Different Compound Diagnoses in Patients Presented with Upper Abdominal Complaints

Back ground: Upper abdominal complaints include a variety of symptoms that make the patients seeking the medical advice. Error in diagnosis leads to unnecessary admission to hospital, delay in treatment and possible increasing in mortality rate. Objectives of study: To show that this group of patients may have more than one diagnosis. Detect the symptoms which are associated with high incidence of compound diagnosis. Patients and method: One Hundred patients who are with different upper abdominal complaints collected randomly from the patients who referred to surgical clinic in Alkufa teaching hospital , All of them submitted to U/S and OGD examination in the period from the first of  NOV. 1996 through JUN.1997.  Result: Ten patients which represent 10%of the sample had more than one diagnosis and the most of them were complaining from dyspepsia as primary symptoms or as an associated symptom. Conclusion: Many patients who presented with upper abdominal complaint may had more than one pathology, and usually one of these pathologies was the main cause of the symptom. Correct preoperative diagnosis is essential to avoid unnecessary operation and to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with missed diagnosis or over treatment. Recommendations: We recommend a combined OGD &U\S examination in this group of patients especially in those with dyspepsia

Studying the Properties of Cationic Emulsified Asphalts Paving Mixture at Iraqi Environmental Conditions

Emulsified asphalt mixture is generally a mix made of emulsified asphalt with aggregate. Emulsified asphalt is manufactured from base asphalt, emulsifier agent and water. This study aims to study and improve the emulsified asphalt mixtures with using of ordinary Portland cement as filler materials for road construction and maintenance in Iraq as an alternative to the hot asphalt mixtures, due to its economical, practical and environmental advantages. Beside this study focused to test and evaluates the emulsified asphalt material properties to be used as paving mixture. The tested properties of emulsified asphalt mixture were bulk density, air voids, dry Marshall Stability, wet Marshall Stability, retained Marshall Stability, flow tests with different compaction efforts differ from standard Marshall Limitations and compared with the common used specification. The results indicate that the emulsified asphalt type cationic slow setting low viscosity (CSS-1) is very suitable with quartz type of aggregate from Al-Nibaay quarry. From many trial mixes it is found that the best percentages of initial residual bitumen content to produced adequate results for coating test ,mixing ,compaction ,curing and Marshall stability were ranged from (2.5%, 3%,3.5%,4% and 4.5%), and the optimum percentage is (3.5%).Finally it can be conducted that the emulsified asphalt mixture contained Portland cement filler material is a suitable alternative mixture to the hot asphalt mixture for road construction and specially maintenance of roadways in Iraq

A Study of the Expression of Aflatoxin B1 Regulatory Gene in Clinical and Environmental Aspergillus flavus using Real-time PCR

This recent study investigated the differences in the expression of Aflatoxin B1 regulatory gene among clinical and environmental (Aspergillus flavus) isolates. Samples were subjected to RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis and PCR amplification. Electrophoresis demonstrated clean bands 798 bp upon amplification with aflR1 primers. The ability of A. flavus confirmed the presence of the aflR2 gene in product size 400 bp in all the studied isolates with a different gene expression (Sentence not clear. Rephrase). There was a direct correlation between the aflr gene expression and the isolates source. The source of isolates significantly influenced the aflr gene expression. It appeared that the aflr gene expression increased at the A. flavus isolated from patients with aspergillosis with a gradual gene expression in A. flavus isolated from grains of Zea mays (maize) and with no clear expression in the A. flavus isolated from rice grain. These results indicate a suitable molecular method for detecting and controlling the spread of A. flavus in the grainer and in hospitals to avoid infection

Acidic solution effects on no-fines concrete produced by using recycled concrete as coarse aggregate

This paper investigates durability of no fine concrete containing demolished concrete as coarse aggregate after crushing to different sizes. Different no fine concrete mixes were considered using Portland cement type I with two types of coarse aggregates, crushed demolished concrete and crushed natural gravel were used with two ratios by weight (1:5 and 1:7) C/Agg. Graded aggregate and single size were used with a maximum size of 20 mm. W /C ratio was kept as 0.4 for all mixes and super-plasticizer was required to keep the same flow and compaction factor value for all mixes. Cube specimens with 150mm were cured and divided to two parts, the first part was exposed to 60 cycles of freezing- thawing; the second part of the sample was immersed in Nitric Acids solution with pH of 3.5 for (7, 28, 90 and 180 days) and then tested for compressive strength. The results indicated that it is possible to produce homogenous and workable mixes by using demolished crushed concrete as coarse aggregate. The compressive strength after cycles of freezing- thawing and immersing in Nitric acid (HNO3) at (7, 28, 90 and 180) days was decreased for samples made with crushed demolished concrete. Also it is found that the performance of concrete mixes containing graded coarse aggregate and 1:5 cement/aggregate ratios was better than other mixes

EVALUATION THE SHEAR STRENGTH OF FIBROUS REACTIVE POWDER CONCRETE BEAMS STRENGTHENED WITH CFRP STRIPS

A new expression for estimating the ultimate shear strength of steel fibers reinforced high strength concrete (SFRHSC) beams strengthened with CFRP strips based on previous researches is proposed in this research. The proposed expression covers different characteristics and principal parameters such as concrete compressive strength, shear span to effective depth ratio, volume fraction of steel fibers, CFRP amount and distribution, CFRP stiffness, deep beam effect, as well as the end anchorage state of the CFRP strips with the beam. A comparison between computed values and experimentally observed values (with a low COV of about 3.58 %) shows the validation of the proposed theoretical treatment.

Acidic solution effects on no-fines concrete produced by using recycled concrete as coarse aggregate

This paper investigates durability of no fine concrete containing demolished concrete as coarse aggregate after crushing to different sizes. Different no fine concrete mixes were considered using Portland cement type I with two types of coarse aggregates, crushed demolished concrete and crushed natural gravel were used with two ratios by weight (1:5 and 1:7) C/Agg. Graded aggregate and single size were used with a maximum size of 20 mm. W /C ratio was kept as 0.4 for all mixes and super-plasticizer was required to keep the same flow and compaction factor value for all mixes. Cube specimens with 150mm were cured and divided to two parts, the first part was exposed to 60 cycles of freezing- thawing; the second part of the sample was immersed in Nitric Acids solution with pH of 3.5 for (7, 28, 90 and 180 days) and then tested for compressive strength. The results indicated that it is possible to produce homogenous and workable mixes by using demolished crushed concrete as coarse aggregate. The compressive strength after cycles of freezing- thawing and immersing in Nitric acid (HNO3) at (7, 28, 90 and 180) days was decreased for samples made with crushed demolished concrete. Also it is found that the performance of concrete mixes containing graded coarse aggregate and 1:5 cement/aggregate ratios was better than other mixes