Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an inflammatory, systemic rheumatic condition that mostly affects the axial skeleton. Tenascin-C (TN-C) is a hexameric glycoprotein of considerable size, upregulated in many inflammatory conditions, while Interleukin-17 (IL-17) a cytokine that plays an important role in SpA symptoms. Objective: to investigate the upregulation between the serum levels of TN-C and IL-17 in Iraqi axSpA patients and the disease characteristics. Patients and Methods: Seventy-four axSpA patients and 28 matched controls were studied. Fifty-four patients received a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and 20 did not. Serum TN-C and IL-17 concentrations were determined using the ELISA technique. The Bath Ankyl

Background: An important factor influencing duration of breastfeeding is mother’s employment status. The nutritional, immunological, psychological and economic benefits of breastfeeding are well documented. Both UNICEF and the World Health Organization recommend mothers should breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months.
Objectives: To determine how the employment and the employment variables (type of work, time of return to work and hours of work) influence the breast feeding practices.
Methods: A cross- sectional study was carried out on a sample of 200 employed mothers who had their last child been completed at least tow years. Data were collected using a questionnaire form. It was carried out during the period from 1st of Ap

The present study was set to demonstrate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection and its effects on patients with systemic  lupus erythematosus (SLE) through determining their serum levels of anti-dsDNA and IL-18 antibodies. For this purpose, the sera from 132 SLE and/or toxoplasmosis patients and 30 healthy women, were collected. The study sample was divided into four groups of SLE, toxoplasmosis, SLE coinfected with toxoplasmosis, and healthy control. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were examined for all the samples using ELISA kit. The results showed a high mean level of anti-Toxoplasma IgG among SLE patients coinfected with toxoplasmosis (104.8792±12.31585pg/ml) in comparison to that in toxoplasmosis patients (91.1705±12.577

Background: We compared the pattern of cutaneous dermatoses among Iraqi females of all ages between 4 months preceding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the same months 1 year later within the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, that targeted all female patients attending an outpatient clinic for dermatology and venereology in Al-Kindy teaching hospital, Baghdad between October 2019 to the end of January 2020, and the same 4-month duration 1 year later (October 2020 to the end of January 2021) after the COVID-19 peak period had passed and there was no or partial curfew to exclude seasonal impact.

Results

Infertility is one of the types of diseases that occur in the reproductive system. Obesity is a state that can be occurred due to excessive fats, the progression in obesity stage results in a change in adipose tissue and the development of chronic inflammation, endocrine glands disorders and women’s reproductive system, and also increase the infection with covid-19. The study aimed to investigate the effect of the obesity, lipid-profile, and IL-6 on hormones-dysregulation in infertile-women with COVID-19 complications. The current study included 70 samples: 50 infertility-women-with-covid-19-infected, 20 healthy-women/control, the ages of both patients and healthy subjects were selected within the range 18-34 years. Levels of FBS, LH,

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic disorder affecting females. The pathology of PCOS is complicated and associated to chronic low-grade inflammation, this includes a disruption in pro-inflammatory factor production, leukocytosis, and endothelial cell dysfunction, also associated with high level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and leukocyte count. In addition, PCOS is characterized by hormonal and immunological dysfunction. Inflammation of the ovary affects ovulation and induces or aggravates systemic inflammation. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1), a pro-inflammatory chemokine, is crucial in the recruitment of inflammatory and immunological cells to the place of inflammation

The oncolytic viruses are promising form of cancer therapy which is based on the selectively killing of the cancer cells. This study was aimed to investigate the role of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) Iraqi strain AD2141 in apoptosis. Firstly, the virulence of AD2141 was detected in embryonated chicken eggs after 48hrs of infection. It was observed a hemorrhage in the skin of infected embryos that led to death. Then, the ability of this strain for regression cancer cell lines was examined. By using cytotoxicity test, it was found 128 HAU/ml of AD2141 had a potent inhibition against growth of RD and AMN3 after 72hrs of exposure time; the inhibition rate was 86.8% and 86.98% respectively. Moreover, the apoptotic activity of AD2141 was exami

BACKGROUND: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a proangiogenic factor that exerts different effects over stem cell survival growth, apoptosis, and adhesion. Its impact on leukemogenesis has been established by many studies. AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of plasma HGF activity on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients at presentation and after remission. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional prospective study of 30 newly-diagnosed, adult, and AML patients. All patients received the 7+3 treatment protocol. Patients’ clinical data were taken at presentation, and patients were followed up for 6 months to evaluate the clinical status. Plasma HGF levels were estimated by ELISA based methods in the pa

Introduction and Aim: Diabetes mellitus patients almost always struggle with a metabolic condition known as chronic hyperglycemia. According to the World Health Organization, osteoporosis is a progressive systemic skeletal disorder that is characterized by decreasing bone mass and microstructural breakdown of bone tissue that increases susceptibility to fracture and increased risk of breaking a bone. Here, we aimed to compare the levels of CatK and total oxidative state in patients with diabetes and osteoporosis among the female Iraqi population and study the possible relationship between them. Materials and Methods: This study included 40 females with diabetes (Group G1), 40 with diabetes and osteoporosis (Group G2) and 40 normal healthy f