Background: Urolithiasis and hypertension are prevalent and clinically significant conditions in the Middle East, both influenced by shared metabolic and environmental risk factors. Understanding the potential association between them is important for guiding prevention strategies. Objective: To explore the relationship between urolithiasis and hypertension in a sample of Iraqi adult patients. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Alkindy Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, from September 2024 to March 2025. Participants included 237 patients with confirmed urinary tract stones and 244 controls confirmed to be stone-free, matched for age and sex. Exclusion criteria included secondary hypertension, chronic kidney disease (stage 3 or higher), pregnancy, and metabolic or hormonal disorders likely to alter the blood pressure. Blood pressure status was determined via history and repeated measurements. BMI and demographic data were collected. Statistical analysis included Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and logistic regression models. Results: Hypertension was significantly more prevalent in the urolithiasis groupan in the controls. Patients with urolithiasis also had significantly higher BMI. However, after adjusting for age and BMI, urolithiasis was no longer significantly associated with hypertension (OR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.39–1.01; p=0.056), while both age and BMI remained significant predictors of hypertension (p<0.001). Conclusions: Although a higher prevalence of hypertension was observed among patients with urolithiasis, this association was not statistically significant after adjusting for age and BMI. These findings suggest that shared risk factors, particularly obesity, may mediate the observed relationship.
Odontogenic cysts and tumors often form hard and soft structures that resemble odontogenesis. It is well known that amyloid is produced in Pindborg tumors; however, it is still debatable whether it is also formed in other odontogenic tumors and cysts. This study aimed to detect the presence of amyloid in different odontogenic cysts and tumors in correlation to matrix proteins secreted during enamel formation; namely amelogenin and odontogenic ameloblast‐associated protein.
This study included formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of 106 different types of odontogenic
Most reinforced concrete (RC) structures are constructed with square/rectangular columns. The cross-section size of these types of columns is much larger than the thickness of their partitions. Therefore, parts of these columns are protruded out of the partitions. The emergence of columns edges out of the walls has some disadvantages. This limitation is difficult to be overcome with square or rectangular columns. To solve this problem, new types of RC columns called specially shaped reinforced concrete (SSRC) columns have been used as hidden columns. Besides, the use of SSRC columns provides many structural and architectural advantages as compared with rectangular columns. Therefore, this study was conducted to explain the structura
... Show MoreBackground: Mental health is integrated into PHC as a strategy of WHO to fill the gap in mental health treatment. Part of this strategy needs a level of task shifting so that mental health care is provided by different level of PHC workers and not only specialists such as psychiatrists and psychologists.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of family doctors regarding the provision of psychological health in PHCC and if there is an association between the certificates of these family doctors and their Knowledge and attitudes to psychological health.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with analytic elements was conducted in 8 famil
... Show MoreDespite their critical role in child care, emergency department (ED) nurses’ empathy and their attachment style toward children have not been thoroughly studied.
This research is conducted to explore the reciprocal dynamic relationship between nurses’ empathetical orientation and their level of attachment style in the pediatric emergency departments.
A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted across 132 pediatric emerg
Mental disorders (MDs) are a common problem in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs). Many people with serious MDs are challenged by symptoms and disabilities that result from the disease and by stereotypes and prejudice due to misconceptions about mental illness. This study aims at evaluating the knowledge, and attitude toward mental health concepts and services and causes of the reluctance to seek those services among people attending PHCCs. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The random sampling technique was used to include (10) of Directorates of Health (DoHs) coverage north, middle, and south of Iraq. The study was executed in (50) selected PHCs, (5) PHCCs in each DoH involved randomly selected (30) people attending th
... Show MoreBackground: Community pharmacists endure significantly elevated levels of work-related stress and depression, posing a threat to their overall well-being and possibly affecting the quality of patient care. Objectives: To explore workplace-associated stress and depression in Iraqi community pharmacists. Methods: This observational study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Information was gathered through the utilization of an internet-based survey. The study involved a community pharmacist with a minimum of one year of experience working at community pharmacies. The survey utilized pre-validated questionnaires. The level of stress experienced was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)-10, while the level of depression was
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