Developmental Dyslexia (DD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders that often coexist and share complex genetic underpinnings. Our case study integrates psychological assessments and whole exome sequencing to explore the genetic basis of DD and ADHD co-occurrence in a single proband (a nine-year-old female born to healthy) from a consanguineous Pakistani family. We present a proband with symptoms of impulsivity, inattention, and severe hyperactive behavior, along with speech impairment and moderate learning disabilities. The study identified non-synonymous variations in genes associated with both disorders, such as COMT, ADRA1A, and HTR2A, DNAAF4, DCDC2, KIAA0319, LRRC56, and PHRF1. Network analysis revealed key pathways like S100 Family Signaling, G-Protein Coupled Receptor Signaling, and Dopamine Receptor Signaling shedding light on potential mechanisms underlying the observed phenotypes. The study emphasizes the complexity of these conditions and underscores the need for personalized interventions to address diagnosis challenges.
The purpose of this study is to improve the classification accuracy of the C4.5 Algorithm utilizing the forward selection technique. Breast Cancer from the UCI Machine Learning Repository is the dataset utilized. There are 286 records in the dataset with nine attributes and one class (label). The suggested model was evaluated with two existing classification models (C4.5 and Naïve Bayes) using the RapidMiner program. The procedure consists of multiple stages, the first of which consists of selecting the dominant trait using the feature selection technique (weight by information gain). The second step is forward selection based on the outcome of feature selection. Before processing, the dataset is separated into training and testing halves, where the ratios of comparison are 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10. The final step is examining the output. The experimental results demonstrate that the forward selection methodology employing the C4.5 (C4.5 + FS) method outperforms the C4.5 and Naïve Bayes classification techniques. C4.5 + FS (Split Data 70:30) has an accuracy value of 76.74%, C4.5 + FS (Split Data 80:20) has an accuracy value of 78.95%, C4.5 + FS (Split Data 90:10) has an accuracy value of 78.57%, C4.5 (Split Data 70:30) has an accuracy value of 65.12%, and Naïve Bayes (Split Data is 70:30) has an accuracy value 85.55%. In comparison to typical classification algorithms (C4.5 and Naïve Bayes), the average accuracy values increased by 12.97% and 8.32%, respectively. In terms of precision, recall, and F-measure, the forward selection strategy utilizing the C4.5 method beat all other classification techniques, achieving 79.84%, 92.50%, and 85.55%, respectively. In addition, the results demonstrated an increase in the average Area Under Curve (AUC) from 0.628 to 0.732%. Therefore, it can be inferred that the forward selection strategy can be applied to the Breast Cancer Data Set in order to increase the accuracy value of classification method C4.5.
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease that commonly affects the skin and mucous membranes. There is a difference of opinion among clinicians about whether OLP has been associated with oral candidiasis. Nonetheless, in OLP patients, the oral candidiasis prevalence rate ranges from 7.7 to 16.6%, as established through biopsy findings, whereas 37-50% of the prevalence rate has been noticed in culture findings. Oral candidiasis has been linked to several local and systemic factors, including salivary gland dysfunction, dental prostheses, topical or inhaled corticosteroids, smoking, and the use of systemic medications. The aim was to highlight the association of Candida in patients diagnosed with OLP, correlate the use of steroid therapy, and enumerate the factors of using steroid therapy as implicated causes for oral candidiasis. A search was made using search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Science Citation Index, NIH Public Access, and Clarivate Analytics (Figure 1). The keywords using the research option for this field were "Oral Candidiasis" AND "Oral Lichen planus" or "Candidiasis" AND "Corticosteroids" or "Topical Corticosteroids" AND Oral Lichen planus or "Inhalation Corticosteroids" AND "Candidiasis" or "Oral Lichen planus" AND "Corticosteroids." The database search was made for the duration of 1991 to -2021 (Table 1). Additional articles were obtained regarding the literature on OLP and oral candidiasis and were considered background material. The incidence of oral candidiasis and associated lichen planus following steroid therapy enlisted by various authors has been addressed. According to the results of this study, there is a positive correlation between the presence of oral candidiasis in the OLP's patients treated with corticosteroids. Finally, this meta-analysis concluded that there is a positive correlation between the presence of Candida species in OLP and steroid medication.
