CT angiographic determination of most frequent anatomic variations of coronary arteries in Erbil population

Background and objective: Computed tomography angiography is one of the best methods for knowing the detailed anatomy of coronary arteries and can successfully detect any variation of coronary arteries. Anatomic variations of coronary arteries have not been studied among Erbil population which is mostly inhabited by Kurds. This study was conducted to compare the incidence of the anatomic variations of coronary arteries in Erbil population with international standards. Methods: Variations of coronary arteries were retrospectively studied by using computed tomography angiography of 412 cases (214 males 198 females) with mean age 51.5 ± 13.5 years (mean ± SD) who underwent this procedure on suspicion of coronary artery disease. The main indication was chest pain in patients with low to intermediate probability of ischemic heart disease. The present study was carried out in the Department of Radiology, Surgical Specialty Hospital/Cardiac Center in Erbil city. Results: The right coronary artery was dominant in 86.4% of cases, while the left main coronary artery was dominant in 10.92% of cases. Co-dominance was observed in 2.67% of cases, and Double Ostia of right aortic sinus was observed in 25% of cases. Long left main coronary artery was observed in 10.68 % of cases. Myocardial bridging was observed in 7.04% of cases. Other variations were also observed, and their prevalence was recorded. Conclusion: Variations of coronary arteries among Erbil population were recorded and were near to the international standards

Effect of Aspartame on the Rat’s Thyroid Gland: A histological and Morphometrical Study

Background: The aspartame is a synthetic sweetener has been used for many purposes as an anti-inflammatory agent, antioxidants and hepato protective, its metabolites can be toxic to many organs and several studies on laboratory animals have been made to verify aspartames toxicity which can cause harmful effect after administration for long duration at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight. Objective: To evaluate the effect of aspartame on morphometric and histopathological changes of the rat’s thyroid gland, since the aspartame sweetener is widely used worldwide.      Patients and Methods: Fifty adult Wister albino rats were used and divided randomly into two groups. The treated group received 150 mg/kg aspartame orally daily after dissolving it in 2cc distilled water and the control group received 2cc distilled water daily orally for eight weeks. Results: Histological examination of aspartame-treated group showed loss of normal architecture of the thyroid gland. morphometrical measurement showed many follicles were small in size and others had disrupted wall and detached cells in their lumens, there was significant increase in the height of cells and number of follicles with decrease inwidth of the cells. Conclusion: Administration of aspartame at a dose 150 mg/kg had a significant effect on both histologic and morphometrical structure of the adult rat’sthyroid gland

Myocardial infarction following COVID-19 vaccine administration; a systematic review.

IntroductionCovid-19 vaccines have been assessed in randomized trials, which are designed to establish efficacy and safety, but are insufficient in power to detect rare adverse outcomes. Among the adverse cardiac events associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are inflammations (e.g., pericarditis or myocarditis), thrombosis, and ischemia.ObjectiveThis systematic review aims to evaluate the reported cases of myocardial infarction (MI) after COVID-19 vaccinations.MethodWeb of Science, MEDLINE on OVID, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched for English-language papers published until March 25, 2022.ResultsThis study included 15 papers (10 case reports and 5 case series). In total, 20 individuals were included who had received COVID-19 vaccines and experienced MI. Males (55%) reported more adverse occurrences than females (45%) across the majority of event categories. The mean time from the administration of the vaccine to the onset of symptoms was 2 days (0-10 days). The AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for more than half of the reported events. In the majority of cases, the event developed after receiving the first dose of vaccination.ConclusionMI related to COVID19 vaccination is a rare, but serious and life-threatening condition. Chest discomfort should be regarded as a warning sign, particularly in people who have been administered a dose of the vaccine within the previous two days

Amplicon-Based Detection and Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in Nasopharyngeal Swabs from Patients With COVID-19 and Identification of Deletions in the Viral Genome That Encode Proteins Involved in Interferon Antagonism

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Sequencing the viral genome as the outbreak progresses is important, particularly in the identification of emerging isolates with different pathogenic potential and to identify whether nucleotide changes in the genome will impair clinical diagnostic tools such as real-time PCR assays. Although single nucleotide polymorphisms and point mutations occur during the replication of coronaviruses, one of the biggest drivers in genetic change is recombination. This can manifest itself in insertions and/or deletions in the viral genome. Therefore, sequencing strategies that underpin molecular epidemiology and inform virus biology in patients should take these factors into account. A long amplicon/read length-based RT-PCR sequencing approach focused on the Oxford Nanopore MinION/GridION platforms was developed to identify and sequence the SARS-CoV-2 genome in samples from patients with or suspected of COVID-19. The protocol, termed Rapid Sequencing Long Amplicons (RSLAs) used random primers to generate cDNA from RNA purified from a sample from a patient, followed by single or multiplex PCRs to generate longer amplicons of the viral genome. The base protocol was used to identify SARS-CoV-2 in a variety of clinical samples and proved sensitive in identifying viral RNA in samples from patients that had been declared negative using other nucleic acid-based assays (false negative). Sequencing the amplicons revealed that a number of patients had a proportion of viral genomes with deletions

A survey of sheep Dicrocoeliosis in Sulaymaniyah slaughterhouse, Northern Iraq in 2013-2014

Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a helminth which lives in the bile ducts and gall bladder of mammalian definitive hosts. Dicrocoeliosis is thought to be endemic in some countries and it has an increasing prevalence in Northern Iraq, potentially due to increased importation of infected animals, particularly sheep, in high numbers from neighboring countries. The parasite’s ability to infect rodents, wild animals, livestock and humans means this parasite is of significant interest in veterinary and human medicine. While D. dendriticum causes relatively mild clinical disease in animals, infection leads to liver condemnation at slaughter and subsequent economic losses to farmers. In this study, the livers of 91,486 sheep slaughtered at Sulaymaniyah New Slaughterhouse (Northern Iraq) were visually inspected for D. dendriticum infection between November 2013 and March 2014, with 1,269 livers rejected due to D. dendriticum in this period, representing 29.4% of all condemned livers. The highest rate of rejection due to D. dendriticum infection was seen in December, possibly linked to increased numbers of intermediate host snails during the wet season. Routine inspection of condemned livers revealed adult flukes of D. dendriticum and eggs were seen in the faeces of imported sheep, indicating these animals may be a vector for introduction of D. dendriticum to this region. Due to the complex life cycle and wide range of animals which it infects, we cannot establish the exact route of introduction into Iraq; however, our study suggests that slaughterhouse workers, farmers and local health authorities should be aware of the presence of D. dendriticum, and the potential risks it represents to both human and animal health. Our data also suggest that some level of quarantine or border checks may be useful to prevent further introduction of D. dendriticum or other pathogens into Iraq, although this may prove difficult until accurate diagnostic assays are developed

Orthodontic Implementation of Machine Learning Algorithms for Predicting Some Linear Dental Arch Measurements and Preventing Anterior Segment Malocclusion: A Prospective Study

Background and Objectives: Orthodontics is a field that has seen significant advancements in recent years, with technology playing a crucial role in improving diagnosis and treatment planning. The study aimed to implement artificial intelligence to predict the arch width as a preventive measure to avoid future crowding in growing patients or even in adult patients seeking orthodontic treatment as a tool for orthodontic diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Four hundred and fifty intraoral scan (IOS) images were selected from orthodontic patients seeking treatment in private orthodontic centers. Real inter-canine, inter-premolar, and inter-molar widths were measured digitally. Two of the main machine learning models were used: the Python programming language and machine learning algorithms, implementing the data on k-nearest neighbor and linear regression. Results: After the dataset had been implemented on the two ML algorithms, linear regression and k-nearest neighbor, the evaluation metric shows that KNN gives better prediction accuracy than LR does. The resulting accuracy was around 99%. Conclusions: it is possible to leverage machine learning to enhance orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning by predicting linear dental arch measurements and preventing anterior segment malocclusion

A clinical study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a new focus in the Kurdistan region, Iraq.

Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and is a major health problem in various parts of the world. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) occurs, among others, in unpredictable outbreaks after wars and disasters. After the last war in Iraq, the collapse of the health system led to the spread of infectious diseases, including CL. Between September 2016 and November 2017, all patients with confirmed CL having one or more skin lesion(s) were referred to a regional health center in Musol City within the Rabeea District. During this period, 1539 patients visited the clinic. A total of 190 patients were excluded from the study because of poor follow-up. The treatment success rate was 97.7% (1319/1349). Statistically significant associations were found between number of lesions and treatment failure (p = 0.0018; OR = 1.4430; CI = 1.1466-1.8161), number of doses and number of lesions (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.095; p = 0.001), and the lack of municipality services and number of doses used for the treatment (p = 0.008; OR = 1.0629; CI = 1.0158-1.1122). To conclude, the highest number of patients with CL in the city of Musol was recorded after the war in Iraq. The treatment success rate was high, which reflected the strict treatment and follow-up program. An urgent plan is needed to stop the spread of infection

Amplicon based MinION sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and metagenomic characterisation of nasopharyngeal swabs from patients with COVID-19

COVID-19 is a complex disease phenotype where the underlying microbiome could influence morbidity and mortality. Amplicon and metagenomic MinION based sequencing was used to rapidly (within 8 hours) identify SARS-CoV-2 and assess the microbiome in nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from patients with COVID-19 by the ISARIC 4C consortium

Amplicon and metagenomic analysis of MERS-CoV and the microbiome in patients with severe Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic infection that emerged in the Middle East in 2012. Symptoms range from mild to severe and include both respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. The virus is mainly present in camel populations with occasional spill overs into humans. The severity of infection in humans is influenced by numerous factors and similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) underlying health complications can play a major role. Currently, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are co-incident in the Middle East and a rapid way is required of sequencing MERS-CoV to derive genotype information for molecular epidemiology. Additionally, complicating factors in MERS-CoV infections are co-infections that require clinical management. The ability to rapidly characterise these infections would be advantageous. To rapidly sequence MERS-CoV, we developed an amplicon-based approach coupled to Oxford Nanopore long read length sequencing. The advantage of this approach is that insertions and deletions can be identified – which are the major drivers of genotype change in coronaviruses. This and a metagenomic approach were evaluated on clinical samples from patients with MERS. The data illustrated that whole genome or near whole genome information on MERS-CoV could be rapidly obtained. This approach provided data on both consensus genomes and the presence of minor variants including deletion mutants. Whereas, the metagenomic analysis provided information of the background microbiome