Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic autoimmune disease that is characterized by severe synovial inflammation, cartilage erosion, bone loss, and generalized vasculopathy. Although the immunologic mechanism of RA is still unclear, it is now thought to be a primarily Th17-driven disease. Along with other factors, IL-23 stimulates the expansion of Th17 cells from naive CD4+ T cells.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-23 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and determine the correlation between plasma/serum IL-23 levels and disease activity. So, we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis comparing

Periodontitis is a persistent bacterial-causing disease which damages the supporting periodontium of the teeth. The complexity of supporting tissue structure makes the regeneration a challenge for periodontists. Early investigations were focused on discovering therapeutic substitutes that are biocompatible, simple to prepare and economic. This might cause a local release of growth factors that accelerate the healing process of the soft and hard tissue. Recently, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has received a wide attention as a biocompatible regenerative material in both dental and medical fields. PRF is a natural fibrin-derived biomaterial, and it is easy to obtain. It can be gotten from individual blood without the use of any external anticoag

A cumulative review with a systematic approach aimed to provide a comparison of studies’ investigating the possible impact of the active form of vitamin D3, calcitriol (CTL), on the tooth movement caused by orthodontic forces (OTM) by evaluating the quality of evidence, based on collating current data from animal model studies, in vivo cell culture studies, and human clinical trials. Methods: A strict systematic review protocol was applied following the application of the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). A structured search strategy, including main keywords, was defined during detailed search with the application of electronic database systems: Medline/Pubmed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and

The aim of this study was to critically appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions suitable for delivery by nurses, designed to enhance cardiac patients' adherence to their prescribed medications.

Background: Intramedullary astrocytomas
account for about 1% of all CNS tumors and
6–8% of spinal cord tumors. The vast majority
of intramedullary astrocytomas are slowgrowing
lesions.
Objectives: The goal in this study was to
review a series of patients who underwent
surgical removal of intramedullary high-grade
astrocytomas, focusing on the functional
outcome and the effect of multimodality
treatment on the survival of patients with high
grade intramedullary astrocytoma.
Methods: Between June 1999 and June 2004,
22 patients underwent removal of
intramedullary high-grade astrocytomas in four
neurosurgical hospital in Baghdad/ Iraq
(Neurosurgical hospital, Al Shaheed Adnan
Hospital for

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to determine the mode of presentation of hypothyroidism in pediatric patients and the effects of timing of diagnosis and therapy on the patient’s outcome. The study involved review and evaluation of the medical records of 41 registered patients in the Endocrine clinic of Children Welfare Teaching Hospital in Baghdad during the period from January 1991 to July 2007. Forty one patients included in this study. Twenty four (58.5%) were males and17 (41.4%) were females with a male to female ratio of 1.4:1, their age range is 40 days to12.3 years. The majority of the studied patients were infants 19(47%). The most commonly observed presenting features were growth retardation and short stature. The best t

Clinical index is needed to predict the outcome of pregnancy after in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) for infertile patients. Growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), also known as myostatin, is one of transforming growth factor-â superfamily localized in antral follicles in normal and PCOS ovaries but its function in female reproductive system is still unknown. Aim of the study is to assess the correlation between levels of GDF8 in follicular fluid (FF) with outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF/ICSI) in women with and without PCOS. A prospective case control study was performed enrolling (40) patients with PCOS and (40) non-PCOS women (male infertility) undergoing IVF/ICSI. The collect

Back ground: primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) is a socially distressing condition that can be troubling for children & their families. It affects 15-26% of five years olds. Several approaches are used to treat PNE including behavioral modification, alarms & drug therapy. Aim of the study: to determine the efficacy and safety of nasal desmopressin treatment in children with PNEPatients : fifty-four children with primary nocturnal enuresis with a mean age of ( 8.2) years ( range 6-15), underwent a 2 week observation period followed by entrance into a randomized controlled study, comparing desmopressin & placebo, lasting 4 weeks. The efficacy of the drug was measured in reduction of the number of wet nights per week. The enureti