Otitis Media; Etiology and Antibiotics Susceptibility among Children under Ten Years Old in Hillah city,Iraq

Background: This is an aerobic bacteriological study of acute otitis media to identify common pathogens and to evaluate their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Otitis media is a major health problem of children in low income countries. Objectives: This study was done to determine the bacterial isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility of otitis media from children under 10 years old. Methods: Infected samples were collected from sixty (190) children under ten years old suffering from otitis media from out clinic and Al-Hillah education Hospital in babil, Iraq. Over a 9 months period (September 2012 to May 2013). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using disc diffusion technique as per the standard Kirby-Bauer method. Results: In this study, 48% of patients were males and 52% were females. Patients ranged in age from 0 to 8 years old. 34 percent of patients had no previous visit and regular treatment. The results of the bacteriological studies on the 190 cases showed that microbiological culture was yielded from 190 samples. Pure cultures consist of (166/30.1%) had a single organism isolated from the middle ear discharge, while the remaining or Mixed growth (367/66.37%) had two or more organisms isolated. There were (20/3.62%) samples who had a no culture with any microorganism isolated Conclusion: Otitis media linked with high levels of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria is a major health concern in all age groups of the study population. There is a need for culture and susceptibility test facilities for appropriate antimicrobial therapy of otitis media and antimicrobial resistant infections

Effect of Foliar Fertilization by Two Types of Fertilizers on Growth and Yield of Cucumber (Omega Variety) under Protected Environment Conditions

     نفذت تجربة حقلية في الموسم الشتوي 2018 في بيت بلاستيكي في منطقة العزاوية بمحافظة بابل بتصميم (C.R.D) وبثلاث مكررات تضمنت سبع معاملات هي رش المغذي الورقي البيومين 221 بتركيز 1، 1.25،  1.5مل .لتر1- ماء والفولسيست بتركيز1، 1.5،  2مل . لتر1- ماء اضافة الى معاملة المقارنة (من دون رش) على نبات الخيار صنف Omega المزروع في البيت البلاستيكي وتم رش النباتات ثلاث مرات ،الاولى عند الازهار، والثانية بعد اسبوعين من الاولى، والثالثة بعد اسبوعين من الثانية. يهدف البحث لمعرفة تأثير الرش الورقي بالمغذيين البيومين 221 والفولسيست في نمو وحاصل الخيار المزروع في البيت البلاستيكي .أظهرت نتائج صفات النمو الخضري (طول النبات وعدد الاوراق والوزن الجاف للمجموع الخضري) وصفات النمو الثمري (طول الثمرة ووزن الثمرة  وعدد الثمار .نبات1- وحاصل النبات الواحد) عند رش الفولسيست بتركيز 1.5مل .لتر-1 (323.7 سم ،88.33 ورقة،  31.67غم ( لصفات النمو الخضري بالتتابع  و (  23.50سم ،113.85 غم ، 43.03 ثمرة . نبات 1- ، 4.900 كغم. نبات 1-) لصفات النمو الثمري بالتتابع وتليها معاملة البيومين 221 بتركيز1.25 مل .لتر1- في صفات النمو الخضري (309.3 سم، 70.33 ورقة، 25.92غم) بالتتابع ولصفات النمو الثمري كانت (21.03 سم، 111.01 غم ،  40.78ثمرة . نبات  1- ، 4.523 كغم . نبات 1-) بالتتابع.The experiment was conducted during the winter season in 2018 under a plastic house at Azawia- Babylon in (C.R.D) design with three replicates consisted of seven treatments such as a spray of foliar nutrition biomin 221with concentration 1‚1.25‚1.5  ml. liter-1 water and folic with concentration of 1‚1.5‚2  ml. litre-1 water, as well as a control treatment (without spraying) on cucumber plant (Omega variety), were grown in plastic house as follows three times ‚ The first spraying was conducted during flowering and the second spraying after two weeks of the first and the third after two weeks of the second. This study aims to determine the effect of foliar spray by nutritions biomin 221 and folic in growth and yield of cucumber planted in a plastic house. Results indicated that in vegetative growth characteristics (plant length, the number of leaves and dry weight of the shoot) and fruiting growth characteristics (fruit long, fruit weight ‚ the number of fruits.plant-1 and the one plant yield) in a spray of folicist with concentration 1.5 ml. litre-1  (323.7 cm ‚ 88.33 leaf ‚31.67 gm) of vegetative growth characteristics sequentially and (23.50 cm ‚113.85 gm‚43.03 fruit.plant-1 and 4.900 kg .plant-1) of fruiting growth characteristics sequentially and treatment of biomin 221 with concentration1.25 ml.litre-1 in vegetative growth characteristics (309.3cm‚70.33 leaf‚25.92gm) sequentially and fruiting growth characteristic (21.03cm‚111.01gm‚40.78 fruit.plant-1 and 4.523 kg.plant-1) sequentiall

