The devastating 1822 earthquake is one of the relatively recent events that struck northwestern Syria and the nearby areas of central-southern Turkey, at the junction of the Dead Sea fault system with the Eastern Anatolian fault system. This earthquake is re-examined, in this work, based on new original contemporary and near contemporary sources of information not cited in previous litera- ture. Analysis of these sources reveals the following: (1) more detailed descriptions of the earthquake effects are provided for cities of Aleppo, Antakia and Latakia, and the identification of six new loca- tions affected; (2) assessment of relevant earthquake parameters such as the epicenter, surface-wave, moment magnitudes and seismic intensity; (3) documentation of evidences of a seismic sea wave that occurred between the Cypriot and the Syrian coasts and (4) identification of the Saint Simeon fault, located to west of Aleppo, as the probable causative fault. Furthermore, the ground motion gener- ated by the 1822 earthquake has been simulated using the extended stochastic simulation method. Acceleration time series and damped pseudo acceleration spectra were generated for Aleppo Citadel, where the peak ground acceleration, due to the earthquake, has been estimated at 0.4 g. The results will contribute to updating the seismic hazard setting in the northwestern Syria and central-southern Turkey.

No abstract

Background: Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in developed countries. Kawasaki disease it has been increasingly reported from developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Kawasaki disease in children of Sulaimaniyah city. Subject and Methods: In this study all children diagnosed as Kawasaki disease included during the period between January 2010 and December 2014. The hospital records / pediatric cardiology clinic data were reviewed, and data were abstracted onto standardized forms. Results: During the study period from January 2010 to December 2014, 36 patients were diagnosed as Kawasaki disease. Their mean age at diagnosis was 2.8± 2 years (range 6 months -9years). Most of the patients (30 patients 83.3%) were under age of 5 years, and the median age was 2.1 year. Male to female ratio was 1.76. Most of cases occurred during winter and spring season. Out of 36 patients, 16 (44.4%) patients had coronary disease, and 4 cases of coronary cases were classified as A4 and A5 class according to Japanese Classification of Severity of Coronary Artery Lesions. There was non-significant difference between coronary and non-coronary group regarding hemoglobin level, platelet count, ESR and WBC count. Conclusions: Kawasaki disease is not uncommon in Sulaymaniyah, the clinical and epidemiological pattern is not different from other parts of the world. We need to increase the index of suspicion in order not to miss Kawasaki disease cases and avoid its serious cardiac complications.Duhok Med J 2017; 11 (2): 37-45.

Background  Girls who reach puberty early can fail to reach their expected final height. In addition, they are prone to negative psychological behavior and there is an association with the future development of other negative health outcomes such as diabetes and heart disease. Objectives  To determine the causes of female patients with precocious puberty and address some anthropometric features of the studied patients. Patients and Methods Data of 63 female patients who presented with signs and symptoms of puberty before the age of 8 years between the years 2012 and 2018 were collected and analyzed to find the percentages of certain etiologies and features and compare them to similar studies conducted in other countries. Results Central idiopathic precocious puberty (CIPP) was the major diagnosis for the cases and other causes were identified. Causes from the most prevalent to the least prevalent include premature adrenarche, premature thelarche, functional ovarian cysts, and brain tumors. The study also showed a significant relationship between the body weight represented by Body Mass Index (BMI) at the time of presentation and the incidence of central idiopathic PP. Moreover, patients with premature adrenarche also had significantly higher BMI than their peers with normal puberty timing. In addition, the mean height at the time of diagnosis of the PP patients, in general, was significantly higher than their peers with a normal onset of puberty. Furthermore, the heights of the patients with CIPP is significantly negatively correlated with the age at which symptoms of puberty appeared. Finally, the bone ages of girls with PP with the different etiologies were significantly higher than the chronological age.  Conclusion Precocious puberty in girls is an important condition in Sulaimani and it has different etiologies. Central idiopathic precocious puberty is the most common etiology. Girls with PP tend to be significantly taller at the time of the diagnosis, have heavier weights and have more advanced bone ages than the normal population.

Background: Dehydration resulting from diarrhea is a significant cause of death of young children in developing countries. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is useful to replace fluid and electrolyte loss. Objective: The main objective is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers towards the use of oral rehydration solution in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children. Patients and Methods:This observational descriptive study was conducted at the pediatric medical emergency department of the Children's hospital and the institute of child health in Sulaimani city for a period of eight months from July 2012 till March 2013. The criteria of inclusion were mothers of children with diarrhea. A total of 200 mothers fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled over the study period. Mothers were interviewed and information collected. A pre designed questionnaire was filled for each case by the investigator which included a detailed history highlighting their demographic data, presenting complaints , treatment given at home, mothers knowledge about ORS and drugs, maternal education, water sources, and socioeconomic history was taken and recorded carefully. All the data entered in SPSS and results were analyzed in percentages. Results: A total 200 mothers who visited the Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Sulaimani were interviewed. The median age of children group was 2 years, and minimum was (4 months)and maximum age was 8 years, of these 25(12.5%) were below 1 year, and 160 cases (80%) were between 1 to 5 years, and 15 cases (7.5%) more than 5 years. The most frequent age group was between 1 to 5 years, male were 101 (50.5%) and female were 99 female (49.5%), 58(29%) of mothers education were illiterate, and 105 (52.5%) of mothers education was low, and 37(18.5%) of mothers education was high. Among all the patients 172(86%) were from Sulaimani and 28(14%) from outside Sulaimani. Among all the patients the source of water used was well 103(51.5%), and 63(31.5%) was piped, and 34(17%) was tanks. Out of 200 mothers 199 (99.5%) heard about ORS and 1(0.5%) did not hear about it. Of these mothers 183(91.5%) used ORS. and 17(8.5%) did not use it. Among the mothers that usedORS, 7(3.5%) used it by themselves and 42(21%) were advised by family member and 85(42.5%) were advised by physician and 49(24.5%) were advised by health worker. The way of giving ORS wasby cup and spoonin 139(69.5%), and 44(22%) gaveORS by bottle. Of them 109(54.5%) amount of ORS given adequate amount and 74(37%) gave inadequately. And of them 107(53.5%) prepared ORS correctly and 76(38%) prepared the solution incorrectly. Among all mothers; 172(86%) used drugs and 28(14%) did not use drugs. Among those who use drugs 21(10.5%) used it by themselves and 151(75.5%) got advise by family physician. Conclusion: Although most of the mothers knew about ORS and used it at times of need, many had inadequate knowledge on the importance and appropriate use of ORS.