, terrorism, and violation to other safer areas inside or outside their countries. Women and children were the vast majority of the displaced who were subjected to great pressures, The host communities bore the pro
... Show MoreThe research dealt with the subject of measuring the competitive performance of the National Insurance Company and some of its branches (Basra, Ninwa, Kirkuk and Babil), Depending on the Revenue Growth Index at the activity level, and the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index RCAIAt the branch level,To measure the competitiveness of the company And some branches, As the problem of research in the lack of adoption by some companies in the insurance service sector on scientific indicators to measure their competitive performance, The aims of the research is to measure the competitiveness of the National Insurance Company, as well as the competitiveness of its branches according to the scientific method, One of the main Conclusions of the re
... Show MoreThe Current research aims to identify ( the effect of Carin model in the achievement of the first intermediate Grade Students and their Reflective Thinking in physics Subject ) the researcher selected the experimental design with a partial adjust , The research sample consisted of ( 47 ) Students with ( 23 ) Students in the experimental group and ( 24 ) Students in the control group , The two groups rewarded in the variables chronological age in months , Reflective Thinking and the degrees in physics in the first course. The researcher coined the purposes of behavioral which belong to chapter fifth, sixth, and seventh of physics books scheduled of the school year ( 2015-2016 ) and prepared appropriate lesson plans for the two experimenta
... Show MoreObjective: To identify the effect of the cube model on visual-spatial intelligence and learning the skill of spikinging in volleyball for female students, The researchers used the experimental method by designing two equivalent groups with pre- and post-measurements. Research methodology: The main research sample of (30) female students was selected from the research community represented by second-stage students in the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences - University of Baghdad for the academic year (2024-2025). The sample was divided equally into two control and experimental groups. The researchers conducted the sample homogenization process and the equivalence process between the two groups in the variables of visua
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