Background: disturbed physiological rhythm of blood pressure in preeclampsia is a common finding. The role of oxidative stress in pathogenesis of preeclampsia is well accepted. Melatonin is a powerful free radical scavenger so it's rapidly consumed by enhanced reactive oxygen species in preeclampsia causing non-dipping in blood pressure.Objective: To evaluate the change in plasma melatonin levels in patients with preeclampsia and its relationship with blood pressure.Patients and methods: In this prospective case control study a total of 40 primigravidae pregnant women were recruited during the period of 11 months between August 2015 and August 2016 in Baghdad teaching hospital, medical city, Iraq, divided into two groups:First groups: (cases group) were 20 primigravidae pregnant women with PE.Second group: (control group) were 20 normal healthy primigravidae.Blood Pressure measurement, melatonin blood samples were taken, plasma melatonin levels measurement was done by ELISA immunoassay. Urine was collected over 24 hours for protein in urine measurement.Results : Plasma Melatonin level in control , day and night was (22.72 ± 2.6 pg/mL ) , (75.26 ± 2.99 pg/mL ) compared to Plasma Melatonin level in dipper PE day and night (20.5±2.4 pg/mL ) , (75.26 ± 1.8 pg/mL) which was statistically not significant( P value 0.055 ) , (P value 1.0) respectively .Plasma Melatonin level for non-dipper ( 22.45 ± 2.48 pg/mL) were similar to dipper (20.5±2.4 pg/mL) which is not significant (P value 0.1) , while Night time Plasma Melatonin of non-dipper (36.76 ± 1.27 ) were reduced when compared to control (75.26 ± 2.99 pg/mL) and to dipper group (75.26 ± 1.8 pg/mL ) which was highly significant (p <0.0001 , p <0.0001) respectively .Conclusion: Night time Plasma Melatonin level reduced in Primigravid Women with preeclampsia that did not show nocturnal dipping in blood pressure.
Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world. Patients with PD face numerous challenges in managing their chronic condition, particularly in countries with scarce healthcare infrastructure. Objective This qualitative study aimed to delve into neurologists’ perspectives on challenges and gaps in the Iraqi healthcare system that influence the management of PD, as well as strategies to mitigate these obstacles. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with neurologists from five different Iraqi provinces, working in both hospitals and private neurology clinics, between November 2024 and January 2025. A thematic analysis approach was employed to identify the main challenge
... Show MoreBackground: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has many difficulties which include port Insertion, Dissectionof the Calot’s Triangle , Grasping of the Gallbladder , Wall thickness, Adhesion and extraction of theGallbladder. Aim of the Study: To predict how difficult cholecystectomy will be from assessing the patientpreoperatively which, in turn, help in decreasing the risks on the patients and preventing post-operativecomplications. Patients and Methods: A prospective study conducted in the department of General Surgeryat Al-Ramadi Teaching Hospital for the period of nine months from 15th of May 2018 till the 15th of February2019. It included 60 patients, all of them were undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy for Gallstone. Patientswit
... Show MoreMedication safety is an important part of the comprehensive patient safety term. Medication safety is gaining more attention as the World Health Organization set the goal of decreasing medication harm by (50%) for the next 5 years when launching the third global challenge. Studying medication safety in the risk groups such as young ages, children are crucial to learn more about the effect of medicines in this risk group since they are not included in the clinical trials. Adverse drug reaction is defined as any harm resulted from the drug itself during medical process journey, while medication errors are any harm resulted from the treatment process rather than the drug or it is the result of the failure in a step of the treatment process
... Show MoreThe typical test for diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique, but the chest CT scan might play a complementary role at the first detection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Objectives: To determine the sensitivity of CT scan on patients with COVID-19 in Al-Najaf, Iraq, and to compare the accuracy of CT scan with that of RT-PCR technique. Material and Method: This is a prospective study. The patients suspicious of having COVID-19 infection and respiratory symptoms were registered. All patients were diagnosed by RT-PCR and chest CT. Diagnostic performance of CT was intended using RT-PCR as the reference sta
... Show MoreThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the infection escalation around the globe encourage the implementation of the global protocol for standard care patients aiming to cease the infection spread. Evaluating the potency of these therapy courses has drawn particular attention in health practice. This observational study aimed to assess the efficacy of Remdesivir and Favipiravir drugs compared to the standard care patients in COVID-19 confirmed patients. One hundred twenty-seven patients showed the disease at different stages, and one hundred and fifty patients received only standard care as a control group were included in this study. Patients under the Remdesivir therapy protocol were (62.20%); meanwhile, there (30.71
... Show MoreBackground: Impacted teeth are frequent problem and one of the most affected teeth is the maxillary canine. The early diagnosis of impacted canines by radiographic evaluation is imperative. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of impacted maxillary canines in patients attending the Oral diagnosis and Radiology clinic in College of Dentistry, University of Al-Basrah. Materials and Methods: 1280 patients attending the Oral Diagnosis and Radiology clinic in College of Dentistry University of Al-Basrah, between October 2013 and March 2015 were examined for the study. The age of the patients ranged from 15 to 55 years, with a mean age of 22.2 years. Results: The prevalence for maxillary impacted canines in all the cases was fo
... Show MoreBackground: Hypothyroidism is the most prevalent thyroid disorders worldwide. Hypothyroidism manifestations are wide spectrum, affecting various systems in human body including the nervous system. Hypothyroidism can cause neuropsychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression and diminishing in attention, memory and executive function. Aim: to investigate the level of anxiety and depression in patients with hypothyroidism receiving levothyroxine treatment. Method: a cross-sectional study was conducted at Baghdad Center for Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy from March to June 2022. The study population included patients of both genders, aged 18-65 years, diagnosed with hypothyroidism, were receiving levothyroxine treatment and
... Show MoreThe resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to ciprofloxacin has complicated the problem of treating staphylococcal associated infections in which MRSA is the causative agent since ciprofloxacin was the drug of choice to treat such infections. Our study investigated the incidence of Ciprofloxacin resistant S. aureus isolates that were also methicillin resistant among Iraqi patients. The obtained bacterial isolates were tested for Ciprofloxacin resistance using agar dilution method and the sequence of gyrA and parC. The results revealed that about 8% of the isolated MRSA strains were Ciprofloxacin resistant and the resistance was due to mutation in gyrA rather than parC.
Background: The miswak is a teeth cleaning twig made from a twig of the Salvadora persica tree (known as arak in Arabic).A traditional alternative to the modern toothbrush, it has a long, well-documented history and is reputed for its medicinal benefits. It also features prominently in Islamic hygienical jurisprudence. Materials and methods: Twenty maxillary first premolars were treated with the selected solutions which included siwak water extract (5%, 10%) and sodium fluoride 0.05% for 2minutes once daily for 20 days interval, deionized water was used as control negative. Then the concentration of the dissolved calcium ion in the etching solution of 2N HCL was measured. Results: The least amount of the dissolved calcium ion was registere
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