OJS University of Karbala
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Enhancing Copy–Move Forgery Detection with Contrastive Pretraining and Tasmanian Devil-AdamW Optimization
No full textCopy–move forgery detection is challenging due to deep, subtle models, limited annotated data, and hyperparameter tuning. We present a robust framework combining contrastive self-supervised pretraining with dynamic multi-step optimization to ensure stable convergence, high accuracy, and improved generalization. In the first step, a backbone network is pretrained by applying a contrastive paradigm (BYOL, SimCLR, MoCo v3) on broadly tagged video frames augmented with forgery-aware transformations, including mild geometric changes, compression, synthetic copy–move, and blurring. This step learns invariant and discriminative visual representations without heavy dependence on tags. In the second step, the pretrained encoder is fine-tuned with a lightweight temporal head to capture the spatio-temporal inconsistencies indicative of copy–move manipulations. Training is performed using a dynamic hybrid optimizer: The Tasmanian Devil Optimizer (TDO) performs early-step global exploration across mild architectural knobs and hyperparameters, after which optimization switches to AdamW to guarantee fine convergence and effective exploitation, mitigating local minima. Broad assessments (such as GRIP and VTD) show stable improvements across robust baselines in AUC, accuracy, and F1, while attention maps provide interpretable localization of tampered areas. The proposed model reduces reliance on labels, enhances robustness, and exhibits faster and more stable training dynamics.
Artificial Intelligence and Collective Memory: An Experimental Framework for Algorithmic Preservation of Historical Narratives Using NLP and Deep Learning
No full textIn this paper, we propose a new research framework for collective memory preservation by means of an Artificial Intelligence application on historical texts. In two stages of quantitative experiments, initially processing validation for the top 10,000 documents of Europeana 1914–1918 (Europeana Collections, n.d.) dataset in three European languages was conducted and then replicated on 1.2 million records in eight languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Kurdish, Russian, Spanish, Swahili) between 1850 and 2023 (CherLenta\u27s Roubiki dataset, n.d.). The mBERT transformer model was used for sentiment classification and named entity recognition tasks, where the average F1-score for sentiment classification and named entity recognition on the complete dataset was 0.87 and 0.79, respectively. In this paper, we demonstrate that transformer-based models (Devlin et al., 2019) significantly outperform Word2Vec+LSTM-based baseline (Mikolov et al., 2013) for this task. In addition, our temporal analysis of retrieved sentiments was shown to have significant relationships with major historical events in news archives. At the same time, the tested model\u27s performance on low-resource languages (Kurdish and Swahili) remains substantially worse compared to high-resource languages (English, French, and German), which suggests the necessity of further work on extending corpora and processing methods. This paper also provides an integrated methodological framework that combines the interdisciplinary approaches of collective memory theory and social research with computational and applied aspects of its further development and application, as well as addresses important ethical challenges, such as algorithmic bias, transparency, and cultural sensitivity in AI-assisted historiography.
Evaluation of Serum Antioxidants in Rheumatoid Arthritis of Iraqi Women
No full textBackground: Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA) , an autoimmune condition affecting joints, affects 1% of Iraqi patients. A study highlights the importance of antioxidant levels in treating RA, emphasizing the role of antioxidant markers in disease treatment and the need for balance in autoimmune conditions.
Objectives: The presented work aimed to investigate the effect of rheumatoid arthritis on antioxidant status such as superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity in sera of Iraqi women.
Materials and Methods: A case-control study involving 130 female subjects with ages ranging between 35-65 years, who were divided into two groups: 70 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 60 apparently healthy individuals as a control. Serum superoxide dismutase activity levels and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured using an ELISA technique
Results: The study revealed a significant decrease in the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and TAC represented by Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP), in blood capacity, respectively, when comparing patients to a healthy control group. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis for SOD and FRAP, respectively, also showed high sensitivity and high specificity .
Conclusion: Antioxidant levels play an important role in the pathophysiology of RA, so SOD and FRAP can be considered biomarkers for the evaluation of RA. Maintaining a balance between oxidative and antioxidant status is essential in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases
Evaluation of Interleukin-23 and Transforming Growth Factor-β in Iraqi Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis
No full textThis study emphasizes the significance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory levels in Iraqi females with rheumatoid arthritis, the role of markers in disease treatment, and the need for balance in autoimmune conditions.
Objectives: The study investigates the impact of inflammatory markers like IL-23 and TGF-β as anti-inflammatory markers on the development of rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi females.
