STUDY THE POTENTIAL ANTIOXIDANT EFFECT OF VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE LEVEL OF EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE IN ASTHMATIC PATIENTS

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the potential antioxidant effect of vitamin D3 supplementation in chronic asthma patients.Methods: A total of 44 candidate patients were diagnosed with asthma allocated as Group 1 includes 20 patients assigned to receive conventional therapy for asthma and Group 2 includes 24 patients assigned to receive conventional therapy for asthma plus 2000 IU vitamin D3 tablet for 3-month period. Furthermore, 30 apparently healthy subjects were included in the study as a control group. Pulmonary function test, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, serum extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) levels were measured before and after 3 months therapy.Results: The mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) both the measured and the percentage of predicted value showed a highly significant increase after 3 months treatment compared to pre-treatment value in both study groups (p<0.01). When compared to pre-treatment value, there was no significant increase in forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1/FVC) in Group 1 (p>0.05), nevertheless, Group 2 showed highly significant increase after 3 months (p<0.01). Approximately, 90-96% of adult asthmatic patients revealed vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml). Post-treatment with adjuvant vitamin D3 therapy, 25% of patients obtained acceptable level of vitamin D sufficiency (≥30 ng/ml). After 3 months of the treatment, Group 1 patients showed a significant decrease in mean SOD3 level compared to pre-treatment level (p<0.05), while Group 2 patients showed a significant increase in mean SOD3 level compared to pre-treatment level (p<0.05).Conclusion: Most of the asthmatic patients revealed vitamin D deficiency and supplementation with vitamin D3 reduce oxidative stress burden in those patients

Scalability Aware Energy Consumption and Dissipation Models for Wireless Sensor Networks

Most of Wireless Sensor Networks researches focus on reducing the amount of energy consumed by nodes and network to increase the network lifetime. Thus, several papers have been presented and published to optimize energy consumption in each area of WSNs, such as routing, localization, coverage, security, etc. To test and evaluate their propositions, authors apply an energy dissipation model; this model must be more realistic and suitable to give good results. In this paper we present a general preview on different sources of energy consumption in wireless sensor networks, and provide a comparative study between two energy models used in WSNs that offer an effective and an adequate tool for researchers

Mixed Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy of Tumors: Optimal Control Approach

Abstract The aim of this work is to apply optimal control theory to certain cancer treatment strategies which based on combination of multiple cancer therapies, in the form of a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), governing cancer growth on cell population level with more than one of therapy, in order to determine the best mix of treatments that minimizes both tumor mass and negative effects upon the health of the patient. Numerical simulations of mixed chemotherapy and immunotherapy shows that neither chemotherapy nor immunotherapy alone are effective in treating the cancer, but in combination the therapies are able to eliminate the entire tumor

The effect of Cyclophosphamide on spermatogenesis in rats

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cyclophosphamide on spermatogenesis; we used three doses with variable time interval to determine the effect of the low and high doses of cyclophosphamide. The results showed that low doses for long time interval caused a considerable increase in the percentage of sperm head abnormalities (Tertatospermia), without any significant changes in tissue sections, the percentage of sperm head abnormalities was increased to 20.72% with the dose 5mg/Kg, while high doses caused a significant tissue changes in testes, and epididymis as well as head sperm abnormalities but less than the 5mg/Kg dose. The percentage of head sperm abnormalities were 14.75 and 13.19 for the doses 15mg/Kg and 10mg/Kg respectively

COVID-19 Vaccination Among Diverse Population Groups in the Northern Governorates of Iraq

Objectives: The present study was carried out to investigate COVID-19 vaccination coverage among populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and host communities in northern Iraq and the related underlying factors.Methods: Through a cross-sectional study conducted in five governorates in April–May 2022, 4,564 individuals were surveyed. Data were collected through an adapted questionnaire designed to gather data on participants.Results: 4,564 subjects were included (59.55% were 19–45 years old; 54.51% male). 50.48% of the participants (51.49% of host communities, 48.83% of IDPs, and 45.87% of refugees) had been vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 40.84% of participants (42.28% of host communities, 35.75% of IDPs, and 36.14% of refugees) had been vaccinated by two doses, and 1.56% (1.65% of host communities, 0.93% of IDPs, and 1.46% of refugees) were vaccinated with three doses.Conclusion: Sociodemographic factors including age, gender, education, occupation, and nationality could affect vaccination coverage. Moreover, higher acceptance rate of vaccination is associated with belief in vaccine safety and effectiveness and trust in the ability of the vaccine to prevent complications

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Crystal structure of ethyl 2-(4-chloroanilino)acetate

The title compound, C10H12ClNO2, is close to planar (r.m.s. deviation for the 14 non-H atoms = 0.053 Å). In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of N—H...Oc (c = carboxyl) hydrogen bonds generate R22(10) loops