All major organs may be impacted by the connective disease systemic lupus erythematosus, a separate risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Adhesion molecules like intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM) can detect endothelial damage and dysfunction, which appear to play a crucial role. This study investigated whether people with SLE had elevated subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis risk factors. Traditional CAD risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia cannot entirely explain this elevation. It is thought that immunological dysfunction also increases CAD risk in SLE patients. The study aimed to assess early endothelial changes in SLE Iraqi female patients without previous coronary artery lesions by exploring a potential relationship between circulating VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 as risk factors for atherosclerosis and the relationship of CAD with SLE disease and its severity; further, the study explained the effect of the hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on the lipid profile levels of the patients. 92 female SLE patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe, according to the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2k), compared with 30 apparently healthy control individuals. All of them need a history of CAD. Serum VCAM-1, ICAM-1 level, VCAM-1/ICAM1 ratio, TC, HDL, LDL levels TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were measured. sVCAM-1, sICAM-1 levels and VCAM-1/ICAM-1 ratio were significantly and gradually increased in patient groups compared with control. Serum TC, HDL and LDL levels were significantly reduced in the SLE patients compared to the control. At the same time, the TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were significantly elevated with the severity of the SLE disease. sVCAM-1, sICAM-1 level and VCAM1/ICAM-1 ratio together with serum TC/HDL and LDL/HDL may improve coronary artery disease risk categorization in SLE patients without acute coronary syndromes. Furthermore, they were more sensitive in severe SLE instances than in moderate and mild ones, suggesting that they may be related to the extent of coronary lesions in SLE patients. VCAM-1 had a higher sensitivity than ICAM-1 in detecting and severity screening for CAD in SLE patients. Keywords: VCAM-1, ICAM-1, SLE, Atherosclerosis
AIM: The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of myeloproliferative disorders in a sample of Iraqi patients and to measure the changes in patients’ blood parameters. BACKGROUND: Myeloproliferative disorders are a group of neoplasms affecting the bone marrow progenitor cells characterized by excess cells with a risk of transforming to acute leukemia. There is a gap in knowledge about the prevalence of Iraqi population. Thus, we investigated the prevalence and distribution of different types of myeloproliferative disorders in a sample of Iraqi patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study is done at the National Center of Hematology from November 2019 till March 2020 on 75 patients who were diagnosed
... Show MoreBackground: While warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are used to manage thromboembolic events, they possess several features that impact adherence. Objective: To assess medication adherence and self-efficacy in patients receiving warfarin or DOAC treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital in Baghdad from December 2022 to May 2023 on patients receiving either warfarin or DOACs. The Arabic version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) questionnaire and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6C) questionnaire were used to assess adherence and self-efficacy. Results: 181 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 56.9% received warfarin an
... Show MoreAim This study is an overview of NPEV investigated during AFP surveillance programs for the period 2010–2017 in Iraq. Methods Stool samples from 4296 AFP cases and 2933 healthy contacts among children less than 15 years of age were processed for virus isolation as a part of AFP surveillance for the Global Polio Eradication Program in Iraq at National Polio Laboratory. NPEV detection was performed by virus isolation on cell culture according to WHO recommendations. Results The NPEV isolation rate was 14% of total AFP cases and 14.5% of healthy contacts. The infection rate was higher in males than females with a male/female ratio of 1.5: 1. The highest NPEV infection rate was observed among the children aged 1-2 years and decrease significa
... Show MoreUntil today, one of the leading predominant infections is Urinary tract infection (UTI). It exerts a huge burden on health systems worldwide each year. Treating UTIs empirically with antimicrobials improves morbidity rates. This study aims to assess the prevalence of UTI-associated bacteria in adult patients and to determine their antibiotic susceptibility profile. A retrospective study was conducted for adult outpatients who visited Al-Diwaniya tertiary hospitals from January 2020 till February 2022 to review their medical and lab records in addition to sociodemographic data. A total of 256 patients’ records were included of which 204 (79.7%) belong to females and 52 (20.3%) were males with an average age of 39.22±17.10 years. T
... Show MoreUntil today, one of the leading predominant infections is Urinary tract infection (UTI). It exerts a huge burden on health systems worldwide each year. Treating UTIs empirically with antimicrobials improves morbidity rates. This study aims to assess the prevalence of UTI-associated bacteria in adult patients and to determine their antibiotic susceptibility profile. A retrospective study was conducted for adult outpatients who visited Al-Diwaniya tertiary hospitals from January 2020 till February 2022 to review their medical and lab records in addition to sociodemographic data. A total of 256 patients’ records were included of which 204 (79.7%) belong to females and 52 (20.3%) were males with an average age of 39.22±17.10 years. The pr
... Show MoreThe study aimed to reveal the possibility of predicting academic procrastination through both Cognitive distortions and time management among students of Al-Aqsa Community College, as well as to reveal the level of both cognitive distortions, time management, and academic procrastination. Additionally, it aimed to identify the size of the correlation between cognitive distortions, time management, and academic procrastination. The study sample consisted of (250) students from Al-Aqsa community college students. The results of the study concluded that the mean for each level of cognitive distortions and academic procrastination is average. The mean level of time management is high. There is a statistically significant positive relationshi
... Show MoreObjective: Geographic differences in clinical and pathological aspects of ameloblastoma have been suggested, therefore the purpose of this study was to analyze cases of ameloblastoma in terms of clinical and radiographic manifestations, histopathological types, treatment modalities and recurrence rate and compare them with reports from other parts of the world. Methods: The medical reports of patients diagnosed with ameloblastoma were reviewed and the data concerning the age, gender, chief complaint, the anatomical site of the lesion, radiographic appearance, histopathological diagnosis, treatment approach and recurrence were retrieved. Surgical treatment consisted of either enucleation with curettage and peripheral ostectomy or resection;
... Show MoreEconazole nitrate (EN) is considered as the most effective agent for the treatment of all forms of dermatomycosis caused by dernatophytes. It was formulated as a topical solution in our laboratories. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Econazol Nitrate in the prepared formula and compared with that of commercial brand, Pevaryl®. A total of 104 patient suffering from dermatomycoses were involved in this investigation. Both formula were applied to the affected skin region in the morning and evening from week to 16 weeks with light massage until complete healing effect was achieved. The data revealed that the percentage of cured patient treated with the prepared formula and reference formula of Ecanozol Nitrate 1% so
... Show MoreThe present study was carried out to compare the physicochemical characteristics of eggs of guinea fowl, turkeys and domestic chickens outdoor reared in traditional farms in Baghdad, Iraq. A total of 166 fresh eggs; 32 eggs from guinea fowls (Numida meleagris), 44 eggs from turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and 90 eggs from domestic chickens; were collected. Egg weight, percentage of egg components, chemical composition (protein, lipids, and ash), and lipid profile were determined. Results revealed the significant differences in egg weight among studied birds. The average egg weights for guinea fowl, turkey, and indigenous chicken were 48.51 ± 0.72, 52.15 ± 0.74 and 61.24 ± 0.22 g, respectively. No significant differences were found in egg c
... Show MoreIn this research, the semiparametric Bayesian method is compared with the classical method to estimate reliability function of three systems : k-out of-n system, series system, and parallel system. Each system consists of three components, the first one represents the composite parametric in which failure times distributed as exponential, whereas the second and the third components are nonparametric ones in which reliability estimations depend on Kernel method using two methods to estimate bandwidth parameter h method and Kaplan-Meier method. To indicate a better method for system reliability function estimation, it has be
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