Effect Times Number of Spray and Concentration of Foliar Fertilizer (PIO20) in Growth and Yield of Cucumber Variety Jamila Planted in Plastic Houses Conditions

نفذت التجربة خلال الموسم الزراعي 2016 في البيوت البلاستيكية في منطقة العزاوية بمحافظة بابل لدراسة تأثير عدد مرات الرش (رشتان، ثلاث رشات) مع اربعة مستويات للرش بالسماد الورقي PIO20 وهي 0 ،1.5 ،2 ،2.5   مل. لتر1- في نبات الخيار صنف جميلة، طّبقت تجربة عاملية وﻓﻘﴼ لتصميم (C.R.D) بثلاثة مكررات. أوضحت النتائج التفوق المعنوي لمعاملة الرش لثلاث مرات بالسماد الورقيPIO20  على معاملة الرش لمرتين في معدل طول النبات (291.4) سم وعدد الاوراق (36.63) ورقة والوزن الجاف للمجموع الخضري(25.76) غم وطول الثمرة (17.98) سم ووزن الثمرة ((109.27غم وعدد الثمار((11.80 ثمرة. نبات1- وحاصل النبات الواحد ((1.294 كغم . كما أظهرت معاملات الرش الورقي جميعها تفوﻗﴼ معنوﻴﴼ في معدل صفات النمو الخضري والثمري قياﺴﴼ لمعاملة المقارنة.  وبيّنت نتائج التداخل التفوق المعنوي لمعاملة الرش لثلاث مرات عند المستوى 2مل. لتر1- في معدل طول النبات (311.3) سم وعدد الاوراق (40.71) ورقة والوزن الجاف للمجموع الخضري(32.09) غم وطول الثمرة (19.34) سم ووزن الثمرة ((116.06 غم وعدد الثمار((12.97 ثمرة. نبات1- وحاصل النبات الواحد ((1.506 كغم.The experiment was conducted during a season of 2016 in plastic houses at Azawia- Babylon to study effect times number of spray (two times،  three times ) with four levels of spray by foliar nutrition  PIO20 (0 ،1.5 ، 2 ،2.5 ml. liter-1) in cucumber plant c.v. jamila. The experiment was conducted of factorial in design using (C.R.D) with three replicates. Results showed the treatment spray of three times significantly on the treatment spray two times when imported  plant length rate (291.4) cm ,the number of leaves (36.63) leaf and dry weight of the shoot (25.76) gm , fruit long (17.98) cm , fruit weight (109.27) gm and the number of fruits (11.80) fruit.plant-1 and the one plant yield (1.294)kg. the results also showed all the treatment of spray significantly in vegetative growth and fruiting characteristics as compared with control treatment. the results of the interaction the significant superiority of the treatment spray of three times on the level 2 ml. liter-1 plant length rate (311.3) cm ,the number of leaves (40.71) leaf and dry weight of the shoot (32.09) gm , fruit long (19.34) cm , fruit weight (116.06) gm and the number of fruits (12.97) fruit.plant-1 and the one plant yield (1.506)kg

Sustained release formulation of an anti-tuberculosis drug based on para-amino salicylic acid-zinc layered hydroxide nanocomposite

