Introduction: Salivary melatonin is a critical antioxidant that contributes to oral health by mitigating oxidative stress. Psychological stress linked to thumb sucking may disrupt oral homeostasis, leading to conditions such as dental caries and fungal infections. Aim: This study explores the relationships between thumb sucking, salivary melatonin levels, dental caries, and the presence of Candida albicans (CA) in children. Materials and methods: A case-control study was conducted with 60 children aged 4-5 years at the University of Baghdad’s College of Dentistry. Participants were divided into thumb-sucking (n=30) and non-thumb-sucking (n=30) groups. Salivary melatonin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), dental caries were assessed via the dmfs index, and CA counts were quantified on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Statistical analyses were performed, including t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation assessments. Results: Thumb-sucking children exhibited significantly lower salivary melatonin levels (28.620±2.278 pg/mL) compared to controls (34.525±2.142 pg/mL; p=0.044). The thumb-sucking group also had higher dmfs scores (15.033±1.449 vs. 8.667±0.899; p=0.000) and greater CA counts (18.900±1.048 vs. 13.583±0.549; p=0.000). Negative correlations were observed between salivary melatonin levels and the severity of dental caries, while positive correlations linked CA with dental caries. Conclusions: Thumb sucking adversely affects pediatric oral health by reducing salivary melatonin, increasing dental caries risk, and promoting fungal overgrowth. Early intervention to curb thumb-sucking behaviors may mitigate these risks and improve oral health outcomes.
One of the most essential components of asphalt pavements is the filler. It serves two purposes. First, this fine-grained material (diameter less than 0.075 mm) improves the cohesiveness of aggregate with bitumen. Second, produce a dense mixture by filling the voids between the particles. Aluminum dross (AD), which is a by-product of aluminum re-melting, is formed all over the world. This material causes damage to humans and the environment; stockpiling AD in landfills is not the best solution. This research studies the possibility of replacing part of the conventional filler with aluminum dross. Three percent of dross was used, 10, 20, and 30% by filler weight. The MarshallMix design method was adopted to obtain the op
... Show MoreThe present paper is an experimental study to improve the productivity of the conventional solar still. This done by modifying conventional still in a way that the distilled basin is larger than distillation basin, thus providing an increase in the condensation surface and speeding up the condensation process. Moreover, increase in the dimensions of the distilled base helps coupling reflective panels to the distilled base to reflect incident solar radiation to the distillation basin. For this purpose , two solar stills were made, one conventional designand another made according to the proposed design. The two solar stills were tested during the period from February to July 2009 under varying weather conditions of Basra, Iraq (latitude o
... Show MoreObjectives:This study aimed to identify women perception and experience regarding family planning(FP) methods
Methodology:Descriptive cross-sectional hospital based study,was conducted at Omer Sawi teaching hospital,from august to September 2019.Sample of 320 women, were selected randomly after their agreement.Data were collected through interview questionnaire and analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS)and descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used.With accepted P.< 0.05.for the correlation significant.
Results:Age group between 21-25 years represent (53.1%),most common education levels were secondary school 56%.Majority of women had 2-5 children.Half of the wo
Western Scholars have criticized al the material on the point of reliability . Some have taken the unduly Sceptical view that nothing is to be trusted except Quran . The present study is based on opposing view that at least the material in the early biographers is to be accepted as true , except where there are particular reasons for thinking that an anecdote has been distorted ( or invented ) through legal or political motives. It is also assumed that most of the background material culled from a large number of vaired works , is sound . This standpoint .I would claim , leads to a coherent view of Muhammad's life and achievement.
Many conservative sphincter-preserving procedures had been described to be effective in
healing of anal fistula without excision or de roofing.
Objective: To verify the outcome of mere photocoagulation of the fistula tract on healing of low anal
fistula.
Materials and Methods: Using 810nm diode laser, the tracts of low anal fistulae in a cohorts of six male
patients (mean age of 32 yr) had been photocoagulated by retrograde application of laser light through an
orb tip optical fiber threaded in to the tract. Swabs for culture and sensitivity testing were obtained before
and after laser application. Patients were followed up regularly to announce fistula healing.
Results: Mean laser exposure time was 6.6 min., mean
Bauxite residue (red mud) is a waste material from alumina refineries in the Bayer process, containing significant quantities of valuable metals, notably scandium (Sc). The objective of this study is to recover Sc (III) from Hungarian bauxite residue by using hydrometallurgical processes, including solvent extraction and leaching. Red mud directly leached with hydrochloric acid to generate the leachate solution. The significant iron content (~38 %) in red mud makes it hard to recover scandium selectively due to comparable physicochemical characteristics. According to the findings, Fe (III) could be effectively extracted from hydrochloric acid leachate as HFeC14 using diethyl ether before Sc extraction. Protocol B demonstrated superior recov
... Show MoreThis paper proposes a novel finite-time generalized proportional integral observer (FTGPIO) based a sliding mode control (SMC) scheme for the tracking control problem of high order uncertain systems subject to fast time-varying disturbances. For this purpose, the construction of the controller consists of two consecutive steps. First, the novel FTGPIO is designed to observe unmeasurable plant dynamics states and disturbance with its higher time derivatives in finite time rather than infinite time as in the standard GPIO. In the FTGPO estimator, the finite time convergence rate of estimations is well achieved, whereas the convergence rate of estimations by classical GPIO is asymptotic and slow. Secondly, on the basis of the finite and fast e
... Show MoreBendable concrete, also known as Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is a type of ultra-ductile cementitious composites reinforced with fibres to control the width of cracks. It has the ability to enhance concrete flexibility by withstanding strains of 3% and higher. The properties of bendable concrete mixes (compressive strength, flexural strength, and drying shrinkage) are here assessed after the incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials, silica fume, polymer fibres, and the use of ordinary Portland cement (O.P.C) and Portland limestone cement (IL). Mixes with Portland limestone cement show lower drying shrinkage and lower compressive and flexural strength than mixes with ordinary Portland cement, due to the ratio o
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