Background: The first and second choice for vascular access in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) is radio cephalic and brachio cephalic arteriovenous fistula (AVF).In patients with failed previous AVF e or poorly visualized or impalpable cephalic veins, the basilic vein can be mobilized and superficialized to create an AVF with the brachial artery.Objective: The aim of this study is to report our experience at the Vascular Surgery Department/ Surgical Specialty Hospital in brachio-basilic (BB) vascular access for hemodialysis.Methods: From January 2006 to December 2009, 31 patients with ESRD whose cephalic veins were thrombosed or impalpable or had previous unsuccessful vascular access procedures were referred to the Vascular

Background: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is one of the common problems seen worldwide, could be serious and occur at any age. Several studies conducted all over the world verified that there were variations in frequencies of etiologies of bleeding per rectum in their population, however, in the Middle East and Asia, the etiology of rectal bleeding differs from the West.

Objectives: To assess the causes of bleeding per rectum and to find if there is an association between rectal bleeding and various variables.

Subjects and methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 120 patients with bleeding per rectum for one year were studied i

Background:    Hip fractures are common, morbid, and costly health events that threaten independence and function of older patients . Early functional recovery is extremely important for elderly patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures to shorten their hospital stay, omit the necessity of the further nursing and care services, and reduce associated medical expenditures . Assessment of  (ADL) is an important predictor of outcomes Of orthopedic surgery in very early postoperative period at two weeks and a month postoperatively using Japanese orthopedic score get a quick recovery of ADL & return the patient to his or her premorbid level function reducing the morbidity and mortality.

Background: Breast cancer still a major cause of disability and mortality among women throughout the world. Lack of awareness and early detection programs in developing countries is a main reason for escalating the mortality.

Objectives: to assess level of awareness about breast cancer among university female students in Baghdad focusing on knowledge of breast cancer risk factors, warning symptoms and signs and knowledge about the screening method specially breast self-examination.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted over two months from first of march through April 2015 and included (240) female students in non- medical colleges at Al-Rusafa and A

Background:  Imaging has a critical role in the diagnosis and evaluation of cardiac diseases, beginning with chest radiography and fluoro-scopy and progressing to coronary angio-graphy, echocardiography, nuclear medicine and recently  multidetector computed tomo-graphy (MDCT) as well as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging

Objective: To highlight the role of Multi-detector CT in the evaluation of coronary artery disease and its importance of being noninvasive diagnostic technique.

Methods: A cross sectional study for 20 patients. Patients were asked to fast 6 hours prior to the examination and the patients with heart rates above 65 beats per minute were given cardio-

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a well
known metabolic and vascular illness associated
with high incidence of bacterial urinary tract
infections especially in diabetic complications
including both micro and macro-vascular types.
Objective: To study the incidence of bacterial
urinary tract infections in type 2 diabetic
patients, the type of micro-organism responsible
in relation to age, sex of patients, duration of the
disease & related micro & macrovascular
diabetic complications.
Methods: A prospective study of the diabetic
patients including 40 males with mean age of
54(±9) years and 50 females, mean age of 51(±7)
years and duration of the and sex matched
controls (27 males and 33

Background: Vitamin D improves innate immunity by enhancing the expression of antimicrobial peptides. The antimicrobial action of cathelicidin is widespread and effective against cariogenic bacteria. This research aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D deficiency on the level of salivary cathelicidin concerning dental caries experience.

Subjects and Methods: A case-control study was carried out, and the sample was composed of 80 females; the study group involved 40 females with a serum vitamin D concentration of less than 10 ng/ml. In addition to the control group involving 40 females wh

Background: coronavirus 19 is a beta-coronavirus, enveloped and roughly spherical with approximately 60 to 140 nm in diameter with positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome.

Objectives: Measurement of interleukin 6 (IL6) level in a group of patients with confirmed Covid19 infection and its correlation with many hematological and  biochemical parameters , mainly lymphocyte , neutrophil  count and their ratio , platelet count , serum ferritin , C reactive protein as well as D-dimer level

Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 60 PCR positive patients variably affected by COVID-19 , cases collected sequentially from June till November 20

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is still considered a worldwide leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Within the last decades, different modalities were used to assess severity and outcome including Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), imaging modalities, and even genetic polymorphism, however, determining the prognosis of TBI victims is still challenging requiring the emerging of more accurate and more applicable tools to surrogate other old modalities

Background: obesity is a major global health problem with more than 200 million obese men and almost 300 million obese women. Melatonin is a well-known molecule for its involvement in circadian rhythm regulation and has multiple pathological actions including control of appetite, sleep wake cycle and metabolic syndrome.

Aim: to estimate the effect of melatonin supplements on obese patients on a calorie restricted diet in comparison to patients on lifestyle measures only in the form of weight loss, waist circumference and sleep quality.

