Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune vesiculobullous mucocutaneous disease with life-threatening consequences. Rituximab (RTX) has recently emerged as an effective treatment for PV. Objectives: This study aims to determine changes in neutrophil and platelet counts for PV patients treated with RTX or corticosteroids combined with Imuran (azathioprine). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Thirty PV patients received two types of treatment: 15 patients were administered RTX and 15 patients took corticosteroids with Imuran (azathioprine). Neutrophil and platelet counts were detected at the hospital laboratory. Results: The age range of PV patients was 27–67 years, and the mean ±SD was 44.866 ± 10.979 years for the patient group treated with RTX and 44.133 ± 11.519 for the patient group treated with corticosteroids and Imuran. In patients treated with RTX, 26.6% were males and 73.33% were females, with a female-to-male ratio of 2.75:1. In patients treated with corticosteroids with Imuran, 40% were males and 60% were females, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.5:1. The results revealed that among patients treated with RTX, 30% of them had mucocutaneous lesions, 6.66% had oral lesions, and 13.33% had cutaneous lesions. Among the other groups treated with corticosteroids and Imuran, 23.33% had mucocutaneous lesions, 13.33% had oral lesions, and 13.33% had cutaneous lesions. Among the patients treated with RTX, 53.33% had normal range of neutrophil count, while 46.6% had neutrophil count above the NR, while in patients treated with corticosteroids and Imuran, 40% had a normal range and 60% had above the normal range. Conclusion: RTX was a more effective treatment compared to corticosteroids with Imuran because no patient remained in an active state during this study. PV was prevalent in females aged 40 years with mucocutaneous lesions.
Orbital varices are vein dilations in the orbit presenting various symptoms. This scoping review synthesizes existing evidence on their epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment efficacy.
Literature was reviewed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed and Scopus were searched until April 31, 2024, for articles on clinically diagnosed ocular varices detailing diagnostic methods, treatments, and outcomes. Exclusions were reviews, animal studies, and incomplete case reports. Data on study characteristics, diagnosis, management, and o
This work describes an experimental setup to evaluate the photodynamictoxicity of 650 nm diode laser and 532 nm Frequency-doubled Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser on the growth of Candida albicans as well as the potential fungicidal effect when combining the laser irradiation with specific photosensitizers namely methylene blue, toluidine blue, acridine orange and safranin O. In this study the findings showed that the number of colony-forming units per millilitre (CFU/ml) of C. albicans decreased with increasing exposure time. In particular in the case of the frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser combined with safranin O, the best lethal effect occurred at 11 minutes exposure time with 2.26 J/cm² energy density (89.18% reduction) in comparison with the
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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and sulphur foam added either at direct seeding or at transplanting decreased the effects of nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) on eggplant growth, and improved plant health. Experiments were conducted to study the possible interactions between the Mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus mossae and Gigaspora spp.) and sulphur foam to control M. javanica on eggplant at seed or seedling stage. Experiment at seed stage treated with Mycorrhiza or sulphur foam alone or together stimulated the growth and reduced Nematode infestation significantly. Treated plant at seedling stage increased plant growth and reduced the number of galls /gm of root system. The interaction between Mycorrhiza and sulpher foam treatments was not significant
... Show MoreBackground: Since the periodontal disease Index of Ramfjord (Ramfjord index) can potentially shorten the examination time by almost half, many studies evaluated Ramfjord teeth in predicting full-mouth periodontal status of an adult population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of Ramfjord teeth in predicting the full-mouth clinical attachment level of an adult population in patients attending the college of dentistry- Baghdad University. Materials and methods: The study participants were 100 patients with age range from 30-60 years old which represent group zero. The patients were divided into three main groups according to the age of the patients. Group I and group II each of them composed of 30 patients while group III co
... Show Morebackground: human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (her2/neu) is related to growth factor receptors with alkaline kinase activity and it is regarded as important prognostic and therapeutic factor that can depended on in breast cancer therapy. HER2/neu expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) is submitted to a great in terob server inconsistency. Subsequently additional confirmatory tests for assessment of gene alterations and amplification status are needed for patients with early or metastatic breast cancer. In situ hybridization techniques and specifically Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) was arise as a practical, cost-effective, and alternative to fluorescent in situ hybridization in testing for gene alterationAims of the study
... Show MoreBaghdad governorate has many areas of distinctive architectural and architectural character, which are heritage and valuable areas that we must preserve and take care of. But we see many manifestations of it, which have a negative impact on buildings, areas and roads, so that they distort the view and thus lead to visual pollution in general. The research examined the visual pollution from random advertising, which stretched buildings, walls, electricity poles and sidewalks. The study covered different areas of al-Karkh and al-Rassafa (Jadreya Bridge, Nation Square, Jordan Square, alkindy Street)Most of the distortions were the result of non-removable posters, Handwriting, election candidate adve
... Show MoreThis article is part of the bigger project of my PhD thesis which investigates the influence of the British war poetry of the twentieth century on the development of Iraqi poetry in the century/Plymouth University/UK. The article examines the influences of British poetry on the development of the forms of poetry in Iraq after the Second World War. The aim is to shed the light on the creation of the ‘third product’ or the Iraqi poetry that shows the influences of the translated British poetry or the ‘second product’; which was written in prose for it is almost impossible to transfer the rhyme and rhythm of poetry from one language to another. Those who translated the poetry where also the pioneers of the major formal revolution in Ar
... Show MoreThe current research deals with the study of aesthetic relations in the field of interior design and the extent to which its mechanisms achieve sensory stimulation between the internal and external spaces, to generate a continuous visual connection that is an extension of it, achieving in turn sensory stimulation for the users of those spaces. The internal and external spaces meet the desired purpose of feeling pleasure and beauty.” The current research aims to “discover the nature of aesthetic relations between the internal and external spaces and the extent to which mechanisms can achieve sensory stimulation in residential spaces.” The first topic included the concept of aesthetic relations, sensory excitement, and perception at
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