Abstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead levels was taken from their medical records. Results: No significant differences were noticed between the prevalence of autism and both of age (P=0.843) and gender (P=0.699). The majority of children have no family history of autism (85%). Mean blood lead level for all participants was 16.01 μg/dl. The statistically significant difference in lead level was found between autistic and non-autistic children (17.38± 1.86 μg/dl in autism group versus 14.27± 1.57 μg/dl in non-autism group) with a P value of 0.001. Discussion: Mean blood lead level was high in all participants, compared to the international values, which might indicate a high level of lead exposure in Iraqi children due to environmental pollution. Autistic children have higher lead levels than non-autistic ones and this might explain the role of lead in the etiology of autism.
Background: Despite the importance of vaccines in preventing COVID-19, the willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines is lower among RA patients than in the general population. Objective: To determine the extent of COVID-19 knowledge among RA patients and their attitudes and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A qualitative study with a phenomenology approach was performed through face-to-face, individual-based, semi-structured interviews in the Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, rheumatology unit. A convenient sample of RA patients using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs was included until the point of saturation. A thematic content analysis approach was used to analyze the obtained data. Results: Twenty-five RA pa
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The research aims to build a training program to develop some executive functions for kindergarten children. To achieve this goal, the two researchers built the program according to the following steps:
1. Determining the general objective of the program.
2. Determining the behavioral objectives of the program.
3. Determining the included content in the program.
4. Implementing the content of the activities of the program.
5. Evaluating the Program.
The program included (12) training activities, the training activities included several items: the title of the activity, the time of implementation of the activity, the general objective of the activity, the procedural behavioral objective, the means and tools u
Background: Germ cell tumors are a rare heterogeneous group of cancers with high cure rates in the pediatric age group.
Objectives: To study the clinical and pathological features in a group of patients with germ cell tumors and to evaluate their outcomes.
Patients and methods: A record review was undertaken on a group of patients with germ cell tumor who were admitted to the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital in Baghdad during the years 2009 - 2015. Information on gender, age, clinical signs, pathological findings, treatment and overall survival rate were reviewed.
Results: The patients had a mean age of 4.2 years (ranging from 1 month - 14 years). There were 45 girls and 16 boys. Abdominal pain was the most common presentation
This study is marked by: The ignorant poem and body language
Its main objective is to reveal the manifestations of this language in the text mentioned, and accordingly, the sieve poem has been read semantic (semantic) and hermeneutic, revealing the poet's ability to employ symbols and signals (body language) in the poem chosen for this purpose; The existence of such language in pre-Islamic poetry. After a long reflection and reading, the signs and symbols of the physical movement of the body, and its feminine and aesthetic manifestations were identified, and this was achieved through the use of modern critical methodologies that directly affect this language. The study consisted of an introduction and three topics, followed by t
Idiomatic expressions in Russian journalism make one important borrowed means for making a dialogue with the receiver's intellect in so far as it has the distinct feature of having clarity and exactness of meaning. The meaning is seen as a shortcut for covering a series of concepts and details so as to arrive at the intended meaning. This is done by stimulating the reader by the use of certain clear idioms. The use of such idioms in a journalistic text is not for a linguistic purpose only, but it is a cultural and social phenomenon reflecting the type of current changes in the society and it aims at discoursing with the reader's mind. This paper is a practi
... Show MoreThe study aims at finding out the effect of the lead time strategy on the first intermediate class pupils' achievement in geography The partial experimental design of two groups, experimental and control, with pre-post tests is used. The sample is represented in (73) female pupils. The sample is divided into two groups (37) experimental group and (36) control one. The sam ple is selected from first intermediate class pupils ( Al Batol intermediate school for girls) Baghdad Al-karkh-3, for academic year 2015-2016 The researcher has equalized the two groups in several variables: the previous achievement tests, intelligence, age in months, the scores of geography test of first course
There are obstacles to high levels of hypertension awareness that are embedded in gender, income and lifestyle habits which need to be addressed leading to high levels of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension. This study aimed to explore the various factors which affect hypertension awareness among a hypertensive population in a tertiary care hospital.
A quantitative study was conducted among hypertensive patients at a tertiary care hospital in Selangor, Malaysia. A validated and translated questionnaire was utilised as a data collection tool. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25.
A thousand participants (female n=621, male n= 379) were recruited, and their
... Show MoreBackground: Faith healing is common in Arab culture. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is linked to religious beliefs and this can affect its management as patients may seek help from faith healers rather than mental health professionals.
Patients and methods: Patients who received a diagnosis of OCD according to DSM-IV-TR completed a questionnaire containing questions about age, gender, marital state, residence, income, level of education, and occupation. Also, data was collected on help-seeking from a faith healer and on religiosity. The data was analyzed by using the statistical package of the social sciences (SPSS).
Results: 58.5% of OCD patients had sought help from faith healers and this was significantly
Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal
disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and alteration in bowel habits. It is more
common among adolescents and young age groups.
Objectives: to estimate the prevalence and identify potential determinants of IBS among high school
students in Baghdad, Iraq, 2017.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by using multi-staging cluster probability
sampling technique. All students in the sixth grade were considered eligible. Students with "red flag"
symptoms were excluded. Rome III criteria questionnaire of IBS was considered to define IBS. A
self-administered questionnaire used to compile socio-demograph