AbstractOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term remission efficacy and safety of isotretinoin in the treatment of Behcet's disease (BD). PATIENTS and METHODS: This single-blind, controlled therapeutic study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital from February 2011 to January 2012. Thirty patients with BD were included in this work. Each patient received isotretinoin 20 mg orally once daily for 3 months. They were assessed at week 2 and then monthly depending on the Clinical Manifestation Index (CMI) and to record any side effects. At week 12, isotretinoin was stopped and patients were given placebo therapy in a form of glucose capsules for another 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty patients were treated, 14 (46.6%) males and 16 (53.3%) females, with a male to female ratio of 1:1. Their ages ranged from 16 to 64 years (mean +/- standard deviation [SD], 38.4 +/- 10.9 years). During the first 3 months of therapy, the pathergy test, oral pathergy test, and C-reactive protein were significantly minimized. The CMI before isotretinoin therapy ranged between 2 and 8 (mean +/- SD, 4.933 +/- 1.91). After therapy, within the first 14 days, the mean CMI started to decline to a lower level, and it continued to decline significantly until week 12. It then started to increase through week 4 of placebo therapy, but remained statistically significant until the second month of placebo therapy. Isotretinoin therapy also had a statistically significant effect in reducing oral ulcers and skin manifestations. CONCLUSION: Isotretinoin is an effective therapeutic and prophylactic drug in the management of BD. J Drugs Dermatol. 2013;12(4):e68-e73.
In this paper, we present a study of examples of writings that are known in the science of Semitic research compared to the texts (Jewish-Arab, Samaritan-Arabic) written in Hebrew script and texts from the Bible. We try to explain the role of these literary works in Islamic history and civilization, as one of the most important documents are the writings (Gniza), which contributed to provide a full presentation on life in the Islamic community in all aspects of life, especially religious activity and showed the sincere relationship in dealing with the other under tolerance The University of Cambridge has prepared Islamic documents and kept them in separate boxes and presented them to researchers to convey the Islamic heritage written by
... Show MoreThis study was design to characterize the immune response in experimentally Pseudomonas aeruginosa mastitis mice treated probiotic bifidocin and cazacin of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus casei. We quantified the level of the IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokines in blood by ELISA technique. IFN-γ level was significantly higher in infected group compared to control (340.21 ± 41.61, 8.45 ± 0.83 pg/ml, respectively). While the level of IFN-γ was significantly higher in mastitis mice than bifidocin and cazacin treated mice. Also, TNF-α level showed a significant increase in mastitis mice compared to controls (320.11±40.33, 8.45±0.83pg/ml, respectively). Among mastitis and bifidocin (9 and 18 mg/ml), cazacin (11 and 22 mg/ml) treate
... Show MoreThis review focuses on conservation agriculture (CA) and its effects on increasing the soil’s resistance to erosion. CA involves minimum soil disturbance (minimum tillage/ no-till), diversified crop rotation, and maintenance of the soil cover to increase soil fertility and reduce erosion. CA reduces soil loss by up to 90% and water erosion by approximately 50 to 70% from runoff as it increases the health of the soil, yield of crops, and water-retention capacity of the soil by incorporating soil organic matter and promoting biodiversity. Crop rotation prevents the replenishment and depletion of soil nutrients by atmospheric fixation of nitrogen/biological nitrogen fixation. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) is a new strategy in which travel
... Show MoreBackground: Axillary lymph node (ALN) enlargement with diffuse cortical thickening and conserved echogenic hilum may represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Sonographic strain elastography may help the characterization of borderline ALN.
Aim: To evaluate the strain elastography of borderline ALN and to calculate a cutoff value of strain ratio (SR) that can identify suspicious ALN with the highest sensitivity and specificity to reduce unnecessary invasive procedures.
Subjects and Methods: A prospective study included 45 patients who attended the Breast clinic in Oncology Teaching Hospital with borderline axillary lymphadenopathy (intact hilum and diffusely thic
... Show MoreColorectal cancer is the world's 3rd most frequent malignant neoplasm and the 4th most common cancer in Iraq. Leptin and Adiponectin are two major Adipocytokines produced by adipose cells that have opposite effects on the formation of colorectal tumors. Leptin induces tumor growth and metastasis, whereas Adiponectin inhibits it. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D controls and limits cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Vitamin C deficiency, on the other hand, has been regularly detected in cancer tissues and has potent anti-cancer properties. The purpose of this study was to look at the biochemical role of circulatory Adipocytokine levels (Adiponectin and Leptin) as well as the anti-cancer potentials of Vi
... Show MoreToxoplasmosis is the term for infection and disease in man and animal caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The more susceptible to infect with toxoplasmosis is the Diabetic patients, due to low level of immunity response. The aim of current study is to investigate the immune status of diabetes mellitus type 2. One hundred and seventy five samples of both diabetes mellitus type 2patients and controls which had been tested by ELISA technique to detect anti-Toxoplasma Abs (IgG and IgM). The positive toxoplasmosis samples were tested to detect the level of TNF alpha and MIG. Results for all samples clarified that seronegative for IgM antibodies while 53 (53%) diabetic patients were seropositive for IgG antibodies and for toxoplasmosis
... Show MorePrograms and performance budget represents a sophisticated method of public budget numbers, which includes all allocations to be determined for each job or activity within a government entity, which is analyzed according to their needs and costs, and this method can be applied using one of the cost accounting techniques, which is the technique of analyzing the value chain that reduces costs by avoiding activities that do not add value and enhance activities that add value to the economic entity, the current research aims to develop the budget system in government entity by using the budget of programs and performance as a tool for planning and monitoring events and activities, thereby reducing the waste of public money by reducing unnecessa
... Show MoreThe present study was done to prepare a gastroretentive floating tablet of captopril (CAP) which is an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-inhibitor) used in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. CAP is mainly absorbed from the proximal intestine and to a lesser extent from the stomach, also CAP stability decreases as the pH raised above 1.2 and this makes it a suitable candidate for floating dosage form.Effervescent floating tablets of CAP were prepared in order to prolong the gastric residence time and increase the bioavailability of the drug. The floating tablets of CAP were prepared by direct compression and wet granulation technique, using the polymer hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) as the primary retarding p
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