Background: The median nerve in paraplegic patients, who must rely on increased hand activities including transfer and wheel-chair propulsion, may be subjected to increased pressure, so that the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may be higher than that in the normal population.
Objectives: To study the prevalence and the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome in Iraqi paraplegic patients and to identify the effect of duration of the injury as a possible factor related to its occurrence to avoid any chronic problems which interfere with the hand functions since these patients are greatly dependent on their hands for their daily activities.
Patients and Methods: Fifty paraplegic patients (100 hands), whose level of spinal cord injury was below D2, and fifty normal control subjects were included in this study. All patients studied in this work had complete spinal cord injury and were stabled medically and neurologically.
Clinical examination for the signs and symptoms of CTS as well as nerve conduction studies were carried out in both median and ulnar nerves for their sensory and motor components eliciting values for distal latencies for all patients and the control groups.
Results: Thirty percent of the paraplegic patients (15 patients) had signs and symptoms consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and all of them had electrodiagnostic confirmation of this injury.
Seventy percent of these paraplegic patients (35 patients) had no signs and symptoms suggestive of CTS, and only nearly about forty eight percent (17 patients) of them had only electrodiagnostic confirmation of CTS. Overall, 64% of the 50 paraplegic patients had CTS (32 patients). Nine paraplegic patients (18%) exhibiting bilateral CTS. Eight paraplegic patients (16%) had abnormal electrophysiological findings involving the ulnar nerve at the wrist and all of them had electrophysiological findings of CTS.
There was a sharp increase in incidence of occurrence of CTS from 6.3% in the group 1 to 5 years from injury to 13.7% in the group 6 to 10 years, and to 25% in the group 11 to 15 years, and again a very big increase to 50% in the group 16 years and over from injury.
Conclusion: Early testing of the median and ulnar nerve function, even in asymptomatic patients within the first 5 years of the injury, is recommended so for early detection, preventive and/or curative measures to be undertaken considering the fact that these patients are greatly dependent on their hands for their daily activities.
Background:
Hepatitis C Virus is the main causative agent of hepatitis among blood transfused patients, in which most chronic cases result in liver carcinoma.
Materials & Methods:
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for HCV, FNF- and IL-12p40 estimation with Recombinant Immunoblotting Assay (RIBA) as a confirmatory test for HCV, have been
applied for HCV detection in 80 HCV patients' samples in comparison with 30 samples for apparently healthy control, while viral load has been estimated using Branched-DNA (b-
DNA) technique for 32 randomly selected positive cases for HCV. Liver function test has been applied for patients' sera in comparison with control.
Results & Conclusions:
This study re
Background: Maxillary sinusitis is one of the most common infections of humans. Sinusitis can be defined as an inflammation of the membrane lining of any sinus, especially one of the
paranasal sinuses.
Objective: To determine the causative microorganisms of chronic maxillary sinusitis.
Patients: Forty five chronic sinusitis patients were involved in the present study.
Methods: Sampling method were sinus specimens (aspiration or injection aspiration).
Results: Haemophilus species, Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumoniae) and Moraxella catarrhalis (M.catarrhalis) were the most frequent isolates; in addition Penicillium and
Cladosporium species were isolated from some chronic sinusitis patients.
Conclusion: Chr
Background: Maxillary sinusitis is one of the most common infections of humans. Sinusitis can be defined as an inflammation of the membrane lining of any sinus, especially one of the
paranasal sinuses.
Objective: To determine the causative microorganisms of acute maxillary sinusitis.
Patients: Forty five acute sinusitis patients were involved in the present study.
Methods: Sampling methods were per-oral nasopharyngeal swabs.
Results: Haemophilus species, Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumoniae) and Moraxella catarrhalis (M.catarrhalis) were the most frequent isolates.
Conclusion: The most causative agents of acute maxillary sinusitis were bacterial isolates, which were Haemophilus species followed by S.pne
Objective: The evaluation of serum osteocalcin (OSN) for Iraqi infertile patients to see the effect of osteocalcin insufficiency, which may lead to a decreased level of testosterone production in males that may cause infertility. Methods: Forty two newly diagnosed infertile males age range (24–47) years and thirty two apparently healthy males as controls age range (25–58) years. Serum levels of testosterone (TEST), stimulating follicle hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PROL), osteocalcin OSN, and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were performed in both patients and controls. Estimation of serum OSN by Immulite1000 auto-analyzer, TEST, FSH, LH, PROL, and FBS by Immulite2000 auto-analyzer. Results: Infertile patients
... Show MoreCystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disease that results from mutation(s) of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (
This study examines patterns of exposure of Iraqi university students to selective daily Iraqi newspapers and the motives of this exposure, as well as its associated factors that affect the average exposure. It tries to answer several questions, including those related to the levels of exposure of Iraqi university students to daily Iraqi newspapers and classification of patterns of selective exposure to daily Iraqi newspapers and the most prominent Iraqi daily newspapers that are selectively exposed by Iraqi university students. It also examines the motives of this selective exposure and factors that increase the degree of exposure to the daily Iraqi newspapers, and the most prominent stages in which Iraqi university students find their
... Show MoreThe present study aims at empirically investigating the effect of vocabulary learning strategies on Iraqi intermediate school students’vocabulary performance and reading comprehension. The population of the present study includes all the 1st year male students of Al-Wark’a intermediate school of Al-Risafa 1/ General Directorate of Education for the first course of the academic year (2015-2016). To achieve the aim of the study ,a pre-test and post-test after (5) weeks of experiment are administrated .The sample of the present study consists of (100) subjects :(50) students as an experimental group and other (50) students as a control group . The subj
... Show MorePolycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) is a heterogeneous disorder of uncertain etiology , it is the most common endocrinopathy in women and most common cause of anovulatery infertility ,characterized by chronic anovulation and hyperandrogenemia .The present study was designed to investigate the effect of silymarin which is known to have antioxidant and insulin sensitivity effects on the levels of glucose, insulin ,testosterone ,leutinizing hormone(LH) and progesterone .Ovulation rate and Homeostasis Model Assessment of insulin Resistance (HOMA) ratio were determined .A 3-months of treatment were conducted in 60 PCOS patients in three well-matched groups .The first one (n=20),received silymarin(750mg/day) .The second group received
... Show MoreBackground: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal
disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and alteration in bowel habits. It is more
common among adolescents and young age groups.
Objectives: to estimate the prevalence and identify potential determinants of IBS among high school
students in Baghdad, Iraq, 2017.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by using multi-staging cluster probability
sampling technique. All students in the sixth grade were considered eligible. Students with "red flag"
symptoms were excluded. Rome III criteria questionnaire of IBS was considered to define IBS. A
self-administered questionnaire used to compile socio-demograph
Non tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) present in the environment, mainly in water and not transmitted from human to human. The lung is the most common target of NTM infections in human. The symptoms of NTM infection are: fever, weight loss and abdominal pain.
114 sputum samples were examined microscopically using Ziehl-Nelsen stain, all were positive. They cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen media.
The results of this study indicate presence of 3 (2.6%) of rapidly growing mycobacteria, phenotypically they resemble T.B. bacilli. They were diagnosed by biochemical tests, they were positive for catalase and pyruvate, negative for niacin, nitrate reduction test, sensitive for Thiophene-2-carboxyl acid hydrozide test& resistant for Para nitr