Al-Ameed Journal for Medical Research and Health Sciences

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is often diagnosed incidentally, and detection of bacteria in urine can
lead to unnecessary antibiotic use, may aggravate antimicrobial resistance. To our knowledge, no prior study has
focused on the dual presence of pus and epithelial cells (PEDP) and its diagnostic value.
Objective: To evaluate the importance of Pus/Epithelial Cells Counts in diagnosis of ABU and UTI.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted on (140) females, divided into two groups: 70 with UTI and 70
apparently healthy controls, 28 had ABU and 42 had sterile urine cultures, with age ranging from (18 to over 58) years.
Urine samples underwent general urine examination and bacteriological culture.
Results: Positive bacterial growth occurred in 57.1 % of UTI patients and 40 % of controls (ABU). E. coli was the most
frequent in both groups. PEDP analysis showed that 61.4 % of UTI cases represented true infections, while 38.6 % were likely contamination (defined as presence of pus or epithelial cells alone according to culture results). E. coli was
strongly associated with true infections, whereas S. epidermidis was more common in contamination. In the ABU group, 100 % of true infections showed bacteria in urine, with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 100.0 %, 60.0 %, 68.4 %, and 100.0 %, respectively. In the UTI group, these values were 90.6 %, 63.2 %, 67.4 %, and 88.9 %, respectively.
Conclusion: PEDP could be used to differentiation of true infection from contamination in patients with UTI.
Combining microscopic bacterial detection with PEDP improves diagnostic accuracy for ABU and UTI in females.

Background: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the large arteries, a buildup of fatty plaque inside the
arteries, leading to narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels.
Objective: Find the relation of leptin and insulin resistance in clinical-subclinical coronary atherosclerosis and its
relationship with diabetes mellitus.
Material and method: The cross-sectional study includes 90 males with a mean age of 33.00 ± 6.131. They were used in
the present study and divided into 45 patients with clinical coronary atherosclerosis, with a mean age of 34.500 ± 4.949, and 45 patients with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, with a mean age of 32.250 ± 7.228, with ages ranging from 20 to 60 years. Serum concentrations of leptin (LEP), insulin (INS), and C-peptide (C-P) were measured using commercially available ELISA kits (Elabscience, Wuhan, China), following the manufacturers’ protocols. All assays were based on the sandwich ELISA principle, where specific antibodies pre-coated onto microplate wells captured the target analytes.
Subsequently, biotinylated detection antibodies and Avidin-HRP conjugates (or HRP-conjugated antibodies) were
added, forming an immune complex. After washing to remove unbound components, a substrate solution was added,
producing a colorimetric reaction. The absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at 450 ± 2 nm. The concentrations of the biomarkers were calculated by comparing the optical density (OD) of the samples to the standard curve. HOMA-IR is calculated by the equation HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model of Insulin Resistance) ¼ (Insulin (μU) * Glucose (mg/dl)) ÷ 405.
Result: The result found a highly significant increase (p ≤ 0.01) in leptin, C-peptide, and HOMA-IR (223.963 ± 66.507,
123.614 ± 32.939, and 2.137 ± 1.059, respectively) in clinical atherosclerosis patients compared to the subclinical
atherosclerosis group (93.112 ± 12.853, 40.291 ± 9.174, and 0.760 ± 0.091, respectively). Significant increases (p ≤ 0.01) in
random glucose, insulin, and HbA1C and lipid profiles revealed significant increases (p ≤ 0.01) in TC, TG, LDL, and
VLDL in clinical atherosclerosis as compared to subclinical atherosclerosis. Leptin showed the highest diagnostic ac
curacy with an AUC of 99.111 %, sensitivity of 91.121 %, and specificity of 97.678 % at a cutoff value of 125.148 pg/ml.
Similarly, HOMA-IR also exhibited excellent predictive performance (AUC 97.037 %, sensitivity 91.111 %, specificity
97.778 %), suggesting its strong association with advanced atherosclerotic changes. In contrast, HbA1c showed lower
diagnostic power (AUC 68.370 %, sensitivity 71.111 %, specificity 60.000 %), indicating it may be less reliable as a
standalone biomarker for atherosclerosis.
Conclusion: The increase in serum Leptin and HOMA-IR in Atherosclerosis patients are related to early predicting
cardiovascular complications.

