Introduction and Aim: Due to the Coronavirus outbreaks, the SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19, has claimed several lives around the world, with the majority of them being elderly, suffering from underlying chronic illnesses, or living in vulnerable conditions. This study aimed to find the immunological factors CD-79, CD-4, IL-2, and TNF-B in COVID-19 patients utilizing nucleocapsid-(N), a protein structure that interacts with genomic RNA to create complexes.   Materials and Methods: SARS-COV-2 infection was detected using RT-PCR. The serum levels of IL-2 and TNF-B, as well as the concentrations of CD4 and CD79, were measured. This study included 100 COVID-19 patients.   Results: The results showed that the serum concentration of TNF-beta and IL-2 in COVID19 patients was significantly higher than that in the general population (with acute and moderate illness) when compared to normal control groups (p 0.05). COVID-19 patients reported higher levels of CD79 as well as CD4 expression than healthy control groups in a study of activated markers.   Conclusion: Infection with SARS-COV-2 has a high impact on various immunological and inflammatory markers in patients.

Background: Hodgkin disease was the first cancer in which the curative potential of combination chemotherapy was demonstrated. The affected patients are often young and there is a great potential for adding years of productive life by giving curative therapy even when the disease is advanced.Objective: to describe the experience of the hematology unit,Baghdad Teaching Hospital, in the management of 40 adult patients with Hodgkin disease.Patients and Methods: a retrospective cohort study of forty adult Iraqi patients with Hodgkin disease between 2005 and 2013 in the hematology unit. Patients were treated initially with 6-8 cycles of ABVD chemotherapy protocol (doxorubicine+ bleomycin+ vinblastin+ dacarbazine) , nine patients received additional involved field radiotherapy for residual masses or bulky disease. Overall survival and progression free survivals were estimated using Kaplan Meier survival plot.Results: The mean age was 28.6±12.88 years with females forming 61.5% of patients, mean duration of follow up was 27.9± 20.6 months. Staging showed that 55% and 27.5% had stage II and III respectively. B symptoms were found in 72.5% patients , bulky disease in 42.5% patients. Complete Response+ Complete Response undetermined was seen in 85% of cases. First Relapse occurred in 14%, and death in 7.5% of the patients. The 8 year overall survival and progression free survival were 82% and 50% respectively while the mean overall survival and progression free survival times were 84.7 and 59.9 months respectively.Conclusion: The results of the treatment of adult patients with Hodgkin disease in our unit is rather comparable to the results from other studies.

No abstract

Background: Hodgkin disease was the first cancer in which the curative potential of combination chemotherapy was demonstrated. The affected patients are often young and there is a great potential for adding years of productive life by giving curative therapy even when the disease is advanced. Objective: to describe the experience of the hematology unit,Baghdad Teaching Hospital, in the management of 40 adult patients with Hodgkin disease. Patients and Methods: a retrospective cohort study of forty adult Iraqi patients with Hodgkin disease between 2005 and 2013 in the hematology unit. Patients were treated initially with 6-8 cycles of ABVD chemotherapy protocol (doxorubicine+ bleomycin+ vinblastin+ dacarbazine) , nine patients received additional involved field radiotherapy for residual masses or bulky disease. Overall survival and progression free survivals were estimated using Kaplan Meier survival plot. Results: The mean age was 28.6±12.88 years with females forming 61.5% of patients, mean duration of follow up was 27.9± 20.6 months. Staging showed that 55% and 27.5% had stage II and III respectively. B symptoms were found in 72.5% patients , bulky disease in 42.5% patients. Complete Response+ Complete Response undetermined was seen in 85% of cases. First Relapse occurred in 14%, and death in 7.5% of the patients. The 8 year overall survival and progression free survival were 82% and 50% respectively while the mean overall survival and progression free survival times were 84.7 and 59.9 months respectively. Conclusion: The results of the treatment of adult patients with Hodgkin disease in our unit is rather comparable to the results from other studies.

Background: Changes in the indication for splenectomy in hematology, especially in hematological malignancies, has been observed in the last 10 – 15 years. Yet splenectomy, as a diagnostic tool, is still an option in the management of isolated splenomegaly.Objectives: to describe the outcome of diagnostic splenectomy in the management of 12 patients presenting with isolated splenomegaly.Patients and methods: Between August 2005 and July2012, Twelve patients underwent splenectomy for diagnostic purposes in the hematology unit / Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Analysis of these patients was done with a median follow up of 16 months (6 months -4 years).Results: The median age was 46 years (range 25-68). The median duration of symptoms was 6.8 months (range 3-12) months. The median duration of follow up was 16 months. We had 8 females, and 4 males. Three patients were asymptomatic, but they had progressive enlargement of spleen over one month. The most common symptoms were malaise and abdominal pain, seen in 8 patients. The other less frequent symptoms were fever (5 patients), weight loss (5 patients), arthralgia (4 patients), while the bleeding manifestation was seen in one patient only. Anemia was seen in 5 patients, two had leucopenia, and two had thrombocytopenia. Focal lesions in the spleen were seen in two patients by ultrasound and CT scan. The results of bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and serological tests for collagen vascular diseases all were unrevealing prior to splenectomy. The histopathological results were; Hodgkin disease(1 patient), intermediate grade Non-Hodgkin lymphoma(1 patient) , splenic marginal zone NHL(2 patients),Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma(1 patient), Gaucher's disease(1 patient), favor myeloproliferative disorders(1 patients), one patient had tuberculosis, while 4 patients ended with non-diagnostic results. Laproscopic splenectomy was done in one patient only. Postoperative complications were seen in 4 patients which were grade 1-2 bleeding and simple wound infection. During follow up one patient with undiagnostic reports proved to have collagen vascular disease & two patients developed lymphoma, and the last one developed features of myeloproliferative disorder.Conclusion: splenectomy for isolated splenomegaly has a significant impact on the management of a significant proportion of those 12 patients. Other investigations which help in the diagnosis of collagen vascular diseases, myeloproliferative disorders& lymphoproliferative disorders are needed before proceeding for splenectomy.