Abstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead levels was taken from their medical records. Results: No significant differences were noticed between the prevalence of autism and both of age (P=0.843) and gender (P=0.699). The majority of children have no family history of autism (85%). Mean blood lead level for all participants was 16.01 μg/dl. The statistically significant difference in lead level was found between autistic and non-autistic children (17.38± 1.86 μg/dl in autism group versus 14.27± 1.57 μg/dl in non-autism group) with a P value of 0.001. Discussion: Mean blood lead level was high in all participants, compared to the international values, which might indicate a high level of lead exposure in Iraqi children due to environmental pollution. Autistic children have higher lead levels than non-autistic ones and this might explain the role of lead in the etiology of autism.
Abstract
The effect of physical and mental health on the feelings of personal welfare are known as health-related quality of life. Infection with hepatitis B virus is a major global health problem. Health-related quality of life was emerged as an important consideration in the care of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. The aim of the current study was to measure health-related quality of life among a sample of chronic hepatitis B patients in AL-Najaf city/Iraq. The current study was cross-sectional study carried out on (104) already diagnosed chronic viral hepatitis B patients who attended the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Center/Al-Sader Medical City/Najaf during November 2018 to May
... Show MoreObjective: The aim of this study is to evaluate anemia among lactating women and their children less than 2 years of
age.
Methodology: The study was done on (148) lactating mothers and their children under 2 years of age in the primary
health care center at AL-Salam Quarter/Baghdad from l/10/2009 to 15/10/2010.
Result: This study recommends that there is a significant relationship between anemic mothers and their children. The
study also revealed that there is (77.8%) from nursing mothers in the age groups (25-29) who suffered from anemia,
while (23.1%) for the age group (20-24) did not have anemia
Recommendation: We encourage the use of breast milk or iron-fortified infant formula only for any milk-based part
of
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory demyelinating disease of central nervous system with complex etiopathogenesis that impacts young adults (Lee et al., 2015), and MS impacts younger and middle aged character and leads to a range of disabilities that can alter their daily routines (Yara et al, 2010). Although, the exact cause of MS is still undetermined, the disease is mediated by adaptive immunity through the infiltration of T cells into the central nervous system (Bjelobaba et al, 2017). MS causes the Focal neurological symptomsand biochemical changes in the molecular level and the variation of neural cells such as loss or alteration of sensation, motor function, visible signs such as blurred vision or transient blindness,
... Show MoreMost dinoflagellate had a resting cyst in their life cycle. This cyst was developed in unfavorable environmental condition. The conventional method for identifying dinoflagellate cyst in natural sediment requires morphological observation, isolating, germinating and cultivating the cysts. PCR is a highly sensitive method for detecting dinoflagellate cyst in the sediment. The aim of this study is to examine whether CO1 primer could detect DNA of multispecies dinoflagellate cysts in the sediment from our sampling sites. Dinoflagellate cyst DNA was extracted from 16 sediment samples. PCR method using COI primer was running. The sequencing of dinoflagellate cyst DNA was using BLAST. Results showed that there were two clades of dinoflag
... Show MoreBackground: Birth weight is a powerful predictor of infant growth and survival. Evidence now shows that children born with low birth weight face an increased risk of chronic diseases and have many health problems including oral health. The aims of this study were to assess the salivary flow rate, viscosity, and salivary cortisol among low birth weight kindergarten children aged 5 years old in Hilla centre, in relation to dental caries and compares them with the normal birth weight children of the same age and gender. Materials and methods: The total sample involved 80 children (40 low birth weights and 40 normal birth weights) aged 5 years old. The diagnosis and recording of severity of dental caries was recorded through the application of
... Show MoreTo investigate the relationship between increased lipid peroxidation, and the lowering of both plasma total proteins and albumin in lead-exposed workers, and the effectiveness of antioxidants (vit. C and E) in modulating oxidative stress in those workers.
Thirty male and females workers employed in the Iraqi storage battery (age range 20-40 years) were participating in this study. Additionally, 11 healthy subjects were served as healthy controls, with the same age range compared to workers group, to avoid the effects of age variations on the studied parameters. Blood lead levels, erythrocytes and plasma MDA, erythrocytes and plasma GSH, total protein and albumin levels in healthy controls and lead-exposed workers pre- and post-tr
... Show MoreHair is an excellent indicator for abnormal concentration of toxic elements , In this study a random samples from girls hair of 12 cm long were irradiated by a flux of neutrons (4x10^ n/ cm^.s) obtained from an Am-Be neutron source of 5-Ci activitity . The y-ray activity measurements were carried out by using a " 5x5 " well- type Nal (Tl) detector. The study indicates clearly that the maximum concentration of elements was at about 7 cm hair length.