Pterygium is a bulbar conjunctival fibrovascular growth that crosses the limbus and extends onto the peripheral cornea, and in some cases leads to significant visual complications.The prevalence of this disease has been reported to be from 1.2% to about 40% in different parts of the world.Although there are various risk factors for pterygium, which include ultraviolet (UV) radiation, viral infection, hereditary factors, immune factors, aseptic inflammation, and environmental irritation, the pathogenesis of pterygium is mainly related to exposure to UV light.In addition to cosmetic problems, pterygium can lead to eye irritation, disrupt the transparency of cornea on the pupil area, and cause disorders such as corneal astigmatism and damage to the visual axis leading to vision impairment.In the last few years, the treatment of pterygium has been developed and various new solutions have been used.Surgery is the main treatment for pterygium.Various techniques such as Bare Sclera, Rotational Conjunctival Flap, Limbal Conjunctival Autograft, Amniotic Membrane Graft, and Free Conjunctival Autograft are used for the removal of pterygium.It also seems that the worrisome problem of recurrence has been significantly reduced with newer treatment methods.On the contrary, the use of auxiliary treatments such as mitomycin C, b-radiation, 5-fluorouracil, topical use of interferons, and Avastin are also effective in reducing the recurrence rate.
OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the prevalence and risk factors of early childhood caries (ECC) in the Middle East region in the age group 0-6 years. METHODS:A systematic literature search was performed in three major databases, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane database, from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 2020, to identify the published literature on the prevalence and risk factors of ECC. All preschool children of 0-6 years of age irrespective of gender and socioeconomic status from the selected geographics were included. RESULTS:A total of 26 full-text articles with a study population of 14,479, age group 0-6 years, were included in the study. The overall ECC prevalence in the Middle East region ranged from 26.50 to 99% in the 0-6-years age group. The mean decayed missing filled teeth ranged from 0.95 to 16.9, reported in studies from Jeddah, West Province, and Al-Jouf, Northern region of Saudi Arabia. In the United Arab Emirates, the prevalence ranged from 41 to 83%. The evaluation of the included studies revealed a total of 103 risk factors for ECC. Low socioeconomic status, dietary habits, poor oral hygienic attitude and behaviors, and poor access and availability of dental care services were the major risk factors. Most studies found low socioeconomic status, gender, age of the child, parents' education, low maternal education, and type of school to be significant risk factors for ECC. Children attending public schools were at a greater risk of having ECC. Gender (male) was another important risk factor. CONCLUSION:ECC can be prevented by focusing on prevention programs of dental caries, developing awareness-generating programs focusing on oral health education, and increasing access and availability of dental care services.
BACKGROUND Many dental restorative materials are used in dental clinics, while in a new practice, many countries are trying to ban dental amalgam for many reasons. Dental mercury is the main issue for suspending the use of dental amalgam. Another restoration method, the composite restoration for posterior and anterior teeth for esthetic porous, became the alternative to amalgam. AIM To measure patient satisfaction with two different materials based on multiple criteria using an oral health impact profile (OHIP) form. METHOD This is a prospective study on two groups. The patients visiting the clinic with a vital posterior tooth indicated for restoration were requested to participate in the study. The first group received composite restoration of the posterior teeth. Contrarily, the second group underwent an amalgam restoration application. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the OHIP5 to assess different aspects of patient satisfaction. The patients were asked to fill out a form before starting the procedure, and after 4 weeks, the procedure was reported. The operators were requested to fill out their forms based on the procedure done to determine the participant eligibility criteria. RESULTS Overall 64 subjects were involved in the study among them 35 participants who received composite restoration, 48.5% were female, whereas 51.5% were male. Under other conditions, the patients who underwent amalgam application were 29, and 41.4% were female. Based on the study results, the participants underwent before and after assessment and showed no demands for different aspects with the two different materials. CONCLUSION No significant differences using amalgam or composite restoration regarding appearance, functional, and psychological factors in the posterior teeth were noted.
Deep learning in medical image analysis has indicated increasing interest in the classification of signs of abnormalities. In this study, a new convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture (MIDNet18) Medical Image Detection Network was proposed for the classification of retinal diseases using optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. The model consists of 14 convolutional layers, seven Max Pooling layers, four dense layers, and one classification layer. A multi-class classification layer in the MIDNet18 is used to classify the OCT images into either normal or any of the three abnormal types: Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV), Drusen, and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). The dataset consists of 83,484 training images, 41,741 validation images, and 968 test images. According to the experimental results, MIDNet18 obtains an accuracy of 98.86%, and their performances are compared with other standard CNN models; ResNet-50 (83.26%), MobileNet (93.29%) and DenseNet (92.5%). Also, MIDNet18 with a p-value < 0.001 has been proved to be statistically significant than other standard CNN architectures in classifying retinal diseases using OCT images.
