Background: Quality of life in brain tumor patients is an emerging issue and has prompted neurosurgeons to recon¬sider the need for cognitive assessment in the course of treatment. To date there has been a lack of comprehensive neuropsychological assessment performed preoperatively and in the acute postoperative period in our hospitals.Objectives: to establish the effects of tumors and their surgical treatment, from a neuropsychological perspective, on cognitive functioning in patients with cerebral Gliomas. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in the Neurosurgical Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from January 1999 to January 2001. Any patient admitted during the period of the study with clinical history, signs, symptoms, and contrast enhanced MRI suggesting a cerebral glioma and confirmed by postoperative histopathological results of glioma has been included in this study. While multifocal lesions, long-lasting epilepsy, use of antiepileptic therapy, multiple cranial lesions, previous cranial surgery, any chronic illness, and histopathological result of other tumors were exclusion criteria. All patients were at their first operation for brain tumors. Patients were examined by analyzing several functional domains (intelligence, executive functions, memory, language, praxis, gnosis and mood state) in order to establish the effect of tumor and surgery on cognition.Results: 29 patients who fulfilled the selection criteria were included. Mean duration of clinical history was 5 months (range 1–9 months). At baseline, using test- and domain-based criteria, 79% and 38% of patients, respectively, were impaired, the former related to tumor factors such as edema (P < 0.05), larger size (P < 0.05) and higher grade (P = 0.001). Verbal memory, visuospatial memory and word fluency were the most frequently affected functions, partly associated with depression. Postoperatively, 38% and 55% of patients, respectively, were unchanged, 24% and 21% improved, and 38% and 24% worsened; 24% and 62% of patients were intact, respec-tively.Conclusions: The extent of removal did not influence the outcome. Improvement involved previously impaired functions and was correlated with high-grade tumors. Worsening regar¬ded executive functions was related to tumor size and was partly explained by radiological findings on postoperative MRI. This prospective study, focusing on the effects of tumor and surgery, showed that tumor significantly affects cognitive func¬tions, mainly due to the mass effect and higher grading. Surgical treatment improved the functions most frequently affected preoperatively and caused worsening of execu¬tive functions soon after operation, leaving the overall cognitive burden unchanged and capable of improvement prospectively.
CuInSe2 (CIS)thin films have been prepared by use vacuum thermal evaporation technique, of 750 nm thickness, with rate of deposition 1.8±0.1 nm/sec on glass substrate at room temperature and pressure (10-5) mbar. Heat treatment has been carried out in the range (400-600) K for all samples. The optical properties of the CIS thin films are been studied such as (absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary dielectric constant)by determined using Measurement absorption and transmission spectra. Results showed that through the optical constants we can made to control it is wide applications as an optoelectronic devices and photovoltaic applications.
CuInSe2(CIS) thin films have been prepared by use vacuum thermal evaporation technique, of thickness750 nm with rate of deposition 1.8±0.1 nm/sec on glass substrate at room temperature and pressure (10-5) mbar. Heat treatment has been carried out in the range (400-600) K for all samples. The optical properties of the CIS thin films are been studied such as (absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary dielectric constant) by determined using Measurement absorption and transmission spectra. Results showed that through the optical constants we can make to control it are wide applications as an optoelectronic devices and photovoltaic applications.
This study is concerned with the effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment (DCT) at liquid nitrogen temperature (-196 o C) on the mechanical properties and performance of low carbon steel (A858). The tests specimens were divided in to two groups, the first group was subjected to the conventional heat treatment of normalizing, and the second group was also normalized then subjected to (DCT). The results have shown that after (DCT), the Hardness, Tensile properties and the impact energy absorbed were all slightly increased. However the fatigue test showed some positive improvement in fatigue limit by 20(N/mm2 ), and the volume wear rates at different loads were significantly decreased after (DCT). The changes in microstructure due to (DCT) were c
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Background: Polymer surfaces usually present problems in bonding and finishing due to their low hydrophilicity. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of plasma treatment with the use of two types of gases (oxygen and argon) on surface roughness, and chemical surface properties of acrylic resin denture base polymer material. Materials and Methods: Three heat cured acrylic resin specimens of (2*8*30 mm) dimensions were prepared for each test carried out in this study. Two tests were conducted, surface roughness test and chemical surface analysis test. Results: Application of plasma treatment increased surface roughness for both oxygen and argon plasma treated acrylic resin specimen groups compared with control untreated group,
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One of the therapeutic effects of nicotine is used as a protective against developing ulcerative colitis . ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the bowel affecting the superficial lining mucosa in the rectum and large intestine. In this study nicotine tablets were formulated as modified release tablets targeted to the colon. All formulas were studied for drug release , effect of diluent, retardant concentration, avicel grade,and compression force, the selected formula was then further studied for drug release in 3 different pH ( coated tablets) .The kinetic study revealed acceptable shelf life . Finally the selected formula was given to 6 patients in a pre-liminary clinical study which showed that nicotine c
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This paper analyses the relationship between selected macroeconomic variables and gross domestic product (GDP) in Saudi Arabia for the period 1993-2019. Specifically, it measures the effects of interest rate, oil price, inflation rate, budget deficit and money supply on the GDP of Saudi Arabia. The method employs in this paper is based on a descriptive analysis approach and ARDL model through the Bounds testing approach to cointegration. The results of the research reveal that the budget deficit, oil price and money supply have positive significant effects on GDP, while other variables have no effects on GDP and turned out to be insignificant. The findings suggest that both fiscal and monetary policies should be fo
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Inflammation of the tonsils could be described as acute tonsillitis, mainly due to infection. Recurrent tonsillitis could be defined as 3-7 episodes during the first 3 years of age. Vitamin D, which is a neuro-hormone with pleiotropic biological activities may modulate the immune response by alleviation, and stimulation of Th1 and Th2 cell proliferation, respectively, that influence the stimulation, synthesis, and secretion of both pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. In this study we aimed to shed light on the levels of vitamin D in children with different episodes of tonsillitis in association with levels of interleukins (TNFα, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10). Blood samples were collected from 48 participants in 3 groups: control, acute tonsilliti
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