Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most widespread cancer among women worldwide. Its incidence and mortality rates have risen in the previous three decades as a result of changes in risk factor profiles, improved cancer registry, and cancer detection. Objective: The study's goals were to establish if Ki-67 could be used as a potential marker in serum of cancer disease patients as well as their interaction with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and ES in various stages of breast cancer to assess their function in the progression of BC. Materials and Methods: The levels of Ki-67, VEGF and endostatin (ES) in serum were assessed by commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits in 60 women diagnosed with breast cancer (age range 33–80 yrs.) and 30 agematched healthy controls. Two groups of breast cancer patients: groups 1 consisted of stage II (Low level) and groups 2 consisted of patients in stage III and IV (High level). Results: The results showed a significant increase of Ki-67 and VEGF in BC patients as related to healthy control with increases in patients in advanced stage. The data revealed that the level of ES was much lower in patients with low-stage (stage II) compared to the group of control, but it was significantly higher in women with advanced-stage of BC. Conclusions: The Ki-67, VEGF, and ES levels in the serum of studied groups may be a good marker in the progression of BC.
Background: Although underdeveloped in Iraq, telehealth was one tool used to continue health service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: To assess women’s experiences and satisfaction with gynaecological and obstetric telehealth services in Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Free telehealth services were provided by 4 obstetrician-gynaecologists associated with private clinics in 2020–2021. All patients who accessed the services between June 2020 and February 2021 were invited to complete a postconsultation survey on their experience and satisfaction with services. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression conducted using SPSS version 25. Results: A total of 151 (30.2%) women re
... Show MoreHyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis occurs due to excess release of thyroid hormone. These hormones regulate the body’s energy balance and have effects on adipokine level. There are several reports suggesting interrelation between adipokines (resistin and leptin) with thyroid dysfunction. Objectives: This study was established to investigate the effect of thyroid hormones in hyperthyroidism state on the level of some adipokines, leptin and resistin; in comparison with control. Patients and Methods: The present study included 50 Iraqi female patients with hyperthyroidism with age ranged between 30-58 years and 30 healthy controls with age ranged between 30-53 years. Serum samples were collected from study groups. The levels of thyroid hormon
... Show MoreThe mean age of AS patients was (35.0 ± 9.8) years.When the patients and control subjects were divided into different age groups (>40, 30-40, <30 years), the differences were not significantin terms of disease prevalence. The results also showed that the percentage of male patients is higher than that of females. There was no significant difference (P?0.05) between patients and controls in the distribution of males and females.Most of the patients had the disease for a period of 5 years or higher, with a disease severity of ? 2.1 and functional disability degree of I, II. The resultsshoweddifferent patterns of distribution for the three tested cytokines. A significant increase in the level of TNF-?, anon-significantincrease i
... Show MoreAbdominal fat synthesizes a variety of adipokines, including vaspin and chemerin, that affect the resistance to insulin. This research was conducted to demonstrate the effect of pioglitazone, one insulin sensitizer used to decrease insulin resistance, on these adipokines in obese patients with polycystic ovary (PCOS). Twenty-five obese women with PCOS were treated with pioglitazone 15mg/bid for 12 weeks. Modifications in fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum fasting insulin (FSI), chemerin and vaspin serum levels, follicle stimulation hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), and in baseline and post-therapy were assessed. Body mass index decreased without any substantial variance after 12 weeks of piogl
... Show MoreExcess alcohol consumption is associated with numerous metabolic changes and homeostasis disturbances of many macro- and micro-elements in the body. It has been associated with multiple pathologies at all levels. In the digestive apparatus, alcohol has generally been related to its toxic effects upon the liver. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (α-1 AT or AAT) plays an important role in controlling inflammation, coagulation and repair mechanisms in the body and most α-1 AT in the body is produced by the liver; from the other hand, Intrinsic factor (IF), which is a glycoprotein produced by the parietal cells of the stomach is necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12 in the small intestine. This study was designed to assess serum levels of α-1 AT and
... Show MoreBackground: Interleukine-2 is a multifunctional cytokine, considered a central regulator of host resistance against a variety of pathogens and has been recently demonstrated to exert an active role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of scaling and root planning on level of IL-2 in serum and saliva of patients with chronic generalized periodontitis, in relation to clinical parameters. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 subjects were enrolled, of which 25 had chronic generalized periodontitis and 25 periodontally healthy subjects as control. The clinical parameters included: gingival index, pocket probing depth, clinical attachment level and bleeding on probing. The level of
... Show MoreBackground: Information concerning the maximum bite force in human population is important to clinical orthodontics. Additionally, the influence of bite force on the vertical stability of any treatment result is important. The new position of the dentition should be compatible with the dynamics of the muscular and occlusal forces in all planes. This study was conducted to 1) to measure and compare maximum bite force, body height and weight among normal occlusion and malocclusion groups (cl I,cl II,cl III) in both gender 2) to evaluate the correlation between bite force and craniofacial morphology, body height and weight. Materials and Methods: The sample consists of 100 Iraqi adult subjects aged 18-25 years. It was classified in to four gr
... Show MoreChronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm arises from Bcr-Abl gene translocation (called Ph chromosome) in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). This genetic abnormality results in constitutive activation of tyrosine kinase and subsequent uncontrol growth and multiplication of granulocytes. The cornerstone in treatment of CML are tyrosine kinase inhibitors, of which imatinib is the most effectively used. JAK2V617F mutation is an acquired single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) occurs in JAK2 gene and is associated with many hematological malignancy other than CML. It was thought that the two genetic abnormalities (Bcr-Abl and JAK2V617F) occur mutually; however, growing body of evidences suggested the reverse. This study a
... Show MoreBackground: Ultrasound guided core needle biopsy is becoming a gold standard in the work up of suspicious breast lesion. In Iraq, radiologists are not taking the lead in core needle biopsy performance.
Objectives: To evaluate the radiologist performance of core needle biopsy highlighting the precession and accuracy of the procedure, the concordance of ultrasound and histopathology, and identifying challenges facing the radiologist during the procedure.
Subjects and Methods: A prospective study involving a total of 50 patients with ultrasound (US) BIRADS IV or V. Ultrasound guided core needle biopsy was performed for each patient. Surgical pathol
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