Recently, it has been revealed that Toxoplasmosis may be associated with some factors related to type 2 diabetes, such as glucose, insulin, the Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistant (HOMA-IR), and Fatty acid binding protein (FABP). Therefore, the current study aimed to specify how Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) infection affects glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and FABP among adolescents. From October to December 2022, this study was carried out at Al Madain Hospital in Baghdad. For a group of adolescents visiting the hospital, an ELISA test was performed to check their anti-T.gondii antibodies. Ninety adolescents were selected to participate in the study on the basis of this examination. They were divided into two groups: those who tested positive for the parasite (n = 45) and those who tested negative (n = 45), the control group. Measurements were performed on each participant's adolescence: weight for age percentile, weight for age z score, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and FABP. Results showed that the T. gondii positive group had a significantly (P˂0.05) higher weight for age percentile (86.84±2.66) and z score (1.29 ±0.11) versus the control group. Results also showed that those overweight adolescents with seropositive antibodies had significantly (P˂0.05) greater levels of each glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR , and FABP than did a seronegative group of adolescents
Phase change material (PCM) is considered as one of the most effective thermal energy storage (TES) systems to balance energy supply and demand. A key challenge in designing efficient PCM-based TES systems lies in the enhancement of heat transmission during phase transition. This study numerically examines the privilege of employing twisted-fin arrays inside a shell-and-tube latent heat storage unit to improve the solidification performance. The presence of twisted fins contributes to the dominating role of heat conduction by their curved shapes, which restricts the role of natural convection but largely aids the overall heat-transfer process during solidification. The heat-discharge
In this study, stabilization of expansive soils using waste materials namely; Cement Kiln Dust (CKD), and waste plastic bottles (WPB) was experimentally investigated. Using CKD and WPB are exponentially increasing day by day, due to their capability to solve both environmental and geotechnical problems successfully. Expansive soils were collected from locations with a wide range of plasticity index (PI) (15 - 27) and liquid limit (LL) (35% - 64%). Stabilizer percentages were varied from 0% to 20%, and curing durations for CKD cases were 7 and 28 days. Results showed the best percentages of CKD and WPB are 12% of each one respectively. LL, plastic limit (PL), and swelling percent (SP) loss were observed, which are 46%, 55%, and 96% respec
... Show MoreAssessing performance efficiency is critical to the management need for oversight, planning, and continuous periodic evaluation of the multiple activities of Northern Cement State Company in order to determine the level of achievement of the objectives set, and to correct the deviations and delays that the evaluation shows and limitation of liability. What cannot be measured cannot be managed. The aim of this research is to highlight the impact of using BSC, financial and non-financial, to give comprehensive and clear picture of the company's performance and to measure the quality of its performance by using six-sigma and the level of deviations in achieving the planned goals. Therefore, four-key hypotheses were formulated for th
... Show MoreThis study presents the findings of a 3D finite element modeling on the performance of a single pile under various slenderness ratios (25, 50, 75, 100). These percentages were assigned to cover the most commonly configuration used in such kind of piles. The effect of the soil condition (dry and saturated) on the pile response was also investigated. The pile was modeled as a linear elastic, the surrounded dry soil layers were simulated by adopting a modified Mohr-Coulomb model, and the saturated soil layers were simulated by the modified UBCSAND model. The soil-pile interaction was represented by interface elements with a reduction factor (R) of 0.6 in the loose sand layer and 0.7 in t
With increased climate change pressures likely to influence harmful algal blooms, exposure to microcystin, a known hepatotoxin and a byproduct of cyanobacterial blooms can be a risk factor for NAFLD associated comorbidities. Using both
The bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is the most popular orthognathic procedure performed by maxillofacial surgeons to treat skeletal class II and class III and to correct mandibular asymmetries. The study aimed to evaluate the lingual splitting patterns and lateral bone cut end (LBCE) in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and their relation with the ramal thickness and the presence of impacted third molars using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). This prospective observational study included patients with mandibular prognathism who were treated with BSSO with or without Le Fort I osteotomy. Cone beam computed tomography was used to measure the ramal thickness preoperatively and to evaluate the LBCE, and the lingu
... Show MoreThe earth's surface comprises different kinds of land cover, water resources, and soil, which create environmental factors for varied animals, plants, and humans. Knowing the significant effects of land cover is crucial for long-term development, climate change modeling, and preserving ecosystems. In this research, the Google Earth Engine platform and freely available Landsat imagery were used to investigate the impact of the expansion and degradation in urbanized areas, watersheds, and vegetative cover on the land surface temperature in Baghdad from 2004 to 2021. Land cover indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Water Index, and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDVI, NDWI, an
... Show MoreTo investigate the antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy in addition to evaluating side effects and subjects’ perceptions of three commercially available mouthwashes.
This study was a double‐blind, parallel, and short‐term trial. A total of 75 dental students with biofilm‐induced gingivitis were included in the final analysis of the current study. Clinical parameters (plaque index and bleeding on probing) and the staining effect were measured at baseline and after 7 days. In addition, a VAS‐based assessment questionnaire was completed by the participants.
Both traditional and novel techniques were employed in this work for magnetic shielding evaluation to shed new light on the magnetic and aromaticity properties of benzene and 12 [n]paracyclophanes with n = 3–14. Density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP functional and all-electron Jorge-ATZP and x2c-TZVPPall-s basis sets was utilized for geometry optimization and magnetic shielding calculations, respectively. Additionally, the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set was incorporated for the purpose of comparing the magnetic shielding results. In addition to traditional evaluations such as NICS/NICSzz-Scan, and 2D-3D σiso(r)/σzz(r) maps, two new techniques were implemented: bendable grids (BGs) and cylindrical grids (CGs) of ghost atoms (Bqs). BGs a
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