Heart rate and blood pressure responses to exercise testing in relation to age in healthy men

There are many circulatory changes that occur during exercise including the stimulatory effects on the circulation by the mass sympathetic discharge, the increased arterial pressure and cardiac output. To investigate the effect of aging process on the heart rate and blood pressure responses during exercise in normal Iraqi male subjects. The subjects involved in the study were normal healthy people, their total number was 80 persons all of them were males. They were grouped into three age groups; 20 < 29 years, 30 < 39 years and 40 < 50 years. Each subject performed the exercise on motor driven treadmill device. Testing was conducted at The Medical City Teaching Hospital-Treadmill and Echo unit. Blood pressure was measured indirectly by auscultation. The heart rate was determined by ECG. There was a significant differences in heart rate after the exercise between the three age groups, a significant differences in systolic blood pressure after the exercise between group2 and group3 was also noted, a non significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure among the three age groups and there was a significant increase in mean blood pressure between group 2 and group 3. There was a negative linear correlation between heart rate after the exercise and increasing age, while a positive linear correlation between systolic blood pressure and increasing age was found and there was a positive linear correlation between age and the mean blood pressure after the exercise

Evaluation of the sensation of hearing false mobile sounds [phantom ring tone; ringxiety] in individuals

The annoying feeling of mistakenly thinking that you can hear your mobile phone ringing. This audio illusion is familiar and unnerving sensation is so widespread and now it has an official name: ringxiety. This study was conducted to determine whether [Ringxiety] is common among Iraqi people and its correlation with age, sex, education, mobile type, and mobile using time. Two hundred adult persons of either sex with a mean age of 20 +/- 3 years were asked to answer a questioner with 14 questions. The results of this study revealed that 73% of the individual involved experienced the phenomenon of ringxiety from time to time, in addition to 4% who experienced frequent ringxiety. Significant correlations were found between this sign and using mobile for more than 30 minutes per day and also a significant correlation was found between mobile addicts and ringxiety [P value<0.05]. 42% of studied subjects experienced mobile vibration mistakenly feeling, which occurs always with ringxiety but not the reverse. This sign was only correlated with the high mobile using time. No association was found between ringxiety and age, education, type of ring tone, or short messages [SMS] using. This study has proved that ringxiety is common among mobile users and could be one of the effects of radio waves or just a malfunction of the brain due to the life heavy duties. Ringxiety might cause discomfort or loss of concentration during car driving or using dangerous machine

Serum level of aflatoxin B1 in hepatitis C virus infected patients in Alexandria, Egypt, with or without Cirrhosis and HCC

Objective: To study the relation between serum level of Aflatoxin B1 [AFB1] and Hepatitis C Virus [HCV] infection with or without complications, i.e., cirrhosis and Hepatoceiiuiar Carcinoma [HCC]

Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study inctuded 270 tients attending the University of Alexandria Student Hospital, divided into two groups: first group [n=135] HCV seropositive with raised liver enzymes [ALT and AST], 58 ot them are proved to be cirrhotic by ultra-sound, 14 of them suffer HCC. Comparative second group [n=135] are HCV seronegative, randomly chosen and matched with the other group. Both groups were questioned, clinically examined and serum level of AFB1 was measured using the indirect ELISA technique

Results: Mean serum level of AFB1 among HCV cases was significantly much higher than controls [358.1+/-394.6 ng/ml] vs. [129.5+/-169.3 ng/ml], p=0.000. Mean serum level of AFBt was higher in cases suffer HCC than cirrhotic patients and than HCV non-cirrhotic patients [618.1+/-667.7 , 460.4+/-486.0 and 281.0+/-288.7 ng/ml, respectively. There was no relation between serum level of AFB1 and Sex, age, residence, socioeconomic level, and liver enzymes level in both groups

Conclusion: HCV infected individuals are facing a great risk to devetop long term hepatic complications especially HCC, AFB1 exposure as a known carcinogen is an additional risk. Strict national measures against Atlatoxin contamination of tood are to be considered in countries with high prevalence of hepatic virus C and B as well

Demographic characteristics and history of risky exposure among acute leukaemic children in Alexandria, Egypt

Objective: To determine the demographic characteristics and history of risky exposures among acute leukaemic children in Alexandria

Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study started Nov. 2004 for one year duration, included 163 cases [all acute leukaemic cases attended in and out-patient of Alexandria University Paediatric Hospital, either newly diagnosed or for follow up, and who are below the age of 15]. Questionnaire sheet was completed by interview with patient's mothers including demographic data, known environmental risk factors, and maternal reproductive history. Medical records of cases were reviewed as well

Results: Most cases [84.7%] suffer B-Iineage acute lymphoblastic type, T-Iineage, and acute non-Iymphoblastic types and counts for 13.5% and 1.8%, respectively. Commonest age group for disease onset was [3-5 years = 31.3%], mean age of onset [5.1+/-2.6] years. 58.3% of cases were males, males to females ration was 1.4:1.69.3% of cases are from rural areas. 65.6% are of low socioeconomic level. Most encountered risky exposures were recurrent intake of drugs, exposure to X-ray, insecticides, electro-magnetic fields, repeated infections, close parents consanguinity, and family history of cancer. The percent of these factors were [48.5%, 13.5%, 26.3%, 13.5%, 35.6%, 23.3% and 16.5%], respectiveiy

Conclusion: The study is an update of acute childhood leukaemia demographic characteristics, counts for cases and their clinical types, and mentions of the current risky exposures. It document that many factors are implicated in the etiology of this relatively not uncommon disease

cognitive cost of iron deficiency and parasitic infection in adolescent girls

Iron deficiency anemia in infants can cause developmental problems. However, the relationship between iron status and cognitive achievement in older children is less clear. The objective of the present work was to study the impact of iron deficiency and parasitic infection on cognitive functions and scholastic achievement of adolescent girls. The study recruited 180 adolescent girls aged 11-16 years. Two iron tests were used; haemoglobin concentration and serum ferritin. Cognitive functions were assessed using The Standardized Arabic Version of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children [WISC] while data on scholastic achievement was collected through school records. Stool was examined using Kato-Katz technique. The study revealed that 43.3% had anaemia of different degrees, 48.3% had decreased level [<12 micro g/l] of serum ferritin; [82.8%] of them had progressed to iron deficiency anaemia [IDA]. 22.4% of the studied sample had parasitic infection; mostly Ascaris lumbricoides [8.6%]. The mean cognitive scores of iron-deficient girls with and without anaemia were significantly lower than the control group on the studied subtests of WISC [similarity, comprehension, picture arrangement, and digit symbol tests], while parasitic infection only affected the similarity subtest. The scholastic achievement was insignificantly affected by neither iron deficiency nor parasitic infection. Thus screening for iron deficiency, particularly for those without anemia, might be warranted for high-risk groups. Furthermore, a randomized trial will be needed to evaluate the effect of iron therapy on cognitive scores

Insulin and glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies in chronic hepatitis [C] patients with diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is associated more with HCV chronic liver disease than in the general population and in the other types of chronic liver disease. The increased incidence of diabetes in HCV patients might be related to an autoimmune process produced by the virus or the virus itself has a cytopathic effect on the pancreatic beta clells. The aim of this work was to study the plasma basal insulin level and the seropositivity against glutamic acid decarboxylase [GADA] - an islet cell cytoplasmic antigen. Patients: the study was carried out on 45 patients categorized into 3 equal groups. Group I included 15 diabetic patient with HCV chronic liver disease, Group II included 15 diabetic patients with chronic liver disease which is not related to HCV, Group III included 15 non diabetic patients with HCV chronic liver disease. All patients were selected to be matched regarding age, sex and sevirity of liver disease. The results showed that basal insulin level [22.4 +/- 23.1 micro IU/ml in group I, 21.6 +/- 23.8 micro IU/ml in group II, and 8.8 +/- 6.4 micro IU/ml in group III] were significantly higher in the diabetic patients [GI and GII] compared to the non diabetic [GIII] [P<0.01]. The insulin resistance index as calculated by HOMA equation [9.6 +/- 7.9 in group I, 9.2 +/- 10.3 in group II and 2.4 +/- 1.2 in group III], were also significantly higher in the diabetic groups [p < 0.01]. Seropositivity for [GADA] was 9/15 [60%] of patients of groups I and III and 3/15 [20%] of patients of group II. We concluded that diabetes mellitus associated with HCV chronic liver disease in characterized hyperinsulinaemia and increased insulin resistance. There may be a role of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of diabetes in HCV chronic liver disease. Follow up of the non diabetic HCV patients with positive GADA for development of diabetes is recommended