Rheumatoid arthritis is a worldwide inflammatory chronic autoimmune disease with varying severity. Due to no definitive cure for this disease, current therapies aim to decrease the pain and slow further damage. The interleukin (IL)‐36 cytokine was little known for its role in rheumatoid arthritis; this research aimed to evaluate the serum IL36 levels in RA patients compared to healthy controls. This study included 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis registered at the Rheumatology Clinic in Baghdad teaching hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on the treatments received. Group 1 included patients treated with biological therapy (etanercept, adalimumab), Group2 patients with non-biological treatment (methotrexate hydroxychloroquine and prednisone), Group3 patients without any treatment and compared with Group 4 healthy control group. Patients is all groups were assessed for their serum IL-36 concentration; the mean IL-36 serum level was significantly higher in three groups of RA patients which include the group of patients treated with biological therapy (Enbrel (etanercept) and Humira (adalimumab) means were (1132.41±475.2,), and group of non-biological therapy patients (Methotrexate hydroxychloroquine and prednisone) (G2) means was 553.95±307, than patients' group without any treatment (G3) means was 1044.01±575.3 compared to the control (341.38±113.1) p-value> 0.00001. The patient's age and BMI were not significantly different between three groups of patient Rheumatoid arthritis. Parameters for this disease also were tested which include RF, CRP, ESR, anti-CCP and disease activity score-28 (DAS 28), there were significant differences when compared with the control group. IL-36 serum level was significantly higher in three groups of rheumatoid arthritis than those in controls, and when compared between three patients groups there was less concentration in the non-biological therapy treatment group means was 553.95±307 than in the rest of the patient groups,biology tratment, without any treatment, means were (1132.41±475.2, 1044.01±575.3) respectively. This study found that Rheumatoid arthritis patients' serum IL36 levels increased, where a non-biologic therapies reduced this cytokine. IL-36's pathogenic involvement in Rheumatoid arthritis needs more study. Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, IL-36, IL-1,C‐reactive protein, RF, ESR and anti-CCP.
Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of mortality among women in Iraq forming 23% of cancer related deaths. The low survival from the disease is a direct consequence to the advanced stages at diagnoses. Aim: To document the composite stage of breast cancer among Iraqi patients at the time of diagnosis; correlating the observed findings with other clinical and pathological parameters at presentation. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study enrolling the clinical and pathological characteristics of 603 Iraqi female patients diagnosed with breast cancer. The composite stage of breast cancer was determined according to UICC TNM Classification System of Breast Cancer and the Ameri
... Show MoreExogenous levothyroxine dose modulation and euthyroidism achievement is a persistent challenge in clinical settings. This study strives to assess the adequacy of treatment and identify the patients’ factors that can be used to estimate the euthyroid levothyroxine dose. A secondary objective was to assess vitamin D supplementation impact on thyroid status.
A review of a prospectively collected information from 142 female patients from Baghdad Center of Nuclear Medicine from June 2019 until March 2020 who were receiving levothyroxine for different causes was done. After a follow-up period, the patients’ thyroid tests were assessed and the euthyroid doses for each cause category were statistically analyzed. Thyroid function was
... Show MoreBackground: Sex variations in coronary artery disease (CAD) are well documented. However, sex differences in coronary artery calcium (CAC) and its role in the detection of coronary artery stenosis remain controversial. Objective: To assess the impact of sex variation on coronary artery calcification and its efficacy in predicting coronary artery stenosis. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study including 230 consecutive patients with suspected CAD (120 men and 110 women) referred for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The study analyzed sex-based differences in the sensitivity and specificity of coronary artery calcification (CAC) for detecting moderate to severe stenosis across various coronary arteries
... Show MoreAbstract Background: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2) proto-oncogene is overexpressed or amplified in approximately 15%-25% of invasive breast cancers. Approximately 35% of HER2-amplified breast cancers have coamplification of the topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A) gene encoding an enzyme that is a major target of anthracyclines. Hence, the determination of genetic alteration (amplification or deletion) of both genes is considered as an important predictive factor that determines the response of breast cancer patients to treatment. The aims of this study are to determinate TOP2A status gene amplification in a set of Iraqi patients with breast cancer that have had an equivocal (2+) and positive HER2/neu by immunohistochemistry
... Show MoreBackground: A carefully planned clinical medical education is critical for the provision of supportive clinical educational environment. The latter will ensure effective teaching, active learning and good attitudes and performance at the bedside. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical learning environment at AL-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: A descripitive cross-sectional study involved resident doctors from Internal Medicine and Surgery departments who had six months or more residency training in the respective departments. Data were collected using the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure. Data where analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0 and presented us
... Show MoreIntroduction: Candida spp. has become increasingly resistant to antifungal drugs, with elevated MIC levels causing a negative medical impact and increasing the number of patients at risk of candidiasis. According to the CDC, about 7% of Candida blood samples show reduced susceptibility to fluconazole. Monitoring the antifungal resistance profile of Candida spp. is vital, as non-Albicans species may limit treatment options. Objective: Evaluate the antifungal effectiveness against clinical Candida spp. isolates of six antifungals: amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, caspofungin, and 5-fluorocytosine. Methods: 100 samples were collected from various clinical samples at the National Centre of Teaching Laboratories
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetic mellitus type ? is a metabolic disorder of diverse etiological factors, characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from an absolute deficiency of insulin affected childhood and adolescent. Some of these patients seek an orthodontic care .The orthodontist who is treating these medically compromised patients should have a working knowledge of the multitude of medically complex problems. This information will support and enable for delivery of high standards of dental care in general and orthodontic care in particular. The aim of this study was to analyze serum IgG levels and salivary secretory IgA (sIgA) levels in human dentine extract (HDE) before (T0) and 6 months after (T6) orthodontic treatment and to correlate anti-HDE
... Show MoreInsurance Companies perform a prominent role in providing services and bolstering national economy, and they contribute in achieving the aims of the economic development plans in addition to many other social and economic benefits. So it is necessary to evaluate the activity of these companies continuously to define performance level and its nature. Financial analysis is one of the important instruments that helps in analyzing and explanation of data in such a way that enable administration to define performance level and diagnosing strength and weakness points. This study tackles the state of affairs of the Iraqi Insurance Company which is considered as one of the active national institutions, due to its distinguished role in collecting
... Show MoreTuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis; it is considered as one of the most common, infectious diseases and major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A prospective study was conducted to obtain more clarification about the impact of causative agent and its treatment to enhance autoantibodies production such as ANCA and BPI which used as diagnostic markers for several diseases, and to provide further insight into the classical risk factors (age and sex).Seventy patients with tuberculosis involved in this study, 35 of them were untreated and 35 with treatment administration these patients were attending to directorate of general health national reference laboratory in Baghdad during the period between November/ 2012
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