Background: Pleural effusion is a common clinical
problem.
Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the
diagnostic utility of Carcino embryonic antigen
(CEA), CA 15- 3, and alpha-feto protein ( AFP ) as
a tumor markers in serum and pleural effusion and
evaluate the value of combining them as a diagnostic
tools that are complementary to cytology in the
diagnosis of malignancies .
Methods: Forty patients (18 malignant and 22 benign
pleural effusion) were included in this study .The
serum and effusion levels of CEA, CA 15 – 3 and
AFP were measured using immunoradiometric assay
Results: from the 40 effusions studied 26 were
exudates and 14 were transudates. The level of
pleural effusions of CEA, CA 15 – 3 and AFP were
increased above the cutoffs in 72.5%, 94.4 % and 5.5
% of tested samples with malignancies respectively.
A direct strong significant correlation between serum
and pleural fluid CEA, CA 15 – 3 and AFP was
noted.
Conclusion: Pleural effusion CEA is the most
accurate marker for the diagnostic separation of
malignant and benign. The combination of both CEA,
CA 15 – 3 improves the sensitivity by up to 11 %.
AFP has no role in the process
(7)
(8)
Monitoring lotic ecosystems is vital for addressing sustainability issues. The Al-Shamiyah River is the primary source of water for various daily activities in the Al-Shamiyah district. This study assessed the pollution levels of the river by measuring the concentration and distribution of heavy metals—specifically chromium, cadmium, manganese, copper, zinc, and lead—in both the river's water and sediments. The concentrations of heavy metals in the water ranged from 0.05 to 1.44µg/ L for copper (Cu), 1.57 to 7.25µg/ L for manganese (Mn), 0 to 1.7µg/ L for cadmium (Cd), 0.02 to 1.33µg/ L for lead (Pb), 0.08 to 2.74µg/ L for zinc (Zn), and 0.44 to 1.84µg/ L for chromium (Cr). In the particulate phase, the concentrations ranged from
... Show More
Background: In advanced diabetes mellitus, serum levels of the most hormones are altered due to several interplaying mechanisms. Objective: To assess the relation of serum leptin and lipid profile in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. Patients and Method: Serum leptin levels and its relation to lipid profile were estimated in 62 patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy attending the National Diabetes Center in Al- Mustansiriya University, and (26) healthy individuals considered as control group. The diabetic patients were classified into three groups, (24) pathients with normoalbuminuria (21) patients with microalbuminuria and (17) patients with macroalbuminuria. Fasting plasma glucose, serum creatinine, Hb A1c %, lipid profile (Total c
... Show More
(1)
This study included estimation of glutathione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the serum of diabetic patients type II who are treated with a polyherbs mixture (Nigella sativa, Trigonella foenum-graeum, Cyperus rotundus and Teucrium polium) for three months of treatments. Seventy samples of diabetic patients Type II male and females with age about (35-60) years were taken including 44 samples for group one (24 male, 20 female) who used herbs accompanied with chemical treatment (drugs) and 26 samples for the second group (13male and 13 female) who used herbs only. These groups were compared with 60 samples obtained from healthy persons (29 male, 31 female) at the same age of patients as a control group. Effect of age and treatment fo
... Show More
This study evaluated the effect of spore suspension and fungal filtrate against different developmental stages of Tribolium castaneum third and fifth larval instars and adults. Two isolates of entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae were used (commercially (Met 52 EC), and domesticly). For the two isolates, the effectiveness of various conidial concentrations were (1 × 104 ; 1 × 106 ; 1 × 108 conidia/ ml) and various concentrations of fungal filtrate (100,75,50%) were evaluated. It is observed that the fungal filtrate at a concentration of 75% and the conidial concentration of 1 x 108 conidia /ml for both isolates were the most effective in causing the highest mortality rates to the third and fifth instar larva and adult
... Show More
Background: The repair of bone defects remains a major clinical orthopaedic challenge. Bone is a highly vascularised tissue reliant on the close spatial and temporal connection between blood vessels and bone cells to maintain skeletal integrity. Angiogenesis thus plays a pivotal role in skeletal development and bone fracture repair. The role of angiogenic and osteogenic factors in the adaptive response and interaction of osteoblasts and endothelial cells during the multi step process of bone development and repair will be highlighted in this study. This study aimed to identify the role of local exogenous vascular endothelial growth factor in bone healing and to analyze the expression of VEGF by immunohistochemistry in created bone defect af
... Show More
(2)
Background: COVID-19 is an ongoing disease that caused, and still causes, many challenges for humanity. In fact, COVID-19 death cases reached more than 4.5 million by the end of August 2021, although an improvement in the medical treatments and pharmaceutical protocols was obtained, and many vaccines were released. Objective: To, statistically, analyze the data of COVID-19 patients at Alshifaa Healthcare Center (Baghdad, Iraq). Methods: In this work, a statistical analysis was conducted on data included the total number, positive cases, and negative cases of people tested for COVID-19 at the Alshifaa Healthcare Center/Baghdad for the period 1 September – 31 December 2020. The number of people who got the test was 1080, where 424 w
... Show More
(2)