Background: The occurrence of seizures in bacterial meningitis is important, as it has been reported to increase the risk of complications; however, its frequency and predictors are not well studied yet. Objective: To assess the frequency, clinical, and biochemical predictors of seizures in children with acute bacterial meningitis. Method: A cross-sectional study recruited confirmed acute bacterial meningitis cases based on positive CSF culture and sensitivity among children aged 2 months to 15 years admitted to the Central Child Teaching Hospital emergency department in Iraq. Patients were divided into two groups based on seizure at presentation time. Demographic characteristics [age, gender, residence, duration of fever and disease, presenting complaints and antibiotic intake]; hematological [WBC, neutrophils] Lymphocyte, N/L ratio, packed cell volume, platelets, blood sugar, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) indices were compared between groups. Results: Seizures had a frequency of 18% among the 122 children and were significantly higher in younger cases with female predominance. By multivariate analysis and odds ratio (OR), predictors for seizure were as follows: CSF lymphocytes (OR=0.25, 95%CI=0.08–0.26), lethargy (OR=8.15, 95%CI=1.03-68.65), headache (OR=0.09, 95%CI=0.02-0.45), neck stiffness (OR=0.07, 95% CI=0.01-0.61) and poor feeding (OR=4.8, 95%CI=1.21–18.97). Conclusions: CSF lymphocytes reliably predicted seizure with good sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 73%. Lethargy and poor feeding had the highest odds as clinical predictors of seizures. Together, those results can help with risk stratification and allocate resources for high-risk cases to improve patient outcomes
Objective(s): to assess the factors which are associated with the prolonged prehospital delay of patients with
acute myocardial infarction.
Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted at the Coronary Care unit (CCU) in Al-Yarmok Teaching
Hospital, Ibn AL-Nafis Hospital for Cardiovascular Diseases, AL-Kadumia Teaching Hospital, Baghdad Teaching
Hospital, and AL-Kindy Teaching Hospital during the period of the study from February 2
nd
, 2009 to October 30th
,
2009. A random sample of (160) paƟent who were admiƩed to the hospitals were selected one by one. A
questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study, which is comprised of four parts that include (1)
sociodemographic data; (2) prehospital d
Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between levels of certain seminal biochemical parameters and serum reproductive hormones, on the one hand, and sperm function tests, on the other hand, in asthenospermic patients. Patients and Methods: Sixty asthenospermic patients and twenty fertile men as a control group were included in this study. Semen samples were collected to perform seminal fluid analysis. Total protein, cholesterol, calcium, creatine kinase, and fructose were measured in the seminal plasma. Blood samples were collected for hormonal assay of serum reproductive hormones: testosterone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone. Results: The results revealed a significant positive correla
... Show MoreBackground: Several studies suggested that skeletal system is adversely affected by diabetes and is associated with increased risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures
Objectives: The study was a case-control study that designed to assess the level of bone turnover markers (BTMs) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to investigate the effect of body weight and diabetic control on the level of bone turnover
Type of the study: Cross- sectional study.
Methods: The present study included 100 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sixty-six non-diabetic postmenopausal women were enrolled as a control. Fasting b
... Show MoreBackground: coronavirus 19 is a beta-coronavirus, enveloped and roughly spherical with approximately 60 to 140 nm in diameter with positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome.
Objectives: Measurement of interleukin 6 (IL6) level in a group of patients with confirmed Covid19 infection and its correlation with many hematological and biochemical parameters , mainly lymphocyte , neutrophil count and their ratio , platelet count , serum ferritin , C reactive protein as well as D-dimer level
Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 60 PCR positive patients variably affected by COVID-19 , cases collected sequentially from June till November 20
... Show MoreObesity is a common disease that resulted from over-nutrition in adults and children. It rarely causes damage to the centers of food in the brain. Obesity is defined as an increased body weight from its natural limit which is resulted from the accumulation of excessive amounts of fatty tissue incredibly up to 20% in males, 30 % in females unless this increase is not due to an increase in muscles as in athletes or accumulation of water in the body which is resulted from Mesothelioma or the magnitude of the skeleton.Obesity is the increase of the total average of fat in the body compared to other tissues, which causes an increasing body weight, thereby increasing body mass. The fatty child has an increase in the stored fatty layer under th
... Show MoreBreast tumor patients generally have more oxidative stress than normal females. This was clear from significant decrease (P<0.05) in tissue GSSG-Red activity. The study had found that free radicals in malignant breast tumors were higher than benign tumors, therefore the GSH- Red might be used as markers for prognosis of the disease. Results of molecular characterization show optimum enzyme concentration substrate conc., optimum pH, temperature & time & effect of some (chemotherapies in constant conectrations) for GSSG-Red activity.
Background: Acute appendicitis is regarded as one of the most common inflammation that needs surgical intervention. Different scoring systems have been used for diagnosing of acute appendicitis. ALVARADO score is one of the most widely used score in diagnosing of acute appendicitis, but the accuracy of the latter is insufficiently low in Middle-East patients. Thus a new scoring system called RIPASA score has been designed for diagnosing of acute appendicitis in those patients. The aim of this study is to use RIPASA score and compare its result with ALVARADO score in diagnosing of acute appendicitis.
Subjects and Methods: The study includes 200 patients with symptoms and signs of
... Show MoreObjective To highlight the main demographic characteristics and clinical profiles of female patients registered with breast cancer in Iraq; focusing on the impact of age.Methods This retrospective study enrolled 1172 female patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer at the Main Center for Early Detection of Breast Cancer/Medical City Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. Data were extracted from an established information system, developed by the principal author under supervision of WHO, that was based on valid clinical records of Iraqi patients affected by breast cancer. The recorded information regarding clinical examination comprised positive palpable lumps, bloody nipple discharge, skin changes, bilateral breast involvement, tumor
... Show MoreBiological activity substances was investigated in watery extract of lentil which found to contain phenols, tannin, saponins and resins while, flavons, terpens and steroids were not exist in the extract details explained that 5%, 10% of lentil extract largly inhibited the growth of Psedumonas aeruginosa then Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The growth of both Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium were slightly affected by all extract concentration. Extracellular protease were screened in all bacterial species under study. Complete inhibition was achieved for extracellular protease while different percentage of protease inhibition were seen for intracellular proteases.