Background: The lack of studies regarding the neuroendocrine tumors (NET) is related to the rarity of these tumors .Long acting Octreotide is an established treatment for NETs by both providing symptomatic relief & inhibiting tumor growth. However, studies regarding incidence of NETs & their response to long acting Octreotide are still insufficient.
Objectives: To study the clinico-pathologic characteristics of Iraqi patients with NET & their response to long acting Octreotide.
Patients & methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study that was conducted in Oncology teaching hospital using patients’ follow-up records. Data recruitment included all NET patients diagnosed after October 2013.
Results: During the study period (2 years) ,38 patients were recorded in Iraq/oncology teaching hospital NET Registry. Patients ` data (age, gender, site of the tumor, metastatic status as well as type of therapy applied) were collected. Twenty one (55.3 %)of the patients were males, M:F=1.2:1 , while 23 patients (60.5%) were over the age of 50 years .The gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) tract being the most common primary site followed by pelvis We found metastatic disease at presentation in 17 (44.7% ) of patients and the Liver was the most common metastatic site found in (15.8%, 6 patients). Seventeen (44.7%) patients presented with Grade 3 . Most common therapy applied in our patients included systemic chemotherapy, surgery, long acting Sandostatin & radiotherapy for palliation only according to both NCCN & ESMO guidelines. The median time of remission following Somatostatin analogue (SSA) administration was 3 months compared to 7 months in patients received other modalities of treatment (p=0.003).
Conclusion: Octreotide LAR provides symptomatic response & contributes to disease stabilization & tumor regression in both functional & non functional NETs.
Background: Osteoporosis is a frequent disease that is manifested by reduced in mineral density and raised in fracture risk. Recent studies have indicated that osteoporosis is caused by composite connections among local and systemic regulators of bone cell function.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between interleukin-2, interleukin-4, and some biochemical markers in Iraqi patients with osteoporosis.
Patients and Methods: Forty five osteoporotic patients were incorporated in this study (30 women and 15 men). Serum fasting glucose, lipid profile, alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium, magnesium, interleukin-2, and interleukin-4 were measured in osteoporotic patients and compared them with the
Background: Dystrophinopathies are the commonest forms of muscular dystrophy and comprise clinically recognized forms, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). Mutations in the dystrophin gene which consist of large gene deletions (65%), duplications (5%) and point mutations (30%) are responsible for reducing the amount of functional dystrophin protein in skeletal muscle fibers. This study concentrate mainly at the spectrum of deletions in the 'distal hot spot' region of the DMD/BMD gene in Iraqi DMD/BMD patients using multiplex PCR technique
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the rate, and distribution of deletions in 10 exons of Dystrophin
... Show MoreBackground: Rheumatoid arthritis is a common chronic and destructive autoimmune arthropathy .Treatment with infliximab gives great improvement to a large numbers of patients with RA ,however, in some patients after prolonged treatment infliximab can induce anti-infliximab antibodies formation and result to loss of infliximab efficacy and active persistent disease.
Objective: to investigate the frequency of anti-infliximab antibodies in Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Patients and methods: fifty Iraqi RA patients(36 females and 14 males) compared with 50 control( 25 healthy control and 25 case control (patients with RA on other treatment) ) were included in this study from begging of March 201
The purpose of this study was to measure serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP7), Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Growth Hormone (GH), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and insulin in acromegaly patients and healthy controls. The acromegaly group had 60 patients, while the population group had 30 people who had never had acromegaly before. The concentration of IGFBP7, IGF-1, GH, IL-6, and insulin were determined. The results of the present study indicate that IGFBP7 level in the acromegaly group was significantly lower (1.690.07 ng/mL vs. 2.740.12 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.001). IGF-1, GH, IL-6, and insulin concentrations were also significantly higher in acromegaly patients. The diagnostic accuracy (2.194) was exce
... Show MoreBackground: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which is initiated by an infection of the oral microorganisms and it involves the humoral and cellular characteristics of the host response. The periodontal disease is found to develop due to a series of interactions among the periodontotrophic herpes viruses, the periodontopathic bacteria and the host immune reactions.Recent studies have demonstrated that various human viruses, especially human cytomegalovirus seems to play a part in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Periodontitis is an infectious disease involving specific bacteria and viruses.
Objectives: The present study was initiated to evaluate the percentage of human cytomegalovirus in periodontitis patients and dete
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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity plays a central role in causing disability both directly and via indirect effects mediated through joint damage. Evaluation of RA disease activity is therefore important to predict the outcome and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions during follow-up. Clinical disease activity index (CDAI) is new simple tool for measurement of disease activity.
Objectives: To assess validity and reliability of CDAI in comparison to disease activity score-28 joints (DAS28) in Iraqi patients with active RA.
Patients and Methods: Sixty nine Iraqi RA patients were included in this study. All patients were fulfilling the ACR classification criteria and active. Full history was taken and comple
Background: Researchers have found that interleukin 6 (IL-6) plays a crucial regulatory function in the onset and progression of a wide range of inflammatory disorders. One of the more prevalent inflammatory illnesses affecting people today is rheumatoid arthritis.
Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to compare the IL-6 levels of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to those of healthy controls and to examine the relationship between IL-6 and RA-related demographic and clinical factors.
... Show MoreBackground: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, where the normal joint tissues attacked by body’s immune system, causing their inflammation. Cluster of Differentiation 69 (CD69) is a human transmembrane C-Type lectin protein encoded by the CD69 gene. It’s expression was induced by activation (in vivo and in vitro) of T lymphocytes and Natural Killer (NK) Cells. As CD69 early activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some inflammatory diseases, its expression on peripheral blood T-lymphocytes must be evaluated.
Objective: To evaluate the expression of CD69 on peripheral blood T-lymphocytes in RA Iraqi patients.
Patients and methods: This study carried out between March 2
Background: 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