Background: During Ramadan, Muslims fast throughout daylight hours. There is a direct link between fasting and increasing incidence of infections. Antibiotic usage for treatment of infections should be based on accurate diagnosis, with the correct dose and dosing regimen for the shortest period to avoid bacterial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the practices of physicians in prescribing suitable antibiotics for fasting patients and the compliance of the patients in using such antibiotics at regular intervals. Materials and methods: An observational study was carried out during the middle 10 days of Ramadan 2014 in two pharmacies at Baghdad. A total of 34 prescriptions (Rx) for adults who suffered from infections were examined. For each included Rx, the researchers documented the age and sex of the patient, the diagnosis of the case, and the name of the given antibiotic(s) with dose and frequency of usage. A direct interview with the patient was also done, at which each patient was asked about fasting and if he/she would like to continue fasting during the remaining period of Ramadan. The patient was also asked if the physician asked him/her about fasting before writing the Rx. Results: More than two-thirds of participating patients were fasting during Ramadan. Antibiotics were prescribed at a higher percentage by dentists and surgeons, for which a single antibiotic with a twice-daily regimen was the most commonly prescribed by physicians for patients during the Ramadan month. Conclusion: Physicians fail to take patient fasting status into consideration when prescribing antibiotics for their fasting patients. Antibiotics with a twice-daily regimen are not suitable and best to be avoided for fasting patients in Iraq during Ramadan – especially if it occurs during summer months – to avoid treatment failure and provoking bacterial resistance. Keywords: fasting, Ramadan, antibiotics, dosing regimen
Background: The presence of cancer has a profound psychological impact on the quality of life of patients and their families, on family and social relationships, and on role functioning.
Aim of the study: Assess the impact of childhood cancer on patients and their families.
Subjects and methods: A Prospective questionnaire-based study, for 151 patients, had malignancy identified by tumor registry of Children Welfare Teaching Hospital. The information was taken from the parent(s) in the presence of the patient who sometimes answered some questions during the interview.
Result: There was an interview with 151 families of children with cancer in t
... Show MoreOral carcinoma is the 6th most common cancer in the world. MicroRNAs are small non-coding single stranded RNAs. They have been shown to be capable of altering mRNA expression; thus some are oncogenic or tumor suppressive in nature. The salivary microRNA-31 has been proposed as a sensitive marker for oral malignancy since it was abundant in saliva more than in plasma. A total of 55 whole saliva samples were collected from 35 cases diagnosed with OC their ages and gender matched with 20 healthy subjects. TaqManq RT-PCR was performed for RNA samples. Mean age was 52.23+13.73 years in cases (range:17-70 years) with male predominance represented 69%. Risk of smoking and alcoholism was highly significant. The median fold change of miR-31 was sign
... Show MoreBackground: Bell's palsy was defined as facial weakness of lower motor neuron type caused by idiopathic facial nerve involvement outside the central nervous system without evidence of aural or more widespread neurologic disease. The cause is unclear, but the disorder occurs more commonly in diabetics.Objectives: to differentiate cases of idiopathic Bell's palsy from diabetic mononeuropathy presented with Facial nerve palsy by assessing the taste, because they differ in etiology, management & prognosis.Patients &Methods: One hundred and fifteen consecutive patients were referred for the treatment of facial palsy, from May the 5th 2012 to April 12th 2013 in Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital and The Neurosciences Hospital, in Baghdad / Ira
... Show MoreAbstract: The present study aimed to evaluate calcium, potassium, albumin, protein, creatinine, urea, uric acid levels, and the level of total sialic acid in the sera of patients with chronic renal failure who had been infected with Hepatitis C virus and in the sera of patients with chronic renal failure, and compare them with healthy volunteers. A total of 90 subjects with age 25-55 years, were divided into three groups. G1 represents 30 patients with chronic renal failure who had treated by dialysis and infected with chronic Hepatitis C virus (positive group). G2 represents 30 patients with chronic failure who had been treated by dialysis (negative group), while G3 represents 30 healthy volunteers (control group). The results showed
... Show MoreBackground: The COVID-19 infection is a more recent pandemic disease all over the world and studying the pulmonary findings on survivors of this disease has lately commenced.
Objective: We aimed to estimate the cumulative percentage of whole radiological resolution after 3 months from recovery and to define the residual chest CT findings and exploring the relevant affecting factors.
Subjects and Methods: Patients who had been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia confirmed by RT-PCR test and had radiological evidence of pulmonary involvement by Chest CT during the acute illness were included in the present study. The radiol
... Show MoreBackground: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder of incidence rate 1-2%. Genetic, congenital, developmental, tumors, head trauma and central nervous system infections maybe the cause of epilepsy. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of stomatitis, xerostomia and taste disorder among patients taking carbamazepine or sodium valproate and to make salivary analysis for IgA, cystatin c and salivary flow rate. Material and method:This study performed in al- Yarmuk teaching hospital in Baghdad, Samples consist of (70) epileptics half of them treated with carbamazepine and other half treated with sodium valproate, and (18) healthy control group of both genders and with different ages to detect the prevalence of oral manifestations, s
... Show MoreBedside clinical teaching is a fundamental part of the medical education that offers invaluable opportunities for the students to build and improve their clinical and communication skills. However, there is a growing concern about the increasing refusal of patients to participate in clinical sessions, especially in certain settings where there are sensitive cultural traditions and decreased trust in institutions.
This paper discusses patient refusal duri
Background : The aim of this work is to study the clinical features and causative fungi of tinea pedis in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Result : Tinea pedis was estimated to be the second most common skin disease in the United States, after acne. Up to 15% of the U.S., population may have tinea pedis. Across Europe and East Asia, prevalence rates reach 20 %. Methods: The Complete history taking regarding: age, sex, occupation, residency, history of diabetes and diabetic profile (fasting blood sugar and post prandial).and Clinical examination of the feet Aim of the study : The aim of this work was to study the clinical features and causative fungi of tinea pedis in diabetic and non-diabetic patients Conclusion : Tinea pedis is more
... Show MoreOne hundred of dialysis patients' mean age ( 51.18±8.28) years and one hundred healthy control group , where carried out from different hospitals of Baghdad city , during the period between November /2012 until March/2013. Blood samples were collected before dialyzing for estimation the concentration of urea, creatinine, uric acid, random blood sugar , calcium and cholesterol by enzymatic method detected spectrophotometerically.
The aim of this study is to determine concentration of urea, creatinine, uric acid, RBS , calcium and cholesterol in hemodialysis patients in Baghdad . The results showed that there were highly significant increases (P<0.01) in the mean of creatinine ,
... Show MoreMachine Learning (ML) algorithms are increasingly being utilized in the medical field to manage and diagnose diseases, leading to improved patient treatment and disease management. Several recent studies have found that Covid-19 patients have a higher incidence of blood clots, and understanding the pathological pathways that lead to blood clot formation (thrombogenesis) is critical. Current methods of reporting thrombogenesis-related fluid dynamic metrics for patient-specific anatomies are based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, which can take weeks to months for a single patient. In this paper, we propose a ML-based method for rapid thrombogenesis prediction in the carotid artery of Covid-19 patients. Our proposed system aims
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