Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is an important respiratory bacterial pathogen, especially among children. It causes acute upper and lower respiratory infections.Objective: This study was aimed to measure anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies among hospitalized children who were admitted to hospital diagnosed with acute respiratory tract infections.Method: Automated ELISA technique was performed to detect anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies (IgM and IgG antibodies) in serum from 108 children less than 5 years old. The children were admitted to the Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Suleimani city/Kurdistan Region/Iraq because of acute respiratory tract infections. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic and clinical data from those children.Results: IgM anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies were positive in 15 (13.9%) out of 108 children. The highest seroprevalence was found in the age group 25-36 months while the lowest is in the age group 1-12 months. M. pneumoniae infections were more common among males than females though results were statistically not significant, and attendance of kindergarten or nursery, residency, history of chronic diseases, history of contact with similar conditions, and family history of chronic diseases, they were all statistically not significant. The IgMseropositive children were suffering from bronchitis, croup, pneumonia, or other respiratory infections, in frequencies of 7 (46.6%), 4 (26.7%), 3 (20%), and 1 (6.7%) respectively. Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, diagnosis of croup, and diagnosis of bronchitis were more frequent in M. pneumoniae infected group and the results were statistically significant. The IgG anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies were positive in 31 (28.8%) out of the 108 children, and the greatest IgG seroprevalence was highest in age group 49-60 months.Conclusion: M. pneumoniae is an important respiratorypathogen among hospitalized children in Sulaimanigovernorate/Kurdistan/Iraq, and nearly one third of childrenhad experienced M. pneumoniae infection by the age of fiveyears
ABSTRACT Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting women in their reproductive age.It is characterized by anovulation or oligo-ovulation and hyperandrogensim.Androgen excess is the central defect in polycystic ovary syndrome. It is a complex disorder affects general health in addition to oral health.This study aimed to assess the gingival health status among a group of women with polycystic ovary syndrome as well as to estimate the levels of salivaryfree testosterone in unstimulated saliva in relation to gingival health condition. Materials and methods: Sixty two women with an age range 20-25 years old and with a body mass index range18.5-24.9 (normal weight) were included in this s
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Out of 150 different specimens, 67 S. aureus isolate were isolated. However, 16sRNA gene was located only in 60 isolates. Moreover, mecA gene was located in 48 isolates; thereby MRSA covered 80% of all S. aureus isolates. Of considerable interest, pvl gene was detected in only six isolates (10%). Hence, the present work emphasizes the notion suggested that pvl is not an indicative of CA-MRSA.
Background: Intestinal infections are frequently occur among children with cancer who receive chemotherapy. On the other hand, diarrhea is especially common and severe among cancer patients that develop neutropenia, either due to the disease itself or due to the intensive chemotherapy. There are many causes of diarrhea among those patients, but intestinal infections still an important etiology among them.
Objectives: to study the frequency of diarrhea among neutropenic children, with its infectious etiologies, especially the bacterial, fungal and parasitic causes.
Type of the study:Cross-sectional study.
Methods: the study was done in the Oncology
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Objectives: Many medication errors occur in the hospital, and these can endanger patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of medication errors in hospitalized patients, and to categorize the most frequent types of errors, and to asses the possible measures that may prevent the occurrence of such errors.
Methods: A prospective, exploratory, and evaluative study, using direct observation method to detect medication errors in adult hospitalized patients in medical and surgical units in Baquba Teaching Hospital- Diyala-Iraq.. The files of 299 patients had been reviewed from July 2009 to September 2009, including medication orders and treatment sheets to detect existing errors. The detected errors were recorded and
Background: Saliva is one of the most important etiological host factors in relation to dental caries. It affects the carious process by its organic and inorganic constituents; in addition to its physiological functions as (flow rate, pH and buffer capacity). The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of major elements (calcium and phosphorus) and trace elements (ferrous iron, nickel, chromium and aluminum) in saliva among a group of adolescent girls, and to explore the relation of these elements, flow rate and pH with dental caries. Material & Methods: The study group consisted of 25 girls with an age of 13-15 years old. Dental caries was diagnosed by both clinical and radiographical examinations following the criteria of
... Show MoreBackground: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, restricted patterns of behavior, and unusual sensory sensitivities. Saliva may provide an easily accessible sample for analysis. Some salivary constituents levels altered in adolescents with ASD including antioxidants . This study aimed to investigate salivary physicochemical characteristic in relation to oral health status among adolescent with ASD. Materials and methods: Two groups were included in this study: forty institutionalized autistic adolescents and forty apparently healthy school adolescents with age range (12-15 years old, only males) selected randomly from Baghdad. Each group subdivided into two groups according
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Objectives: The study aims to: (1) assess psychological distress in parents of autistic children, (2) identify the
relationship between psychological distress and parents' socio-demographic characteristics such as (age, marital
status, relationship with child, educational level and monthly income) and (3) identify the relationship between
parent's distress and some of children' socio-demographic characteristics such as (gender, age, birth order and
mean number of children).
Methodology: A descriptive–analytical study that was carried out from December 12th, 2011 to May 1st, 2012.
on a purposive (non- probability) sample of 120 parents (father and mother) who have children with autism and
send their children to the
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