High Strength Concrete Beams Reinforced with Hooked Steel Fibers under Pure Torsion

A study of the behavior of fibers in high-strength reinforced concrete beams is presented in this paper. Twelve reinforced concrete beams were tested under a pure torsion load. Different compressive strengths (45.2, 64.7, and 84.8 MPa) and fiber volume fractions (0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75) with variable spacing between transverse reinforcements have been used. It was discovered that the maximum torque of a high-strength concrete beam is increased by about 20.3, 25.6, and 27.1% when the fractional volume of fiber is increased from 0 to 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 respectively (when the compressive strength is 45.2 MPa and the transverse reinforcement spacing is 100 mm). The test results show that the ultimate torsional strength becomes higher when the concrete compressive strength increases, and this percentage increase becomes higher with increasing steel fiber volume fraction. When the spacing between transverse reinforcements decreases from 150 to 100 mm, the ultimate torque increases by 19.9%. When the spacing between transverse reinforcements decreases from 100 to 60 mm, the ultimate torque increases by 17.0%. In these beams, the fibers’ compressive strength and volume fraction were kept constant at 45.2 MPa and 0.75, respectively. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-01-07 Full Text: PD

Prevalence of common inhaled allergies in Erbil province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Nowadays, inhaled allergens are the main causes of allergic diseases, which are derived from different sources such as animal dander, grasses, tree, insects and fungi/molds. Identification and detection of allergens play a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of many allergic diseases. Aims were to determine the prevalence of most common inhaled allergens in Erbil province and determination the intensity of allergic response among allergic patients against 35 identified inhaled allergens items. A total number of 170 patients suffering from suspected inhalant allergy were checked in the present study. The study was carried out for patients who visited the private clinical sectors between 2018-2020 in Erbil province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Determination of specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies was examined for suspected patients. The country-specific inhaled allergy profile “Euroline inhaled Iraq 1” (Catalog no: DP 313816011 E, IVD approved, and CE certified EUROLINE immunoblot), containing strip for 35 different inhalant allergens, has been used in this study. Positive specific IgE to inhaled allergens was detected in 22.35% of our suspected patients. Orchard grass (21.05%) was the most inhaled allergen in our 38 allergic patients, followed by the Meadow foxtail (15.78%), Cockroach German and Sweet vernal grass (13.15%). Based on the present study results, we conclude that the prevalence of inhaled allergy differed between men and women in different age groups. Our study reached that there were no associations between inhaled allergens and sex or age. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.439514

Frequency of color blindness in pre-employment screening in a tertiary health care center in Pakistan

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To describe the frequency of color vision deficiency among Pakistani adults presenting for pre-employment health screening in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was carried out at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and the data was collected for color vision deficiency, age, gender, and job applied for from pre-employment examination during 2013-2014. IBM SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Three thousand four hundred and thirty seven persons underwent pre-employment screening during 2013 and 2014; 1837 (53.44%) were males and 1600 (46.65%) females. The mean age was 29.01 (±6.53) years. A total of 0.9% (32/3437) persons had color vision deficiency with male being 1.4% and female 0.4%. CONCLUSION: Color vision deficiency was observed in 0.9% of candidates screened for pre-employment health check up in a tertiary care hospital. The color vision deficiency was predominantly present in male individuals

Synthesis of New Potential Chemotherapeutic Agents Incorporating Naproxen Sub-Structure

A Series Of Potential Biologically Active Compounds Have Been Synthesized Through The Derivatization of Carboxyl Group In Naproxen Core Structure Involving The Conversion The Naproxen To Its Methyl Ester Then To TheAcid Hydrazide. The Acid Hydrazide Of Naproxen Was Incorporated With Hydrazones, Diamide Linkage, Oxadiazole, Pyrazolone, Triazole, Quinazoline And Indole Containing Motifs. The Targeted Compounds Have Been Achieved In A Very Good Yield Under Conventional Heat And Irradiation Conditions. All Compounds Have Been Characterized By Ir, 1h-Nmr, 13c-Nmr And Mass Spectra.Keywords: Naproxen; Anti-Inflammatory; Nsaid's