The aim of this research is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of organizational health in the Iraqi Central Handball Federation from the point of view of those who manage the implementation of the annual curriculum, and adopt a descriptive approach in the method of studying the case. This is based on a sample of administrators of the Iraqi Handball Federation curriculum [trainers, governors, members, president, the 138 members of the Central Federation's Administrative Authority, the President, members of the sub-federations of the sports market (2021/2022) selected deliberately by 100% and then divided into statistical analysis sample (30), reconnaissance sample (10), and application sample (98)]. The regulatory health questionnaire in its Italian version was prepared to suit the specificity of the research and the type of sample it was assigned in accordance with systematic sequential steps for its acceptance of the main measurement cad actor in this research. This was then applied to address the problem researched, and its data were processed by the system (SPSS) to make conclusions and applications that help regulatory health in support of the efforts of the Central Handball Federation to implement the annual curriculum from the point of view of those who manage its implementation, and help activate the role of sponsors to manage the implementation of the annual curriculum in the Central Handball Federation effectively, and was then applied to address the research problem. It has complementary factors that need to be available at a high level in the Central Handball Federation to help manage the implementation of the annual curriculum in full, and its specificity in managing the implementation of the annual curriculum in the Central Handball Federation requires comprehensiveness and the need for its elements to achieve a high level of it. It is necessary to support them in the formation of the Central Handball Federation to further activate the role of the worlds and determine their role and avoid feeling the loss of efforts, a careful and periodic review of the level of organizational health must be conducted before planning the annual curriculum in the Central Handball Federation, modifying the paths of weakness, supporting its strengths and taking into account its suitability in order to achieve the goals when implemented later.
India has a unique position with its vast population and rapidly increasing healthcare demand. Dental health is integral to a holistic health care need, and a robust dental education system is necessary. Dental education in India is mainly regulated by the Dental Councilof India, setting broad guidelines. Universities having dental colleges and institutes develop fine curriculum development and evaluation details. General and Dental Pharmacology and Therapeuticsis a crucial subject taught to undergraduate dental students during the second year of a 4-year duration course. A dental graduate should be well trained in general and systemic pharmacology and rational therapeutics principles. This has been set as an objective by the Dental Council of India. Sound knowledge of the drug action mechanisms, indications, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions and contraindications, evidence-based medicine, and rational use of adrug is core to the allopathic system. The practical exercises on human simulation or computer-assisted learning are critical for understanding pharmacology. The subject of pharmacology for dental graduates has been allotted 70 hours of theory and 20 hours of practicals with almost the same syllabus as medical graduates. This article highlights the areas of concern concerning the deficiency of teaching hours and needed improvement in the curriculum to make it competent to achieve its objective. The authors bring this much-needed topic for discussion among academicians and for the attention of regulatory authorities.
Intramuscular administration of medicine No. 60 at a dose of 1.281 mg/kg (30 times the estimated highest daily dose for humans) when diluted with 1:5 saline solution to pregnant rats from Day 1 to Day 19 of pregnancy does not affect the indicators of pre- and postimplantation death of baby rats. The body weight of the rats exposed to the medicine No. 60 during the prenatal period of development did not differ from the indicators in the control group. The development of offspring in the experimental group during the entire observation period took place without deviation from the terms characteristic of the normal physiological development of animals of this species. As a result of the studies conducted, it was found that intramuscular administration of drug No. 60 at a dose of 1.281 mg/kg in a 1:10 dilution with saline solution, which was 30 times the estimated maximum daily therapeutic dose for humans, did not affect the sexual activity of animals, reproductive indicators (number of live fetuses, body weight of embryos, their craniocaudal size, number of yellow bodies, implantation sites, resorption), or the neonatal development of baby rats. Thus, there was no effect of medicine No. 60 in the test dose of 1.281 mg/kg on the reproductive function of healthy mature rats and does not exhibit embryotoxic and teratogenic activity.
