HLA Profile in Iraqi rheumatic valvulitis patients

Human leukocyte antigen [LILA] is the most polymorphic genetic system in man. The genes of this region influence susceptibility to certain disease. This study was established to shed light on the possible association of HLA class I and II antigens with RV patients. Lymphocvtotoxicity assay for HLA for class I and II typing had been done for [100] iraqi patients suffering from rheumatic valvulitis [RV] the control groups consisting of [75 healthy individuals and 35 non rheumatic heart disease [NRHD] patients]. The results showed a significant association of A33-Ag with these patients as compared with healthy and cardiac controls [P=0.005][P=0.033] respectively. Another interesting finding was the low frequency of AI in RI patients when compared with heal/he control [p=0.002], suggesting that Al allele may confer protective effect against this disease. In addition significant association between blood group B and RV was evident [p=0.04] An interesting observation was a strong association of blood group B and A33 among those patients [P < 0.001]. The present results are consistent with hypothesis that susceptibility to RV is genetically linked and in turn may be associated mainly with A33 in Iraqi patients

Housewife onycholysis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological aspects of onycholysis in Iraqi housewives. One hundred housewives with onycholysis of the finger nails were evaluated clinically in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq between October 2002 to March 2003. Swabs were taken from those patients for microbiological evaluation in the Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq. All cases with skin disorder related systemic diseases like anemia, hypothyroidism and drug intake like minocycline, oral contraceptives were excluded from the study. One hundred housewives with onycholysis were enrolled in the study. Their ages ranged between 17-70 years with a mean of 41.96 +/- 12.57 years. Married females were 89 [89%], while unmarried females were 11 [11%]. The site of involvement was mainly the thumb [76%] followed by the ring finger [12%], the index [7%], little [6%] and middle [5%] fingers. The pattern of onycholysis was distal in 47 [47%], lateral in 30 [30%] and both distal and lateral in 23 [23%] of the patients. Onycholysis is a major problem among Iraqi housewives, most probably caused by repetitive mechanical, chemical and physical trauma; therefore, special preventive measures should be undertaken to minimize the incidence of the disease. Housewives should be encouraged to use preventive measures like using gloves and washing machines