Recursive residuals for linear mixed models

This paper presents and extends the concept of recursive residuals and their estimation to an important class of statistical models, Linear Mixed Models (LMM). Recurrence formulae are developed and recursive residuals are defined. Recursive computable expressions are also developed for the model’s likelihood, together with its derivative and information matrix. The theoretical framework for developing recursive residuals and their estimation for LMM varies with the estimation method used, such as the fitting-of-constants or the Best Linear Unbiased Predictor method. These methods are illustrated through application to an LMM example drawn from a published study. Model fit is assessed through a graphical display of the developed recursive residuals and their Cumulative Sums

Brief communication: Effects of conditioned media from human platelet lysate cultured MSC on osteogenic cell differentiation in vitro.

Culturing mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) in human platelet lysate (HPL) supplemented media can enhance their osteogenic differentiation potential. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that conditioned media (CM) derived from HPL-cultured MSC also have pro-osteogenic effects. Pooled CM was prepared from HPL-cultured human bone marrow MSC (BMSC) of multiple donors and applied on BMSC of different donors (than those used for CM preparation), with or without additional supplementation [HPL, fetal bovine serum (FBS)] and osteogenic stimulation. At various time-points, cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteogenic gene expression and in vitro mineralization were assessed. BMSC in standard unstimulated growth media served as controls. After 3-7 days, CM alone did not promote BMSC proliferation or ALP activity; supplementation of CM with HPL slightly improved these effects. After 2 and 7 days, CM alone, but not CM supplemented with HPL, promoted osteogenic gene expression. After 14 days, only CM supplemented with FBS and osteogenic stimulants supported in vitro BMSC mineralization; CM alone and CM supplemented with HPL did not support mineralization, regardless of osteogenic stimulation. In summary, CM from HPL-cultured BMSC promoted osteogenic gene expression but not in vitro mineralization in allogeneic BMSC even when supplemented with HPL and/or osteogenic stimulants. Future studies should investigate the role and relevance of supplementation and osteogenic induction in in vitro assays using CM from MSC

EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF ACETAMINOPHEN COMPARED TO TRAMADOL AFTER LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Abstract Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy become widely popular because of its less postoperative pain produced compared to conventional cholecystectomy. The use of opioids postoperatively to reduce pain may be harmful and produce some adverse effects .Tramadol is a centrally acting opioid which is effective for postoperative analgesic pain but produce undesirable adverse effects the patients do not tolerate it so that intravenous acetaminophen could be helpful to optimize postoperative analgesia by reducing the requirement for opioids and their adverse effects.Method: A prospective randomized clinical trial was carried out on 27 adults undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to two groups in this study (13patients) to receive intravenously 1000mg acetaminophen and (14 patients) to receive intramuscularly tramadol 100mg postoperatively; visual analog scale (VAS) was utilized to asses pain severity and efficacy of analgesic agents. Pain scores were assessed at 0,2,4,6,8,10 and 12h after surgery the incidence of adverse effects was also assessed.Results: Over a period of 12hours, visual analog scale (VAS) scores were significantly lower in each group at each time interval compared to zero time; there is a non significant difference in pain score between the different groups; the incidence of adverse effects like nausea and vomiting was significant in tramadol group compared to acetaminophen group.Conclusion: Postoperative intravenous acetaminophen infusion of 1000mg is useful for reducing pain scores after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy; it is effective and safe analgesic with less adverse effects compared to tramadol.  Key words: laparoscopic cholecystectomy, Acetaminophen, Tramadol, Postoperative analgesia.  Â

Proteomic Analysis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Secretome in Comparison to Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Fibrin.

