Background: Cardiovascular complications represent one of the consequences of chronic autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), which has significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Dyslipidemia can be brought on by steroid medications, which are frequently given to SLE patients and are considered to be one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

Objectives: This study attempted to investigate a potential association between circulating vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) as risk factors for atherosclerosis and their relationship to cardiovascular risk.

Patients and methods: A total

Out of 150 clinical samples, 50 isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae were identified according to morphological and biochemical properties. These isolates were collected from different clinical samples, including 15 (30%) urine, 12 (24%) blood, 9 (18%) sputum, 9 (18%) wound, and 5 (10%) burn. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) assay revealed that 25 (50%) of isolates were resistant to gentamicin (≥16µg/ml), 22 (44%) of isolates were resistant to amikacin (≥64 µg/ml), 21 (42%) of isolates were resistant to ertapenem (≥8 µg/ml), 18 (36%) of isolates were resistant to imipenem (4- ≥16µg/ml), 43 (86%) of isolates were resistant to ceftriaxone (4- ≥64 µg/ml), 42 (84%) of isolates were resistant to ceftazidime (1

Recent accumulated evidences suggest that prolactin is an important immunomodulator and may have a role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of hyperprolactinemia in women with SLE and to evaluate its correlation with disease flares. Serum prolactin levels were measured in 62 women with SLE and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. In patients and control groups prolactin levels were determined by immunoradiometric assay (IRMA). The prolactin level was found to be higher than normal rang in (40.3%) of SLE patients in active stage versus only (8.06%) of the same SLE patients but in the inactive stage and in (4%) of control group, the elevation was ranging between mi

Background: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)minor subsets (elastase , lysozyme , cathepsin G , lactoferrin & BPI )are detected among systemic lupus erythromatus patients causing vasculitis. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototypic immune complex disease, characterized by excessive autoantibody production, immune complex formation and immunologically mediated tissue injury.
Methods& Patients: A cross-sectional study was conducted on two main groups ,74 patients with SLE and 30 apperantly healthy control volunteers referred to immunology department in teaching laboratories \ medical city during period of (1st of march – 31st of May) 2011. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) ,Cathepsin&n

   Bacteria form complex and highly elaborate surface adherent communities known as biofilms.Biofilm have been shown to be associated with several human diseases ,and to colonize a wide variety of medical devices . The current study focuses on contribution of extracted genomic   DNA in  biofilm formation by   P. aeruginosa and  K. pneumoniae isolates   .The percentages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovery from drinking water  in this study were  10%(20 positive P. aeruginosa  samples ) and K. pneumonia.,  7%(14 positive K. pneumonia samples).The results showed that all P.aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae isolates (100%) were slime producer but in different degrees by forming  of black

Five isolates (25%) of Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from urine samples. In addition also isolated bacteria were (10) 50% Escherichia coli, while (3)15% Proteus spp., (2)10% Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ethanolic extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark were tested against Klebsiella pneumoniae by using the well agar diffusion test, the alcoholic bark extract from (200 -12.5) mg/ml possessed antimicrobial activity against tested microorganism. At 200 mg/ml, and 100 mg/ml concentrations was diameter of inhibition zone rang from (18-26mm), (14-16mm) respectively, and these results compared to antibiotics Norfloxacin(10µg) inhibition zone (24-30mm), and Cefotaxim (10 µg) (26-27mm) as

     This study was established to discover and determine multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from women suffering urinary tract infections, specifically in Mosul city. A total of 62 E. coli and 32 K. pneumoniae bacterial isolates were considered for this study. All isolates were characterized using standard bacterial culture methods, including culture on MacConkey agar, Eosin Methylene Blue agar and biochemical tests. Also antibiotic sensitivity test using standard disc method for different antibiotics and also special discs to detect ESBL activity were carried out, in addition to PCR as molecular identification tool. The results showed that most isolated E. coli

Extensive studies have been conducted on the microbial properties of Streptococcus pneumoniae  all over the world ,but there are few studies in Iraq on the most important factors of virulence possessed by S.pneumoniae isolates found in Iraq , 195 of sputum specimens were collected from patients with pneumonia acquired from the community who were clinically diagnosed by specialized doctors depending on symptoms and  Radiography of Chest . Eighteen isolates of  S.pneumoniae were  diagnosed  by  special traditional methods that used in the phenotypic identification . All isolates 18 (100%) have been  given  positive results for  the optochin test , bile solubility test