In the dentate gyrus, mu opioid receptors (MORs) and their enkephalin agonists have overlapping distributions and influence excitability and plasticity. Released endogenous enkephalins can activate at least some of these MORs; however, whether these interactions involve synaptically associated profiles or more distant associations and whether some subcellular compartments (e.g., terminals or dendrites) are more likely to be targeted than others are not known. To elucidate the relationships between potential sites of enkephalin release and MORs, MOR1 and leucine-enkephalin (LE) immunoreactivities were localized in the hilus by electron microscopy, using immunoperoxidase and immunogold markers. Of the 573 MOR-immunoreactive (ir) profiles analyzed, most were axons and terminals (51 and 30%, respectively), and fewer were dendrites (12%), glia (3%), or unclassifiable (4%). Most MOR-ir profiles resembled interneuron processes, while most LE-ir terminals resembled mossy fibers. One third of MOR-ir profiles were within 3 microm and approximately half were within 4 microm of the nearest LE-ir profile. In contrast, few (3%) MOR-ir profiles contacted LE-ir profiles; only 16% of these contacts included observable synapses, and very few profiles (0.5%) colocalized MOR and LE immunoreactivity. MOR-ir axons, terminals, and dendrites were not distributed differently relative to LE-ir profiles. These results suggest that activation of hilar MORs by LE usually involves short-range volume transmission and that dendritic MORs are as likely as axonal and terminal MORs to be activated by released LE. However, the greater abundance of MOR-ir axons and terminals compared to dendrites indicates that presynaptic profiles are a more prominent target for enkephalins and exogenous MOR agonists such as morphine.
Several sirolimus (SRL) population pharmacokinetics (PopPK) were conducted to explain its pharmaco-kinetic variability, and the results varied across studies. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to sum-marize significant predictors influencing SRL pharmacokinetic variability. Moreover, discrepancies in model methodologies across studies were also reviewed and discussed. Four databases (PubMed, CINAHL Complete, Science Direct, and Scopus) were systematically searched. The PICO framework was used to identify eligible studies conducted in humans and employ a nonlinear-mixed effects strategy. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies were included. SRL pharmacokinetics were explained using 1-or 2-compartment models. Only one study assessed the model using an external approach, while the rest employed basic or advanced internal approaches. Significant covariates influencing SRL pharmacokinetics were bodyweight, age, CYP3A5 polymorphism, gender, BSA, height, cyclosporine dose or trough concen-tration, triglyceride, total cholesterol, hematocrit, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine amino-transferase, and total bilirubin. Of these, bodyweight, age, and CYP3A5 polymorphism were the three most identified significant predictors for SRL clearance. This review summarizes significant predictors to pre-dict SRL clearance, which can subsequently be used to individualize SRL maintenance dose. However, the PopPK model selected for such prediction should be based on the resemblance of population characteristics between the target population and those used to conduct the model. Moreover, the predictability of the models in the target population should be assessed before implementation in clinical practice.
BACKGROUND Acute otitis externa (AOE) is a common disease encountered in otolaryngology practice, it is mainly bacterial in origin. AOE can cause severe otalgia and can interrupt the daily activities; however, bed rest is required in about 20% of the patients. AIM To evaluate the usefulness of adding an oral antibiotic with the topical antibiotic steroid in the treatment of uncomplicated AOE which is limited to the ear canal in immunocompetent patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS A prospective comparative clinical study was conducted in the department of otolaryngology at Al-Jerrahat Teaching Hospital and Private Clinic, Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from April 2020 to October 2021. A total of 68 immunocompetent patients (39 females and 29 males), diagnosed as cases of uncomplicated AOE which is limited to the ear canal, were included in this study. The patients were categorized into two groups. Patients in group A were treated with topical tobramycin 0.3%-dexamethasone 0.1% drops, while patients in group B received the same treatment as group A patients plus oral Ciprofloxacin tablets 500 mg twice daily. The patients were followed up on day-to-day basis until complete resolution of pain and edema. The severity of pain was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, while edema was graded by dividing the ear canal by imaginary horizontal and vertical lines into four quarters. The post-treatment pain VAS scores and edema grades of both groups were compared. Statistical analysis using t-test was done to calculate P-value in order to find if there is a significant difference regarding the resolution of pain and edema between group A and group B. RESULTS During the whole follow-up period there was no significant difference between group A and group B patients regarding the resolution of pain and edema (P-value was more than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is no significant benefit of adding an oral antibiotic with the topical antibiotic steroid in the treatment of uncomplicated AOE limited to the ear canal in immunocompetent patients.
The bone grafts taken from the patient himself (Auto genius graft) to restore the contour of the lost facial bone lost is the ideal technique on the road to recovery from injuries of war or traffic accidents. This novel surgical procedure utilizes a new modified Problast painted with a mixture of a biocompatible materials to restore the lost parts of the zygomatic bones, due to traffic accidents, shell injuries, or bullet injuries.
