Background: Refractory/relapsed acute leukemia has always been a challenging problem for hematologist. Over the past decade emphasis has been made in the development of regimens containing fludarabine, combined with cytosine arabinoside for the treatment of refractory/relapsed acute leukemias. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of fludarabine, high dose cytarabine, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor in refractory relapsed cases of acute leukaemia,
Methods: a prospective study is being conducted at the national center of hematology and hematology unit /Baghdad teaching hospital from July 2008 to July 2010.Twenty Patients with refractory/relapsed acute leukemia were treated with fludarabine 30mg/m2 and cytosine arabinoside (AraC) 2 g/m2 for 5 days, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor G-CSF 300 microgram/day from day 0 till neutrophil recovery (ANC >1.0 x 109/l).Response was evaluated by bone marrow examination on day 30-post chemotherapy.
Results: Patients included were refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (n=5), relapsed ALL (n=4), refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (n=8), relapsed AML (n=3). Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 9(45%) patients, 3 (15%) patients got partial remission. Three (15%) patients died of post chemotherapy complications and 5(25%) patient failed to achieve remission. Major complications encountered were: anemia, fever, bleeding, mucositis and bacterial infections.
Conclusion: FLAG protocol is well tolerated and effective regimen in relapsed / refractory acute leukemias. The toxicity is acceptable, enabling most patients to receive further treatment, including transplantation procedures
The dangerous and potentially blinding condition known as Acanthamoeba keratitis is caused by free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba. The prevalence of AIDS patients and contact lens wearers has increased in recent years, making cannaeba infections more significant. It's interesting to note that, depending on the parasite, host, and environmental conditions, the pathways linked to Acanthamoeba pathogenesis are frequently extremely complex. Notwithstanding our progress in antibiotic therapy and supportive care, the prevalence of Acanthamoeba keratitis has not decreased
One of the critical factors for dental implant success is accurate clinical and radiological assessment. Cone-beam computed tomography systems (CBCT) allow surgeons to determine the quality and quantity before surgery, aiding in treatment planning. This study highlights the importance of such an assessment Materials and Methods A total of 40 patients were referred to CBCT scanning for pre-dental implant assessment in the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology department at Al-Shaheed Gazi Al Hariri Hospital from 2021 to 2022. The patients were between 18 and 50 years old. All data were analyzed with on-demand 3D software (Kavo OP 3D: Cone Beam 3D imaging Germany). Results: Regarding the ridge shape: In the upper anterior and posterior regions, th
... Show MoreBackground: This study aimed to assess the effect of tooth width in malocclusion in relation to normal, crowding, and spacing dentition. Materials and methods: The sample included dental casts of some dental students and orthodontic patients; their age was (18-25) years and having three groups normal, crowding, and spacing dentition groups. The sample was equally divided to three groups normal, crowding, and spacing dentition groups, each group contained 50 maxillary and 50 mandibular casts that were further subdivided by gender; all the stone casts were measured by highly sensitive digital vernier. Results and Conclusions: Non-significant side difference was found in both dental arches in the three studied groups. Males had higher mesiodis
... Show MoreBackground: Practicing self-medication is common and a worrisome issue because of irrational drug use. This study aimed to evaluate self-medication knowledge and views among the final year pharmacy students in Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from December 2018 to January 2019. A pre-validated and self-administered questionnaire was recruited to survey pharmacy students at the University of Baghdad and Al-Rafedain University College. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 (SPSS v. 20) software used to save and analyze the data. Results expressed as numbers and percentages. Results: A total of 344 students (response rate: 94.24%) with a mean age of 22.10 years includ
... 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 MoreIntroduction and Aim: Diabetes mellitus patients almost always struggle with a metabolic condition known as chronic hyperglycemia. According to the World Health Organization, osteoporosis is a progressive systemic skeletal disorder that is characterized by decreasing bone mass and microstructural breakdown of bone tissue that increases susceptibility to fracture and increased risk of breaking a bone. Here, we aimed to compare the levels of CatK and total oxidative state in patients with diabetes and osteoporosis among the female Iraqi population and study the possible relationship between them. Materials and Methods: This study included 40 females with diabetes (Group G1), 40 with diabetes and osteoporosis (Group G2) and 40 normal healthy f
... Show MoreAbstract:
Background: Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), an adipokine that participate in a lipid metabolism or insulin resistance through a complex regulatory network. Recently, RBP4 was reported to be associated with many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk factors in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aims to study the correlation of serum RBP4 with some markers of glycemic control, dyslipidemia, hypertension and obesity in T2DM Iraqi patients.
Subjects and Methods: one hundred fifty participants were enrolled in this coss-sectional study, 120 of participants were T2DM patients and 30 were apparently healthy individuals to serve as control gro
... Show MoreThe health care industry is witnessing an increasing trend in the use of generic medicines because of their presumed low cost compared with innovator medicines. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the performance of the copy drug Osveral®and its innovator drug deferasirox (Exjade®).
A prospective observational study including 223 patients receiving the branded medicine Exjade®and 101 patients receiving the copy Osveral®was carried out. Data were assessed for a 1-year period and included clinical symptoms, serum ferrit