Subjects and Method: one hundred patients with body mass index > 24 were collected, fifty patients were starte

Background: Schneiderian first rank symptoms are
considered highly valuable in the diagnosis of
schneideria.
They are more evident in the acute phase of the
disorder and fading gradually with time. Many studies
have shown that the rate of these symptoms are
variable in different countries and are colored by
cultural beliefs and values.
Objectives: To find out the rate of Schneiderian first
rank symptoms among newly diagnosed schizophrenic
patients, to assess which symptom(s) might
predominate in those patients, and to find out if there
is/are any correlation(s) between the occurrence of
these symptoms and the sex of the patients.
Methods: Out of twenty-four patients with no past
psychiatric hi

Background: Obesity represents a clear and
present danger to the health of children and
adolescents. Its prevalence among American
youth has doubled in the past 3 decades, and
there are now more overweight and obese
adults in the United States than adults of
normal weight.
Objectives of the study:
1- Finding whether screen watching among
adolescents has an effect on increasing
prevalence overweight and obesity.
2- The effect of other variables like physical
activity, eating in front of screen, eating under
stress on obesity and overweight among the
subjects sample.
Patients &Methods: During 3 months period a
cross sectional survey was conducted on 4
high schools at Baghdad with total

Background: Health education was put as one of the components of primary health care elements and was recognized as a fundamental tool to the attainment of health for all

Objective: To evaluate the Knowledge, attitude regarding health education & to find out if there is any association between the gathered data and certain variables (age, gender, educational level, occupation). Methods: A Cross-sectional study done at Al Mustansyryia Primary Health Care Center from the 1^st of January to 1^st of May 2016. All patients attending the Primary Health Care Centers who were above 18 years of age and willing to participate in the research (303) were included in t

Background: Acetabular retroversion has been proposed to contribute to the development of pain and osteoarthritis of the hip. Conventional anteroposterir (AP) pelvic radiographs may represent a reliable, easily available diagnostic modality.

Objective: To obtained a reproducible technique allowing the anterior and posterior acetabular rims to be visible for assessment

Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted from December 2015 to March 2017 targeting patients with hip pain in orthopedic clinic of Al-Kindy teaching hospital. The study sample consisted of 100 patients with hip pain who were investigated with Antroposterior pelvic plain x-ray, which was done for all

Background; Neonatal period is a very vulnerable period of life due to many problems, In spite of advances in perinatal and neonatal care still, the mortality rate of neonate high especially in developing country The World Health Organization estimates that globally four million neonatal deaths per year, Developing countries account for around 99% of the neonatal mortality in the world, In Iraq. Neonatal mortality rate about 19 per 1000 live births which represent 56% of child death below 5 years age in 2012. .
Objectives The aims of the study were to determine the institutional new-born case fatality rate and the cause of admission and death in the neonatal care unit.
Method; Across-section study was carried out of the Neonatal Ca

Background: Prolactin is a hormone, as well as a cytokine which is synthesized and secreted from the anterior pituitary gland and various extra pituitary sites including immune cells under control of a superdistal promoter that contains a single nucleotide polymorphism -1149 G/T. Rheumatoid Arthritis has been associated with increased serum prolactin levels.Objectives: To investigate the association of the extra pituitary -1149 G/T promoter polymorphism among Iraqi rheumatoid arthritis patients and prolactin levels.Methods: We tested 73 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 40 healthy individuals. The DNA samples were genotyped using the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction fragment Length Polymorphism method and the levels of prolacti

ABSTRACTBackground: dyslipidemia plays a crucial rule in the development of cardiovascular disease, which has become the leading cause of death in most developed countries as well as in developing countries (1). The effects of reducing low density lipoprotein – C (LDL-C) concentrations on the prevention of cardiovascular events and stroke have been well reported in many clinical trials.Objectives: Evidence supports the use of statins for lipid modifications in the primary prevention of coronary artery disease, morbidity and mortality. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of atorvastatin in treating dyslipidemia in Iraqi obese patients.Methods: 200 overweight and obese patients with hypercholesterolemia, according to NCEP ATP

BACKGROUND : Bifurcational coronary lesions are
frequent and amounts to almost one fifth of routine
practice concerning up to 15 – 20 % of cases .
Revascularization by percutaneous coronary
intervention ( PCI ), of bifurcational lesion has
become easier by stenting yet it remains a frequent
challenge.
OBJECTIVE : To evaluate the success and hospital
complications of two most frequent technique of stent
deployment in bifurcational PCI.
METHODS : We prospectively analysed the data of
140 consecutive patients with bifurcational PCI at
Ibn_Al-Bitar Hospital for cardiac surgery for the
period from July 2008 to July 2009 .
Depending on whether the side branch was stented or
not, the patient has fa

Background: Oral health is a mirror of general health. During pregnancy, oral health is affected by changes in saliva and oral hygiene measures which may lead to more dental caries.

Objective: Assess oral health status in relation to salivary antimicrobial peptides in pregnant women.

