:Background: Many studies had stated that there are marked variations in the clinical presentation of depressive states between different cultures.Objectives: The main aim of the study is to identify the symptoms profile of patients with major depressive disorder living in Baghdad.Method: Ninety two patients with major depressive disorder consulting Ibn-Rushd psychiatric teaching hospital were studied thoroughly to identify the frequency of symptoms among them. The fifth edition of the Arabic version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) was used to identify the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – fourth edition (DSM-IV) symptoms. A list of other symptoms, which were found to present variably in depression according to culture, was gathered from previous studies and modified was included to calculate their frequency and to compare them to the DSM-IV symptoms.Results: All the 9 DSM-IV symptoms were more common than all the other symptoms. The DSM-IV symptoms did not differ significantly according to sociodemographic variables.Regarding the other symptoms: “Numbness or crawlingsensation”, “sex and libido”and “crying “symptoms were allsignificantly more common in females than in males; “Sex and libido” symptoms differ significantly according to themarital status and to education; &“Hypochondriasis” was significantly more common in elderly group Patients with major depressive disorder with psychotic features were presented with less auditory hallucinations and more visual hallucinations as compared to studies in western societies.Conclusion: The presentation of depression in patients from Baghdad is not different from patients around the world, and the DSM-IV symptoms are the most common symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder from Baghdad.Background: Many studies had stated that there are marked variations in the clinical presentation of depressive states between different cultures.Objectives: The main aim of the study is to identify the symptoms profile of patients with major depressive disorder living in Baghdad.Method: Ninety two patients with major depressive disorder consulting Ibn-Rushd psychiatric teaching hospital were studied thoroughly to identify the frequency of symptoms among them. The fifth edition of the Arabic version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) was used to identify the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – fourth edition (DSM-IV) symptoms. A list of other symptoms, which were found to present variably in depression according to culture, was gathered from previous studies and modified was included to calculate their frequency and to compare them to the DSM-IV symptoms.Results: All the 9 DSM-IV symptoms were more common than all the other symptoms. The DSM-IV symptoms did not differ significantly according to sociodemographic variables.Regarding the other symptoms: “Numbness or crawlingsensation”, “sex and libido”and “crying “symptoms were allsignificantly more common in females than in males; “Sex and libido” symptoms differ significantly according to themarital status and to education; &“Hypochondriasis” was significantly more common in elderly group Patients with major depressive disorder with psychotic features were presented with less auditory hallucinations and more visual hallucinations as compared to studies in western societies.Conclusion: The presentation of depression in patients from Baghdad is not different from patients around the world, and the DSM-IV symptoms are the most common symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder from Baghdad.
Background: Multifunctional cytokines play important and only partially defined roles in mammary tumor development and progression. Normal human mammary epithelial cells constitutively produce interleukin 6(IL-6) and a non-secreted form of tumor necrosis factor. Transformation of mammary epithelial cells by different oncogenesis is frequently associated with alterations of cytokine/ growth factor production and responsiveness.
Methods: We measured levels of 1L-6 in 84 females with breast cancer and examined their correlation with clinicopathological variables including stages of the disease and estrogen and
progesterone receptor expression on tumor cell.
Results: Our results revealed significantly higher
Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disease that affects approximately 15% of women of childbearing age worldwide. It is one of the causes of infertility and is characterized by hirsutism, acne, persistent or interrupted anovulation, and hyperandrogenemia. Neuregulin-4 (NRG-4) is an adipokine hormone from the protein neuregulin family. Its level is greater in PCOS than in control women, and Neuregulin-4 is linked to body fat percentage and liver fat, as well as insulin resistance (IR).
Objectives: To estimate the serum NRG-4 levels in women diagnosed with (PCOS), to compare it with, non-PCOS healthy control and to explore the effect of hyperandrogenism on the obtained r
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During infection, T. gondii disseminates by the circulatory system and establishes chronic infection in several organs. Almost third of humans, immunosuppressed individuals such as HIV/AIDS patients, cancer patients, and organ transplant recipients are exposed to toxoplasmosis. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the possibility that Toxoplasma infection could be a risk factor for COVID-19 patients and its possible correlation with C-reactive protein and ferritin. Overall 220 patients referred to the Al Furat General Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq were enrolled from 2020–2021. All serum samples were tested for T. gondii immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) antibodies, C-reactive protein and ferritin levels. In patients with COVID-19, the results
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The study aimed to evaluate the level of MMP‑2 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients in comparison with that in remission status, and healthy subjects, and to find its correlation with hematologic parameters. This study included sixty newly diagnosed AML patients. Remission status was assessed after induction chemotherapy. The overall survival (OS) was determined after 6 months. The plasma MMP‑2 level was measured at diagnosis by enzyme immunoassay. Twenty‑eight healthy individuals were recruited as a control group. Plasma MMP‑2 was higher in AML patients than in healthy individuals (P = 0.005). The level of MMP‑2 was much higher in the M5 subtype than in the other subtypes (P = 0.0001). There was no statistically significant d
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Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is caused of 85% of all lung cancers. Among the most important factors for lung tumor growth and proliferation are the tyrosine kinase receptors that coded by the epidermal growth factor recep-tor (EGFR) gene. Activation of EGFR ultimately leads to developing of lung cancer. The present study was undertaken with an objective to detect EGFR mutations in bronchial wash from Iraqi patients with NSCLC before treatment. Methods: DNA was extracted from bronchial wash samples collected from 50 patients with NSCLC by using a Qiamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Then, EGFR mutations were determined by using real-time RCR combined with two technologies, Amplification Refractory Mutation System (
... Show MoreAxial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic rheumatic inflammatory disease affecting mainly the spine and sacroiliac joints. Since the copper-to-zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) indicates an inflammatory response, the change in ratio is expected to correlate with axSpA. This study compared levels of Cu/Zn in the serum of axSpA patients. Serum samples were obtained from 53 patients with axSpA divided according to biological treatment into cohorts A and B, and 28 healthy control as cohort C. Serum levels of Cu and Zn were determined first by a fully automated chemistry analyzer TC-Matrix Plus, then the ratio was obtained. The elevated serum Cu concentration means of cohort B (189.32 ± 13.808 µg/dL) compared to cohort A (168.85 ± 7.244 µg/dL) a
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SUMMARY. The objectives of the present study were to assess the possible predictors of COVID-19 severity and duration of hospitalization and to identify the possible correlation between patient parameters, disease severity and duration of hospitalization. The study included retrospective medical record extraction of previous coron avirus COVID-19 patients in Basra hospitals, Iraq from March 1st and May 31st, 2020. The information of the participants was investigated anonymously. All the patients’ characteristics, treatments, vital signs and laboratory tests (hematological, renal and liver function tests) were collected. The analysis was conducted using the SPSS (version 22, USA). Spearman correlation was used to measure the relations
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular complications such as ischemic heart disease, heart failure, sudden death, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. A proper non-expensive tool is required for detection of this pathology. Different electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria were investigated; however, the results were conflicting regarding the accuracy of these criteria. OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of three electrocardiographic criteria in diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in adult patients with hypertension using echocardiography as a reference test. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a hospital-based cross sectional observational study which included 340 adult patients with a his
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