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Introduction: Influenza is an acute viral infection with significant morbidity and mortality. It occurs annually each winter, which is called seasonal influenza, and is preventable through safe vaccine. Aim: The aim of this work is to know the epidemiological pattern of patients with seasonal influenza in Iraqi sentinel sites. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was carried out on records of patients who attended four sentinel sites and registered to have influenza‐like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), and laboratory investigated. Results: The total number of cases was 1124; 36.2% of them aged 19–39 years; 53.9% were female; 74.9% lived in urban areas; 64.3% diagnosed as ILI; and 35.7% as SARI; 15.9% had diabetes, 12.7% had heart disease, 4.8% had asthma, 3% had a chronic lung disease, and 2% had hematological disease; 94.6% did not get influenza vaccine. About COVID‐19 vaccine, 69.4% were not vaccinated, 3.5% got only one dose, and 27.1% completed two doses. Only the SARI cases needed admission; among them, 95.7% were cured. 6.5% were diagnosed with influenza‐A virus, 26.1% had COVID‐19, and 67.5% were negative. Among those with influenza, 97.3% had H3N2 subtype and 2.7% had H1N1 pdm09. Conclusions: The percentage of influenza virus in Iraq is relatively small. The age, classification of case (ILI or SARI), having diabetes, heart disease, or immunological disease, and taking COVID‐19 vaccine have a significant association with influenza. Recommendations: It is needed for similar sentinel sites in other health directorates and for rising health education about seasonal influenza and its vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is conducted to test the efficacy of the effect of different concentrations of the aqueous extract of the fungus Aspergillus flavus and the aqueous extract of the (wolf grape plant) Solanum nigrum (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) on adults of the (red rusty flour beetle) Tribolium castaneum, and the study revealed the following: The superiority of S.nigrum aqueous extract, it represents the killing rate, and this is due to the cumulative effect of the toxic substances in the extract at 100% concentrations. The lowest percentage kill after 24 hours of treatment is two of a concentration of 25%, and the lowest killing rate of plant extract is 2.67% in 24 hours. The use of the filtrate fungus A. flavus in terms of the killing percentage is slightly lower, around 9% at 100% concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement of chest expansion is one of the important steps in clinical examination of respiratory system and this can be done by chest palpation with hands or more accurately by using of tape measure. Assessment of chest expansion can give an important idea about different disorders in the thoracic cage or in the lung itself by detection of any limitation of chest expansion. Also it used for evaluation of progression and treatment response of many pulmonary, neurological and rheumatological diseases. In number of famous clinical text books the lower normal limit of chest expansion is 5 cm but we suggest that the reference range of chest expansion is varied in different races. In this study 130 healthy non smoker volunteers living in al-Muthanna governorate, 65 females(50%) and 65 males(50%), were involved by measuring of their chest expansion with tape measure at level of the fourth intercostal space for two times and best reading was taken for each participant. The body weight of the participants in this study range from 52 kg to 86 kg in females and from 50 kg to 90 kg in males. According to this study normal range of chest expansion was(2-5 cm) (mean=3.35cm,SD=0.685) for females and (2 - 5.5cm)(mean=3.38 cm, SD=0.734) for males where the best result was in athletics. There is age wise reduction of chest expansion for both male and female where the mean chest expansion in 18-34 years age group is 3.74 cm for female and 3.72 for male, in 35-64 years age group is 3.57 cm for female and 3.66 cm for male and in those of 65 years and more is 2.63 cm for female and 2.66 for male. So the chest expansion lower normal limit of participants in this study (as sample of Iraqi people) is vary from other reference ranges. This can be explained by the difference of life style and genetic factors between societies and we should not depend on same reference range for chest expansion in deferent races. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Klebsiella spp. are gram-negative bacteria that are considered serious public health problems causing urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, pneumonia infections, and soft tissue infections. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of Klebsiella oxytoca ( K. oxytoca ) among clinical samples and determine their resistance against various antimicrobial medicines with molecular identification of K. oxytoca by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique using a specific sequence of pehX gene. A total of 250 clinical samples including throat, wound, and vaginal swabs were obtained. Participants were of both genders and different ages. The samples were streaked on the blood and MacConkey agars. Antibiotic sensitivity test was made by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Molecular identification of K. oxytoca was performed for all isolates. Out of 250 clinical samples, K. oxytoca was reported in 32 (12.8%) cases. The highest prevalence was observed in 18(18%) cases of throat swabs, 16 (16%) cases of wound swabs, and 6 (6%) cases of vagina swabs. By the way, female cases were more affected 22 (14.5%) with K. oxytoca than male cases 10 (10.10%). Infected participants aged 15-40 years were more affected with K. oxytoca (23, 12.73%) compared to patients aged 41-65 years (9, 9.67%). The highest resistance pattern of K. oxytoca was 100% against Augmentin, Ampicillin, Cephalothin, Piperacillin, and Rifampin on one hand, and 62.50%, 59.37%, 53.12%, 53.12%, and 50% against Ceftazidime, Cefixime, Cefotaxime, Trimethoprim, and Aztreonam on the other hand, respectively. The highest sensitivity was observed against Amikacin and Imipenem (9.37%) and it was 21.87%, 21.87%, 25%, 25%, 28.12%, 28.12%, and 28.12% against Meropenem, Chloramphenicol, Nalidixic acid, Ciprofloxacin, Tobramycin, Gentamicin, and Doxycycline, respectively. Through molecular identification of K. oxytoca , all isolates showed a PCR product with 344-bp specific primer (pehX) that performed the K. oxytoca ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Klebsiella Pneumoniae is globally responsible for hospital- and community-acquired infections. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of K. pneumoniae and investigate the antibiotic resistance profile among clinical specimens at Azadi Teaching Hospital in Kirkuk, Iraq, and detect the rpoB  gene for molecular identification of  K. pneumoniae  in comparison with phenotypic and biochemical methods. In total, 250 clinical specimens were collected from patients in Azadi Teaching Hospital in Kirkuk, Iraq, between January 2018 and May 2018. The isolates were identified by morphologic and biochemical testing. Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used in the antibiotics susceptibility test. Following that, 19 (7.6%) K. pneumoniae isolates were isolated from 250 clinical specimens (5 [5.61%] and 14 [8.69%] from males and females, respectively), and most of them (n=12; 11.76%) were isolated from the age group of 10-35 years old. The isolates were reported high resistance towards various types of antibiotics, especially penicillins and cephalosporins. In contrast, K. pneumoniae showed very low resistance to imipenem and amikacin (5.26% and 10.52%, respectively). The range of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates in this study was estimated at 100%. In gene detection, all isolates in this study showed PCR product with 108 bp by K. pneumonia specific primer ( rpoB ). Developed antibiotic policies and regular surveillance of antibiotic susceptibility patterns may help to overcome the indiscriminate use of antibiotics that is a major cause of the emergence of drug resistance among pathogens.