Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune vesiculobullous mucocutaneous disease with life-threatening consequences. Rituximab (RTX) has recently emerged as an effective treatment for PV. Objectives: This study aims to determine changes in neutrophil and platelet counts for PV patients treated with RTX or corticosteroids combined with Imuran (azathioprine). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Thirty PV patients received two types of treatment: 15 patients were administered RTX and 15 patients took corticosteroids with Imuran (azathioprine). Neutrophil and platelet counts were detected at the hospital laboratory. Results

The present study aimed to determine the serum sex hormone levels among Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) patients before and after 3 months of oral administration of 5-α reductase inhibitor(finasteride). Forty BPH patients and 40 healthy men from Amara city were involved in this study, their ages were between 40-59 year. They were all subjected  to direct estimation of hormones by MinVidas method including Testosterone (T), Estradiol (E2), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Prolactin (PRL), and Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) before and after 3 months of treatment with 5α-reductase inhibitor (finasteride) (the healthy individuals didn’t take finasteride).The results showed that T level was significantly lo

Background: The aim of this study was to determine phototoxic effect of visible blue light on anaerobic periodontal pathogens namely Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Materials and methods: Strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were isolated from pockets of systemically healthy patients aged between 35-55 years old with pocket depths of 5-6 mm, the bacteria cultured on special blood Agar plates solid media, then subjected to visible blue light emitted from commercially available light cure devise (LED curing light); that emits blue light (400-500nm) of 1000mw energy at different periods of time exposures, then the CFU of each plate was measured by direct colony count

Adhesion (type 1 fimbriae) and host defense avoidance mechanisms (capsule or lipopolysaccharide) have been shown to be prevalent in Escherichia coli isolates associated with urinary tract infections. In this work, 50 uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolated from children with urinary tract infections were genotypically characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. We used two genes; fimH and kpsMTII, both of them previously identified in uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC) isolates. The PCR assay results identified fimH (90.0)% and kpsMTII (72.0)% isolates. In the present study, was also demonstrated that these genes may be included in both or one of them within a single isolate.

Background and Aim. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major risk factor for the progression to heart failure (HF), which is associated with an increase in left ventricular volume (LVV). This study aims to measure ventricular function and myocardial perfusion imaging markers of the left side of the heart, which can be performed with injection of a 99mTc at stress and rest by using single-photonemission-computed-tomography (SPECT). Subject and methods. The study included 121 patients with CAD, comprising 53 females and 68 males with ages between 25 to 88 years and 265 healthy subjects comprising 84 males and 181 females. All patients and healthy subjects volunteered to participate in this study. They were classified according to

Light naphtha treatment was achieved over 0.3wt%Pt loaded-alumina, HY-zeolite and Zr/W/HY-zeolite catalysts at temperature rang of 240-370°C, hydrogen to hydrocarbon mole ratio of 1-4 0.75-3 wt/wt/hr, liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) and at atmospheric pressure. The hydroconversion of light naphtha over Pt loaded catalyst shows two main reactions; hydrocracking and hydroisomerization reactions. The catalytic conversion of a light naphtha is greatly influenced by reaction temperature, LHSV, and catalyst function. Naphtha transformation (hyroisomerization, cracking and aromatization) increases with decreasing LHSV and increasing temperature except hydroisomerization activity increases with increasing of temperature till 300°C then began

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by family history and clinical examination combined with diagnostic tools such as electrocardiogram, chest x-ray and an assessment of left ventricular function by echocardiography. An early diagnosis of heart failure is still based on symptoms of dyspnea, fatigue and signs of fluid overload. Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) is cardiac biomarker has emerged as potential predictor of heart failure. It is used as a sensitive biomarker in diagnosis and assessment severity of heart failure. This study assed the diagnostic value of (NT-pro BNP), in Iraqi children patients with heart failure and its correlation with LVEF% especially in emergency rooms of hospitals.Ninety (90) consecut

Here, a high sensitive method for biomarker identification according to nanostructure, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), called Nano-ELISA, was presented. Different shapes of gold nanostructures (star and sphere; GNSs and GNPs) with a particle size of 40 nm for sphere particles were altered with a monoclonal antibody (Ab) as a detector Ab. To amplify the optical signal, gold nanostructures were employed as carriers of the signaling specific antibody against insulin growth factor binding protein- 3 (IGFBP-3). The substrate was catalytically oxidized by the Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) conjugated gold nanostructure, and HRP also enhanced the optical signals, reflecting the amount of the targeting IGFBP-3. In comparison to t

This study was aimed to monitor oral zinc sulfate role on local cervical proinflammatory cytokines in HPV-infected women comparing with these cytokines before treatment application. A cervical secretion got from 28 infected women before and after treatment with zinc sulfate, these samples assessed various markers of inflammation including interleukin-1β, IL-8, and IL-12. Results manifested that improve and clear the cervical HPV infections after three months of zinc treatment 46.43% and 21.43%, respectively. Viral infections with single and multiple HPV high-risk types are raising of studied cytokines after 3-month compared with single HPV low-risk type. Moreover, this increasing was statistically significant only in IL-12 and IL-1. Women