Abstract Objective: The underlying molecular basis of ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) has not yet been studied among Iraqi people. This study determined the frequency and types of some cardiovascular genetic risk factors among Iraqi patients with IHDs. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study recruiting 56 patients with acute IHD during a 2-month period excluding patients >50 years and patients with documented hyperlipidemia. Their ages ranged between 18 and 50 years; males were 54 and females were only 2. Peripheral blood samples were aspirated from all patients for troponin I and DNA testing. Molecular analysis to detect 12 common cardiovascular genetic risk factors using CVD StripAssay® (ViennaLab Diagnostics GmbH, Austria) was performed

Background : To assess the actual practice of breast self-examination (BSE), as an early detection tool for breast cancer, among a sample of patients affected with breast cancer in Iraq.Methods: A random sample of 200 female patients with breast cancer was analyzed to evaluate the extent of their actual practice of breast self-examination before the diagnosis of the disease.  The examined variables included the age of the patients, marital status, education, occupation, smoking habit, family history of cancer, frequency of gravidity, parity and abortions. Results: The age of patients ranged from (24-70) years with a mean age of 48 years. The highest frequency of the examined sample

Primary and secondary response loss , often mediated by the development of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), limit treatment efficacy. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is important in optimizing infliximab therapy by correlating drug level with clinical outcomes. This study aimed to find the relationship between infliximab level, ADA presence, and clinical activity in Iraqi Crohn's disease (CD) patients. This cross-sectional study included adult Crohn's disease patients receiving maintenance infliximab (IFX) treatment. Data on demographics and clinical characteristics were collected. Infliximab level and ADA were measured using ELISA. Forty-three patients were included. Patients in remission had significantly higher infliximab levels and lower

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing health concern that usually appears during the second and third trimester stage of pregnancy and is characterized by carbohydrate intolerance of variable severity. The aim of the present study was to scrutinize the relationship between the G972R polymorphism of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) gene with GDM in the Iraqi female population. One hundred and twenty of blood samples taken from healthy women (control) and women with gestational diabetes mellitus in 3rd trimester stage of pregnancy, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c% measured to diagnose GDM, lipid profile (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, and VLDL), insulin concentration, insulin resistance and beta cell function to

This study provides valuable information on secondary microbial infections in H1N1 patients compared to Seasonal Influenza in Iraqi Patients. Nasopharynx  swabs were collected from  (12 ) patients  infected with Seasonal influenza (11  from Baghdad  and 1 Patient from south of Iraq) ,and ( 22 ) samples from patients with 2009 H1N1 ( 20 from Baghdad and  2 from  south of Iraq). The results show that the patients infected with 2009 H1N1 Virus were younger than healthy subjects and those infected with seasonal influenza. And the difference reached to the level of significance     (p< 0.01) compared with healthy subjects.Two cases infected with 2009 H1N1 virus (9.1%) were fro

Background: Potentially malignant oral disorders (PMODs) are common precursors of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Neoangiogenesis and signalling are important intermediate biomarkers that may govern the progression of dysplastic mucosa into carcinoma. Aims: Evaluate the importance of CD34 and Wnt3 expression in PMODs and OSCCs in relation to their clinicopathological parameters. Settings and Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for CD34 and Wnt3 was performed for 41 samples. These included 27 PMODs, six OSCCs and eight normal gingival and alveolar mucosa. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests were applied. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: CD34

This paper tries to understand the poetic reference in the images of woman, she-camel, horse and their manifestations in Tarafah-ibnulAbd's poetry. There has got my attention the fact that these three images have their own distinct taste which is characterised by a clear rhythm, let alone the  lively nature that is filled with liveliness and activity to be in harmony with the poet's youth. For these three images represented the best manifestations of his psychological and artistic poetics. The paper adopts an artistic analysis to arrive at the psychological aspects of these experiences-the woman, the she-camel, and the horse- and to understand the functions of their images and symbolic reference.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) antagonists’ therapy are expensive and has a non-responsive rate between 30% to 40% in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Genetic variation plays a vital role in the responsiveness to this type of therapy.The aim of this study is to investigate if the presence of genetic polymorphism in the TNF-α gene promoter region at locations -376 G/A (rs1800750), -806 C/T (rs4248158), and -1031 T/C (rs1799964) affects rheumatoid arthritis patient's tendency to be a non-responder to etanercept.

Eighty RA patients on etanercept (ETN) for at least six months were recruited from the Rheumatology Unit at Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Based on The European League Against Rheumatism response (EULAR) criteria, patient

The use of antibiotics (AB) in surgery focused in either treating established infection or to prevent suspected post-operative infection. Inappropriate use of antibiotic for treatment of patients with common infections is a major problem worldwide, with great implications with regards to cost of treatment and development of resistance to the antimicrobial agent. Moreover, antibiotics may often be dispensed without a clear clinical indication. This study was conducted to estimate the medication errors in using antibiotic for surgery patients which may effect their wound healing. A 260 patients with clean-contaminated and contaminated surgery were included from two teaching hospitals, 160 patient from Medical city hospital and 100 from Al-

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorders characterized by formation of Philadelphia chromosome. After disease development, several events may associate with the reduction of anti-tumor immunity. The present study was designed to investigate the immunological profile of innate and adaptive immune response in Iraqi patients with CML. Patients were grouped into untreated (UT), treated (T) with chemotherapy, while another apparently healthy individuals were recruited to represent the control (C) group. Methods: ELISA technique was used to estimate serum levels of GM-CSF, IL-1a, IL-8, IL2, INF-?, IL-4, and IL-10 while SRID was used to estimate serum levels of C4, IgM, IgA, and IgG. Results: Regarding to innate immune resp