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.
Objectives This work presents laser coating of grade 1 pure titanium (Ti) dental implant surface with sintered biological apatite beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), which has a chemical composition close to bone. Materials and methods Pulsed Nd:YAG laser of single pulse capability up to 70 J/10 ms and pulse peak power of 8 kW was used to implement the task. Laser pulse peak power, pulse duration, repetition rate and scanning speed were modulated to achieve the most homogenous, cohesive and highly adherent coat layer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microscopy (EDX), optical microscopy and nanoindentation analyses were conducted to characterise and evaluate the microstructure, phases, modulus of elasticity
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A tetradentate (N2O2) Schiff base (H2Ldfm) was successfully synthesized via condensation of curcumin / diferuloylmethane (dfm) and L-leucine amino acid (HL). There were three different methods that used for synthesizing H2Ldfm; (refluxing, grading, and fusion). Ten different metal complexes were also successfully synthesized by combination of the Schiff base (H2Ldfm) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligand to form a hexadentate (N4O2) mixed ligands (Ldfm , phen) with ten different metal salts (M) where{ M= Al(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Ag(I), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II)}. The molar ratio of reactants was (1:1:1) (M: H2Ldfm : phen). The new Schiff base and its new complexes were characterized by different physicochemical tec
... Show MoreA new ligand complexes have been synthesis from reaction of metal ions of MnII , CoII , NiII , CuII , ZnII , CdII and PdII with schiff base [(E)-1-((2-amino-5-(3, 4, 5-trimethoxybenzyl) pyrimidin-4-ylimino) methyl) naphthalen-2-ol [HL)]. The prepared [HL] was characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, 1H13CNMR spectra Mass spectra and melting point. The compounds were characterized by techniques UV-Vis and FT-IR spectral studies, micro analysis (C.H.N), determination of atomic absorption, chloride content, molar conductivity measurements, magnetic susceptibility and melting point. The ligand acts as a monobasic tridentate, coordinating through deprotonated phenolic O and azomethine N atoms. The compounds are neutral electrolytic in dimeth
... Show MoreA new ligand 2,3-dihydrobenzo [d] thiazole-2-carboxylic acid (L) has been prepared from the reaction of ortho amino phenyl thiol with dichloroacetic acid in mole ratio (1:1). It has been characterized by elemental analysis (C.H.N.), IR, UV- Vis.spectraand 1H, 13C-NMR. A new series complexes of the bivalent ions (Co, Ni, Cu, Pd, Cd, Hg and Pb) and the trivalent (Cr) have been prepared and characterized too. The structural has been established by elemental analysis (C.H.N.), IR, UV-Vis. spectra, molar conductivity, atomic absorption and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The synthesized complexes were prepared in (1:2) ratio correspond to (Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Pd(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) complexes while in case Cr(III) complex is
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This paper is concerned with pre-test single and double stage shrunken estimators for the mean (?) of normal distribution when a prior estimate (?0) of the actule value (?) is available, using specifying shrinkage weight factors ?(?) as well as pre-test region (R). Expressions for the Bias [B(?)], mean squared error [MSE(?)], Efficiency [EFF(?)] and Expected sample size [E(n/?)] of proposed estimators are derived. Numerical results and conclusions are drawn about selection different constants included in these expressions. Comparisons between suggested estimators, with respect to classical estimators in the sense of Bias and Relative Efficiency, are given. Furthermore, comparisons with the earlier existing works are drawn.
The current study aims to identify the level of adaptation of the curriculum for visually handicapped pupils from the point of view of their teachers as well as to identify the level of adaptation of the educational programs offered to visually handicapped pupils from the point of view of their teachers. In order to achieve the goals of the research, the researcher developed two tools to measure the adaptation of curricula and educational programs for pupils with visual handicapped from the point of view of teachers. The sample included (60) teachers from Al Noor Institute for Blinders in Baghdad, the two tools were applied to them, and then the Reliability and Validity coefficients were extracted. The results sh
... Show MoreBackground. Dental implantation has become a standard procedure with high success rates, relying on achieving osseointegration between the implant surface and surrounding bone tissue. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a promising alternative to traditional dental implant materials like titanium, but its osseointegration capabilities are limited due to its hydrophobic nature and reduced surface roughness. Objective. The aim of the study is to increase the surface roughness and hydrophilicity of PEEK by treating the surface with piranha solution and then coating the surface with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) by electrospraying technique. Materials and Methods. The study includes four groups intended to investigate the effect of pir
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