Materials and Methods: A case-control study involving 118 female subjects aged 30-70years, who were divided into two groups: 71 RA patients and 47 healthy controls. All these patients were subjected to full history taking through clinical examination, and laboratory investigations in sera including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-23 and TGF-β levels were measured using an ELISA technique
Results: The distribution of age groups is fairly similar across both groups, with a slight trend towards older ages in the patient group. Results were demonstrated that the patient group appears (69.4%) of patients were in the age range between 60-70 years as compared with control group (30.6%), Results were higher prevalence of obesity compared to the control group. All patients (100%) in the obesity category belong to the patient group, with none in the control group. The whole patients (100%) reported as a family history of the condition, whereas none (0%) in the control group, the mean ± SD difference of inflammation biomarkers for patients with RA patients showed an increasing range of IL-23 and TGF-β as compared to the healthy control groups. The mean ± SD levels of (CRP), (ESR) in RA which were significantly higher than that in control group. Receiver operating curve (ROC) was analysis for IL-23 levels indicate: statistically significant.
Conclusion: IL-23, an inflammatory marker, may be elevated in RA patients, affecting RA pathophysiology. It can be used as a biomarker for RA pathogenesis evaluation, while TGF-β may contribute to RA development
Knowledge of Mothers Towards Febrile Seizure in Children Under Five Years Ages in Karbala City, 2023
No full textBackground:
Febrile convulsion is the most common type of seizure in the children, It typically manifests as a temperature of 38°C or above in the absence of a central nervous system infection, metabolic disorder, or prior history of febrile seizures It affects children from six months to five years old, with a peak incidence between the ages of 12 and 18 months, it is also one of the most frequent causes of emergency hospital admissions in children under five years of age it is extremely frightening, emotionally traumatic, and anxiety provoking when witnessed by parents, which make it a very difficult condition for them to deal with, To decrease parental anxiety, it is important that parents have proper knowledge about febrile seizure and its prognosis.
Objective:
This study aims to assess the knowledge of mothers towards febrile convulsion in children under five years in Karbala city and to assess the factor associated with their knowledge.
Patients and methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted on160 mothers with children who have febrile convulsion in multiple health institutes in Karbala City through face-to-face interviews using a prepared questionnaire, The data collection was conducted using convenience sampling over five months duration from the 10th of April 2023 till 15th of August 2023, data collected 2 days per week the interview took 15-20 minutes. SPSS version 28.00 was used to perform statistical analysis. The means of the groups were compared using independent samples t‑test and ANOVA.
Results:
the mothers\u27 mean knowledge score was 3.23 (SD 1.60) out of eleven points, The majority of mothers (59.40%) had a poor knowledge level.
Conclusion:
There was poor knowledge among mothers toward FC. Better knowledge was associated with having higher mothers’ educational level, advanced mothers age, employed mothers, high income, urban residence
Association Between Interleukin-4 and Chemokine CCL-21 Levels With the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Iraqi Women
No full textBackground: Approximately 0.5%–1% of the global population is impacted by rheumatoid arthritis, with the prevalence adjusted for age and the rates of disability-adjusted life years showing an increase with age and being higher in female. The susceptibility to RA is notably higher in women, who are two to three times more likely to acquire the condition compared to men. The study highlights the importance of anti-inflammatory and inflammatory levels in treating rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi women, emphasizing the need for balance in autoimmune disorders.
Objectives: The presented study aimed the anti-inflammatory agents like IL-4 and chemokine CCL-21 marker on the progression and pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis in women from Iraq.
Materials and Methods: A case-control study involving 96 female subjects aged 30-70 years, who were divided into two groups: 59 subject with RA patients and 37 healthy individuals as a control. Serum IL-4 and CCL-21 levels were measured using an ELISA technique
Results: The observed results indicated a significant increased in mean ± SD of both IL-4 and CCL-21 levels in sera of Iraqi women with RA as compared with apparently healthy controls group, P value ≥ 0.001) respectively. The receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis for IL-4 and CCL-21 showed that the CCL-21 levels indicate a (sensitivity = 89.9 %, specificity 90%) AUC = 66.4205 while IL-4 levels indicate (sensitivity = 94.9%, specificity 93.7%) AUC = 10.6489.
Conclusion: Anti-inflammatory levels play an important role in the pathophysiology of RA, so IL-4 and inflammation can be considered biomarkers for evaluating RA. Maintaining a balance between anti-inflammatory and inflammatory status is essential in treating rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases
Evaluation of Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 (IGFBP2) Efficacy in Classifying Risk Groups in Patients with Non-ST elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (NSTE-ACS) According to the Reynolds Risk Score
No full textBackground: Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA)as subtypes of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), with NSTEMI characterized by acute myocardial necrosis detectable through cardiac biomarkers. The Reynolds score is a predictive tool that assesses the likelihood of cardiovascular events over the next ten years based on various criteria. Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2(IGFBP2), a member of the IGFBP family, interacts with IGFs in the circulatory system to regulate their activity.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum IGFBP2 levels and Reynolds scores in patients with NSTE-ACS. with the objective of classifying the risk into three categories: low, medium and high.to assist doctors in evaluating the level of risk based on clinical criteria.
Methods: case-control study included 90 individuals divided into three groups: NSTEMI patients, unstable angina patients, and a control group. The study collected clinical and demographic data, including age, sex, BMI, family history of coronary disease, medical history.
