There is still no agreement on the gold standard technique for diagnosing of H. Pylori in Iraq, as well as a paucity of data on the validity of different diagnostic techniques. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of this bacterium with different methods and compare them to the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a golden standard technique among Iraqi patients. In total, 115 Iraqi patients strongly suspected of H. pylori infection were enrolled in the current study. Invasive techniques including rapid urease testing (RUT) and gastric tissue culture in addition to non-invasive techniques including 14C-Urea breath test (14C-UBT), stool antigen test (SAT), CagA-IgG serology, and qPCR were performed to confirm the H. pylori infection. The qPCR was used as the gold standard to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the studied diagnostic tests. Overall, the prevalence rate of H. pylori in Iraqi patients was ranged from 47.8 to 70.4% using different methods. The positive results for each test were as follows: qPCR 81, (70.4%) UBT 79 (68.7%), SAT 77 (67%), RUT 76 (66.1%), Cag-IgG 61 (53%), and culture 55 (47.8%). The 14C-UBT showed the highest overall performance with 97.5% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and total accuracy of 97.3% followed by SAT, RUT, Cag-IgG, and culture method. Based on the accuracy of the studied methods for H. pylori detection, they can be arranged in order as follows: qPCR > UBT > SAT > RUT> CagA IgG > culture. Since a universal gold standard assay for the diagnosis of H. pylori has not yet been established in Iraq, the UBT may be recommended as first choice due to its higher performance compared to other methods.

Background and objectives Peptic ulcer disease, chronic gastritis, and stomach cancer are all caused by H. pylori . The most notable drug for the treatment is the antibiotic clarithromycin, which is currently the drug of choice. H. pylori clarithromycin resistance has been associated with point mutations in 23srRNA, the most prominent of which are A2143 and A2144G . In H. pylori bacteria, methylase synthesis, macrolide-inactivating enzyme activity, and active efflux have all been found to be resistance mechanisms. The goal of the study is to determine how resistant H. pylori is to clarithromycin and what the minimum inhibitory concentration is for various antimicrobials. Furthermore, gastro-endoscopy will be performed on Iraqi patients to detect the presence of A2143G and A2144G point mutations in Helicobacter pylori infections, as diagnosed from the pyloric region and other anatomical regions. Methods One hundred fifteen samples were collected from patients strongly suspected of H. pylori infection presented for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at Ramadi Teaching Hospitals and Private Clinics for the period from January 2020 until February 2021. Specimens were cultured on brain heart infusion agar containing various antibiotics and were incubated at 37 °C under microaerophilic conditions. For identification of H. pylori, isolates of the biochemical tests and RT-PCR assay were applied. The Epsilometer test was used in the antibiotic susceptibility testing as dependent on the CLSI standard. The Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism technique was used to determine point mutations. Results In total, 55 (47.8%) Helicobacter pylori isolates were cultured from the 115 biopsy specimens, among which 16 (29.1%), 38 (69.1%), 20 (36.4%), and 40 (72.7%) revealed some degree of resistance to levofloxacin, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole, respectively. The frequency of A2144G and A2143 point mutations were 23 (60.5%) and 19 (50%), respectively. Conclusions According to our results , Helicobacter pylori showed high resistance to clarithromycin. Our results demonstrate the requirement for antibiotic susceptibility testing and molecular methods in selecting drug regimens.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to assess the prevalence and association between H. pylori infection and alcohol, or cigarette use among Iraqi patients. Methods: 115 individuals needed upper gastrointestinal endoscopies in total. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), urea breath test, rapid urease test, CagA-IgG, and culture were all used to confirm H. pylori infection. The information on alcohol consumption, smoking, sex, and age was collected using a standard questionnaire. Results: The gold standard test, RT-PCR, was used to detect H. pylori infection in 81 (70.4%) of patients. H. pylori infection was not affected by age (OR: 0.976; CI: 95% (0.944-1.009; P > 0.05), sex (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 0.57–2.75; P > 0.05), or alcohol intake (OR: 0.293; CI: 95% (0.081-1.058; P > 0.05) according to the binary logistic regression analysis. Additionally, there was a considerable inverse association between smoking and H pylori infection (OR: 0.094; CI: 95% (0.025-0.352; P < 0.05). According to binary logistic regression analysis, both smoking (OR: 0.036; CI: 95% (0.007-0.182; P < 0.05) and alcohol intake (OR: 0.179; CI: 95% (0.041-0.988; P < 0.05) were inversely and significantly related with H. pylori illness whereas H. pylori infection did not alter with age (OR: 1.001; CI 95% (0.959-1.044; P > 0.05) in the male subgroup. Conclusions: According to the study, males who smoke and drink are more likely to have H. pylori infections. Furthermore, there was no positive association between age and H. pylori infection.

