Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are said to be inherited in a multifactorial fashion, i.e. genetic-environmental interaction. Maternal nutritional deficiencies had long been reported to cause NTDs, especially folate deficiency during early pregnancy. More attention had been paid to the exact mechanism by which this deficiency state causes these defects in the developing embryo. The most significant of all researches was that connecting reduced folate and increased homocysteine level in maternal serum on one hand and the risk of developing a NTD baby on the other hand. Objectives : to determine the significance of homocysteine level in Iraqi mothers who gave birth to babies with NTDs as compared to normal controls. Patients, Materials and Methods: Fifty Iraqi women having babies born with NTDS, referred to the genetic clinic in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, were included in this study (the study group) as well as 37 healthy women having normal children (the control group). This study was conducted from November, 2002 till October, 2003. Analysis of total serum homocysteine level for all women was done using a computerized HPLC system. Results : the age of women in both groups was comparable (mean+SD in the study group was 26.2+5.14 years vs. 26.3+4.57 years in the controls). Among the study group, 4 (8%) had normal tHcy level; 44 (88%) had mildly elevated level, and only 2 (4%) had moderately elevated tHcy level, while all (100%) women in the control group had their tHcy level within normal level. This difference was statistically highly significant (p<0.001). Conclusions : Women become at an increased risk of delivering a baby with NTD when having an elevated tHcy level in their sera, and that tHcy level is an important marker in maternal serum that is associated significantly with pregnancy outcome.
Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical abdominal emergency with a life time prevalence of 1 to 7 individuals. Because the clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis remains a challenge to surgeons, so different aids were introduced like different scoring systems, computer aided programs, ultrasonography, computerized tomography, Magnetic resonance imaging, Gastrointestinal tract contrast studies and laparoscopy to improve the diagnostic accuracy.
Objective: To evaluate ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in those patients clinically diagnosed with histopathology as gold standard.
Methods: A cross sectional study carried in Al-kindy Teaching
... Show MoreIntended for getting good estimates with more accurate results, we must choose the appropriate method of estimation. Most of the equations in classical methods are linear equations and finding analytical solutions to such equations is very difficult. Some estimators are inefficient because of problems in solving these equations. In this paper, we will estimate the survival function of censored data by using one of the most important artificial intelligence algorithms that is called the genetic algorithm to get optimal estimates for parameters Weibull distribution with two parameters. This leads to optimal estimates of the survival function. The genetic algorithm is employed in the method of moment, the least squares method and the weighted
... Show MoreBlood samples were collected from (31) pregnant women infected with cytomegalovirus , also (15) blood samples were collected from congenitally infected infants, and (20),(15),(15) blood samples were collected from pregnant women ,non pregnant and infants, respectively, all of them were as control groups. CMV infection identified by using ELISA assay to detect specific CMV IgM & IgG in sera. The results of lymphocyte transformation showed a significant decrease when phytoheamagglutinin (PHA) used as stimulator, lymphocytes response in infected pregnant women was lower than that of non infected pregnant women as well as non pregnant women. Result also showed a significant decrease in the ability of lymphocyte division in healthy pregnant w
... Show MoreA survey of haemoproteids among the eight species of Iraq rallids were carried out in the
middle, south, and west of Iraq. Two haemoproteods were recorded, Haeomproteus porzanae
(Galli-Valerio, 1907) as a new record for Iraq and the new species H. baghdadensis described
from Fulica atra L. collected in the middle of Iraq.
This research aims to clarify the conceptual framework of social entrepreneurship shows the importance of the development of social entrepreneurship according to the contextual aspects and the social value achieved from these works. It also identifies the degree of level of a sample of women entrepreneurs in Iraq for the extent of the relationship between social entrepreneurship and women's empowerment. It also explains the impact of entrepreneurial work in empowering women and the extent to which there are individual differences between the average scores of the sample members’ estimation of the level of social entrepreneurship according to social status, age group, educational qualification, and specialization according to the s
... Show MoreThe planning for the formation of administrative policies and guidance through leadership are important things for managing administrative processes and sporting activities. As both contribute in the stability of the administrative conditions, and their development in the sport federations, whether they both were attentive about team and individual Olympic Games. The two researchers observe that, there is a variation in the correct way of application. Particularly in the formulation of administrative policies and leadership describing it as, modern management standards for both team and individual Olympic Games in the Iraqi National Olympic Committee. That led to cause a misconception and lack of clarity for some administrators of those uni
... Show MoreAl2O3 and Al2O3–Al composite coatings were deposited on steel specimens using Oxy-acetylene gas thermal spray gun. Alumina was mixed with Aluminum in six groups of concentrations (0, 5, 10,12,15 and 20% ) Al2O3, Specimens were tested for corrosion using Potentiodynamic polarization technique. Further tests were conducted for the effect of temperature on polarization curve and the hardness tests for the coated specimens. At first, Modelling was carried out using MINITAB-19, least square method, as a 2nd degree nonlinear model, bad results were achieved because of the high nonlinearity. Better result w
In this research, the covariance estimates were used to estimate the population mean in the stratified random sampling and combined regression estimates. were compared by employing the robust variance-covariance matrices estimates with combined regression estimates by employing the traditional variance-covariance matrices estimates when estimating the regression parameter, through the two efficiency criteria (RE) and mean squared error (MSE). We found that robust estimates significantly improved the quality of combined regression estimates by reducing the effect of outliers using robust covariance and covariance matrices estimates (MCD, MVE) when estimating the regression parameter. In addition, the results of the simulation study proved
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