Background: Quality of life in brain tumor patients is an emerging issue and has prompted neurosurgeons to recon¬sider the need for cognitive assessment in the course of treatment. To date there has been a lack of comprehensive neuropsychological assessment performed preoperatively and in the acute postoperative period in our hospitals.Objectives: to establish the effects of tumors and their surgical treatment, from a neuropsychological perspective, on cognitive functioning in patients with cerebral Gliomas. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in the Neurosurgical Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from January 1999 to January 2001. Any patient admitted during the period of the study with clinical history, signs, symptoms, and contrast enhanced MRI suggesting a cerebral glioma and confirmed by postoperative histopathological results of glioma has been included in this study. While multifocal lesions, long-lasting epilepsy, use of antiepileptic therapy, multiple cranial lesions, previous cranial surgery, any chronic illness, and histopathological result of other tumors were exclusion criteria. All patients were at their first operation for brain tumors. Patients were examined by analyzing several functional domains (intelligence, executive functions, memory, language, praxis, gnosis and mood state) in order to establish the effect of tumor and surgery on cognition.Results: 29 patients who fulfilled the selection criteria were included. Mean duration of clinical history was 5 months (range 1–9 months). At baseline, using test- and domain-based criteria, 79% and 38% of patients, respectively, were impaired, the former related to tumor factors such as edema (P < 0.05), larger size (P < 0.05) and higher grade (P = 0.001). Verbal memory, visuospatial memory and word fluency were the most frequently affected functions, partly associated with depression. Postoperatively, 38% and 55% of patients, respectively, were unchanged, 24% and 21% improved, and 38% and 24% worsened; 24% and 62% of patients were intact, respec-tively.Conclusions: The extent of removal did not influence the outcome. Improvement involved previously impaired functions and was correlated with high-grade tumors. Worsening regar¬ded executive functions was related to tumor size and was partly explained by radiological findings on postoperative MRI. This prospective study, focusing on the effects of tumor and surgery, showed that tumor significantly affects cognitive func¬tions, mainly due to the mass effect and higher grading. Surgical treatment improved the functions most frequently affected preoperatively and caused worsening of execu¬tive functions soon after operation, leaving the overall cognitive burden unchanged and capable of improvement prospectively.
Chlamydia pneumoniae is an intracellular gram-negative bacteria associated with lower and upper respiratory tract infections. Several studies, mostly achieved by serological assays, proposed a role for this bacteria in lung cancer risk. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Chlamydia pneuomoniae in fresh lung tissues of a sample of Iraqi patients with lung tumors, utilizing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. . Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA was detected in 86.67% of samples. Besides, DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA gene revealed that our isolate is closely related to Chlamydia pneumoniae TW183 strain. It is concluded that Chlamydia pneumoniae is found in fresh l
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Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a common protozoan disease in Iraq characterized by localized ulcers, primarily on exposed skin. This study aimed to investigate the hematological parameters of infected patients using a complete blood count (CBC) in the endemic area of Diyala Governorate, northeast of Baghdad. This has been studied in newly diagnosed, untreated individuals and patients receiving sodium antimony gluconate. Methodology: Hematological screening was performed on blood samples from 161 patients with microscopically diagnosed cutaneous leishmaniasis before and after treatment. Anti-Leishmania IgG was also assessed by ELISA in seropositive and seronegative subjects. Results: The newly diagnosed, untreated pati
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Background
Sildenafil has been used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However it has the disadvantage of many visual disturbances. The aim of this work is to study the effect
of sildenafil on diabetic patients which might have ocular problems due to diabetes mellitus.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 30 subjects were enrolled in the study, they were divided into two groups. The control group consisted of 10 healthy subjects but complaining of ED only and the
other (20 patients) had diabetes mellitus and ED as well. All subjects had ocular tests done before and after sildenafil intake. It was obvious that sildenafil changed visual tests from totally normal for controls, before tre
ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to determine the mode of presentation of hypothyroidism in pediatric patients and the effects of timing of diagnosis and therapy on the patient’s outcome. The study involved review and evaluation of the medical records of 41 registered patients in the Endocrine clinic of Children Welfare Teaching Hospital in Baghdad during the period from January 1991 to July 2007. Forty one patients included in this study. Twenty four (58.5%) were males and17 (41.4%) were females with a male to female ratio of 1.4:1, their age range is 40 days to12.3 years. The majority of the studied patients were infants 19(47%). The most commonly observed presenting features were growth retardation and short stature. The best t
... Show MoreBackground: Hepatitis C and B is common disease all over the world and their chronicity is a social and medical problem so medical treatment by alpha interferon can change the mortality and morbidity.
Object: Identify the incidence of the side effects of pegylated interferon alpha in a sample of Iraqi patients with chronic hepatitis B&C and their relation to age, gender, duration of treatment and type of hepatitis comparing them with the literatures from other countries.
Patients and methods:A descriptive case series study was conducted on 50 patients, 24 male and 26 female, with established diagnosis of hepatitis B(20 patients)and C(30 patients) who attend Baghdad Teaching hospital and Gastroenterology and Hepatology centre in
Background: Since the introduction of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors including etanercept, their efficacy and safety in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been studied in many randomized controlled clinical trials. However, data regarding predictors of clinical response to anti-TNF therapy are still sparse.
Objective: To assess the predictors of response to etanercept in treatment of Iraqi patients with active RA.
Methods: An open label single group prospective study was conducted over 15 months on 190 Iraqi patients with RA. All the included patients were given etanercept at a dose of 50 mg by subcutaneous injection on
a weeklybases. Each patient was followed at regular intervals of bas
The purpose of this paper is to identifying some of the physical, kinetic and electrical capabilities of the working muscles of patients with simple hemiplegic cerebral palsy, preparation of special exercises (rehabilitation and water) accompanied by symmetrical electrical stimulation in the rehabilitation of working muscles for patients with simple hemiplegic cerebral palsy, and identifying the effect of exercises, especially (rehabilitation and water), accompanied by symmetrical electrical stimulation, on some physical, kinetic and electrical capabilities in rehabilitating working muscles for patients with simple hemiplegic cerebral palsy. The researcher used the experimental approach with a one-group design with two pre and post-tests du
... Show MoreDiabetic neuropathy is a form of nerve damage that can occur in people who have diabetes. High blood sugar (glucose) induced nerve damage in every part of the body. The nerves in the legs and feet were the most frequently affected. The extent to which a diabetic patient's body is impaired is calculated by the degree of nervosa harm.The purpose of this present study is estimation BMI,IL-10 , nesfatin-1 and HS-CRP in Iraqi DN patients before and after treatment via tegretol as well as it is the first study sheds light on the relationship between Nesfatin -1 and other parameters ( BMI,IL-10 and HS-CRP) also predication of Nesfatin-1 as a newly biomarker in patients with diabetic neuropathy. The present study consist of from 30 cohort G1 as hea
... Show MoreBackground: Hodgkin disease was the first cancer in which the curative potential of combination chemotherapy was demonstrated. The affected patients are often young and there is a great potential for adding years of productive life by giving curative therapy even when the disease is advanced.
Objective: to describe the experience of the hematology unit,Baghdad Teaching Hospital, in the management of 40 adult patients with Hodgkin disease.
Patients and Methods: a retrospective cohort study of forty adult Iraqi patients with Hodgkin disease between 2005 and 2013 in the hematology unit. Patients were treated initially with 6-8 cycles of ABVD chemotherapy protocol (doxorubicine+ bleomycin+ vinblastin+ dacarbazine) , nine patients recei