The SEN virus (SENV) has been linked to transfusion-associated non-A-E hepatitis; however, information regarding SENV infections in patients with thalassemia, particularly in those with hepatitis virus co-infections, remains limited. This study investigated the frequency of SENV (genotypes D and H) infections in Iraqi patients with thalassemic patients infected and not infected with hepatitis C virus. The study involved 150 β-thalassemia patients (75 with HCV infections and 75 without) and 75 healthy blood donors. Patient levels of vitamins C and E, liver function markers, and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were determined. Recovered viral nucleic acids were amplified using the conventional polymerase chain reaction (SENV DNA) or the real-time polymerase chain reaction (HCV RNA) techniques. Only 10% of healthy donors had evidence of SENV infection. Among patients with thalassemia, 80% and 77% of patients with and without concurrent HCV infections, respectively, had SENV infections. DNA sequencing analyses were performed on blood samples obtained from 29 patients. Patients with thalassemia, particularly those with SENV infections, had higher levels of several enzymatic liver function markers and total serum bilirubin (P < 0.05) than did healthy blood donors. Among the examined liver function markers, only gamma-glutamyl transferase demonstrated significantly higher levels in HCV-negative patients infected with SENV-H than in those infected with SENV-D (P = 0.01). There were significantly lower vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione peroxidase levels in patients than in healthy donors (P < 0.05), but only glutathione peroxidase levels were significantly lower in HCV-negative thalassemia patients infected with SENV than in those without SENV infections (P = 0.04). The SENV-H genotype sequences were similar to the global standard genes in GenBank. These results broaden our understanding the nature of the SENV-H genotype and the differential role of SENV-H infections, compared to SENV-D infections, in patients with thalassemia, in Iraq.

Background: Abnormalities in liver function tests (LFTs) are found in 14%–53% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. These could occur in patients with or without previous chronic liver diseases. Knowing the risk factor of liver manifestations in COVID-19 subjects is crucial for the proper management of these patients. Objectives: We aimed to identify the risk factors for liver manifestations as well as other risk factors in COVID-19 subjects who complained of digestive manifestations. Materials and Methods: COVID-19 patients with and without liver manifestations at the Emergency Department of Al Fallujah Teaching Hospital were enrolled in this study. This study covered a period from September 15, 2022, to April 22, 2022. Comparisons between patients with or without abnormal LFTs were made. The possible risk variables connected to abnormal LFTs and hepatic manifestation were investigated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Out of 100 COVID-19 patients, there were 64 suffering from mild gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. There were 26 mild cases with abnormal LFTs (40.6%). Although there were nine (total number 22) and seven (total number 14) of the moderate and severe cases with liver involvement, there was no statistically significant difference between the digestive manifestations severity and liver involvement. Increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were linked to a greater incidence of LFTs, according to multivariable analysis (odds ratio [OR]: 45.05; P < 0.0001), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST; OR: 3.462; P = 0.00041), elevated direct bilirubin (DBIL) (OR: 3.643; P < 0.001), and elevated d-dimer levels [OR]: 2.690; P < 0.0137) in liver involvement group compared with non-involvement patients. Conclusions: Elevated ALT, AST, DBIL, and d-dimer are potential risk factors for liver manifestations in COVID-19 patients with digestive symptoms.