BACKGROUND When rupture of membrane happens before onset of labor, the condition in obstetric practice is defined as "Prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM)" leading to leakage of amniotic fluid through ruptured chorioamniotic membranes and the conditions happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy the term "preterm PROM (PPROM)" is applied. Lack of vitamin C has been suggested as a predisposing factor and vitamin C supplementation has been suggested as a preventive measure. AIM OF THE STUDY This study was aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of administration of vitamin C women with history of premature preterm rupture of membrane in prevention of such event in current pregnancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS The present randomized controlled clinical trial was performed in Maternity and Children Teaching Hospital in Al-Diwaniyah province in Iraq. It included 100 women with previous history of premature preborn rupture of membrane who were randomly allocated into two groups. The first group, the study group included 55 women who received vitamin C supplementation orally staring from 14 weeks gestation and the second group, the reference group was the placebo group (n = 45). Data regarding age, previous abortion, body mass index, number of previous pregnancies and previous abortions were obtained and outcome variables included gestational age at which rupture of membrane happened, gestational age at which delivery happened and birth weight were collected. RESULTS Vitamin C was able to significantly increase the GA at rupture or membrane (p = 0.033), form 29.00 ± 2.92 weeks to 30.11 ± 2.21 weeks. Vitamin C was also able to significantly increase the GA at birth (p = 0.019), form 32.04 ± 2.88 weeks to 33.31 ± 2.43 weeks. In addition, Vitamin C was also able to significantly increase the birth weight (p = 0.019) from 1951.10 ± 869.72 gram to 2409.10 ± 613.44 gram. CONCLUSION Vitamin C Administration to women with previous history of Premature Preterm Rupture of Membrane is efficient and safe in prevention of such event in current pregnancy.
Asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD ) both are a common public health problem that affects a large portion of population. Nearly 20% of patients with obstructive lung disease have features of both asthma and COPD called ACOS that GOLD_GINA guidelines defines as persistent airflow limitation with several features of asthma and several features of COPD. Yet there is a little data available about diagnosis and treatment of this entity and current study aimed to compare therapeutic response between asthma, COPD and Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) subjects through spirometric data. In the present cross-sectional study, 30 known patients with mild to moderate asthma, 30 known patients with mild to moderate COPD and 30 known patients with mild to moderate ACOS according to GOLD_GINA guidelines were enrolled. We assessed post bronchodilator the ratio of the forced expiratory volume in the first one second to the forced vital capacity of the lungs (fev1) and the forced expiratory volume in the first one second to the forced vital capacity of the lungs (fev1/fvc) in all patients. Then they took standard treatment for 2 months and after this period spirometry was repeated. Spirometric data's changes was compared between the three groups by SPSS26 statistical software. Fev1 changes in response to treatment did not differ significantly between three groups (p > 0.05) but fev1/fvc changes differed significantly and this parameter in asthma was more than ACOS and in COPD was least. (In asthma, spirometric symbolized therapeutic response is more significant than ACOS, and in ACOS, it is more important than COPD in terms of fev1/fvc changes) and there was not any difference between the three groups regarding to FEV1 changes.
BACKGROUNDHypertension is a significant public health problem that affects people all over the world. Various epidemiologic researches have been conducted to reveal the relationship between hypertension and several biochemical markers. The goal of this project was to investigate the electrolytes, glucose, total protein, and lipid profile in people with normal and high blood pressure.MATERIALS AND METHODSBetween 2020 and 2022, a case-control study was done. Two hundred and eighteen males, age ranging from 30 to 70, took part in the study. The conventional flame photometric method was used to evaluate serum electrolytes, whereas kits from Biolab Company's kits were used to quantify serum calcium, serum glucose, and lipid profile.RESULTSWhen compared to normotension males, hypertension males had considerably greater salt, chloride, and potassium levels in their blood, but no significant variations in calcium levels. When compared to normotension males, hypertension individuals had considerably higher mean glucose, total cholesterol, low, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. Many amino acids were identified in the blood of male hypertension patients, consisting of leucine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, serine, histidine, glycine, arginine, alanine, methionine, valine, and phenylalanine.CONCLUSIONSIn this group, hypertension males have a different lipid and electrolyte profile than normotensive males.