Secretomes of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are emerging as a novel growth factor (GF)-based strategy for periodontal and bone regeneration. The objective of this study was to compare the secretome of human bone marrow MSC (BMSC) to that of leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF), an established GF-based therapy, in the context of wound healing and regeneration. Conditioned media from human BMSCs (BMSC-CM) and L-PRF (LPRF-CM) were subjected to quantitative proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Global profiles, gene ontology (GO) categories, differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), and gene set enrichment (GSEA) were identified using bioinformatic methods. Concentrations of selected proteins were determined using a multiplex immunoassay. Among the proteins identified in BMSC-CM (2157 proteins) and LPRF-CM (1420 proteins), 1283 proteins were common. GO analysis revealed similarities between the groups in terms of biological processes (cellular organization, protein metabolism) and molecular functions (cellular/protein-binding). Notably, more DEPs were identified in BMSC-CM (n = 550) compared to LPRF-CM (n = 118); these included several key GF, cytokines, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins involved in wound healing. GSEA revealed enrichment of ECM (especially bone ECM)-related processes in BMSC-CM and immune-related processes in LPRF-CM. Similar trends for intergroup differences in protein detection were observed in the multiplex analysis. Thus, the secretome of BMSC is enriched for proteins/processes relevant for periodontal and bone regeneration. The in vivo efficacy of this therapy should be evaluated in future studies

Impact of family structure and sociodemographic characteristics on parents headed families in Ramadi City, Iraq

Background: Several factors in the family profile contribute significantly to determining the effective policy when heading the family. This study aims to evaluate the sociodemographic and economic burdens on parents-headed families in Ramadi City, west of Iraq. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional household-based survey was conducted from 1st to 28th February 2019 among Iraqi people residents in Ramadi city, Anbar province. A multistage sampling technique was recruited to identify the eligible sample. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview (face-to-face) the respondents. Data from 267 households have undergone univariate and bivariate analyses. Multiple logistic regression, odds ratio (OR), and confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to explore the predicting variables. The statistically significant is considered at less than 0.05. Results: The mean age of respondents was 43.88 (± 12.1) years (range: 25 to 69 years). Out of the total surveyed people, 52.8% were young (less than 44 years), male-headed families (59.6%), low educated level (65.5%), unemployed (52.4%), married (67.4%) and headed big families of seven members and above (43.1%). History of chronic diseases and smoking habits was positive among 46.4% and 45.7% of respondents, respectively. Findings of the binary logistic regressions showed that history of smoking (OR = 7.201, 95% CI: 3.254 to15.936), families of 7 members and above (OR = 6.239, 95% CI: 2.938 to 13.250), unhappy (OR = 5.237, 95% CI: 2.140 to 12.818), aged 44 years and above (OR = 3.518, 95% CI: 1.581 to 7.829), being single (unmarried, divorced, widow) (OR = 2.697, 95% CI: 1.230 to 5.914), and had a monthly income of less than USD400 (OR = 2.333, 95% CI: 1.112 to 4.859) are significantly associated with female-headed family. Conclusion: Priority must be given to some elements such as genetic, physical differences, biopsychosocial factors, and the economic situation when discussing parents' behavior in heading the family

The use of mesenchymal stromal cell secretome to enhance guided bone regeneration in comparison with leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin.

OBJECTIVES Secretomes of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) represent a novel strategy for growth-factor delivery for tissue regeneration. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of adjunctive use of conditioned media of bone-marrow MSC (MSC-CM) with collagen barrier membranes vs. adjunctive use of conditioned media of leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF-CM), a current growth-factor therapy, for guided bone regeneration (GBR). METHODS MSC-CM and PRF-CM prepared from healthy human donors were subjected to proteomic analysis using mass spectrometry and multiplex immunoassay. Collagen membranes functionalized with MSC-CM or PRF-CM were applied on critical-size rat calvaria defects and new bone formation was assessed via three-dimensional (3D) micro-CT analysis of total defect volume (2 and 4 weeks) and 2D histomorphometric analysis of central defect regions (4 weeks). RESULTS While both MSC-CM and PRF-CM revealed several bone-related proteins, differentially expressed proteins, especially extracellular matrix components, were increased in MSC-CM. In rat calvaria defects, micro-CT revealed greater total bone coverage in the MSC-CM group after 2 and 4 weeks. Histologically, both groups showed a combination of regular new bone and 'hybrid' new bone, which was formed within the membrane compartment and characterized by incorporation of mineralized collagen fibers. Histomorphometry in central defect sections revealed greater hybrid bone area in the MSC-CM group, while the total new bone area was similar between groups. CONCLUSION Based on the in vitro and in vivo investigations herein, functionalization of membranes with MSC-CM represents a promising strategy to enhance GBR