Subjects and Method: This cross sectional study was carried out in different primary health care centers in Rusafa sectors/ Baghdad city. The total sample included was 80 women (their  age range from 21-30). The study group consisted of 40 pregnant women: half of them were in the first trimester and  others were in third trimester, while the control group included 40 non-pregnant married fem

Background:Nocturnal Enuresis is a common problem affecting 20% of five years old children and up to 2% of adolescent and young adult. Although it is a self limiting benign condition, it has social and psychological impact on the child and his family. Many pathophysiological theories had been suggested, but none is confirmed. Hypercalciuria has been suggested to be associated with higher incidence of nocturnal enuresis. Objectives:The aim of our study to test the value of Ca/Cr ratio, on random urine sample, in diagnosing hypercalciuria in enuretic children. Type of study: Cross sectional study.Methods:Forty four enuretic children were enrolled in this study and forty five children without nocturnal enuresis were taken as control group.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder globally. The prevalence is 25% worldwide, distributed widely in different populations and regions. The highest rates are reported for the Middle East (32%). Due to modern lifestyles and diet, there has been a persistent increase in the number of NAFLD patients. This increase occurred at the same time  where there were also increases in the number of people considered being obese all over the world. By analyzing fatty liver risk factors, studies found that body mass index, one of the most classical epidemiological indexes assessing obesity, was associated with the risk of fatty liver.

Objectives: To assess age, sex, and body

Background: Patient satisfaction is of increasing importance and widely recognized as an important indicator of quality of the medical care. There was no homogeneous definition of patient satisfaction, since satisfaction concerns different aspects of care or settings, as well as care given by various professions.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the patients’ level of satisfaction with diabetes care and to identify the underlying factors influencing it.

Methods: This cross-sectional study had been conducted in the Specialized Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Baghdad Al- Rusafa 2018. Where150 type two diabetic patients attending their follow-up

Background: Dyslipidemia is a major cause of
cardiovascular disease, which in turn, is the most
common cause of female morbidity and mortality.
Postmenopausal women (natural and surgical) are at
higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease,
especially coronary artery atherosclerosis.
Objective: To observe the relationship between blood
lipids: total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), and very low
density lipoprotein- cholesterol (VLDL-C), LDL-C/
HDL-C ratio (atherogenic index) and menopausal
status, and to determine the co-factors that may explain
this relationship
Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional st

Background: Acute urinary tract infection is a common bacterial infection causing illness in infants and children. At age of seven, 8% of girls and 2% of boys will have at least one episode. Although drinking water and using home remedies are known to help to flush away bacteria and keeps them from sticking to the bladder wall, researches to test the efficacy and safety of hydrochlorothiazide's diuretic effect as adjuvant to the antibiotics in pediatric age groups are lacking, and so this research was to address this subject.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness   and  the safety of hydrochlorothiazide as adjuvant therapy to the antibiotics in treating acute urinary tract infect

Background: Kinesiologists, Physical Anthropologists, and Anatomists have all long been captivated by the structure and development of the superficial forearm flexor, the Palmaris longus.

Objective: To study the effect of Palmaris Longus on certain handwriting skills.

Subjects and Methods: Three Palmaris Longus occurrence tests were conducted on 200 students (100 males and 100 females) affiliated to Colleges of Medicine of Baghdad University then the participants were tested for certain handwriting skills to correlate the presence of Palmaris Longus in the dominant side with handwriting.

Results: 89% of all subject

Background: Breast cancer is the first one among Iraqi females. Most of them present later for diagnosis. Early detection center in tertiary hospital practice uses FNAB for early diagnosis. Publications on accuracy of this detection are scarce.

Objective:  To test the accuracy of FNAB in breast lump diagnosis.

Methods: Diagnostic test accuracy study, on 204 women with breast lump, attending the oncology department in 2017.

Results: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy diagnosis of histologically malignant cases were, malignant in 89 (87.3%), suspicious of malignancy in 5 (4.9%), and benign in 4 (3.9%). Complete sensitivity was 87.3%, and specificity

Background: The problem of difficult gallbladder is not clearly defined and associated with real missing of therapeutic approaches that decreased morbidity. Moreover, the difficult gallbladder was reported as a contributing risk factor for biliary injury due to raised difficulty in surgical dissection within Calot’s triangle. The aim of this study is to determine the surgical outcomes of the open fundus-first cholecystectomy in lowering the rate of lethal intraoperative risks.

Subjects and Methods: Our prospective study conducted during the period of January 2019 to December 2022 at Ibn Sina specialized hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, for two hundred and fifty-three patients underw

Background: Routine supplementation of vitamin D to infants is justifiable since vitamin D deficiency, and its consequences are highly prevalent not only in developing countries but worldwide. Maintaining a normal level of vitamin D is crucial in order to have a normal skeletal, as well as, extra-skeletal health. Knowledge of mothers regarding importance of vitamin D supplementation affect the health of their babies in a positive manner if accompanied by appropriate practice.

Objective: To determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of Iraqi mothers of under or equal 12 months old infants in Baghdad, AL-Rusafa, regarding vitamin D supplementation for their infants.

Typ

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first reported in China, in December 2019 and since then the digestive tract involvement of  COVID-19 has been progressively described. In this review, I summed recent studies, which have addressed the pathophysiology of COVID-19-induced gastrointestinal symptoms, their prevalence, and bowel pathological and radiological findings of infected patients. The effects of gut microbiota on SARS-CoV-2 and the challenges of nutritional therapy of the infected patients are depicted.  Moreover, I provide a concise summary of the recommendations on the management of inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and performing endoscopy in the COVID era. Finally, the COVID pancreatic re