Background: Opportunistic viral infections make an important threat to renal transplantation recipients (RTRs), and with the use of more intense newly-developed immunosuppressive drugs; the risk of renal allograft loss due to reactivation of these viruses has increased considerably. At the top priority of these viruses lie BK polyomavirus (BKV) and human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Reactivation of these viruses in these chronically immunosuppressed RTRs can lead to renal impairment and subsequently allograft loss, unless early detected and properly treated. Objectives: The study aimed to detect and quantify plasma viral load of BKV and CMV in RTRs using quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), in order to study the prevalence of these two viruses in the sole renal transplantation center in Baghdad, and correlate viral load with the diseases severity. Furthermore, the prevalence of BKV-CMV coexistence in RTRs, to find out whether infection by one of them is a risk factor for infection by the other was investigated. Patients and Methods:A total of 99 RTR were enrolled in the study, and 15 non-transplanted patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKD) together with 15 health living donors (LD) were taken as controls. Plasma samples were taken from all participants. From which viral DNA was extracted, and then real time PCR technique was used to measure the viral load. Results:Out of 99, 12 (12.12%) of RTR patients were positive for BK viremia with a viral load (VL) ranging from (1x102 to 1x109 copies/ml), while none of the control groups was BK positive, and 5 patients out of these 12 had BKV nephropathy. For CMV, 13.13% of RTR patients had positive CMV viremia with a VL ranging from (1.25x102 to 7.94x107 copies/ml), and only one of the CKD controls was CMV positive. Only 3 patients had BK-CMV coexistence, which was statistically not a significant risk factor for one another. Conclusion: Our study suggests that both BK polyomavirus and CMV should be considered important causes for nephropathy and allograft loss in RTRs in Iraq.
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major killer, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects almost one-quarter of the global population. The aim of the study is to Investigate the correlation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as the relationship between liver function enzymes and specific serum biomarkers in CRC patients with NAFLD. Methods: A case-control study involving 60 participants was conducted from February to August 2022. The patients with colon cancer were examined at Baghdad Medical City's Al-Amal Hospital for Radiation and Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Teaching Hospital, and blood samples were taken. Thirty patients with NAFLD who ha
... Show MoreBackground: Economic Globalization affects work condition by increasing work stress. Chronic work stress ended with burnout syndrome. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome and the association of job title, and violence with it among physicians in Baghdad, and to assess the burnout syndrome at patient and work levels by structured interviews. Subjects and Methods: A cross section study was conducted on Physicians in Baghdad. Sampling was a multistage, stratified sampling to control the confounders in the design phase. A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach (triangulation) was used. Quantitative method used self-administered questionnaires of Maslach Burn out Inventory. Qualitative approach used an open-end
... Show MoreBackground: Economic Globalization affects work condition by increasing work stress. Chronic work stress ended with burnout syndrome.
Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome and the association of job title, and violence with it among physicians in Baghdad, and to assess the burnout syndrome at patient and work levels by structured interviews.
Subjects and Methods: A cross section study was conducted on Physicians in Baghdad. Sampling was a multistage, stratified sampling to control the confounders in the design phase. A mixed qualitative and quantitative
... Show MoreNumerical study is adapted to combine between piezoelectric fan as a turbulent air flow generator and perforated finned heat sinks. A single piezoelectric fan with different tip amplitudes placed eccentrically at the duct entrance. The problem of solid and perforated finned heat sinks is solved and analyzed numerically by using Ansys 17.2 fluent, and solving three dimensional energy and Navier–Stokes equations that set with RNG based k−ε scalable wall function turbulent model. Finite volume algorithm is used to solve both phases of solid and fluid. Calculations are done for three values of piezoelectric fan amplitudes 25 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm, respectively. Results of this numerical study are compared with previous b
... Show MoreAge, hypertension, and diabetes can cause significant alterations in arterial structure and function, including changes in lumen diameter (LD), intimal-medial thickness (IMT), flow velocities, and arterial compliance. These are also considered risk markers of atherosclerosis and cerebrovascular disease. A difference between right and left carotid artery blood flow and IMT has been reported by some researchers, and a difference in the incidence of nonlacunar stroke has been reported between the right and left brain hemispheres. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences between the right and left common carotid arteries and internal carotid arteries in patient
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of omega-3 poly unsaturated fatty-acids co-administered with the therapeutic dose of lornoxicam on liver of healthy rats. Twenty-eight adults male rats weighing 180-200g were used in this study and the animals were randomly divided into four groups of seven rats each. Group I: negative control/rats intraperitoneally injected with normal saline in a dose 5ml/kg/day; Group II: rats intraperitoneally injected with lornoxicam at dose 0.7 mg/kg/day; Group III: rats orally-administered omega-3 only at a dose 185mg/kg/day; Group IV: rats co-administered omega-3 (185mg/kg/day) orally and in
... Show MoreBackground: Repeated teenage pregnancy is a major burden on the healthcare system worldwide. Objective: We aimed to compare teenagers with their first and third pregnancies and to evaluate the likelihood of neonatal complications. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on female teenagers (aged ≤ 19 yr) with singleton pregnancies. The subjects (n = 298) were screened over 12 months. Ninety-six women were excluded, based on the exclusion criteria. The remaining subjects (n = 202) were divided into two groups: teenagers with first pregnancy (n = 96) and teenagers with third pregnancy (n = 47). The subjects were observed throughout pregnancy and delivery. The final sample size of the first and thi
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Montelukast (Singulair) is a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, used for the maintenance treatment of asthma and to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis and asthma, also used for exercise-induced bronchospasm. AIM: This study was performed to determine the prevalence of Montelukast use as an add-on therapy among Iraqi asthmatic patients on treatment. Comparing the effectiveness of regimens with and without montelukast. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 73 Iraqi asthmatic patients on treatment of both sexes with age range (18-60) years old, attending Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital and Al-Zahraa Centre of Asthma and Allergy, Baghdad, for the period between February
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