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Patients with thalassemia major are at high risk of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to the blood transfusion from donors infected by HCV. The purpose of this study was to study the correlation between some hematological parameters and liver function tests with viral hepatitis and to evaluate the ELISA and RT- PCR techniques for the diagnosis of HCV in thalassaemic patients. Blood samples from eighty patients with ß-thalassemia were subjected to the following tests: PCV, Hb concentration, liver function tests (GPT, GOT, Alkaline phosphatase). Serum samples from all patients were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus using ELISA test and for HCV RNA by the real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). It was shown that 67.5% of study patients were detected with a range of PCV 15-20%, whereas 100% of patients were detected with a range of Hb (5-9 g/dL). In addition, 98.8% of patients were detected with elevated liver enzymes. It was shown that 100% of patients revealed with positive ELISA anti-HCV antibodies in their serum specimens. Positive RT-PCR assay was detected in 86% of study patients. ELISA test was revealed with 14% false positive results. Thalassemia patients should be aware of the risks of viral infection during their blood transfusions, and those with chronic infections should beware of transmitting the infection to uninfected individuals.Thalassemia

Several studies have indicated that asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a frequent condition in diabetics and may lead to more severe urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study was conducted to determine the frequency of ASB in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as the identification of the bacterial etiology of ASB in addition to the antibiotic sensitivity profile in a group of Iraqi patients. A total of 100 individuals were included in this study, 50 diabetic outpatients and 50 non-diabetics as a control group. Mid-stream urine specimens were collected from patients and tested using the urine dipstick test, microscopy and culture tests. It was shown that 90% of diabetic patients were culture positive and 10% were culture negative for bacteria. On the other hand, it was observed that 90% of non-diabetics had no bacterial growth in their urine specimens. The most isolated organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (34%), Enterobacter aerogenes (28%), and Klebsiella spp (10%). It was observed that S. aureus was completely resistant to ampicillin (100%), while only 30% of these isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin. It was noted that S. aureus was the most isolated in the study, which is a clear change in the spectrum of the causative agent of these cases. Given the high prevalence of ASB in patients with type 2 diabetes, this study recommends that the diagnostic program for diabetic patients should include bacterial culture of their urine specimens to determine the antimicrobial resistance of isolated bacteria.

The majority of patients with Lupus Nephritis (LN) usually have abnormal findings of kidney function tests. Severe glomerular damage may be observed in some patients and requires prompt therapeutic interventions. High titer levels of anti-ds-DNA antibodies may correlate to some extent with disease activity in lupus nephritis patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between anti-ds-DNA antibody titers and abnormal kidney function tests in patients with lupus nephritis. A total of seventy patients with lupus nephritis and fifty healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected and labeled from study patients and controls for certain hematological, biochemical and immunological investigations. Anti-ds-DNA antibodies were tested by using IgG-ELISA test. It was shown that 74% of lupus nephritis patients showed positive results for anti-ds-DNA antibodies in their serum specimens (p-value