AbstractOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term remission efficacy and safety of isotretinoin in the treatment of Behcet's disease (BD). PATIENTS and METHODS: This single-blind, controlled therapeutic study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital from February 2011 to January 2012. Thirty patients with BD were included in this work. Each patient received isotretinoin 20 mg orally once daily for 3 months. They were assessed at week 2 and then monthly depending on the Clinical Manifestation Index (CMI) and to record any side effects. At week 12, isotretinoin was stopped and patients were given placebo therapy in a form of glucose capsules for another 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty patients were treated, 14 (46.6%) males and 16 (53.3%) females, with a male to female ratio of 1:1. Their ages ranged from 16 to 64 years (mean +/- standard deviation [SD], 38.4 +/- 10.9 years). During the first 3 months of therapy, the pathergy test, oral pathergy test, and C-reactive protein were significantly minimized. The CMI before isotretinoin therapy ranged between 2 and 8 (mean +/- SD, 4.933 +/- 1.91). After therapy, within the first 14 days, the mean CMI started to decline to a lower level, and it continued to decline significantly until week 12. It then started to increase through week 4 of placebo therapy, but remained statistically significant until the second month of placebo therapy. Isotretinoin therapy also had a statistically significant effect in reducing oral ulcers and skin manifestations. CONCLUSION: Isotretinoin is an effective therapeutic and prophylactic drug in the management of BD. J Drugs Dermatol. 2013;12(4):e68-e73.
The present study tackles the complex issue of the urgent need for Environmental Auditing (EA) in Iraq in the absence of laws that support environmental management and in the light of the high rates of cancerous diseases in Iraq, which coincided significantly with the increase in oil production, according to the numbers indicated in the Iraqi Ministry of Health. The study aimed to investigate the mediating role of Management Systems (MS) related to the role of EA supporting sustainability reports concerning the reduction of the negative effects of gas emissions from oil companies. We adopted the descriptive approach which relies on studying relationships through a questionnaire that was distributed to a group of workers at Doura Refinery in
... Show MoreBackground: Plants used in folk medicine for
the treatment of peptic ulcer diseases is a very
promising approach to overcome the limitations of
classical medicines.
Aim: To explore the efficacy of medicinal
plants, namely turmeric, garlic and marshmallow,
in eradication of H. pylori.
Methods: This prospective study was carried out
on 225 of well-known dyspeptic patients who were
divided into four groups; a control group (received
classical medical therapy) and three other groups
that received one of the three medicinal plants,
plus the same therapy used in the control group.
The follow up was done by using a questionnaire
form, endoscopic examination, and determination
of serum levels of anti
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease with episodes of exacerbation. Variable factors including infectious pathogen can predispose for this exacerbation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of intestinal protozoa in COPD exacerbation. A total of 56 patients with COPD were included in this study. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the frequency of exacerbation during the last 6 months: those with ≤1 exacerbation (32 patients) and those with ≥2 exacerbations (24 patients). Stool specimens from each patient were collected two times (one week interval) examined for intestinal parasite. In univariate analysis, rural residence and parasitic infection were more common among patie
... Show MoreThe aim of this study is to provide an overview of various models to study drug diffusion for a sustained period into and within the human body. Emphasized the mathematical compartment models using fractional derivative (Caputo model) approach to investigate the change in sustained drug concentration in different compartments of the human body system through the oral route or the intravenous route. Law of mass action, first-order kinetics, and Fick's perfusion principle were used to develop mathematical compartment models representing sustained drug diffusion throughout the human body. To adequately predict the sustained drug diffusion into various compartments of the human body, consider fractional derivative (Caputo model) to investiga
... Show MoreUniversity libraries seek to evaluate their performance in order to correct their path and adjust it in the right direction. Therefore, they use (performance indicators), which are a tool used by institutions to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths in their work and the reasons for failure to achieve some goals sometimes. They convert (goals, procedures and actions) into a formula that can be measured mathematically, which contributes to the library determining the gap between its current performance and what those libraries are supposed to be on, clarifying the path that the library is following, controlling the risks that may befall it, and thus enhancing the process of continuous improvement to avoid areas of failure and weakness becaus
... Show Morethe political changeable is important reflection in areas of life and the designers tried to high light it in the cover of Journal promised time Journal a fertile square to show reflection of political changeable, and triad to search the current path. The first chapter organized according to axes, problem of research formulated according to question:- what are reflections of political changeable in magazine cover?
The importance of research depth of specialized approach on level of technical and stylistic as ago al ago as in: the baring of political changeable in design of journal's cover. The research moves in cognitive border from 2013 to 2017 and selection of t
... Show MoreCurcumin (Cur) possesses remarkable pharmacological properties, including cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities. However, the utilization of Cur in pharmaceuticals faces constraints owing to its inadequate water solubility and limited bioavailability. To overcome these hurdles, there has been notable focus on exploring innovative formulations, with nanobiotechnology emerging as a promising avenue to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of these complex compounds. We report a novel safe, effective method for improving the incorporation of anticancer curcumin to induce apoptosis by reducing the expression levels of miR20a and miR21. The established
Biological drugs have an active substance that is made by a living organism or derived from a living organism. They are one of the important therapy options used in a wide range of diseases especially life-threatening diseases. Biological therapy opens new opportunities for treating different diseases for which drug therapy is minimal, but they have considerable differences in the safety consequences in comparison with non-biological drugs. The aim of the current study was to assess the post-marketing safety profile of biological drugs used in Iraqi hospitals by the analysis of the reported adverse drug reactions regarding their severity, seriousness, preventability, expectedness, and outcome. It is a retrospective study of the individu
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