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Background: : Serum and sputum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels are correlated with asthma disease severity., Objective: : To establish a diagnostic accuracy of ECP and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum (indirectly) and sputum (directly) as inflammatory markers in asthma., Patients and Methods: : In a cross sectional study, 76 asthmatic patients with exacerbation were enrolled in the study. ECP was determined using enzyme linked immuno-assay., Results: : Asthmatic patients compared with control subjects, had a significant higher levels of ECP and LDH in sputum. Both sputum and serum ECP and LDH were reduced significantly with prednisolone treatment. FEV1 was inversely correlated with sputum ECP, serum ECP, and sputum LDH. A significant positive correlation was noted between sputum ECP and sputum LDH. Serum LDH does not demonstrate any significant correlations with other variables. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve showed that sputum ECP (0.92) was a significantly an accurate marker more than serum ECP (0.81), sputum (0.80) LDH, and serum (0.65) LDH. Furthermore, the area under curve was lower for serum ECP (0.81) than that for sputum ECP (0.92). However, serum ECP (0.81) was more accurate marker than serum LDH (0.65)., Conclusion: : Serum and sputum ECP as eosinophilic inflammatory markers are associated with poor asthma control. Sputum ECP and LDH were significantly an accurate markers more than serum ECP and LDH.

We sought to determine the prevalence of skin diseases in Iraq. Most such studies performed in Iraq have been hospital based. One community based study was performed in the southern area of Iraq but involved only an urban population. Our study was carried out in two Iraqi governorates, Tikrit and Kirkuk, and involved 1545 randomly selected households, 829 from urban areas and 716 from rural areas. The total sample size was 8000 individuals representing a wide range of ages, 3735 (47%) males and 4268 (53%) females. The overall prevalence of skin diseases was 27%. The rate was similar in males (27%) and females (27%), and in rural (28%) compared with urban (26%) areas. Dermatitis was the most common disease category (33%) in the community based population, and skin infections (32%) in the hospital based group. Community and hospital based studies demonstrate that skin diseases represent a major public health problem which may confer significant personal and financial burdens on Iraq.

Background: The evidence for a causal relationship between allergens and asthma depends on epidemiologic findings showing a strong association between specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies or total IgE and asthma., Objective: To clarify the relationship between total serum IgE levels and asthma., Study Design: A cross-sectional study., Patients and Methods: A total of 562 asthmatic patients were included in the study, and their age range was from 17 to 52 years. The subjects included in the study were outpatients from the Asthma and Allergy Centre or Samara General Hospital outpatients Clinic. The diagnosis of asthma was performed by a specialist physician and was established according to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute/World Health Organization (NHLBI/WHO) workshop on the Global Strategy for Asthma., Results: This study indicated that mean serum IgE level was 554 +/- 447 IU/mL in asthmatic patients, while that of the control population was 69 +/- 33 IU/mL. There was no overlap in the values of 95% confidence interval (CI) of higher control limit and lower asthmatic limit values. Addition of two standard deviations to the mean IgE value of the control group (134 IU/mL) does not overlap with the lower 95% CI of the asthmatic group. However, serum IgE was within normal values in 5.9% of asthmatic patients in our study population. There was an inverse correlation between serum IgE levels and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) predicted percent for patients with asthma (r = -0.73, p < 0.0001). The predictive value of serum IgE in asthma was determined using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve method. From the ROC curve, it can be seen that it is possible to get both high sensitivity and high specificity if the right cut-off value was chosen. In fact, a cut-off of 200 IU/mL would indicate sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 91% in this group of patients and control subjects. Following immunotherapy there was 36% reduction in total serum IgE level. The value of IgE was significantly reduced (p < 0.001) from 956 +/- 378 IU/mL at baseline to 613 +/- 194 IU/mL after treatment., Conclusion: Serum IgE level was predictive in asthma, and it may be used to differentiate between asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals in conjunction with other biomarkers. Specific immunotherapy reduced serum total IgE level in 36% of patients with asthma.

Objective: To estimate the predictive value of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration and pH as non-invasive markers in asthma., Methods: Fifty patients with unstable, steroid naive atopic asthma were included in the study, 25 with intermittent asthma and 25 with persistent asthma. Asthma diagnosis was according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was measured by computerized spirometry. The EBC H2O2 assay was carried out using the colorimetric assay. The study was conducted from January to December 2005 in the Asthma and Allergy Center, Tikrit, Iraq., Results: The EBC H2O2 concentration was higher in the asthmatic group (0.91 micromol) as compared with the control (0.23 micromol). There was an inverse correlation between EBC H2O2 concentration and FEV1 predicted percent for asthmatic patients. The mean EBC pH was lower in the asthmatic than the control group. There was a positive correlation between EBC pH and FEV1 predicted percent for asthmatic patients. There was an inverse correlation between EBC H2O2 concentration and pH for all asthmatic patients, intermittent, and persistent asthmatic groups., Conclusion: Exhaled breath condensate hydrogen peroxide concentration and pH was a good non-invasive marker for asthma, whether it was with a persistent or intermittent course.

A school survey of 4461 primary-school children was carried out. The epidemiological, clinical and mycological features of tinea capitis were recorded. Of 204 clinically diagnosed cases, mycological examination of hair and scalp scrapings gave positive results in 120, a prevalence of 2.7%. Of these 120, 56 were from urban schools and 64 from rural schools. The male to female ratio was 2:1. The prevalence of tinea capitis was higher in children with a low socioeconomic profile, i.e. low standard of living, poor hygiene, low level of parental education and overcrowded living conditions. Intrafamilial infection was found in 27.5% of cases and new settlers to the area accounted for 23.3% of total cases.