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting reproductive-aged women. It has been associated with metabolic disturbances that may increase the risk of hypertension.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCOS and hypertension, with a particular focus on
anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as a potential biomarker.
Methods: A case-control involving women aged 15—45 years (mean of age 28.666 ± 6.837) years, divided into two
groups n ¼45 (meanofage 31.689 ± 6.842) used as controls and n ¼ 45 patients (mean of age 24.644 ± 5.390), The serum LH, FSH, insulin, prolactin, and testosterone were measured using ELISA.
Result: A significant increase (p ≤ 0.01) was observed in diastolic pressure in PCOS patients (8.04 ± 0.82) compared to
the control group (7.40 ± 0.54), No significant difference was observed in systolic blood pressure on hormonal parameters found elevated in AMH in patient (2386.14 ± 530.09) compared to control (895.01 ± 198.18), prolactin, testosterone, and LH, and a significant decrease observed in FSH.
Conclusion: Obesity, low-grade inflammation, and hyperinsulinemia are prevalent in PCOS, which leads to an in
crease in hypertension that makes women with PCOS more likely to develop hypertension and cardiovascular com
plications.

Background: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Simvastatin was
recognized as a new candidate that exhibits a variety of neuroprotective effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that have the ability to inhibit neuronal hyperexcitability and seizure susceptibility.
Aim: The purpose of this study is to assess the possible anticonvulsant action of simvastatin in the mouse seizure
model.
Material and methods: The eighteen adult albino mice (25—30 g) were allotted randomly to three groups (n ¼ 6). Thirty
minutes before the induction of convulsion, the groups received different intraperitoneal pretreatments: Group 1:
Distilled water (0.1 ml), Group 2: Diazepam (1 mg/kg), Group 3: Simvastatin (10 mg/kg). Convulsions were induced in
all the mice through intraperitoneal administration of lidocaine hydrochloride (75 mg/kg). The animals exhibited
drowsiness, ataxia, loss of righting reflex, convulsions and incipient convulsive periods.
Results: Results show that simvastatin significantly delayed the onset of convulsions compared to the induction group and reduced their duration compared to the induction and diazepam groups. Compared to the induction and diazepam groups, it delayed the onset of drowsiness, ataxia and loss of righting reflex.
Conclusions: Simvastatin displayed an anticonvulsant effects in this experimental model, and thus it might have a
beneficial influence on hyperlipidemic patients suffering from epilepsy.

Background: Type II diabetes mellitus is commonly related to diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPNP), which manifests as a gradual progression of damage to the peripheral nerves after excluding other causes. As initial alterations may lie hidden, focus has moved to easy crude markers. Neuron-specific Enolase (NSE) was chosen since it increases early after axonal injury, Whereas, Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) reflects neurotrophic activity.
Material and methods: A case control study was done on 45 cases of DPNP after diagnosing through a nerve conduction study (NCS), 48 diabetics without neuropathy DWNP and 45 healthy individuals. Ages ranged from 35 to 60. Neuropathy subjects were divided according to their DPNP severity into two groups. Sandwich and competitive ELISA determined serum NSE and NGF.
Results: A significant increase in NSE levels was observed with DPNP patients compared to controls (p ¼ 0.037,
OR ¼ 1.587). Patients with DPNP showed significant NGF disappearance (p ¼ 0.599, OR ¼ 1.005). Additionally, DPNP
patients had higher NSE levels (p ¼ 0.008, OR ¼ 1.529) and lower NGF levels (P ¼ 0.022, OR ¼ 0.982) compared to
DWNP patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed a correlation between study parameters and neuropathy ( p ¼ 0.013, OR ¼ 1.612) for NSE. DPNP and DWNP groups had AUC values of 0.723, 0.525 for NSE and NGF, respectively, on the ROC curve.
Conclusion: Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) biomarker was useful for diagnosis and prediction. Other biochemical
criteria for early prediction.
Aims: This study explored whether changes in serum NSE and NGF could provide early clues for predicting or
diagnosing diabetic peripheral neuropathy.