Result: patients with NSTE-ACS showed no significant differences in IGFBP2 levels(p=0.560). among patients categorized into low, medium, and high-risk groups based on the Reynolds score, there was no statistically significant variance in IGFBP2 levels(p=0.750).
Conclusion The study discovered that there were no significant variations in the level of IGFBP2 among the three risk categories defined by the Reynolds Score in individuals with NSTE-ACS. Therefore, it was not possible to classify individuals into Low, medium and high-risk categories using this biomarke
Role of Bacteria as A Causative Agent of Cause Acute Appendicitis and Its Resistance to Antibiotic in Karbala
No full textBackground: Acute appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix and is a common acute surgical emergency; however, the pathogenesis of appendicitis remains poorly understood. The bacteria is increasingly thought to play a key role in appendicitis.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the bacterial infection and antibiotics sensitivity pattern and study the distribution of appendicitis with gender and age groups in addition to clinical signs in patients with acute appendicitis in Karbala city.
Methods: Patients with acute appendicitis presenting between January 2024- June 2024 were studied. At surgery, 1cm rim of appendix was cut from the base and transferred into the Stuart’s transport medium. The specimen was cultured on different type of culture media to identification bacteria. Antibiotic sensitivity test was performed.
Results: Samples collected from patients between (8-57) years old, the majority rate of appendicitis were between (16-30) ages with a percentage 44%, (1-15) age with a percentage 40%, (31-45) age with 14% and the minority rate was 2 % which belong to age (46-60). All specimens were positive to bacterial culture, gram positive bacteria were isolated at a lower rate (6%) than gram-negative bacteria (94%). The rate of infection was 54% in males and 46% in females. All patients have abdominal pain. Results found that Escherichia coli was the predominant aerobes, all species of gram-positive bacteria were resistance to the Benzylpenicillin and Oxacillin (100%), and sensitive to Rifampicin, Ticarcillin, Vancomycin and Penicillin (100%), all species of gram-negative bacteria isolated were sensitive to Amikacin and Imipenem (100%).
Conclusion: From this study, we can conclude that there was a relation between bacterial infections and Escherichia coli which was predominant and it was recorded that the infection in males were more than females in patients with acute appendicitis. gram negative bacteria showed to be more resistance to antibiotics than gram positive bacteria.
 
Letrozole Impact on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Subfertility Using Sonography and Hormonol Assay
No full textBackground: One of the main causes of infertility and anovulation is PCOS. the oral aromatase inhibitor letrozole has become a new and promising first-choice treatment for ovulation induction, especially in cases with PCOS and infertility due to effectiveness and acceptable adverse effect profile.
Objective: This clinical trial was intended to evaluate the impact of letrozole administration on the hormones, follicle size, and endometrial thickness among infertile women with PCOS
Patients & Methods
A study at Teba Centre for Infertility involved 100 female patients with PCOS and infertility. Data was collected before and after two months of letrozole administration, using modified Rotterdam criteria and hormone tests.
Results
Remarkable enhancements in the induction of ovulation and the modulation of hormones were noted after letrozole administration. Both follicle size and endometrial thickness increased dramatically. Relationships between the study variables were found by correlation analysis highlighting estrogen significance in differentiating between hormonal alterations.
Conclusion
Letrozole appears to be a promising treatment for infertility, by enhancing the hormonal, besides follicular, and endometrial sonographic features necessary for ovulation and successful pregnancy. To further understand causes and treatment plans, additional research is required
Anxiety Disorders among Patients in Primary Care Centers
No full textBackground: Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health issues globally, with significant consequences for individuals\u27 quality of life and overall well-being. In primary care settings, anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with somatic
Aim of study: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety disorders among patients presenting with somatic complaints in a primary care setting.
Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 106 patients visiting a primary care unit. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing somatic symptoms and anxiety disorders. Diagnostic interviews were also conducted to confirm anxiety disorder.
Results: The study included a total of 106 participants. The majority of participants were young adults aged 26-35 years (32.1%), followed by the 36-45 age group (26.4%). A smaller proportion of participants were in the older age group of 56-65 years (7.5%). In terms of gender, the sample was predominantly female (66%), with a smaller proportion of male participants (34%). results were shown that the prevalence of anxiety among a sample of 106 participants reached about 83%, which reported experiencing some level of anxiety, ranging from simple to severe. Income level emerged as a significant predictor of anxiety. Individuals with lower income levels were more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety. On the other hand, Age, sex, marital status, and number of children were not found to be significant predictors of anxiety in this study. The high prevalence of anxiety highlights the need for increased mental health awareness and access to mental health services. The significant association between income level and anxiety suggests that socioeconomic factors may play a crucial role in mental health.
Conclusion: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent among primary care patients with somatic complaints. These findings highlight the importance of screening for and managing anxiety in this patient population to improve clinical outcomes