Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is widespread and involved in the pathogenesis of the majority of stomach and duodenal diseases. Reduced stomach acidity facilitates the initial infection. Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride) are essential for the production of stomach acid. This study aimed to observe any changes in the levels of serum electrolytes (Na, K, and Cl) and serum vitamin C levels in a sample of Iraqi patients infected with H. Pylori. We studied 30 infected patients with H. Pylori and 30 matched healthy controls. The results revealed that the serum sodium, potassium, and chloride levels were significantly decreased (p = 0.002, 0.003 and 0.0001, respectively) in the patients infected with the H. Pylori group in comparison with those of the healthy controls. Also, vitamin C levels were significantly lower in patients infected with H. Pylori than in the control group (p = 0.001). The present results suggest that these changes may be attributed to or contribute to the infection itself through changes in gastric acidity, and this needs further study.
Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune illness, which is consider by three main features: Sclerotic changes in the skin and internal organs, Vasculopathy of small blood vessels, Particular autoantibodies (1). The most important autoantibodies appeared significantly in SSc patients are anti-topoisomerase I autoantibody (Scl-70), anti-centromere autoantibody (ACA), and anti-RNA polymerase III autoantibody (RNAP3) (2). Anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) are infrequent in rheumatic conditions and in healthy persons but occur commonly in limited systemic sclerosis (CREST syndrome), and rarely appeared in the diffuse form of systemic sclerosis (3). Anti-Ro/SSA and antiLa/SSB, antibodies directed against Ro/La ribonucleoprot
... Show MoreFifty celiac disease (CD) patients (21 males and 29 females) with an age range of 2-35 years and 25 apparently healthy controls were investigated for 10 autoantibodies (anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody; ATA, anti-tissue transglutaminase IgG antibody; ATG, anti-gliadine IgA antibody; AGA, anti-gliadine IgG antibody; AGG, anti-nuclear antibody; ANA, anti-double strand DNA antibody; AdsDNA, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody; ATP, anti-phospholipid antibody; APP, anti-myeloperoxidase antibody; AMP and anti-proteinase 3 antibody; AP3) in their sera. Six autoantibodies (ATA, ATG, AGA, AGG, AMP and AP3) showed significant variations between CD patients and controls. The first four antibodies were not detected in sera of controls, while
... Show MoreRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory autoimmune disease of unidentified etiology, associated with articular, extra-articular and systemic manifestation that require long-standing treatment. Taking patient’s beliefs about the prescribed medication in consideration had been shown to be an essential factor that affects adherence of the patient in whom having positive beliefs is an essential for better adherence. The purpose of the current study was to measure beliefs about medicines among a sample of Iraqi patients with Rheumatoid arthritis and to determine possible association between this belief and some patient-certain factors. This study is a cross-sectional study carried out on 250 already diagnosed rheumatoid
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetes mellitus (DM) accompanied with an increase in the death rate and represents a significant public health challenge. It is the cause of other disorders and infection in many body organs. Hence, it is important to study the possible changes in the immunological components in the serum of diabetic patients which are not well understood. In this work, serum C3, C4, IgA, IgG, and IgM were estimated in the patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and compared with healthy persons. Patients and Methods: Twenty-one insulin dependent diabetic patients in addition to twenty-four healthy persons as control group were participated in this study. Serum C3, C4, IgA, IgG, and IgM were measured by using immunodiffusio
... Show MoreBackground: Acute phase proteins which include C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin (Hp) are associated with inflammatory diseases such as injury, infection or malignancy, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) evaluated as the atherogenicity index is correlated with different diseases.
Objective : The study was to investigate hs-CRP and Hp concentration in Iraqi patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and calculate AIP which predicts this disease.
Subject and Method: The study included 64 subjects (39 patients with CAD and 25 healthy subjects as a control group). The markers of inflammatory hs-CRP and Hp levels were measured. Lipid profile (Total cholesterol TC,
The objective of this study was to assess the levels of antiMullerian hormone (AMH), Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosteron, luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2) as markers of spermatogenesis between fertile and infertile males. This study was conducted at (AlRamadi Teaching Hospital for maternity and children) and included 136 males partners of infertile couples. Samples were classified according to the WHO criteria of semen analysis into three groups; Azoospermia, Oligospermia, and normal(control). Assay levels of these hormones were made in the serum and the semen of each sample. The results showed that the level of AMH in serum samples was non-significantly decreased (P>0.05) in both Azo
... Show MoreBackground: Multiple Sclerosis disease is a demyelination process which interferes with the neuronal signal transmission, thus leading to different cognitive and physical dysfunctions like optic neuritis, motor, sensory and coordination problems. Recently many researches have been directed toward studying the relation between some genes and multiple sclerosis. Among the important genes to be studied in multiple sclerosis is the forkhead box P3 gene expression.
Objectives: The aims of the present work were to study the expression of forkhead box P3 gene by real time polymerase chain reaction, and to perform chromosomal analysis on the multiple sclerosis patients peripheral blood lymphocytes.
Patients and methods: A case-control stud
Objective: The study aimed to assess Leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 biomarker serum level in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: The case control study from multi-centers in Baghdad included 45 adult patients (19 females and 26 males) with COVID-19, diagnosed with a positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and excluded negative RT-PCR for COVID-19 and comorbidity conditions. Second group, was 43 control (20 females and 23 males). Results: This study found a decrease Leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 biomarker serum level in these patients and a significant difference in D. dimer, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio between the patients and controls at a P valu
... Show MoreInterleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine implicated in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB). TB is recognized worldwide as an important public health issue. To study the relationship between the age of patients with pulmonary TB and serum IL-6 levels, from the other hand, the severity of this disease with IL-6 levels. This study included 30 patients (16 female and 14 male) with pulmonary TB and 10 healthy persons (5 female and 5 male) as control group for comparison. An ELISA assay was used to quantify IL-6 in the sera. The results showed a significant increase of IL-6 levels with increase of age of patients, in (23-38) year old patients the IL-6 levels (median= 17.9 pg/ml, range 12.3-29.1), while in (50-70) year old patien
... Show MoreBackground: High serum molybdenum level may contribute to dialysis related bone disease in patients requiring long term hemodialysis in fact massive molybdenum accumulation causes joint deformity and arthritis
Objective: To asses the level of molybdenum in uremic patients requiring long term hemodialysis and impact of hemodialysis on the serum level of molybdenum before and after hemodialysis
Patients and methods: Eighty patients complain from chronic renal failure on long term hemodialysis aged (16 to 65) years, serum molybdenum was measured before and after hemodialysis
Result: The mean serum molybdenum level in 80 patients requiring long term hemodialysis was elevated before dialysis (0.29 + 0.17 nmol/mL) and even after dialy