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Ascaris lumbricoides is worldwide in distribution and most prevalent throughout the tropics, sub-tropics and more prevalent in the countryside than in the city. Complications of ascariasis, such as intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, biliary ascariasis, perforation of the intestine, cholecystitis, pancreatitis and peritonitis. Here we report a unique case of peritoneal granuloma in a 43 years old male, due to Ascaris lumbricoides infection which was suspected to be a malignancy, and discuss the importance of considering parasitic infection in the differential diagnosis of malignancy.

Objectives: This study attempts to determine the silent coronary artery disease (CAD) in a sample of Iraqi Kurdish patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: A total of 50 such patients from Duhok, Kurdistan region of Iraq, underwent multi slices computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography 64 slices to determine coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores and coronary stenoses. Results: 62% of cases had a (CAC) score > zero on non-contrast MSCT scans. Coronary angiograms showed that 26 (52%) of the cases had variable coronary artery stenosis; 17(34%) of them were obstructive (>50% luminal narrowing). The study demonstrated that Inflammatory markers (rheumatoid factor, Anti- cyclic citrullinated peptides, and some cardiovascular risk factors, namely (hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus) were significantly related to the presence of CAD in these patients. Conclusions: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of CAD. This risk is higher in the presence of inflammatory and cardiovascular risk factors.

Background: Addiction on the internet has become a major concern nowadays with the increase in the need for it for various daily life tasks. The potential of being addicted to one or more behaviors remains a subject of debate. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of internet addiction and its relation to cigarette smoking. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students of medical colleges in Duhok governorate (Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing and Zakho College of Medicine); a total of 421 participants responded to a questionnaire that assessed the degree of internet addiction and cigarette smoking dependence, along with sociodemographic data. Internet Addiction Test and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence were used to assess internet addiction and cigarette smoking dependence. Results: The prevalence of internet addiction was 82.7%. There were 41 (9.7%) cigarette smokers, all males, of whom 37 (90.2%) were internet addicts. Prevalence of smoking was observed to increase with the severity of internet addiction, though the relationship was statistically not significant (P= 0.304). Compared to males, female students were more likely to have no or single addiction, while males were prone to double addiction. Conclusions: The prevalence of internet addiction was high, compared to the low prevalence of cigarette smoking. Prevalence of smoking increased with the severity of internet addiction, but this did not reach statistical significance.

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