Background: Refractory/relapsed acute leukemia has always been a challenging problem for hematologist. Over the past decade emphasis has been made in the development of regimens containing fludarabine, combined with cytosine arabinoside for the treatment of refractory/relapsed acute leukemias. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of fludarabine, high dose cytarabine, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor in refractory relapsed cases of acute leukaemia,
Methods: a prospective study is being conducted at the national center of hematology and hematology unit /Baghdad teaching hospital from July 2008 to July 2010.Twenty Patients with refractory/relapsed acute leukemia were treated with fludarabine 30mg/m2 and cytosine arabinoside (AraC) 2 g/m2 for 5 days, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor G-CSF 300 microgram/day from day 0 till neutrophil recovery (ANC >1.0 x 109/l).Response was evaluated by bone marrow examination on day 30-post chemotherapy.
Results: Patients included were refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (n=5), relapsed ALL (n=4), refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (n=8), relapsed AML (n=3). Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 9(45%) patients, 3 (15%) patients got partial remission. Three (15%) patients died of post chemotherapy complications and 5(25%) patient failed to achieve remission. Major complications encountered were: anemia, fever, bleeding, mucositis and bacterial infections.
Conclusion: FLAG protocol is well tolerated and effective regimen in relapsed / refractory acute leukemias. The toxicity is acceptable, enabling most patients to receive further treatment, including transplantation procedures
Background Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) combination therapies from various mechanisms of action and families have been revolutionized the management landscape of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Ombitasvir, paritaprevir with ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) ± ribavirin (RBV) is approved to treat HCV genotype 4 (GT4) infection. Here, our objective was to delineate the efficacy and safety of OBV/PTV/r plus RBV in treating of Egyptian naïve patients infected with HCV GT4.
Methods a cohort of 100 Egyptian patients infected with HCV GT4 was allocated and administered orally OBV/PTV/r with RBV. The primary endpoint of our study was a sustained virological response (HCV RNA < 12 IU/mL) 12 weeks after the c
... Show MoreBackground : To assess the actual practice of breast self-examination (BSE), as an early detection tool for breast cancer, among a sample of patients affected with breast cancer in Iraq.Methods: A random sample of 200 female patients with breast cancer was analyzed to evaluate the extent of their actual practice of breast self-examination before the diagnosis of the disease. The examined variables included the age of the patients, marital status, education, occupation, smoking habit, family history of cancer, frequency of gravidity, parity and abortions. Results: The age of patients ranged from (24-70) years with a mean age of 48 years. The highest frequency of the examined sample
... Show MoreLeishmaniasis is caused by certain intracellular Leishmania species and is common in the tropics, where it exhibits a wide range of clinical manifestations. Both cellular and humoral immunological responses play crucial roles in disease progression. This study identified the fundamental role of B lymphocytes during the progression of leishmaniasis in human hosts. A cross-sectional study of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) from different parts of Iraq was conducted, and their respective serum IgE levels were measured before any treatment was administered. Sandwich ELISA was used for quantitative measurement of IgE in CL, VL, and control subjects. The results revealed a higher level of IgE con
... Show MoreCopper (Cu) Zinc (Zn) and Magnesium (Mg) in serum, RBC, urine and dialyzate fluids were
studied in 39 patients, who have been undergoing chronic haemodialysis treatment. They were
divided in to polyuric , oliguric and anuric depending on their urinary output. Elevated serum and
RBC Mg was observed before dialysis, while decreased serum and RBC level was noticed except
serum Mg of polyuric patients. Before dialysis elevated serum and RBC Zn were observed. While
after dialysis these parameters were increased. Normal RBC Cu value before dialysis was observed.
While low serum Cu was noticed. After dialysis serum Cu showed raised value, while RBC level
decreased in oliguric and increased in polyuric patients. Zn / Cu rati
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. The treatment guidelines recommend theuse of a second controller drug in addition to medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) rather than the use of high doses ICS alone in the treatment of moderate-severe persistent asthma. This study was conducted to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of three treatment regimens in Iraqi patients with moderate-severe persistent asthma.The study included three groups; each group included 15 patients. Patients were administered beclomethasone inhaler alone 1500-2000 μg/day, beclomethasone inhaler 750-1000 μg/day plus oral controlled release aminophylline tablets 450 mg/day or
... Show MoreHerpes labialis is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, characterized by an eruption of small and usually painful blisters on the skin of the lips, mouth, gums, or the skin around the mouth. Although there is no successful treatment available, the local use of compounds with effective anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects may be of value in this respect. This project was designed to evaluate clinically the local use of silymarin, a group of flavonoids with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective activity, in the treatment of herpes simplex ulcer. Fifty three patients with herpes labialis ulcers (HLU) were enrolled in this randomized, single blinded, placebo controlled clinical study, and they were al
... Show MoreBackground: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), or Tic Douloureux, is one of the most common neuropathic pains. Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GNSRS) has been considered one of the procedures for treating primary TN. Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of GNSRS in treating primary TN in patients who are unresponsive to medical treatment in a single-center experience. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 180 patients from January 2018 to October 2021. The study utilized the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain intensity score to assess pain before and after GNSRS treatment. Results: A total of 180 patients with primary TN were included in this study, 108 female with a 1.5:1 female: male ratio. Results
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