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: Temperatures and seasons have been suggested as environmental factors that influence fecundity in mammals. It has been reported that there is a link between human fertility and seasonal changes.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess whether the seassonal changes in tempreture, humidity, light intensity and light duration do influence fecundity and reproduction in the study group of Iraqi women who were from Baghdad.
Patients and Methods:This study was conducted on 1638 randomly selected womenn who were from Baghdad city and were normaly delivered at Al- Elwiyah Maternity Teaching Hospital during 2014. A detailed questionnaire form was filled through d
... Show MoreBackground: Hypothyroidism is the most prevalent thyroid disorders worldwide. Hypothyroidism manifestations are wide spectrum, affecting various systems in human body including the nervous system. Hypothyroidism can cause neuropsychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression and diminishing in attention, memory and executive function. Aim: to investigate the level of anxiety and depression in patients with hypothyroidism receiving levothyroxine treatment. Method: a cross-sectional study was conducted at Baghdad Center for Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy from March to June 2022. The study population included patients of both genders, aged 18-65 years, diagnosed with hypothyroidism, were receiving levothyroxine treatment and
... Show MoreEffect of antioxidants (vitamins C and E) (500mg/kg) was studied on function of testes in albino mice treated with hexavalent chromium (1000ppm). The results showed that exposure to hexavalent chromium caused a significant decrease in body weights, without changes in weight of testes, seminal vesicles and prostate. A significant decrease was observed in the percentage of dead sperms, sperms abnormalities, diameter of seminiferous tubules and the number of leydig cells. Degenerative changes and necrosis were observed in the lumen of seminiferous tubules. Treatment of hexavalent chromium-exposed mice with vitamin C caused improvement in weights and characters of sperms and improvement of the tissue of seminiferous tubules. Tre
... Show MoreBackground: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder of the carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, resulting in increased blood glucose levels. Various complications of diabetes have been described with periodontitis being added as the sixth complication of diabetes mellitus. Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) has been identified as major tissue-destructive enzyme in periodontal disease. MMP-8 is released from neutrophils in a latent, inactive pro form and becomes activated during periodontal inflammation by independent and/or combined actions of host-derived inflammatory mediators .C-reactive protein is a systemic marker released during the acute phase of an inflammatory response. Subjects, materials and methods: Total samples
... Show MoreThis study provides valuable information on secondary microbial infections in H1N1 patients compared to Seasonal Influenza in Iraqi Patients. Nasopharynx swabs were collected from (12 ) patients infected with Seasonal influenza (11 from Baghdad and 1 Patient from south of Iraq) ,and ( 22 ) samples from patients with 2009 H1N1 ( 20 from Baghdad and 2 from south of Iraq). The results show that the patients infected with 2009 H1N1 Virus were younger than healthy subjects and those infected with seasonal influenza. And the difference reached to the level of significance (p< 0.01) compared with healthy subjects.Two cases infected with 2009 H1N1 virus (9.1%) were fro
... Show MoreChitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42
... Show MoreCOVID-19 is a unique viral infectious illness that causes a variety of symptoms and health hazards, particularly to the respiratory system and has been declared a worldwide pandemic. The disease is characterized by a cytokine release in severe conditions. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a proinflammatory cytokine, mediates an important immunomodulatory process. Also, vitamin D was identified to have a role in the innate immunity of individuals. Our study was designed to find the role of IL-6 and vitamin D in COVID-19 patients, as well as, to see whether there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and cytokine syndrome development. The study included 90 COVID-19 patients and 30 control people from Baghdad, Iraq. The age of the participants was non-s
... Show MoreAbstract
Background: A significant proportion of patients with ischemic heart disease have been associated with peripheral arterial disease, yet it is still underestimated by our health system as many of patients are asymptomatic and this condition remains under diagnosed and therefore undertreated.
Objective: To study prevalence of peripheral arterial disease of the lower limbs in patient with acute coronary syndrome and its association with certain risk factors.
Method: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in the coronary care unit at Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital from the 1st of January 2016 to the 1st of Novem
... Show More4 Blood Res 2018;53:314-319. Received on August 11, 2018 Revised on August 30, 2018 Accepted on August 30, 2018 Background Iron overload is a risk factor affecting all patients with thalassemia intermedia (TI). We aimed to determine whether there is a relationship of serum ferritin (SF) and alanine ami- notransferase (ALT) with liver iron concentration (LIC) determined by R2 magnetic reso- nance imaging (R2-MRI), to estimate the most relevant degree of iron overload and best time to chelate in patients with TI. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 119 patients with TI (mean age years) were randomly se- lected and compared with 120 patients who had a diagnosis of thalassemia major (TM). Correlations of LIC, as determined by R2-MRI, with SF
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