Background: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic airflow limitation and a range of pathological changes in the lung.

Psoriasis is a dermatological, chronic, immune-mediated condition. Psoriasis symptoms are not associated with physical burden only, but it may also have psychosocial effects on patients, diminished cognitive control, poor body image and impairments in everyday life. The value of quality of life is important since improving it is the principal goal for non-curative disease. The aim of the current study was to evaluate quality of life in a sample of Iraqi patients with psoriasis. This study is a cross-sectional study that involved 300 already diagnosed psoriasis patients who attended to the center of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical City/Baghdad. The mean age of patients was (35.156 ±10.549 years). The Arabic version of Dermatology Li

Background :Atherosclerosis is the most
frequent underlying cause of ischemic heart
disease and a major cause of death all over the
world. This study was carried out to analyze and
compare the angiographic findings in patients
with diabetes mellitus versus non diabetics with
coronary heart disease , and to correlate these
findings with some risk factors for coronary
heart disease.
Methods: A total of 100 patients were studied,
50 with diabetes mellitus, and 50 non diabetics.
This study was carried out at Al-Sadr teaching
hospital in Basrah, Southern Iraq during the
period April 2009- September 2009. All patients
were known to have coronary heart disease. Risk
factors for coronary heart disease

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Inflammation leads to joint damage and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a measure of inflammation in many diseases. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of NLR to detect inflammation in RA, and its correlation to RA disease activity indices and some hematological parameters. A cross-sectional study involving 24 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are using MTX participated in this study. All patients were clinically evaluated using disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) and simplified disease activity index (SDAI), whereas functional disability was assessed by health assessment questionnaire di

Background:recent data indicate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in patientswith high cystatin-C level;it can be used as a good predictor for assessment of mortality in cardiovascular diseases regardless of the status of renal function.
Patients and methods: Onehundred twenty (120) patients with ischemic heart disease admitted to this study at Baghdad teaching hospital for the period from January 2011 to September2011,Those patients categorized into two groups (60) diabetic and (60) non diabetic in comparison to fifty healthy control.Fasting serum cystatin-C was measured in all patients and controls.
Results: The level of serum cystatin-C, in diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease was (2.05±0.55 μg/L). Its level in

Background: Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are at increased risk of infection with parentally transmitted viral agents. In recent years a high prevalence of hepatitis G virus infection among end stage renal diseases and chronic hemodialysis patients has been well documented.
Objectives: To assess the percentage and risk factors of HGV in hemodialysis patients, and to evaluate the clinical consequences of HGV in this population.
Patients and methods: Fifty (50) patients with chronic renal failure who underwent maintenance hemodialysis. Patients were currently attending hemodialysis department of Baghdad teaching hospital during the period of October 2011 to January 2012, compared to forty one (41) healthy blood donors who unde

     Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a wide-spectrum anti-tumor agent. The oncolytic selectivity of NDV, a family of Paramyxoviridae, depends on the differential type of inducing different death pathways. This work was conducted to further understand the oncolytic effect of LaSota strain. A mouse breast cancer model (Murine mammary adenocarcinoma cell line AMN3) was used in this study. Methyl Thiazolyl Tetrazolium (MTT) viability assay tested different NDV multiplicity of infection (MOI) values on mouse mammary adenocarcinoma cells incubated for 72 hours post-infection. The IC50 values and anti-tumor activity of LaSota strain against AMN3 cell line were determined. Following Hematoxylin and Eosin Stain, we examined t

Back ground: Epstein- Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous in that infecting more than 90% of adult population worldwide. Recently, EBV has been linked to the development of variety of human malignancies. P53 gene is mutated in more than 50% of human cancers. Cell cycle dysregulation, measured by p53 protein expression, and latent EBV infection are important in the pathogenesis of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.
Objective: To analyze the distribution and impact of concordant p53 expression and latent EBV infection on a group of B & T cell types of NHL.
Materials and Methods: Forty (40) formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue blocks were obtained from lymph nodes biopsies related to patients with NHL.
In addition, biopsies of twenty

An evaluation for the performance of model pile embedded in expansive soil was investigated. An extensive testing program was planned to achieve the purpose of this research. Therefore, special manufactured system was prepared for studying the behavior of model pile having different length to diameter ratios (L/D). Two types of piles were used in this research, straight shaft and under reamed piles. The effect of model pile type, L/D ratio and number of wetting drying cycles were studied. It is observed that significant reductions in pile movement when under   reamed piles were considered. A proposed design charts was presented for straight shaft and under reamed piles to estimate the length of both types of piles that is requi

Background :

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 4^th common gastrointestinal cancer. (BRAF^V600E) is a member of RAF family of serine/threonine protein kinases that function to regulate the (MAPK) / (ERK) pathway. BRAF^V600E mutated CRC are associated with right-sided primary tumors, older women and high-grade tumors.

Aims of the study:

Study the immunohistochemical expression of BRAF^V600E biomarker in a sample of Iraqi patients with colorectal cancer and the correlation of BRAF^V600E expression with other clinicopathological variables such as patient's age and tumor gra