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
Objective(s): to assess the factors which are associated with the prolonged prehospital delay of patients with
acute myocardial infarction.
Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted at the Coronary Care unit (CCU) in Al-Yarmok Teaching
Hospital, Ibn AL-Nafis Hospital for Cardiovascular Diseases, AL-Kadumia Teaching Hospital, Baghdad Teaching
Hospital, and AL-Kindy Teaching Hospital during the period of the study from February 2
nd
, 2009 to October 30th
,
2009. A random sample of (160) paƟent who were admiƩed to the hospitals were selected one by one. A
questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study, which is comprised of four parts that include (1)
sociodemographic data; (2) prehospital d
Background: Toxoplasmosis is a very common infection caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite. This parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii widely distributed around the world . Toxoplasma gondii can be vertically transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy and may cause wide range of clinical manifestations in the offspring.
Objective: To determine seroprevalence Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin M (IgM ) to toxoplasma gondii among pregnant women and to identify the risk factors.
Type of the study: A cross-sectional study.
Methods: A total of 110 blood samples of pregnant women were collected from
... Show MoreBackground: There is plenty of evidence
suggesting that involvement of several groups of
viruses in the development and / or acceleration of
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).
Objective: To analyze the T- cell proliferation in
the presence of Coxsackie virus B5 (CVB5), Polio
and Adenovirus antigens in addition to assessment
of Interferon- gamma (IFN-γ), Interleukins (IL-10
and IL-6).
Methods: In 60 Iraqi T1DM children with recent
onset of T1DM, Lymphocyte proliferation was
analyzed using Methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT)
assay by culturing Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes
(PBLs) with Coxsackie Virus B5 (CVB5),
Adenovirus, and Polio vaccine. Serum Interferon-γ,
IL-10 and IL-6 were quantified by sandw
KE Sharquie, JR Al-Rawi, AA Noaimi, RA Al-Khammasi, Iraqi Journal of Community Medicine, 2018
Introduction: The therapeutic efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) may be diminished by the formation of anti-erythropoietin antibodies (AEAs), potentially resulting in therapy failure. Objectives: This retrospective study included 84 hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treated with recombinant EPO and aimed to evaluate the association between serum AEA and treatment response. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included eighty-four Iraqi patients with ESRD who had been on recombinant human EPO for more than 6 months and had hemoglobin levels below 11 g/dL. Serum AEA levels were measured in all patients to evaluate their association with treatment response and to investigate correlations with demograph
... Show MoreBackground: The purposes of this study were to determine the photogrammetric soft tissue facial profile measurements for Iraqi adults sample with class II div.1 and class III malocclusion using standardized photographic techniques and to verify the existence of possible gender differences. Materials & methods: Seventy five Iraqi adult subjects, 50 class II div.1 malocclusion (24 males and 26 females), 25 class III malocclusion (14 males and 11 females), with an age range from 18-25 years. Each individual was subjected to clinical examination and digital standardized right side photographic records were taken in the natural head position. The photographs were analyzed using AutoCAD program 2007 to measure the distances and angles used in t
... Show MoreBackground: Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in the world, standing for the most frequent cause for hospitalization and emergency cases. Respiratory viruses are the most triggering cause. Aim: To assess the role of viral infections, especially COVID-19, in the pathogenesis of asthma initiation and exacerbations. Method: Electronic search was done for the manuscripts focusing on asthma as a risk factor for complications after COVID-19 infection. The outcomes were titles, materials, methods and classified studies related or not related to the review study. Three hundred publications were identified and only ten studies were selected for analysis. Seven studies were review, one retrospective, one longitudin
... Show MoreBackground: Coping skills play a vital role in managing the physical and psychological effects of breast cancer (BC). Despite improvements in early detection and treatment, Breast cancer survivors continue to face long-term challenges after diagnosis. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the coping skills employed by breast cancer women in Iraq and to identify the sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors associated with these coping skills. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 244 breast cancer women in The Medical City Teaching Oncology Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, from August 2023 to October 2023, coping skills and psychological factors were assessed using the BRIEF COPE-28, and Hospital Anxiety Depression scale
... Show MoreBackground: Osteoporosis is one of the major public health problems from which more and more people in the world are suffering. There is evidence suggesting that osteoporosis knowledge is one contributor to osteoporosis preventive behavior. Aim of the Study: To assess the knowledge regarding osteoporosis risk factors, prevention, and management in women of reproductive ages. To identify any association between knowledge and studied factors.