Background: migraine is a chronic neurovascular disorder characterized by intermittent attacks of sever headache with or without aura that can include various combinations of neurological, gastrointestinal tract (G.I.T), and autonomic changes, without evidence of primary structural abnormalities. The Autonomic nervous system involvement suggested by many symptoms and signs including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, coldness in the extremities, paroxysmal tachycardia and chest pain.
Objectives: To evaluate autonomic functions in patients with migraine and to clarify the autonomic dysfunction weather its sympathetic, parasympathetic, or combined. Also to assess the severity of this dysfunction and its relation to age, gender and type of migraine.
Methods: This study enrolled 60 patients with migraine, 42 females and 18 males with an age range between 14-45 y. with 30 healthy volunteer as control group, The using of a questionnaire paper, autonomic nervous system disability scale and set of autonomic cardiovascular reflexes test were also applied .
Results: The migraineurs with disabling attack may be prone to autonomic nervous system hypofunction which may be either a risk factor for migraine headache, or be a consequence of frequent disabling attacks, moreover autonomic nervous system dysfunction and migraine may share a common neural substrate. The Parasympathetic part of autonomic nervous system is affected more than sympathetic according to Ewing classification of autonomic function tests which is significant statistically in comparison to control, and 16(26.7%) of patients showed definite dysautonomia(score >2) while 44(73.3%) of patients were normal. Palpitation and postural dizziness are the most frequent symptoms in patients with migraine . Autonomic dysfunction among migraineurs is not rare also prolong course of illness is strongly correlated with autonomic dysfunction which is affect parasympathetic part more than sympathetic, for this reason the clinician should look carefully for the autonomic symptoms when they assess patient with migraine because most of those symptoms were disabling
Conclusions: The assessment of autonomic function tests should be a routine work in patient with migraine. The heart rate response to deep breath and valsalva are simple informative and beside to evaluate the parasympathetic part of autonomic nervous system
Toxoplasmosis is a widespread infection usually caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite. It occurs in humans and other warm blooded animals, causing severe problems. It was found that there is an alteration in the trace elements concentrations levels associated with some human diseases. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the concentrations of some trace elements (Mg, Fe , Zn, and Cu) in the sera of 60 immunocompetent patients with chronic toxoplasmosis and 82 healthy individuals as a control group. Measuring the serum level of seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii antibodies was done by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kit, while the concentrations of trace elements were measured by absorption spectrophotometry
... Show More:Background: Many studies had stated that there are marked variations in the clinical presentation of depressive states between different cultures.Objectives: The main aim of the study is to identify the symptoms profile of patients with major depressive disorder living in Baghdad.Method: Ninety two patients with major depressive disorder consulting Ibn-Rushd psychiatric teaching hospital were studied thoroughly to identify the frequency of symptoms among them. The fifth edition of the Arabic version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) was used to identify the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – fourth edition (DSM-IV) symptoms. A list of other symptoms, which were found to present variably in depression acco
... Show MoreBackground: Insulin resistance is present in 50% or more of patients with primary hypothyroidism. Metformin can decrease TSH levels in these patients by a complex matter, this can be of great help in clinical practice.
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of metformin in reducing TSH levels in patients with primary hypothyroidism.
Methods: Hundred patients with primary hypothyroidism, 82 females, 18 males were included in this study, everyone was followed up for two months after adding metformin 850 mg twice daily in addition to thyroxin.
Results: 36 patients (36%) have a normal baseline TSH and no change after 2 months, 64 pa
... Show MoreBurn is one of the most devastating traumas that someone can encounter in their life. Burn wound sepsis is still the leading cause of death in burned patients. Appropriate knowledge of the causative pathogen in burn sepsis is important for successful patient management and for the reduction of the incidence of antibiotic resistance. A retrospective study was conducted between 2010 and 2018 at the Burn Specialty Hospital in Baghdad.Atotal of 320 blood culture samples were obtained from patients with sepsis orsuspected of having sepsis. Patient age ranged between 9 months to 70 years old, with a mean total burn surface area of 45.26%. The most common microorganisms isolated from those patients who had sepsis or suspicion of sepsis were Klebsi
... Show MoreBackground: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a compound articulation formed from the articular surfaces of the temporal bone and the mandibular condyle.CBCT imaging of TMJ is that it allows accurate measurements of the volume and surface of the condyle. The aim of the study is to assess the sagittal position of mandibular condyle in patients with temporomandibulardysfunction using Cone Beam Computed Tomography in centric occlusion. Materials and Methods: CBCT images for all patients were obtained in an upright position using New Tom Giano CBCT with different field of view (11 x 8), (11 x 5), and (8 x 8) and exposure factors was changed accordingly using NNT version 5.1 software for sagittal reconstruction, anterior, superior and posterior
... Show MoreBackground: Infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) leads to activation of T-helper cells (Th-1 and Th-2) which are involved in the synthesis and release of different cytokines which may lead to endothelial dysfunction. Objectives: To evaluate the endothelial function in patients with acute toxoplasmosis. Methods: This case-control study involved 31 patients with toxoplasmosis aged 19 - 47 years matched with 20 healthy subjects. Anti-T. gondii antibody (IgG, IgM, IgA) was determined by direct antigen-antibody reaction. Interleukin-6(IL-6), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and human malondialdehyde (MDA) serum levels were measured. Results: IgM, IgG and IgA levels were high in the infected patients compared with controls (P < 0.01). Furthermore, IL-
... Show MoreIraq within the ranks of the fledgling communities characterized by a broad base of the population pyramid, because they pose the age group (under 15 years) of a large proportion of the community, as it exceeded the proportion (40%) during the years of research extended (1986-2010) Despite the relative decline in the rates fertility during that period, but the proportion of young people remained high, especially for groups of at least five years, amounting to about 14% in 2012, a little more than the proportion of what constitutes age group (5-9 above) years, where it was (13%) and this naturally predicts continuing population increases in coming decades, due to the entry of those numbers of individuals in the reproductive stage,
... 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 MorePeripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with increased oxidative stress and impaired endothelial function. Ticagrelor treatment improves antioxidant properties in addition to its antiplatelet effects. This study investigated the impact of Ticagrelor treatment on serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels and other biochemical parameters in PAD patients. It also evaluated the potential diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of specific biomarkers based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Seventy individuals were categorized into healthy control (n=40), baseline PAD patients not on Ticagrelor (B-PAD, n=30), and same PAD patients after treated with Ticagrelor (A-PAD, n=30). Parameters measured included SOD concent
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