Background: Tuberculosis (TB), is caused by the bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its a threat to humans since centuries. Depending on the type of TB, its treatment can last for 6-24 months which is a major cause for patients non-compliance and treatment failure. Many adverse effects are associated with the currently available TB medicines, and there has been no new anti-tuberculosis drug on the market for more than 50 year, as the drug development is very lengthy and budget consuming process.Development of the biocompatible nano drug delivery systems with the ability to minimize the side effects of the drugs, protection of the drug from enzymatic degradation. And most importantly the drug delivery systems which can deliver the drug at target site would increase the therapeutic efficacy. Nanovehicles with their tendency to release the drug in a sustained manner would result in the bioavalibilty of the drugs in the body for a longer period of time and this would reduce the dosing frequency in drug administration. The biocompatible nanovehicles with the properties like sustained release of drug of the target site, protection of the drug from physio-chemical degradation, reduction in dosing frequency, and prolong bioavailability of drug in the body would result in the shortening of the treatment duration. All of these factors would improve the patient compliance with chemotherapy of TB.Result: An anti-tuberculosis drug, 4-amino salicylic acid (4-ASA) was successfully intercalated into the interlamellae of zinc layered hydroxide (ZLH) via direct reaction with zinc oxide suspension. The X-ray diffraction patterns and FTIR analyses indicate that the molecule was successfully intercalated into the ZLH interlayer space with an average basal spacing of 24 Å. Furthermore, TGA and DTG results show that the drug 4-ASA is stabilized in the interlayers by electrostatic interaction. The release of 4-ASA from the nanocomposite was found to be in a sustained manner. The nanocomposite treated with normal 3T3 cells shows it reduces cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner.Conclusions: Sustained release formulation of the nanocomposite, 4-ASA intercalated into zinc layered hydroxides, with its ease of preparation, sustained release of the active and less-toxic to the cell is a step forward for a more patient-friendly chemotherapy of Tuberculosis

Epidemiology of bronchial asthma among preparatory school children in Assiut district

Background: The prevalence of asthma and allergies is increasing in both Western and developing countries. Few studies evaluated asthma prevalence in Egypt . Objectives: Determination of the prevalence and risk factors of asthma among preparatory school children in Assiut district, in Upper Egypt. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among preparatory school students in Assiut city and two rural areas in Assiut district in Upper Egypt. Twelve schools were selected randomly from different regions in Assiut city and two rural areas one to the North and the other to the South of Assiut city. The total coverage of the students included was 1048 (482 boys and 566 girls). Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire (in Arabic Language) which was filled by the participants. Results: Of the 1048 positively responding subjects, 65 fitted the diagnosis of asthma with over all prevalence of 6.2%. No significant difference was found between urban and rural areas (P = 0.075). Using logistic regression analysis: a positive family history of allergy and the presence of other one or more allergic diseases were significantly associated risk factors for asthma. Exposure to dust, cigarette smoke, playing and physical activity, common cold attacks, and special food or drinks were the most common triggering factors for asthma exacerbations . Conclusion: Bronchial asthma is a significant health problem among children and adolescents in Assiut district and needs special medical care. Wider scale multi-center studies in upper Egypt and other localities of Egypt are needed to outline the profile of bronchial asthma among children and adolescents in the whole country. Keywords: prevalence of asthma, preparatory school children, Assiut districtEgypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012;10(2):109-11

Haematologic Parameters In Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Patients Treated With ALL Trans- Retinoic acid

Background: Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) is commonly associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and early correction of coagulopathy is of vital importance. All Trans-Retinoic Acid (ATRA) is considered to be the drug of choice in the treatment of APL.  Objective: The work was conducted to 1- Identify patients with APL who show laboratory evidence of DIC. 2- Study the serial changes in haemostatic parameters in APL patients treated with ATRA and to compare their results with those treated with conventional chemotherapy without ATRA. Subjective and methods: In this prospective study (from October 2003 to October 2005), 44 newly diagnosed, untreated APL patients were included. ATRA plus chemotherapy – treated patients were 24 while 17 patients were treated with chemotherapy other than ATRA. For each patient, a full clinical evaluation was done and hematological investigations were accomplished at time of diagnosis and repeated on day 3 and 7 of therapy. Diagnosis of DIC was based on finding a positive D- dimer test with hypofibrinogenaemia with or without pathologically prolonged (PT and/or APTT). Results: In 44 newly diagnosed, untreated APL patients studied, the age range between 6-81 years with a median of 27 years. Male to female ratio was 1.3:1. Before treatment all patients had anemia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated level of D – dimer. DIC was present in all patients at time of diagnosis. All parameters that showed abnormal level at time of diagnosis had returned to normality within one week in ATRA treated group, indicating that DIC has essentially resolved. By contrast, those parameters remained abnormal even on day 7 in the chemotherapy treated group. Indicating that DIC was on going. Conclusion: ATRA therapy in APL patients is associated with rapid improvement of coagulopathy therefore , it is justified to be used from day one of the treatment

