Background: Coronary artery disease remains the main cause of death despite several preventive programs. Epicardial adipose tissue is a visceral fat depot of the heart located along the large coronary arteries and on the surface of ventricles and apex. Intima media thickness is commonly recognized as the initial stage in the development of atherosclerosis. The development of ultrasound machines, advances in echocardiographic devices and high resolution transducers facilitate comprehensive analysis of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT).
Aim: To investigate the relationship of echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid –intima media thickness (C-IMT) with the severity of coronary artery disease.
Methods: A cross sectional multicenter diagnostic accuracy study carried out at Ibn Al-Nafis Cardiovascular Hospital, Ibn Al- Bitar Cardiology Center and Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital –Iraqi Center for Cardiology during the period between October 2016 and May 2017 assessing. History regarding demographic data and risk factors was taken. Two dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic measurements were done. EFT was measured from parasternal long axis view perpendicular to the right ventricular free wall. C-IMT was measured according to that recommended by the American society of echocardiography (ASE).
Results: The current study demonstrated that the EFT has a direct and significant correlation with the number of involved vessels (P value ˂ 0.001, r= 0.770). The validity of EFT to discriminate between multiple vessels disease and no vessel involvement is excellent (AUC= 0.984, cut point > 8mm, sensitivity=92.9%, specificity= 93.3%). There is inverse and significant correlation between ejection fraction (EF) and three vessels disease (P value ˂ 0.001, r= -0.507). Also there is a direct and significant correlation between C-IMT and severity of CAD. ROC analysis for validity of C-IMT to discriminate between multiple vessels disease and no vessel involvement is excellent (AUC= 0.961, cut point > 1.04mm, sensitivity=92.9%. specificity=86.7%). C-IMT is fair to discriminate between single vessel disease and no vessel involvement (AUC=0.738, cut point ˃ 0.84mm, sensitivity 100%), so if correlated with age, C-IMT above 0.84 can be used as a cut off point for the prediction of CAD. Finally, EFT and C-IMT are more likely to reflect severity of CAD than their ratio.
Conclusions: C-IMT and EFT are simple and reproducible parameters that can be used as a screening tool for the presence and severity of CAD especially before symptoms appearance in high risk patients
This study examined the problematic of the ambiguous relationship between the media and terrorism and the problems that result from press coverage of terroristic incidents. The paper sought to show the classification and confrontation of such incidents had been established from the point of view of a sample of media professionals, researchers and writers who are frequenters of Al-Mutanabi Street in Baghdad. The media outlets that carry this coverage would not give up their media mission as well as the terrorists would not be given an opportunity to take advantage of this coverage in achieving their goals and objectives. Furthermore, the terrorist organizations would have no chance to exploit these means to deliver their terroristic messa
... Show MoreReview Article Immunomodulatory Role of Cytokines in Periodontal Disease Batool Hassan Al-Ghurabi*, Maha Adel Mahmood, Zainab A. Aldhaher, Sahar Hashim Al-Hindawi Adv. life sci., vol. 11,...
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2) or 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is quickly spreading to the rest of the world, from its origin in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. And becoming a global pandemic that affects the world's most powerful countries. The goal of this review is to assist scientists, researchers, and others in responding to the current Coronavirus disease (covid-19) is a worldwide public health contingency state. This review discusses current evidence based on recently published studies which is related to the origin of the virus, epidemiology, transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and all studies in Iraq for the effect of covid-19 diseases, as well as provide a reference for future research
... Show MoreThe present study was set to investigate the potential association between the level of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), as a key component of the pro-inflammatory response, with different thalassemia’s biological and clinical features. For this purpose, one hundred fifty blood samples were collected from 100 beta-thalassemia patients, who attended the Genetic Hematology Centre at Ibn Al- Baladi Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, and 50 healthy subjects who were employed as a control group. IL-6 levels were estimated using an ELISA Kit, whereas other thalassemia-related clinical features (such as HbA, HbF, ferritin, blood transfusions, splenectomy status, and the history of frequent infection) were additionally assessed. The results of the present s
... Show MoreBackground: Nutritional status during childhood is very important for individual development and growth. Nutrition has local and systemic effect on the oral health by affecting dental health and salivary composition. This study was aimed to determine effect of iron, sodium and potassium ions in saliva on the nutritional status and to determine the effect of nutritional status on caries severity among preschool children. Material and Methods: The sample consists of 90 children aged 4 and 5 years of both genders, selected from 6 kindergartens in Al-Resafa aspect of Baghdad province. Children classified according to their nutritional status into three groups (normalweight, underweight and overweight). Nutritional status was determined by usi
... Show MoreThe chronic renal disease is a principle common medical dilemma in Iraq. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a prevalent infirmity in the hemodialysis people. The aim of present study was to estimate the prevalence of PAD in subjects with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This cross-sectional study was done between January 2016 and May 2017 on ESRD subjects regularly attending renal dialysis unit in Al-Kindy teaching hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. PAD was diagnosed on the base of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) measured by using a hand-held Doppler ultrasound. Subjects with ABI ≤0.9 were supposed positive for PAD. A total of 150 ESRD cases were analyzed. The mean age of the subject was 49.52±15 years. Majority of them were males 87(58%). Most
... Show MoreThe research focuses on the withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear agreement signed between the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning its nuclear program. This withdrawal has caused disruption in the official media discourse of the concerned countries. Therefore, the main question can be posed: Are there differences in the positions of countries related to the nuclear agreement, as well as those countries affected by it, before and after the official withdrawal of the United States on May 8, 2018?
The research aims to shed light on the trends in media discourse of the countries that signed the nuclear agreement and those affected by it b
This research focuses on the services provided by news websites (IMN, Youm7, Huffington Post Arabic) to its audience of Internet users, as well as materials posted through its pages, trying to monitor and explain them to identify their types & features, and it›s functions, whether informational or non-informational, to know the technical potential of each of the news sites, with the entry of the latest technology information. The research used the analysis method to achieve the research objectives within the period from 1/1 to 31/1/2017. The researchers used the content analysis tool as a research tool to analyze the news sites and to know the services they provide through their pages. The research was divided into three parts, the
... Show MoreForeign body embolization is a rare but serious iatrogenic complication that might necessitate transcatheter or even surgical retrieval. A broken double-lumen catheter was snared using a goose neck snare kit. The procedure was successful, and the patient experienced no further complications.
