Background: Zinc is involved in a variety of
metabolic processes and it has a well known
antioxidant activity, so the measurement of its serum
level can have a special value in several diseases.
Objectives: The study is designed to determine the
serum zinc level in heart failure patients and to
compare it with that of healthy individuals and to
study the significance of the results obtained.
Methods: Atomic absorption spectrometer
technique was used to determine serum zinc level in
fifty heart failure patients and fifty healthy individuals
who were age and sex matched.
Results: The mean serum zinc level in healthy
individuals was about 45.5% greater than that of heart
failure patients. This diffe

Background: Low hemoglobin levels and lead exposure remain significant health issues in many parts of the world, often occurring together, however most of the researches concentrate on the effect of high levels of lead .This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of blood lead level on hemoglobin and packed cell volume (PCV).
Patients and Methods: Fifty eight adult volunteers were enrolled in this study with age range between 23 and 55 years, working in the different departments in medical college of Baghdad University. Whole blood was withdrawn in EDTA tubes. Hemoglobin and PCV were measured and blood lead level was estimated using blood lead testing system including lead care kit and lead care analyzer.
Results: After measuring bl

Toxoplasma gondii is a unique intracellular parasite, which infect a large proportion of the world population, but uncommonly causes clinically significant disease. The present study was performed to estimate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in 400 apparently healthy blood donor males, their ages were between 18 and 57 years using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and to examine the effects of infection on total testosterone, free testosterone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in their sera. Seroprevalence showed 10 (2.5 %) and 121 (30 %) of them had IgM and IgG antibodies respectively. Both acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in males recorded higher significant (P < 0.05) mean concentration for total and free testosterone hormone,

In this study the rate of infection in acute and chronic Toxoplasma gondii parasite that causes toxoplasmosis was determined. This study was Included 120 blood samples that collected from pregnant women revisions to some clinics and laboratories in Baghdad civil as well as 10 blood samples from non-infected women as a control group. All blood samples were collected in the first three months of the pregnancy period for detection toxoplasmosis by using serological tests of test kit ( Toxo , IgG.,Toxo , IgM ). To detect antibodies specialized type of IgG &IgM in acute and the chronic infection by Electro Clia manner using a Roche Cobas e411. The results showed that the total infection rate was (55.83)%, the rate of infection in acu

Background: Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur containing amino acid that is formed as an intermediary in methionine metabolism. Raised plasma homocysteine levels, which may contribute
to the increased risk of chronic liver disease.
Patients and Methods: Sixty two patients with chronic liver disease and 26 healthy individuals were included as normal controls for the study. The HPLC system was used for the determination of Hcy and vitamin B12.
Results: A highly significant Hcy concentrations were noted in all patients with cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis or liver mass. There was a trendency towards higher Hcy concentrations in more advanced stages of liver disease. The study showed that the concentrations of tot

Background: Oxidative stress is a deleterious process that can be an important mediator of damage to cell structures and consequently various disease states. Exposure to free radicals from a variety of sources has led organisms to produce a series of defense mechanisms. The antioxidant ceruloplasmin is a copper-containing ferroxidase that can oxidize ferrous iron (Fe2+) to its nontoxic ferric (Fe3+) form. Ferrous iron (Fe2+) is extremely damaging because of its ability to generate toxic free radicals. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disease of unknown etiology. Previous studies reported that reactive oxygen species may be involved in the pathogenesis of lichen planus. The aim of this study was to estimate the

The prolactin hormone played role in the many autoimmune disorders. To determine the importance of high levels of prolactin in triggering rheumatoid arthritis, thirty patient's women with hyperprolactinemia aged (20-45) years old have been investigated and compared with twenty five healthy individuals. All the studied groups were carried out to measure the concentration of citrulinated peptide(CCP) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA), antikeratin antibodies (AKA)and antinuclear antibodies(ANA) by indirect fluorescent assay IFAT. There was a significant elevation of CCP concentration compared with control groups (P< 0.05). The percentage of antikeratin antibodies and antinuclear antibodies was (20%, 10%) respectively, and

Background: Inhalation therapy has been employed as the mainstay of the treatment in chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, Patients who taking asthma medication may be at risk of many health problems including oral health .The purpose of this study was to assess the local effect of ICS on oral tissue by measuring Candida albicans count colonies in saliva among12 years old asthmatic children who were collected from AL- Zahra Center Advisory for Allergy and Asthma, and compares them with non asthmatic children of the same age and gender. Material and Methods: The total sample involved sixty children of 12 years old, thirty asthmatic children who received medium dose of ICS/day (200-400 microgram/day) for 2 years and 30 non-asthmatic ch