Objective: To look for the presence or absence of seasonal variation of pulmonary embolism (PE). To analyze the effect of age, sex and the presence or absence of deep vein thrombosis(DVT) and its risk factors on the occurrence of PE. To analyze the ECG changes and the presence or absence of sinus tachycardia in patients with acute PE. Method: One hundred three patients with PE were studied retrospectively, during the years 2002-2007 at the intensive and respiratory care unit and general medical units in Ibn-Sena Teaching Hospital. Results: One hundred three patients with PE were studied. The age of the patients correlates significantly with the presence of PE being highest between 21-50 year of age, with p-value of <0.001. There were no seasonal variations in the distribution of PE with P-value of 0.06. Females significantly outnumbered male patients with P-value of 0.002. There was no statistically significant association between the clinically evident DVT or its absence and the diagnosis of PE with p-value 0.278. The association between the presence of PE and positive doppler ultrasound for DVT were significant with p-value of 0.023. There was a significant association between the presence of PE and sinus tachycardia with p-value of <0.001, and negative correlation with the classical ECG changes. Conclusion: There was no seasonal variation in the distribution of PE. There was significant association between the presence of PE and positive doppler ultrasound for DVT. Sinus tachycardias were commonly present with acute PE. We need to have more sophisticated facilities for proper diagnosis of PE.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is frequently encountered among younger ages during last decades in both developed and developing countries largely contributed to the increasing degree and prevalence of obesity in such ages. Objective: To determine the frequency of T2D in patients younger than 40 years at Northern Iraq. Methods: Retrospectively a total of 9331 patients were studied consisted of 3471 males and 5860 females with diabetes mellitus (DM) at two settings in Northern Iraq in a period from January 2009 – January 2015. Demographic measurements and clinical evaluation were performed for all patients. The diagnosis of DM and its types was depended on the clinical background and confirmed by plasma glucose level measurement. The data from all patients were assessed and statistically analyzed. Results: T2D contributed by 8704 (93.3%) of total number of study sample. The mean values for body weight and body mass index for T2D were higher than those of T1D patients (78.0±14.2, and 30.93±5.42 vs. 56.1±22.6 and 23.72±6.89) respectively. The female to male ratio in T2D was approximately 1.73:1.00. Out of 8704 patients with T2D, almost 2134 (24.52%) patients were ≤ 39 years of age. Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes appears to be seen more frequently in younger age groups in Northern Iraqi society in parallel to increased rate of obesity particularly in adolescent and children. Keywords: Diabetes in young, obesity and diabetes, type 2 diabetes. Citation: Alhabbo DJ, Saeed ID, Khalaf YA. Frequency of type 2 diabetes in young age groups in Northern Iraq. Iraqi JMS. 2018; Vol. 16(1): 66-73. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.16.1.10

Objectives:To examine the prevalence of osteoporosis in steroid dependent asthma. To compare it with non-asthmatic patients who use steroid for different diseases and with a third group of patients who were referred for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for various complaints and they never used steroid. Patients and methods:The study involved 70 asthma patients (12 males and 58 females) on oral corticosteroids and /or inhaled steroid, with their mean age of 48.94 with SD±13.49, 40 non asthmatic patients (3 males and 37 females) on oral steroid with their mean age of 53.93 with SD±13.02 and 47 patients as control one male and 46 females who are neither asthmatic nor using steroids, their mean age of 52.47 with SD±9.76. All patients and controls were studied in the outpatient department in Ibn Sena Teaching Hospital. All patients and controls had their bone mineral density (BMD) measurement done by using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results: The effects of weight on the development of osteopenia or osteoporosis indicate no statistically significant effects on the development of osteopenia or osteoporosis. The doses of steroids in osteoporotics showed no statistically significant difference between asthmatics and non-asthmatics. In osteopenia in both groups indicates statistically significant differences between them in favour of asthmatics over nonasthmatics. The duration of treatment with steroids for asthmatics and non-asthmatics indicates that, in osteoporotics asthmatics and non-asthmatics there were statistically significant difference between them, in favour of asthmatics over non-asthmatics, so as in osteopenics. Patients with asthma who take inhaled steroid only, indicates that the higher dose of inhaled steroids lead to osteoporosis with statistically significant difference between those who developed osteopenia or osteoporosis. We compared the DEXA scan score values (T-scores and Z-score values) of asthmatics and nonasthmatics in the entire sample in this study. There were statistically significant differences between asthmatics and non-asthmatics (including the controls) with p-value for the T-scores and Z-score of (0.000, 0.000) respectively. Conclusion: asthma should be regarded as independent risk factor for the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Steroid dose should be monitored. Adequate vitamin D supplement as preventive measures is well recognized factor in osteoporosis and osteopenia of all causes.

The primary component of natural gas is methane (CH 4 ). It also contains ethane (C 2 H 6 ), propane (C 3 H 8 ), butane (C 4 H 10 ), and other sulfur containing gases, in varying concentrations.Suicide by domestic gas was forming more than 40 percent of the annual number of suicides in England and Wales in 1963.Jarvis et al. reported that women using gas stoves had double the respiratory problems of women cooking on electric stoves. I am reporting three cases of accidental cooking gas intoxication, with history of unconsciousness, with or without convulsion. The two males among our patients presented were ended up with neurological deficits like abnormal movements, disorientation and irritability. The 3 rd patient recovered more or less completely but still she was complaining from mild weakness in the lower limbs. Natural gas carries an important cause of respiratory and neurological illnesses if the patients are exposed to it for enough time.

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