Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune vesiculobullous mucocutaneous disease with life-threatening consequences. Rituximab (RTX) has recently emerged as an effective treatment for PV. Objectives: This study aims to determine changes in neutrophil and platelet counts for PV patients treated with RTX or corticosteroids combined with Imuran (azathioprine). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Thirty PV patients received two types of treatment: 15 patients were administered RTX and 15 patients took corticosteroids with Imuran (azathioprine). Neutrophil and platelet counts were detected at the hospital laboratory. Results: The age range of PV patients was 27–67 years, and the mean ±SD was 44.866 ± 10.979 years for the patient group treated with RTX and 44.133 ± 11.519 for the patient group treated with corticosteroids and Imuran. In patients treated with RTX, 26.6% were males and 73.33% were females, with a female-to-male ratio of 2.75:1. In patients treated with corticosteroids with Imuran, 40% were males and 60% were females, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.5:1. The results revealed that among patients treated with RTX, 30% of them had mucocutaneous lesions, 6.66% had oral lesions, and 13.33% had cutaneous lesions. Among the other groups treated with corticosteroids and Imuran, 23.33% had mucocutaneous lesions, 13.33% had oral lesions, and 13.33% had cutaneous lesions. Among the patients treated with RTX, 53.33% had normal range of neutrophil count, while 46.6% had neutrophil count above the NR, while in patients treated with corticosteroids and Imuran, 40% had a normal range and 60% had above the normal range. Conclusion: RTX was a more effective treatment compared to corticosteroids with Imuran because no patient remained in an active state during this study. PV was prevalent in females aged 40 years with mucocutaneous lesions.
Background: The styloid process is a cylindrical bone (protrusion). It situated above the common carotid artery between the external and internal branches immediately proximal to the internal jugular vein and facial nerves. The styloid process varies in length also it may be absent as well as elongated. Classically, an elongated styloid process and calcified of stylohyoid ligament causes Eagle’s syndrome. The aim of this study was to examine the styloid process using 3 dimensional multi-detector computed tomography (3D-MDCT) to detect the presence of Eagle’s syndrome that causes severe headache and migraine. Materials and methods: One hundred patients with severe headache and migraine were exposed to 3D- multi-detector CT with special
... Show MoreSince June 2020, an explosion in number of new COVID-19 patients has been reported in Iraq with a steady increment in new daily reported cases over the next 3 months. The limited number of PCR kits in the country and the increment in the number of new COVID-19 cases makes the role of CT scan examinations rising and becoming essential in aiding the health institutions in diagnosing and isolating infected patients and those in close contacts. This study will review the spectrum of CT pulmonary changes due to COVID-19 infection and estimate the CT severity score index and its relation to age, sex, and PCR test results
Background: Alternative natural therapy by plants extracts had opened wide door for the use of natural products as an alternative therapy instead of many antibiotics and drugs , which had many harmful side effects.Also, an increased interest has been centered on the industrial wastes, especially plant raw materials which contain phenols (e.g. Pomegranate peel and Bay leaves) which is a sources of natural antioxidants ,which are on the contrary of synthetic antioxidants that had restrict use due to their health risks , carcinogenesis and toxicity .
Objectives :This study was done to fi
... Show MoreThe research aims to form a clear theoretical philosophy and perceptions about strategic Entrepreneurship through the relationship between high Involvement management practices, the basis in creating that leadership and high-performance work systems as a support tool in achieving them according to the proposals (Hitt et al, 2011), in an attempt to generalize theoretical philosophy and put forward how to apply it within The Iraqi environment, and on this basis the problem of the current research was launched to bridge the knowledge gap between the previous proposals and the possibility of their application, aiming to identify the practices of high Involvement management and the possibility of high-performance work systems and thei
... Show MoreThe current paper aims to identify potential factors associated with employees’ intentions to leave information and communication technology companies in Iraq. There is evident variability in the literature regarding these factors; hence, a factor analysis approach was employed to identify these factors within the surveyed environment. Due to the difficulty in precisely delineating the size of the research population, a purposive sampling method was employed to reach an appropriate number of respondents within the aforementioned companies. A total of 288 employees responded to the survey conducted via Google Forms. The test results revealed the presence of five primary factors associated with employees’ intentions to leave, name
... Show MoreAim of the study: Is to evaluate the effect of myrrh oil local application on the healing process of skin wounds histologically , histomorphometrically and , histochemically. Materials and methods:Twenty male white New Zealand rabbits were used in this study. An incisional wounds with full thickness depth and of 2 cm length were done on both sides of the cheek skin of each rabbit. The left sided incisions (the control group) were irrigated with distilled water (10µL). The right sided incisions (the experimental groups) were treated with myrrh oil (10µL). Each group was subdivided into 4 subgroups according to the healing interval into 1,3,7 and 14 days(5 rabbits for each group). Results: Histological findings of our current study s
... Show MoreHepatitis, a condition of liver’s inflammation that can be self-limiting or, in certain chances, it may lead to liver cancer, fibrosis or cirrhosis. Hepatitis viruses mainly cause hepatitis in the world. People with hepatitis C have predominant chances to develop diabetes as HCV virus participates in causing type 2 diabetes. HCV virus causes pathogenesis in two ways: it either directly destroys the β cells of pancreas or contributes to the specific autoimmunity of β cells. The present cross sectional study was done in Wazirabad Tahsil of Gujranwala District to analyze the percentage of patients suffering from hepatitis C who had the risk of diabetes mellitus. For this research work, demographic information and data about any other me
... Show MoreThe role of drain in agricultural lands is to remove excess surface and subsurface water to create a good environment for root growth and to increase crops yield. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of closed drains when using textile filter instead of crushed gravel filter. The research has been executed in the laboratory using a sand tank model and by using two types of the soil. One of soils was light soil (sandy soil) and the other heavy soil (loamy soil). The tests were classified into four cases; each case was supplied discharge during 10 days. The results showed that the amount of out flow when using graded crushed gravel filter is greater than the amount of out flow in case of usin
... Show MoreAntacids are commonly used drugs which are considered inert and free of pharmacological effect by many patients and physicians. They are weak bases that neutralize the gastric acid and relief pain. These weak bases dissociate to neutralize gastric acid and form neutral salts. The ultimate goal of antacid therapy is to reduce the concentration and a total load of acid in gastric juice to a pH 4 - 5. This in vitro study was promised to study the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of six commonly available antacids tablets in the Iraqi market by using back titration method. The highest ANC values were for Rennie (17.131± 0.083 and 16.926± 0.052 mEq) in two different hydrochloric acid (HCl) concentrations 1N and 0.5 N, respectively. The static
... Show MoreEfficacy of Oregano Essential Oil Mouthwash in Reducing Oral Halitosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial, Mohamed Saeed M Ali, Ayser Najah Mohammed*