Background Bloodstream infection (BSI) is a life-threatening condition caused by the presence of microorganisms, generally caused by a range of bacteria in the blood. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as biomarkers of pediatric BSI. Methodology The study was conducted on 150 blood samples collected from the patient who admitted to Children Welfare Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad. During the period from November 2020 to March 2021, ninety blood samples from them were positive culture and 60 blood samples were negative culture (control group). The isolates were identified depending on the morphological, microscopic examination, and biochemical tests. Moreover, serum was obtained from all participants for the determination of the screening level of human PCT measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and CRP by slide agglutination test. Results The results in this study revealed that the mean levels of serum PCT and CRP in Gram-negative group and Gram-positive group were significantly difference from the control group. Conclusions The adoption of these biomarkers as routine diagnostic tests for sepsis may help in the early diagnosis of pediatric sepsis.
Objectives: To highlight the knowledge of Al-Kindy medical students regarding varicella infection and to assess their knowledge and attitude toward its prevention. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled academic year 2020/2021 students at Al-Kindy College of Medicine from first to final year. We used an online questionnaire by Google forms to collect data, which were analyzed with SPSS 26. Results: A total of 208 students participated with 126 in the preclinical and 82 in the clinical grades. Generally, most clinical students were more aware about epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and complications of varicella infection than the preclinical students. Conclusion: Educational stage is a significant variab
... Show MoreLeishmania parasites reproduce wherever there are cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system, almost in macrophages. These are most copious in the liver and spleen;therefore, infection leads to an expansion of both of them. This study determined the burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) infection on liver and spleen. A total of 20 mice were infected peritoneally with 2x107promastigotes of Leishmania donovani / ml and other 12 mice left without infection as a healthy control. The weight of whole body, liver and spleen were measured and the histological development using hematoxylin and eosin stains were determined after 15, 30, 45-and 60-days post infection. The results represent that the mean weights of liver and spleen were increased in inf
... Show MoreBalad –Rooz is considered as one of the endemic foci of Schistosomiasisin Iraq.A survey was performed during the first three months of 2002 in fewprimary schools in Balad –Rooz to assess the prevalence among them.
Finding a new source of resistance is important to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides, which can meet the global need of suppressing pollution. In this study, the resistance of eight eggplant cultivars to Aphis gossypii was evaluated. Results of the current study highlighted that the cultivar Long-Green has a very strong resistance after 14 days post infestation whereas Pearl-Round and White-Casper cultivars were susceptible. The rest of the tested cultivars (Green-oblong, Purple-panter, Paris, Ashbilia, and Barcelona) had mild resistance. Also, the study found significant differences between the infested and non-infested plants among the tested cultivars in the plant’s height, fresh-, and dry-weight. The susceptible cultivars
... Show MoreBackground: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a collection of chronic, recurrent inflammatory illnesses of the gastrointestinal system, including Crohn's disease (CD). Infliximab is one of the biological medications used to treat CD. Therapeutic drug monitoring has evolved as a treatment in IBD, aiming to optimize benefit while meeting more demanding, objective end criteria. Objective: To determine the achievement of target trough level (TL), develop anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) to infliximab, assess response to therapy, and study TL relations with different variables. Methods: The present study was cross-sectional and conducted from May 2022 to November 2022. It included 40 CD patients allotted into 2 groups: group 1 patients ach
... Show MoreThe current research aims to: 1- Identify the emotional sensitivity of children from the parents' point of view. 2- Identifying the differences in the emotional sensitivity of children from the parents ’point of view, according to the parents’ gender variable (father - mother). The basic research sample consisted of (285) male and female students from the sixth grade (primary school), chosen in a randomized stratified method from the districts (Al-Karkh and AlRasafa). While the sample of statistical analysis amounted to (200) father and (200) mothers of male and female students who were randomly selected from the sixth grade of the education directorates (Al-Karkh and Al-Rasafa). The two researchers also used a number of sta
... Show MoreObjective(s): To assess the behavior that impedes the eating of children with autism spectrum disorders in Baghdad city, and find out the relationships between the behaviors that impede eating of autistic children and their demographic characteristics.
Methodology: The study started from the period of 16th September 2019 to the 16th of March 2020. A non-probability (purposive) sample of 80 children with autism spectrum disorders was selected. The questionnaire was designed and composed of two parts: the first part includes the autistic children demographic data, the second part includes scales of behavior that impede eating followed by parents towards autistic child. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined through a pilot
Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare congenital condition that results in bone fragility, recurrent fractures, and various extra-skeletal manifestations. Currently, intravenous bisphosphonate is the mainstay of medical treatment in OI. Objective: To identify the effect of current management strategies on Iraqi children diagnosed with OI. Methods: A retrospective study enrolled OI patients who were registered in Central Child Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, from January 2015 to December 2022. We enrolled confirmed OI cases (either clinically and/or radiologically) who received cyclic pamidronate therapy for at least 3 cycles. They neither received other types of bisphosphonates nor underwent surgical intervention. Res
... Show MoreIn this article we analysis the data of Iraqi children aged 0-9 months covered in Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6-2018) to evaluate the nutritional status . Weight for-age z-score (WAZ), height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and BMI-for-age z-score were compared with the z-scores WHO standards. The overall prevalence of underweight and stunting of the children were 4 % and 11% respectively. Prevalence of overweight based on BMI-for-age for the sexes combined was 21%. Comparing the results obtained from MICS-6 with the results obtained from MICS-4, we find that there is an improvement in the nutritional status of Iraqi children concerning weight, but as for height, we find that there is an increase in the percentage of children who suffer fr
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