Annals of the College of Medicine Mosul

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a condition resulting from the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma Gondii, which can impact the health of humans and animals in various ways.
Aim: This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of T. Gondii in females and to identify the risk factors associated with urban and rural areas within Duhok Province, Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Methods: In this study, 211 females of different ages attended medical laboratories in urban and rural areas of Duhok province from December 2023 to February 2024. Blood samples were used to detect specific anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using serological tests.
Results: In the current study, the total Seropositive toxoplasma antibodies IgG and IgM rate was 31.75% in urban and rural areas, with seropositivity of 3.79% in IgM and 27.96% in IgG. Urban seropositive of anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG was recorded in 1.58% and 23.01%, with rural seropositive of anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG in 7.05% and 35.29% respectively. Regarding the age groups, high seropositivity of IgM and IgG in urban areas was recorded in the age group of ≤ 20 years, whereas in rural areas, the high IgM and IgG seropositive were shown respectively in the age groups of 21-30 and 31-40 years.
Conclusion: Based on the study's findings, we can conclude that factors like stray cats, increased contact with contaminated soil, farming, caring for cattle or hens, dietary and culinary practices, and personal cleanliness are all responsible for the higher frequency of infection in rural areas.

Background: Reference ranges of thyroid-stimulating hormones are needed for diagnosing and monitoring children's thyroid disorders based on age and sex.
Aims: The main objective of this study is to establish thyroid-stimulating hormone reference ranges for healthy children below five years old in Nineveh province, Iraq, based on age and sex.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on one hundred sixty-six healthy children (84 males, 82 females, aged from 2 days to 5 years), and their blood samples were collected at Ibn Al-Atheer and AL-Khansaa Teaching Hospital at Nineveh, Iraq, from October 2023 - March 2024. They were divided into three groups: G1=0–1 months, G2= 1–12 months, and G3=1–5 years. Serum TSH was measured using the enzyme-linked fluorescent assay method (ELFA) by Biomerieux Mini Vidas.
Result: Because of the non-normally distributed data of TSH, reference values were determined using the 2.5% and 97.5 % percentiles. Highly significant difference (p<0.02) among mean TSH(µIU/ml) of G 1(5.57±7.86), G 2 (2.67±1.80) and G 3 (2.64±1.72) for males and highly significant difference (p<0.001) among mean TSH G 1(6.01±5.94), G 2 (2.18±1.82) and G 3 (2.91±1.71)for females.
Conclusions: Higher TSH values are encountered in the G1 with no sex difference of mean TSH, yet the 2.5th%-97.5th% percentile for males is evidently higher than that of females of similar age groups.