Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of vitamin D3 supplementation in Iraqi patients with chronic asthma.Methods: Forty-four candidate patients were diagnosed with asthma during their visit to hospital allocated as 20 patients assigned to receive conventional therapy for asthma and 24 patients assigned to receive conventional therapy for asthma plus 2000 I. U vitamin D3 tablet for three months period. Also, 30 apparently healthy subjects were included in the study as a control group. Pulmonary function test, serum 25-OH vitamin D levels, serum Interlukin-10 (IL-10) levels, serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured before and after three months therapy.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) one of the most common endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age, the pathogenesis of PCOS imitated to be as a vicious cycle involving both hyperandrogenaemia and insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is common among women with PCOS (approximately 67%–85% women with PCOS have VDD). Vitamin D3 and CoQ10 could affect glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity and improve metabolic abnormalities in PCOS. The study was designed to evaluate the effect of combining oral vitamin D3 tablet or CoQ10 capsule with clomiphene citrate on metabolic biomarkers in women with clomiphene citrate resistance PCOS patients. A prospective interventional randomized-controlled, open-label study include 41 PCOS patients aged range (18-34)years who are clomiphene citrate resistant divided into two groups, group 1 (n=24)  whose endogenous vitamin D status less than 20ng/ml receive clomiphene citrate 100mg daily(for 5 days monthly induction) plus vitamin  D 10000IU daily (2 months) and group 2 (n=17) whose endogenous vitamin D status equal or more than 20ng/ml receive clomiphene citrate 100mg daily(for 5 days monthly induction) plus CoQ10 200mg daily (2 months). Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and 2 months after intervention to measure metabolic biomarkers [fasting serum insulin (FSI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI)]. After 2 months both interventions result in non-significant change in FSI and FBG while HOMA-IR and QUICKI decreased by both interventions, but the decrease is significant only with CoQ10 supplementations. In conclusion, Vitamin D and CoQ10 supplementation result in improvement in HOMA-IR and QUICKI but the improvement was more obvious in CoQ10 group.

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Background: Diarrhea is a main cause of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years old. Globally it is responsible for approximately four billion cases and three million deaths annually. In developing countries, it causes two million deaths each year. The major causative organism is rotavirus which is responsible for one-third of hospitalizations with approximately 40% mortality. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and demographic characteristics of rotavirus infection in Babylon city, Iraq. Materials and Methods: Fecal samples were taken from children with age range of 6 months to 5 years complained of diarrhea during the period beginning in October 2016 till August 2017. The age, gender, residence, the type of feeding, place of the sample collection and duration of diarrhea were recorded. Specimens were analyzed by Latex test for detection of rotavirus. Results: A total of 349 children presented with diarrhea, the rotavirus antigen was detected in 169 fecal specimens from children with diarrhea (48%). More percentages of positive rotavirus specimens were seen in the 5year of age. No gender differences were observed, meanwhile samples obtained from rural areas and breastfed children showed less rotavirus positive infection. Conclusion: The present study confirms that rotavirus infection is still currently a prevalent gastroenteritis causative agent and required careful clinical attention. Pediatricians and health care providers are needed to be encouraged to take into account the children who at risk for developing rotavirus infection including age, residence and type of feeding.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease, usually characterized by chronic airway inflammation together with increased oxidative stress that lead to clinical symptoms of asthma.    Obesity is a known risk factor of asthma as the obesity is correlated with systemic inflammation and airway restriction. Curcumin, a natural product derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (Turmeric), has a wide range of beneficial properties including anti-inflammatory and weight reducing agent. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of curcumin as supplement therapy on the pulmonary function, total and differential white blood cell count and metabolic status of chronic bronchial asthmatic patients. It is a prospective randomized controlled interventional study carried out on 40 patients visiting Al-Yarmouk teaching hospital and conducted from October 2017 to April 2018. The patients were allocated into group1; include 17 asthmatic patients assigned to receive conventional therapy for asthma alone, and group 2; include 23 asthmatic patients assigned to receive conventional therapy for asthma plus 750 mg curcumin capsule twice daily for two months. Results revealed significant improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) in group 2 patients after two months(P<0.01). The total white blood cell count didn’t show any difference after treatment except decrease in neutrophil count after curcumin supplement (p< 0.05). The leptin level and body mass index present with no significant difference in both groups after two months (p >0.05).

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of curcumin supplement as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in patients with chronic bronchial asthma. Forty patients diagnosed with chronic bronchial asthma were enrolled in this study and allocated into group (1) patients   assigned to receive conventional therapy of asthma, and group (2) patient assigned to receive conventional therapy of asthma combined with 750 mg curcumin supplement twice daily for two months. Pulmonary function test, asthma control test, serum interleukin-6 and serum extracellular super oxide dismutase 3 were measured before and after two months in both study groups. After two months, the mean values of pulmonary function test (spirometry) and asthma control score showed significant increase compared to pre-treatment values in group 2 patients (P<0.01). Moreover, there was marked decrease in the level of interleukin-6 in group 2 patients after two months (p< 0.05) compared to the increased in group 1 patients. The mean level of super oxide dismutase 3 didn’t show any increase in both study groups after treatment. Curcumin supplement produced improvement in pulmonary function of patients with chronic bronchial asthma along with the reduction in inflammatory status. No change in endogenous oxidative status after curcumin supplementation.

Objective: This study was designed to explore the benefit of curcumin as adjuvant therapy to the standard Helicobacter pylori eradication triple therapy in both duodenal and gastric ulcers patients.Methods: The present study enrolled 40 patients newly diagnosed endoscopically with peptic ulcer disease to be allocated into group 1 treated with standard H. pylori eradication triple therapy, and group 2 patients treated with curcumin (500 mg) capsules three times daily for 14 days as an adjuvant to standard triple therapy. Stool antigen test, immunoglobulin M serology test, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) are measured at the baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment. Results:The result showed that the use of curcumin as adjuvant therapy produced highly significant improvement in healing efficacy which was significantly distinguished in duodenal ulcer patients compared to gastric ulcer groups 2 patients (p<0.05), along with a highly significant reduction in pro-inflammatory IL-1β level in group 2 patients (p<0.01). After 6 weeks of treatment, there was a highly significant elevation in the level of TNF-α in groups 1 (p<0.01), though group 2 patients presented with non-significant elevation in TNF-α level. Moreover, the T-AOC was improved with curcumin adjuvant therapy, though non-significant, compared to group 1 patients who showed a reduction in T-AOC. Conclusion:This study revealed that addition of curcumin as adjuvant therapy produced improvement in ulcer healing efficacy, and controlled the inflammatory and oxidative stress process induced by H. pylori infection.