Al-Kindy College Medical Journal

Background: Infantile hypertrophic pyloric
stenosis affects 0.5 – 3.0 per 1000 live birth and it is
the most common surgical cause of vomiting in
infancy.
Objective: To analyze variable peri-natal factors
that may be involved in the etiology of infantile
hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
Methods: Over a two year's period, from January
2000 – December 2001, 31 cases of infantile
hypertrophic pyloric stenosis were evaluated for
variable peri-natal risk factors in AL-Eskan central
child teaching hospital for children.
Results: The 31 cases studied were 77.4% males
and 48.4% at three weeks of age. And of all cases,
51.6% were breast fed with a blood group (O) being
the predominant in 54.8%.
Normal vaginal delivery was in 80.6% of cases. All
infants 100% had vomiting, and 48.4% of them
presented with Jaundice and only 16.1% had
constipation. There were no significant correlations
between age and pyloric mass size, age and presence
of jaundice or between pyloric mass size and the
presence of jaundice.
Conclusion: Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
is a common condition affecting young infants and its
etiology remains unknown, more genetic and
environmental factors should be investigated in the
future.

Background: Trauma is one of the most common
clinical problems that confront the maxillofacial
surgeon and radiologist alike. Middle third facial
fractures are diagnosed primarily on the bases of
clinical examination and plain radiographs than can
result in much preoperative speculation.
Objective: To assess the advantages of spiral
computerized tomography over conventional
radiography in the pre-surgical evaluation of middle
third facial fractures.
Methods: Thirty patients with thirty-eight facial
fractures were studied, all patients were examined
clinically, by plain radiography and then by spiral CT.
Results: Of the 38 middle-third fractures, 16
(42.1%) were zygomatic fractures, 8 (21.1%) were
LeFort fractures, 6 (15.8%) were residual deformities,
4 (10.5%) were orbital blow-out fractures and 4
(10.5%) were naso-ethmoidal injuries.
Conclusion: Improved diagnosis of fracture lines,
specific patterns of comminution in mid-face
fractures, direction of displacement of fracture
fragments and the associated soft tissue changes made
possible with spiral CT.

Background: It is well known that oral carriage
of Candida species increase in many situations, like
obesity, debility, leukemia, viral infection, use of
certain drugs in addition to diabetes mellitus.
Objective: find the relation between diabetes and
its control on oral carriage of Candida.
Methods: Thirty four hundred oral swabs from
diabetic patients 67% are females and 33% are
males, 41.7% are type 1 diabetes and 58.3% are type
2.different culture media are used.
Results: we found that 37.9% of diabetics had oral
carriage, older age group had more but the
difference is not significant statistically P>0.05, in
addition females carry more Candida than males
P<0.05, while type of diabetes had no effect on oral
carriage we found that control of diabetes had
significant effect P<0.01.
Conclusion: There is high carriage rate of
Candida species in oral cavity of diabetic patients
37.9%, the rate of carriage increase in females and
those with poor control. Candida albicans is the most
common type with all the associated factors

Background: Zinc is involved in a variety of
metabolic processes and it has a well known
antioxidant activity, so the measurement of its serum
level can have a special value in several diseases.
Objectives: The study is designed to determine the
serum zinc level in heart failure patients and to
compare it with that of healthy individuals and to
study the significance of the results obtained.
Methods: Atomic absorption spectrometer
technique was used to determine serum zinc level in
fifty heart failure patients and fifty healthy individuals
who were age and sex matched.
Results: The mean serum zinc level in healthy
individuals was about 45.5% greater than that of heart
failure patients. This difference was statistically
significant.
Conclusion: The reduced serum zinc level in heart
failure patients could be an acceptable risk factor for
the development and/or deterioration of heart failure
and therefore its correction might have a positive
effect on management and prognosis of such patients