BACKGROUND: HLA-B27 can effect clinical presentation and course of ankylosing spondylitis. Different detection techniques of HLA-B27 are available with variable sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To compare serologic and molecular diagnostic techniques of detecting HLA-B27 status and to correlate it with some clinical variables among ankylosing spondylitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 Iraqi patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were reported. HLA-B27 status was determined in all patients by real-time PCR using HLA-B27 RealFast™ kit; ELISA method was used as well to detect soluble serum HLA-B27 antigens using Human Leukocyte Antigen® kit. RESULTS: The mean age of patients ± SD was (38.4±9.8) years. Male to female ratio was 9:1. Disease onset occurred <30 years in 78% of cases. All (100%) cases had lower back pain, 44 (54%) patients had enthesitis, 14 (16.9%) had peripheral arthritis, 12 (14.5%) had eye involvement, whil
Calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumour (CEOT) is a benign odontogenic neoplasm of epithelial origin that secretes an amyloid‐like protein tending towards calcification. This study aims to describe a case series from Iraq of one of the rarest odontogenic tumours.
Clinical and histopathological analysis of Calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumour cases that are archived at the oral pathology laboratory of the college of dentistry (Baghdad University) from 2000 to 2019.
Six cases of CEOT were regi
Background: Cerebral palsy is non-progressive disorder of posture or movement due to a lesion of the developing brain. It is the commonest physical disability in childhood. Objective: To study the clinical, neurological abnormalities, prevalence of convulsion (epilepsy) & to asses the value of CT scans of brain in patients with cerebral palsy.
Objectives: To study the spectrum and classification of ATP7B variants in Iraqi children with Wilson disease by direct gene sequencing with clinical correlation. Methods: Fifty-five unrelated children with a clinical diagnosis of Wilson disease (WD) were recruited. Deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted from peripheral blood samples, and variants in the ATP7B gene were identified using next-generation sequencing. Results: Seventy-six deleterious variants were detected in 97 out of 110 alleles of the ATP7B gene. Thirty (54.5%) patients had 2 disease-causing variants (15 homozygous and 15 compound heterozygous). Twelve (21.8%) patients had one disease-causing variant and one variant of uncertain significance (VUS) with potential pathogenicity. T
... Show MoreBackground: Treatment of invasive prolactinoma, which has several characteristics including invasive growth into cavernous sinuses and formation of giant adenomas compressing adjacent neural structures, resulting in neurological dysfunction, has been very challenging. There are relatively few reports available describing long-term treatment outcome.
Aims of the study: In this study we evaluate the results of cabergoline administration as initial treatment during 4 years follow up period.
Methods: We prospectively categorized 36 patients into four groups according to the results of 3 months of cabergoline treatment: group 1, tumor volume reduction (TVR) ˃25% with normaliz
... Show MoreUrinary tract infections (UTIs) mean microbial pathogens in the urethra or bladder (lower urinary tract). Important risk factors for recurrent UTI include obstruction of the urinary tract, use of a bladder catheter or a suppressed immune system. This study aims to isolate and identify bacteria from patients with TCC-bladder cancer or patients with a negative cystoscope and estimate antibiotic susceptibility patterns and evaluate some of the virulence factors. From a total of 62 patients with TCC-BC or negative cystoscope, only 35 favorable bacterial growths were obtained, including Escherichia coli (UPEC), a significant bacterial isolate, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The percentage of multi drug-resistance bacteria
... Show MoreOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral mucosa. Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus cause a broad scope of diseases from benign to invasive tumors, types 16 and 18 classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to provide the first molecular characterization of HPV types in Iraq. Thirty-five unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from histopathologically confirmed patients with oral cancer were enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from exfoliating cells to amplify HPV-DNA using HPV-L1 gene sequence primers by polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), the viral genotyping was performed using direct sequencing method. HPV genotypes identified were deposited in Gen
... Show MoreOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral mucosa. Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus cause a broad scope of diseases from benign to invasive tumors, types 16 and 18 classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to provide the first molecular characterization of HPV types in Iraq. Thirty-five unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from histopathologically confirmed patients with oral cancer were enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from exfoliating cells to amplify HPV-DNA using HPV-L1 gene sequence primers by polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), the viral genotyping was performed using direct sequencing method. HPV genotypes identified were deposited in Gen
... Show MoreObjectives Acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD) is an inherited autosomal recessive disease caused by pathogenic variants in the sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase-1 (SMPD1) gene, which encodes acid sphingomyelinase (ASM). ASMD has 3 broad phenotypes (type A, type A/B, and type B) characterized by the age of onset, symptomatology, and the rapidity of disease progression. The diagnosis of ASMD can be delayed or missed because of the wide spectrum of severity and its variable manifestations. Analysis of genotype-phenotype correlations can help to determine ASMD disease type and inform management. Here, we describe the clinical presentation of 47 patients with ASMD referred to a single center in Iraq since 2007, whose diagnosis was confirmed b
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