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Prostate cancer (PCa), a challenging ailment, impacts a substantial number of men globally, primarily in prestigious regions. The study aimed to explore the functions of PD-1, PDL-1, PSA, and testosterone markers in detecting the pathogenesis of PCa. Medical City-Baghdad hosted the research from July to October 2021. After examination and diagnosis by the Medical City consultant expert, 40 blood samples (20 benign and 20 malignant) were collected from prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Eight healthy individuals were used as a control group and their blood samples were taken. Patients and controls ranged in age from 20-49. The ELISA technique was employed to assess the levels of program death-1 (PD-1), program death ligand-1 (PDL-1), and prostate specific antigen (PSA), and testosterone parameters. The study found substantial differences (P < 0.05) across age groups and study groups, with malignant patients scoring highest (70.0%) at 40-49 years and benign patients scoring highest (45.0%) at 30-39 years. Elevated levels of PD-1, PDL-1, and PSA are observed in both benign and malignant PCa compared to healthy. Neither benign nor malignant PCa had significantly lower testosterone levels than healthy PCa (P > 0.05). Both PD-1, PDL-1, and PSA show a remarkably high sensitivity (100%) when used to screen patients for prostate cancer. Finally, there is a negative correlation between PSA and PD-1, PDL-1 parameters. The PD-1, PDL-1, and PSA have been found to play significant roles in the development of prostate cancer and have shown high sensitivity in screening for PCa.

Social isolation and quarantine have been implemented globally during outbreaks of a highly transmissible microbe. For instance, they were employed during the plague outbreak in 1894 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. While these methods have proven effective against highly transmissible infections, they have also had significant negative consequences. In specific regions like Anbar, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk, social isolation occurred during the period of ISIS occupation. After their liberation, these regions experienced a COVID-19 outbreak, and quarantine measures were put in place. This study aimed to investigate the effect of social isolation and quarantine on tuberculosis. Patients from Anbar, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk districts were diagnosed with pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, using methods like chest X-rays, acid-fast positive sputum slide method, culture, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene pert testing. All cases were documented at the Iraqi Ministry of Health. All four districts had the same population, socioeconomic status, and medical guidelines. Anbar showed a significant difference compared to the other districts, while the remaining three districts had no significant differences among themselves. The percentage of extrapulmonary tuberculosis was higher than the global average, indicating misdiagnosis. The age group of less than four years old had the lowest percentage of cases compared to other age groups, indicating the effective management of the BCG program. It can be concluded that social isolation and quarantine implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic might have led to an increase in cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the studied regions. 

Purpose: type III interferons (IFNλ) are an early line of defense in upper respiratory tract infections, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). They have a crucial role in the control of the innate immune system and the modulation of immunological responses during the course of acute viral infection and tissue inflammation. The present study was aimed at evaluating the expression of IFNλ genes in Iraqi coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-infected patients. Materials and methods: ninety patients presented with COVID-19 and 50 healthy controls were recruited. Blood samples were obtained from the participants. Haematological and biochemical analyses were performed on the blood samples. IFNλ gene expression was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of all the participants by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: all COVID-19 patients had elevated relative expression of IFNλ-I, IFNλ-II, and IFNλ-III genes compared to controls, by 1.85 ± 0.25-, 39.9 ± 15.07-, and 4.001 ± 1.23-fold, respectively. According to the severity of the disease (moderate, severe, and critical), the relative expression of each IFN type was likewise elevated. However, the rise did not reach a significant level. On the other hand, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the mean of relative expression between IFN-I, IFN-II, and IFN-III in total and each category of severity. Conclusion: the findings show that IFNλ gene expression was up-regulated in COVID-19 disease and neither age, sex, nor underlying diseases impacted the variations in expressions.

Ulcerative colitis is a persistent and recurrent medical condition for which current treatments have shown limited efficacy, necessitating the exploration of alternative drugs with minimal side effects. This study aimed to examine the anti-oxidative and antiadhesive effects of ezetimibe compared to sulfasalazine in experimentally induced colitis in male rats. A total of 40 adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: a control group (negative control), an acetic acid group (positive control), an acetic acid + sulfasalazine (100 mg/kg/day) group, and an acetic acid + ezetimibe (10 mg/kg/day) group. Colitis was induced in rats by the inter-rectal administration of 2 ml of 4% (v/v) acetic acid. Sulfasalazine and ezetimibe were administered orally for seven days 1 hour after induction. Malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), e-selectin, and intracellular adhesive molecule 1 (ICAM-1) were measured in tissue homogenate upon euthanizing the animals. The results showed that the treatment with ezetimibe significantly reduced disease activity index (DAI) and macroscopic colonic scores (MAC) compared to the positive control group. Moreover, ezetimibe notably decreased MDA, MPO, e-selectin, and ICAM-1 in tissue homogenates of treated animals compared to the positive control group. In most comparisons, there were no significant differences between ezetimibe and sulfasalazine effects. These findings suggest that ezetimibe may have a therapeutic effect in the management of ulcerative colitis by reducing oxidative stress and adhesive molecules.