Background: Pleural effusion is a common clinical
problem.
Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the
diagnostic utility of Carcino embryonic antigen
(CEA), CA 15- 3, and alpha-feto protein ( AFP ) as
a tumor markers in serum and pleural effusion and
evaluate the value of combining them as a diagnostic
tools that are complementary to cytology in the
diagnosis of malignancies .
Methods: Forty patients (18 malignant and 22 benign
pleural effusion) were included in this study .The
serum and effusion levels of CEA, CA 15 – 3 and
AFP were measured using immunoradiometric assay
Results: from the 40 effusions studied 26 were
exudates and 14 were transudates. The level of
pleural effusions

The opportunistic multidrug resistance pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has one or several flagella, and the numbers of these sophisticated machines are regulated by the flagellar regulator gene FleN. The flagellar hook gene FlgE is important for its synthesis, motility and tolerance to antibiotics. Bacteriahave resistance to antibiotics, especially to cephalosporin beta-lactam antibiotics. For the current study, 102 clinical specimens were collected and identified using routine laboratory tests and confirmed by Vitek-2 compact system.  A total of 33 isolates of P. aeruginosa were identified. The antibiotic susceptibility test was done by the Vitek 2 Compact system. Flagellar gene detected by conventional PCR revealed that the FleN

Background: Measuring implant stability is an important issue in predicting treatment success. Dental implant stability is usually measured through resonance frequency analysis (RFA). Osstell® RFA devices can be used with transducers (Smartpeg™) that correspond to the implants used as well as with transducers designed for application with Penguin® RFA devices (Multipeg™). Aims: This study aims to assess the reliability of a MultiPeg™ transducer with an Osstell® device in measuring dental implant stability. Materials and Methods: Sixteen healthy participants who required dental implant treatment were enrolled in this study. Implant stability was measured by using an Osstell® device with two transducers, namely, Smartpeg™ and M

A vascular necrosis (AVN) is defined as cellular death of bone components due to interruption of the blood supply; the bone structures then collapse, resulting in bone destruction, pain, and loss of joint function. AVN is associated with numerous conditions and usually involves the epiphysis of long bones, such as the femoral head. In clinical practice, AVN is most commonly encountered in the hip. Early diagnosis and appropriate intervention can delay the need for joint replacement. However, most patients present late in the disease course. Without treatment, the process is almost always progressive, leading to joint destruction within 5 years. Treatment of a vascular necrosis depends mainly on early diagnosis which mainly based on clinical

Background: Gray-scale sonography is generally
considered as a first-line diagnostic tool for patient with
suspected acute cholecystitis. It is suggested by gallstones,
Murphy's sign, thickening of the gallbladder wall and bile
sludging, but the specificity of these sonographic findings
are not as high as their sensitivity. Blood flow of the
gallbladder wall is increased in acute inflammation.
Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of
power Doppler sonography and compared with conventional
color Doppler and gray-scale sonography in diagnosing
patients with acute cholecystitis.
Type of the study: This was a cross sectional study.
Patients and methods: The study was conducted t

The adequacy of diagnostic tests, together with trichomoniasis associated clinical symptoms, were investigated in females suffering vaginitis, and they were referred to the Gynecology Department, Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital during the period December 2004 – June 2005. The total number of patients was 250 cases (age range: 18 - 52 years), and each patient was examined using a sterile speculum to obtain vaginal swabs for examination. The diagnosis with T. vaginalis was done in many methods. The direct methods included wet and stained (Leishman's stain) examinations and cultivation in different culture media (Kupferberg Trichomonas Broth Base;, Trichomonas Agar Base; TAB and Trichomonas Modified CPLM), while the indirect methods were serol

Background: Disc battery ingestion is a common
serious problem in Iraq. It increase in the last years
because of the increase in number of electronic toys
that uses these batteries. These batteries contains
many types of irritant chemicals that increases the
risk of it's ingestion.
Methods:We reviewed the medical records of
children aged between 1year and 7 years
old admitted to Surgical Specialty Hospital/Baghdad
Medical City due to disc battery ingestion from
January 2007 through December 2010). The diagnosis
of disc battery ingestion was based upon history,
clinical symptoms, and results of imaging studies.
The clinical data reviewed included sex, age, clinical
manifestation and duration of sy

Background: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a disorder of systemic inflammatory condition. Its important features are represented by recurrent oral, genital ulcerations and eye lesions. Aims. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate and compare cytological changes using morphometric analysis of the exfoliated buccal mucosal cells in Behçet’s disease patients and healthy controls, and to evaluate the clinical characteristics of Behçet’s disease. Methods. Twenty five Behçet’s disease patients have been compared to 25 healthy volunteers as a control group. Papanicolaou stain was used for staining the smears taken from buccal epithelial cells to be analyzed cytomorphometrically. The image analysis sof