Background: In the context of Iraqi communities, mycosis fungoides (MF) is the main cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that is the most prevalent, but little information is available about it. One of the areas that is still being actively researched is the role that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which are identified by their expression of CD68, play in the course of illness. Objective: is to define the demographic, clinical, and immunohistochemical characteristics of MF in an Iraqi cohort, with a particular focus on identifying relationships that may provide evidence regarding the pathogenesis and course of the illness. Methods: A retrospective review of 44 patients diagnosed with MF at a single dermatology center in Iraq (Baghdad Medical City) (2020–2025). Data on age, sex, disease duration, clinical subtype, stage, and CD4/CD8/CD68 expression were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Fisher's exact tests, and Spearman's correlation. Results: This retrospective study included 44 cases (28 males and 16 females) and showed that male predominance with a gender ratio of 1.75:1 male to female. In addition, males presented at a considerably older age compared to females (49.2 ± 13.7 years versus 35.5 ± 13.1 years, p = 0.023). This finding appears underreported in previous MF cohorts. There was a positive correlation between the length of the disease and the age at diagnosis (ρ = 0.47, p = 0.028), which indicates that older patients may have delayed presentation. In addition to lichenoid (18.1%) and poikilodermatous-erythrodermic (13.6%), the most common type of MF was the classical type, which accounted for (31.8%) of all cases. The youngest patients were two females aged 15 and 19 years, both diagnosed with hypopigmented MF. There were two significant associations linked with CD68 expression: Strong CD68 positivity was significantly associated with tumor-stage disease (present in 4/4 tumor-stage patients compared to 6/34 patch/plaque patients; p = 0.048), and patients with strong CD68 expression had significantly longer disease duration than those with weak or negative expression (7.8 ± 3.1 years versus 4.2 ± 3.1 years, p = 0.035). The CD4+ phenotype was the most prevalent (83.3%). Conclusion: This work reveals noteworthy findings in an Iraqi MF cohort, including a large age discrepancy between the sexes at the time of diagnosis, a link between age and the length of the disease, and, most importantly, dual associations of CD68 expression with both advanced stage and prolonged disease duration. These findings suggest an association between TAMs and disease chronicity/ progression of mycosis fungoides (MF), raising the possibility that CD68 may have the potential as prognostic biomarker for risk classification. It is necessary to do more extensive research in order to verify these discoveries and investigate the consequences they have for prognosis.

The normal anatomy of the human body is altered in sickness, diseases and physical trauma. The entire human body is covered by the skin and its appendages (hair and nail). For proper and effective management of the alteration(s) and its/their cause(s), it is essential to have image(s) that is/are precise and with high degree of accuracy. Here comes the relevance and contribution of imaging techniques. Anatomical imaging modalities such as ultrasonography, X-ray (plain and contrast-enhanced), computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. This article covers the basic operational principles, indications, images and limitations of each of these anatomical imaging techniques in a manner easily understood by undergraduate medical and dental students in advance of clinical training and practice.

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A diminished circulating thyroid hormonal concentrations, alterations to peripheral hormone metabolism, disrupted binding to carrier proteins, potential decrease in tissue thyroid thyroid hormone content, and an increased iodine store in the glands of the thyroid are some of the ways that chronic renal failure (CRF) impacts thyroid function. The goal of the research is to determine whether thyroid function and chronic renal failure are related. Furthermore, we attempted to investigate how CRF affected serum creatinine in relation to thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4) with thyroid stimulated hormones (TSH). This study included 40 healthy individuals as a baseline group (20 male, 20 female) and 15 patients with chronic renal dysfunction (25 male, 25 female). The age range was between 20 and 60. Each including the two groups had measurements of T4, T3, TSH, urea, and creatinine. The findings showed a statistically significant decrease in T3 and T4, but an increase in TSH, urea, uric acid, as well as creatinine in the patient group relative to the control group.

Onychomatricoma (OM) is a rare benign fibroepithelial tumor originating from the nail matrix that often mimics onychomycosis both clinically and mycologically, leading to delayed diagnosis. We report the case of a 23-year-old male with a history of tuberous sclerosis who developed a solitary nail lesion on the second toe of the left foot. The lesion was initially misdiagnosed as onychomycosis and treated unsuccessfully. Dermoscopic findings suggested onychomatricoma, which was later confirmed by histopathological examination following total nail avulsion. The patient showed favorable evolution without recurrence. This represents the second reported case of an association between onychomatricoma and tuberous sclerosis. The case highlights the importance of comprehensive nail evaluation in patients with genodermatoses.

Background: Subchorionic hemorrhage (SCH), also referred to as subchorionic hematoma, is the most common sonographic abnormality associated with first-trimester vaginal bleeding. It occurs between 6 and 13 weeks of gestation and is reported in approximately 11% of pregnancies. SCH is characterized by bleeding between the chorionic membrane and the uterine wall. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the volume of first-trimester subchorionic hematoma and the risk of spontaneous miscarriage. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 53 pregnant women in their first trimester, aged 18–35 years, who attended the obstetric clinic at Al-Diwaniyah Maternity and Children Teaching Hospital between May and November 2022. Women with a viable intrauterine pregnancy, gestational age between 6 and 13 weeks, and an ultrasound-confirmed diagnosis of subchorionic hematoma were included in the study. Fetal viability was assessed by ultrasonography. Hematomas were categorized according to their volume. Data were collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: The mean age of the participants was 28.3 ± 6.4 years (range: 18–35 years). Participants were stratified into three age groups. The mean hematoma volumes were 9.4 ± 2.5 cm³ for small hematomas, 16.3 ± 1.2 cm³ for medium hematomas, 22.7 ± 3.4 cm³ for large hematomas, and 37.2 ± 9.4 cm³ for very large hematomas. Women who experienced spontaneous abortion had significantly larger hematoma volumes compared with those who maintained their pregnancies (p < 0.05). The mean gestational age was 8.9 ± 1.3 weeks among women with small hematomas and 10.2 ± 1.9 weeks among those with very large hematomas. Conclusion: An Increased Volume of Subchorionic Hematoma during the First Trimester is Significantly Associated with a Higher Risk of Spontaneous Abortion.