BACKGROUND: Enteric fever caused by Salmonella Typhi is an endemic disease in Iraq. Variations in presentations make it a diagnostic challenge. If untreated or treated inappropriately then it is a serious disease with potentially life-threatening complications. The recent emergence of drug resistant strains of S. Typhi is a rising public health problem and a clinical concern to the physician. AIM: The objectives of the study were to assess and describe the patterns of antimicrobial resistance, clinical characteristics, epidemiological distribution, and complications of typhoid fever. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty cases of typhoid fever (culture proven) were collected during the period from February 2019 to November 2019 in the medical wards of Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Detailed history, physical examination, and laboratory investigations were conducted and statistical analysis of the results was done, prospective observational study was conducted. RESULTS: During the study period, 50 cases of typhoid fever were documented, mean age of presentation was 30.7 ± 12.8, 60% of the cases were male gender, gastrointestinal complications were the most common (90%) followed by hematological complications (71%). Mortality of typhoid fever in our study was 2%. High percentage of resistance to third generation cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin was found (96%, 56%, and 56%, respectively) while good sensitivity to trimethoprim and meropenem was found (94% and 76%, respectively). Significant association was also found between the development of typhoid fever complications and the presence of anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, and eosinopenia. Significant association was also found between the complications and the infection with strains resistant to cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin. CONCLUSIONS: There is a concerning increase in resistance toward cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin while meropenem and trimethoprim are emerging as effective drugs. There was high incidence of complications found (84%).Lymphopenia, anemia, eosinopenia, and thrombocytopenia are independent risk factors for the development of complications of typhoid fever.
Non thermal argon plasma needle at atmospheric pressure was constructed. The experimental set up was based on simple and low cost electric components that generate electrical field sufficiently high at the electrodes to ionize various gases which flow at atmospheric pressure. A high AC power supply was used with 9.6kV peak to peak and 33kHz frequency. The plasma was generated using two electrodes. The voltage and current discharge waveform were measured. The temperature of Ar gas plasma jet at different gas flow rate and distances from the plasma electrode was also recorded. It was found that the temperature increased with increasing frequency to reach the maximum value at 15 kHz, and that the current leading the voltage, which demonstra
... Show MoreIraqi EFL students face difficulties in writing composition, especially academic writing, which affects negatively their exam results. This study has been conducted in the Department of English at College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad, in order to identify first year EFL students’ incompetence in writing. This may enhance their achievement by some weekly writing activities. It deals with Iraqi EFL students’ difficulties in writing paragraphs such as descriptive, process, opinion, and factual paragraphs. The study aims to identify these difficulties and to suggest suitable solutions for them. The researcher perceives that it is necessary to enhance students’ skills in writing because it i
... Show MoreThe research deals with the formal characteristics of folklore in contemporary Iraqi ceramics as a comparative study between the two potters Siham Al-Saudi and Sajida Al-Mashayikhi.
The research consists of four chapters. The first chapter is concerned with the research problem, the importance, the objectives, and the limits of the research, while the aim of the research answers the following question: The method and mechanisms of employing the traditional elements and vocabulary in the products of the potters “Seham Al-Saudi and Sajida Al-Mashaikhi”.
The second chapter came in the theoretical framework of the investigations and includes: The first topic: The second topic the movement in shaping contemporary Iraqi ceramics, whi
The present experimental work is conducted to examine the influence of adding Alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles and Titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles each alone to diesel fuel on the characteristic of the emissions. The size of both Alumina and Titanium oxide nanoparticles which have been added to diesel fuel to obtain nano-fuel is about 20 nm and 25 nm respectively. Three doses of (Al2O3) and (TiO2) were prepared (25, 50, and 100) ppm. The nanoparticles mixed with gas oil fuel by mechanical homogenous (manual electrical mixer) and ultrasonic processor. The study reveals that the adding of Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and Titanium oxide (TiO2) to g
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa has variety of virulence factors that contribute to its pathogenicity. Therefore, rapid detection with high accuracy and specificity is very important in the control of this pathogenic bacterium. To evaluate the accuracy and specificity of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay, ETA and gyrB genes were targeted to detect pathogenic strains of P. aeruginosa. Seventy swab samples were taken from patients with infected wounds and burns in two hospitals in Erbil and Koya cities in Iraq. The isolates were traditionally identified using phenotypic methods, and DNA was extracted from the positive samples, to apply PCR using the species specific primers targeting ETA, the gene encoding for exotoxin A, and gyrB gene. The res
... Show MoreBackground: Stroke is an acute neurologic injury and represents the 2nd leading cause of mortality worldwide, and also the most leading cause of acquired disability and morbidity in adults.
Objective: Effect and association between stroke and risk factors.
Type of the study: A retrospective study.
Methods: The study conducted on 312 patients in 2016, all data were collected from patients’ files from the emergency unit, which included basic demographic and disease characteristic, co morbid diseases, risk factors, final diagnosis.
Results: both previous stroke, ischemic heart disease was strong predictor of new
... Show MoreThis paper aims to study the effects of the long term solar activity on the critical frequencies of ionospheric F1 layer over Baghdad city, during the solar cycle 22, within (1988- 1995). It is found that the critical frequency of this layer is closely related to the sunspots number during the years of the solar cycle 22, at a middle latitude region of the world. The study discussed the effect of sunspot numbers and solar events on the electron densities of F1 layer, which is the most important ionospheric parameter.