BACKGROUND A new type of coronavirus family severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has been detected in individuals with several clinical symptoms named COVID-19, was recognized as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Numerous researches have been conducted on the manifestations of a skin disease related to COVID-19, i.e., rashes or Pityriasis rosea (PR), vascular markings, and pimple-like lesions. AIM This study aims to find out if the Coronavirus can affect the PR development, which also can be considered as a trigger and symptom for other types of infections. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study is a case series describing the dermatological findings related to COVID-19 in the Thi-Qar Governorate. Samples were taken from inpatients, outpatients, and from the emergency unit of Al Hussein Teaching Hospital, and inwards of Al-Shefaa' Isolation Hospital. The study has been done over a 4 month period (June-September, 2020.). RESULTS Around 19 patients, 10 females (52.6%) and 9 males (47.4%), who were infected with Coronavirus and were suffering from PR, are included in this study. The distribution of patients according to the incidence of PR in typical and anomalous manners were 77.9% and 21.1% respectively. The highest percentage of the incidence of PR was in moderate COVID-19 (84.2%), while it was around 15.8% in mild COVID-19. There was no significant statistical difference in the mean age distribution according to gender, while there was a significant statistical difference according to PR and COVID-19 class. More studies are needed to evaluate whether or not these lesions are associated with the virus. CONCLUSION The PR was one of the dermatological finding of COVID-19 that did not have a clear role in the distribution of the disease according to the background of the patients, and also the severity of COVID-19. It can be triggered by COVID-19 and be completely cured with the clearance of the disease. RECOMMENDATION An accurate robust cutaneous documentation related to COVID-19 is required to improve the knowledge of the disease as well as its epidemiology.
Anti-diabetic therapies possess many side effects; thus, searching for alternative strategies with low cost, minimal side effects, and high therapeutic value is very important. The present study aimed to explore the combined use of selenium yeast (SY) and standard anti-diabetic drug pioglitazone (PGZ) for diabetes mellitus (DM) treatment in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM. STZ was injected daily intraperitoneally with a low dose (40 mg/kg) into Sprague-Dawley rats to induce DM. The synergistic effect of the SY (0.2 mg/kg) and PGZ (0.65 mg/kg) on DM complications was evaluated after 88 weeks of treatment. The impact of our medication on glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, lipid abnormalities, oxidative mediators, and inflammatory markers was assessed by biochemical techniques. STZ-induced diabetes has toxic effects, including toxic hepatic tissues, lipid disturbances, massive oxidative damage, and hyperinflammation. Experimental rats either treated with monotherapy alone or combined therapy resulted in a significant anti-diabetic effect. The PGZ+ SY combination has the best effect, as illustrated by significant (P < 0.05) decreases in fasting blood glucose, (FBG) insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR levels. This combination attenuated (P < 0.05) lipid disturbances and their associated elevated atherogenicity biomarkers. At the same time, treatments with PGZ+ SY exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect as they ameliorated the increase in inflammatory parameters (CRP, TNF-α, IL-6). Also, it restored the total antioxidant capacity and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARƔ) levels that were decreased by STZ-DM induction. In conclusion, this study finds PGZ+ SY as a promising DM therapeutic alternative. This synergistic combination alleviates most DM-related complications and insulin resistance.
Cutaneous cautery is a form of traditional medicine practiced in many countries. It was mentioned in the books of many ancient, pre-, and post-Islamic scholars. Patients may resort to traditional medicine (cauterization in particular) for many reasons. This study aims is to acquire more knowledge about the cautery practices and the reasons for practicing cautery in children together with other implications from adverse events of the cautery. This is a cross-sectional study in which 133 children were enrolled (77 males and 56 females with age ranged from 0.5 to 108 months) who had been admitted to Bint Al-Huda Maternity and Childhood Teaching Hospital in Nasiriya city, Thi-Qar Governorate, Southern Iraq, from December 1, 2019 to end of July 2020). The study found that >80% of cauterized children were below 1 year, (53.4%) of rural residency. Parents of the cauterized children were mainly of illiterate and primary education constituting the highest percentage (91.6%) of cauterized children were of low per capita monthly income. The grandmothers were advisors in more than half of the cauterized children, a vast majority of the advisors were either illiterate or had primary education, The person performing the cautery was a traditional healer (95.5%). Cauterization was done mostly in the head and abdomen, and a vast majority of it was done by a lighted cotton-tipped application (97%). The number of cauterization points ranged from 2 to 25 with a mean of 8.8 cautery marks. Approximately 59% of patients did not improve or worsened, whereas 30% showed partial improvement, and 11% improved. Complications were seen in 9% of the cases. There is a necessity to spread awareness regarding the dangers and complications of traditional cauterization in health care centers by health care providers. Improving the delivery of medical services to areas far from the city centers as well as spreading health awareness by use of multimedia together with eradicating illiteracy is needed.