Artificial Neural Network for LiDAL Systems

In this paper, we introduce an intelligent light detection and localization (LiDAL) system that uses artificial neural networks (ANN). The LiDAL systems of interest are MIMO LiDAL and MISO IMG LiDAL systems. A trained ANN with the LiDAL system of interest is used to distinguish a human (target) from the background obstacles (furniture) in a realistic indoor environment. In the LiDAL systems, the received reflected signals in the time domain have different patterns corresponding to the number of targets and their locations in an indoor environment. The indoor environment with background obstacles (furniture) appears as a set of patterns in the time domain when the transmitted optical signals are reflected from objects in LiDAL systems. Hence, a trained neural network that has the ability to classify and recognize the received signal patterns can distinguish the targets from the background obstacles in a realistic environment, especially given the mobility of targets (humans) which distinguishes them from static obstacles (furniture). The LiDAL systems with ANN are evaluated in a realistic indoor environment through computer simulation

Parallel Data Transmission in Indoor Visible Light Communication Systems

This paper presents an indoor visible light communication (VLC) system in conjunction with an imaging receiver with parallel data transmission (spatial multiplexing) to reduce the effects of the inter-symbol interference (ISI). To distinguish between light units (transmitters) and to match the light units used to convey the data with the pixels of the imaging receiver, we propose the use of subcarrier multiplexing (SCM) tones. Each light unit transmission is multiplexed with a unique tone. At the receiver, a SCM tone decision system is utilized to measure the power level of each SCM tone and consequently associate each pixel with a light unit. In addition, the level of co-channel interference (CCI) between light units is estimated using the SCM tones. Our proposed system is examined in two indoor environments taking into account reflective components (first and second order reflections). The results show that this system has the potential to achieve an aggregate data rate of 8 Gb/s with a bit error rate of 10 –6 for each light unit, using simple on-off-keying (OOK)

LiDAL: Light Detection and Localization

In this paper, we present the first indoor light-based detection and localization system that builds on concepts from radio detection and ranging (radar) making use of the expected growth in the use and adoption of visible light communication (VLC), which can provide the infrastructure for our Light Detection and Localization (LiDAL) system. Our system enables active detection, counting, and localization of people, in addition to being fully compatible with the existing VLC systems. In order to detect human (targets), LiDAL uses the visible light spectrum. It sends pulses using a VLC transmitter and analyses the reflected signal collected by a photodetector receiver. Although we examine the use of the visible spectrum here, LiDAL can be used in the infrared spectrum and other parts of the light spectrum. We introduce LiDAL with different transmitter-receiver configurations and optimum and sub-optimum detectors considering the fluctuation of the received reflected signal from the target in the presence of Gaussian noise. We design an efficient multiple input multiple output (MIMO) LiDAL system with a wide field of view (FOV) single photodetector receiver, and also design a multiple input single output (MISO) LiDAL system with an imaging receiver to eliminate the ambiguity in target detection and localization. We develop models for the human body and its reflections and consider the impact of the color and texture of the cloth used as well as the impact of target mobility. A number of detection and localization methods are developed for our LiDAL system, including cross correlation and a background subtraction method. These methods are considered to distinguish a mobile target from the ambient reflections due to background obstacles (furniture) in a realistic indoor environment

Characteristics of heat transfer and fluid flow in microtube and microchannel using conventional fluids and nanofluids: a review

Research on convective heat transfer on internal microtube and microchannel has been extensively conducted in the past decade. This review summarizes numerous researches on two topics; the first section focuses on studying the fluid flow and heat transfer behavior of different types of microtubes (MT) and microchannel (MC) at different orientations. The second section concentrates on nanofluids; its preparation, properties, behavior, and many others. The purpose of this article is to get a clear view and detailed summary of the influence of several parameters such as the geometrical specifications, boundary conditions, and type of fluids. The maximum Nusselt number is the main target of such research where correlation equations were developed in experimental and numerical studies are reported. The heat transfer enhancement of nanofluids along with the nanofluids preparation technique, types and shapes of nanoparticles, base fluids and additives, transport mechanisms, and stability of the suspension are also discussed