Al-Salam Journal for Medical Science

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a heterogeneous, symmetrical chronic autoimmune inflammation of body
joints, it infects the population with a ratio reaching 1% of the population's world, and it can lead to bone erosion
and deformities, and finally damage. Smoking is one of the important factors that increase the risk of RA infections
by aiding in citrullinated protein production, CRP increases in RA patients and binds with the severity of the
disease. The aim of the study is to evaluate the CRP and smoking effects on RA patients. 150 blood samples were
taken; 100 for RA patients and 50 for healthy control, the patients were taken from the Baghdad Teaching Hospital
/ Rheumatologically Consulting Clinic in the period from November 2021 to February 2022. The ages of patients
range from 22 to 72 years old, and 26 to 62 years old was the age range of the healthy controls. 2ml of venous
blood was taken in a gel tube for the CRP test by agglutination method. The result of the current study shows a
highly significant differences between the RA patients and control groups in family history and CRP. While, it
shows a non-significant difference for smoking. The conclusion of the current study was that CRP and family
history associate with rheumatoid arthritis, and the smoking is not associate with RA disease.

The focus of the current investigation was applied on determining the presence of ferric
yersiniabactin uptake A (fyuA) virulence gene and identifying the antibiotic resistance properties in biofilm
forming Escherichia coli isolated from recurrent urinary tract infection patients and healthy individuals.
In the Microbiology laboratory at Al Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, 20 (16 females and 4 males) UTIdiagnosed patient urine and stool samples, as well as 20 (10 females and 10 males) healthy individual stool
samples, were collected. The samples were exposure to series test including O and H antigen based identification
using an antibody (polyvalent and monovalent)-directed agglutination test, antibiotic sensitivity testing using the
Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method, Congo-red agar method-based biofilm formation identification, and virulence
gene identification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Results: 40 and 20 strains were discovered from UTI
patients and healthy persons, respectively, in which O serogroups were found in 7(35%) and 3(15%) of those
strains, respectively. Furthermore, only two strains of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (O157 H7) and enteroaggregative
E. coli (O44 H7) were found in the UTI-based urine samples. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected in 60% of
the biofilm positive producers (BPPs) isolated from UTI urine samples; however, only 20% of the biofilm negative
producers (BNPs) isolated from UTI urine samples displayed MDR features. In the instance of virulence genes, a
link was shown between fyuA (a gene that codes for an outer-membrane protein called ferric yersiniabactin uptake)
and biofilm in 75% and 60% of UTI urine and stool strains, respectively, and in 55% of healthy individual stool
strains. The findings of the antibiotic sensitivity test revealed that the UTI strains were 90 percent, 100 percent, 65
percent, and 40 percent sensitive to imipenem, amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin, respectively.
Conclusion:The present research offers detailed information on the biofilm, virulence gene, and antibiotic
resistance features of Escherichia coli from recurrent urinary tract infection patients and healthy people.

A species from the genus Vibrio is the cause of the bacterial disease known as vibriosis. About 12
diseases from these species, which are found in a diverse range of aquatic and marine habitats among the more
than hundred species of the gene Vibrio, infect people. Vibriosis infections cause by Cholera and non-cholera.
cholera is a severe form of diarrhea that, if left untreated, can quickly be fatal. It is primarily spread through
contaminated water and direct personal contact. non-cholera Vibrio spp. such as (Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio
alginolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus) are generally contacted through exposure to sea water or by consuming
contaminated raw or undercooked seafood. Vibriosis incidence is favoured by climate change and rising
temperature seas and rivers water are although their concentration undergoes a notable increase in the warm
months due to favorable ecological conditions. Outbreak cholera and non-cholera in many countries of the world
but of Iraq only Vibrio cholera in human except one case reported in Basra which is Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In
the previous studies, it was show that other types of non-cholera Vibrio were isolated from Iraq shrimp in Basra
governorate. The purpose of this study is to show cases infection of cholera and non-cholera in human and animals
of Iraq.

Recently, slimming drugs have been used to get rid of excess weight and obesity, which consist of
chemical compounds of different compositions that vary in the degree of their safety on health from one compound
to another and have dangerous side effects on human life. 75 blood samples were collected from people who take
weight-loss drugs after being asked about their use of these drugs, and 25 samples from people who did not take
weight-loss drugs, a control group. The research samples were divided into categories of withdrawal, the duration
of abuse is less than a year, (1-2) years, (2-4) years and (4-6) years. Laboratory tests were conducted on them from
W.B.C count white blood cell, W.B.C differential, Packed Cell Volume P.C.V., R.B.C. count red blood cell,
serum. Total protein and hemoglobin Hb. The search results showed a significant decrease in W.B.C count
(P<0.05) in the abused groups in the period (1-2) and it was 7000 mm3 while the control sample was 82800 mm3
either in the periods (2-4) and (4-6) years. It was low 6977.7 mm³ compared to the control sample. It also showed a
significant increase in the rate of basophil and eosinophil preparation (P<0.05) in all periods, while a significant
decrease occurred in the rate of lymphocyte. It also found a significant decrease in R.B.C., serum total protein and
PCV. As for Hb, there was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in drug users compared to control samples for all
periods. We conclude that slimming drugs have harmful effects on those who take them and may cause greater
harm in the future in addition to the possibility of their effect on other organs and systems in the body if other
studies focus on that.

study aims to examine and compare the effects of amitriptyline and ashwagandha on body weight in
male rats by measurement weight for 4 weeks after their exposure to these two compound. Materials and
Methods: This study used twenty healthy adult male albino rats that were 8-10 weeks old and weighed 200-250g.
The animals were randomly divided to 4 groups (n= 5 /group), Group 1: were served as a control group received
distilled water orally (1.0ml/kg) group 2: were administered amitriptyline (10mg/kg/ orally) group 3: were
administered (200mg/kg) of ashwagandha root extract and group 4: were co-administered amitriptyline (10mg/kg)
and ashwagandha (200mg/kg). After 30 days of administration, The body weight was measured every week
starting from the first day of administration to last week of experimental for all rats. Results: According to the
one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) showed significant differences in growth value in the co-administered
Amitriptyline and ashwagandha group ( 1.48±0.09) significantly increased in comparison with control group (1.27
± 0.04) at week 4, otherwise, there is no significant differences in growth among groups at other periods at p value
≤0.05. Conclusion: Amitriptyline induced oxidative stress causing increased in body weight during experimental
periods. Administration ashwagandha alone non-significant effect on body weight but when co-administration with
amitriptyline significantly increase in body weight.