Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a well-recognized cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic implications of the restrictive left ventricular filling pattern (RFP) in dilated cardiomyopathy.Methods: Patients with DCM admitted to Ibn AL-Bitar Hospital for Cardiac Surgery, Baghdad-Iraq, from May 2006 to August 2008, underwent a full clinical evaluation and Doppler echocardiography study. Patients were classified into three groups: Group I had persistent restrictive filling pattern; Group II had reversible restrictive filling pattern; and Group III had nonrestrictive filling pattern. Results: The current study was conducted on a total number of 80 patients with DCM, fifty (62.5 %) were males and 30(37.5%) were females with a male to female ratio 1.6:1. Patients with restrictive filling pattern (Group I&II) were 51 (63.8%), while patients with nonrestrictive filling pattern (Group III) were 29 (36.2%). During follow up, patients with persistent restrictive filling pattern (30; 37.5%) had higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class symptoms, low ejection fraction (EF) and higher mortality; 6 (20%) died within the first year, 6 (20%) died in the second year. Clinical improvement was significantly frequent in Group II and III than Group I.Conclusions: In patients with DCM, the persistence of restrictive filling at 3 months is associated with a high mortality the patients with reversible restrictive filling have a high probability of improvement and excellent survival.
Background: Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum are recognized as important health problem in different countries. Humans may infect by two parasites at different age groups. But more common in countries with poor sanitation and unsafe water. Cellular and humoral response is engaged by the host to fight against parasitic infection, cytokines are produced by CD4 of payer's patches or generated from the mucosa lymphoid tissue as result of long duration antigen stimulation via trophozoites or cyst stage or others.
Objectives: To evaluate the levels of IL-2, -4 and C- reactive protein in the sera of patients with  
... Show MoreBackground:-M. pneumoniae is an important human pathogen that produces community-acquired respiratory tract infection. Diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection is challenging and crucial for the timely initiation of the effective antibiotic therapy.
Objective: This study has been undertaken to detect M. pneumoniae in respiratory samples (throat swabs, throat wash and sputum) in patients with respiratory tract infection qualitatively by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Also, more advanced one, real time PCR was used to determine mycoplasmal target gene qualitatively and quantitatively.
Patients and methods: The study was performed on Seventy-five patients and thirty healthy subject as control. Genomic DNA was extracted and
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases in immunocompromised organ transplant patients; it has been linked with the elevated arterial blood pressure. This study aimed to find a relationship between CMV antibody titers and blood pressure elevation by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure CMV IgG levels in the serum of 60 patients with high blood pressure, in comparison to 30 healthy persons with normal blood pressure as a control. All patients and control were 25-50 years old. The results showed that CMV antibody titers were higher in those who undergo blood pressure elevation. This finding supports the hypothesis that; the common CMV infection may leads to i
... Show MoreBackground: Hyperthyroidism occurs due to over production of thyroid hormones, one types of hyperthyroidism was Graves, disease. Hyperthyroidism is characterized by high level of serum thyroxin, triiodothyronine and low level of thyroid stimulated hormones. Material and Methods: fifty two hyperthyroid patients, thirty patients under treatment with carbimazole and other twenty two patients under treatment with radioactive iodine, and sixty healthy control group. The average salivary flow rate was calculated as ml/5mint.The concentration of calcium, potassium, and total protein were determined in the salivary supernatant sample. This is done through different biochemical tests. Determination of salivary IgA is done by ELIZA. Results: The most
... Show MoreBenign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common disease and major cause of morbidity in elderly men which may lead to bladder outflow obstruction and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Although sex steroid hormones play fundamental roles in prostate growth, their clinical significance is not completely clear. In the present study we assessed whether serum hormones levels as markers of prostate disease. This study includes (40) patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy and (40) control group with age rang (41-79) and (42-71) years respectively. The following biochemical investigations have been studied: Testosterone, Estradiol (E2), and Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) levels using ELISA method which correlated with t
... Show MoreBackground: Researchers have found that interleukin 6 (IL-6) plays a crucial regulatory function in the onset and progression of a wide range of inflammatory disorders. One of the more prevalent inflammatory illnesses affecting people today is rheumatoid arthritis.
Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to compare the IL-6 levels of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to those of healthy controls and to examine the relationship between IL-6 and RA-related demographic and clinical factors.
... Show MoreBackground: In recent years, the multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli has increased in urinary tract infections (UTIs). One of the highly distributed chromosomally encoded traits of resistance is efflux pump. The current study aimed to investigate the most common members of 5 classes of efflux pumps among uropathogenic E. coil isolates.
Methodology: E. coli isolates were isolated using conventional bacteriology tests and confirmed by the uidA gene. An antibiotic susceptibility test has been done against 25 antibiotics using disc diffusion method. Efflux pump genes have been examined via polymerase chain reaction. Biofilm formation was investigated by a
... Show MoreThree hundred and sixty different samples were collected from different sources, including wound, burn, nasal, and oral swabs from several hospitals in Baghdad. A number of 150 (53%) Staphylococcus aureus samples were isolated and identified among a total of 283 samples. Then, the spread of the Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 gene (tsst-1) was investigated in β-lactamase resistant S. aureus. According to the source of samples, the distribution of S. aureus isolates was found to be significantly higher (p < 0.01) in wound samples as compared to other sources. According to the age, a highly significant distribution (p < 0.01) was recorded in the age group of 15-30 years,
... Show MoreBackground: The primary stability of the dental implant is a crucial factor determining the ability to initiate temporary implant-supported prosthesis and for subsequent successful osseointegration, especially in the maxillary non-molar sites. This study assessed the reliability of the insertion torque of dental implants by relating it to the implant stability quotient values measured by the Osstell device. Material and methods: This study included healthy, non-smoker patients with no history of diabetes or other metabolic, or debilitating diseases that may affect bone healing, having non-restorable fractured teeth and retained roots in the maxillary non-molar sites. Primary dental implant stability was evaluated using a torque ratc
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