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The proliferation of diverse frequency bands, from millimeter-wave to terahertz, in 6G networks brings both opportunities and challenges. The use of adaptive beamforming and resource allocation algorithms is necessary to optimize the benefits of each band while minimizing its drawbacks. This study addresses several machine learning-based methods that dynamically choose frequency bands, modify beamforming patterns, and distribute resources according to real-time data analysis, channel circumstances and user requests. In comparison with traditional resource allocation schemes, remarkable enhancement in user experience and network efficiency has been established by previous researchers. By utilizing channel modeling and mitigation methods for this high-frequency range, the challenge of terahertz communication has been covered. Our results indicate the efficiency of resource allocation and dynamic, data-driven beamforming in enabling heterogeneous 6G networks to reach their maximum potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shock/boundary-layer interaction induced by a 20° compression ramp in a Mach 2 flow was investigated using fast pressure-sensitive paint with a bandwidth of about 10 kHz. The mean separated flow length-scale is about two upstream boundary layer thicknesses, which indicates the interaction is weak. The primary analysis consists of cross-correlations, coherence, and time-domain filtering. Two different frequency bands were investigated: low-frequency (f < 2000 Hz; StL < 0.1) and mid-frequency (0.1 < StL < 0.26). The low-frequency band time sequences and coherence reveal the shock-foot motion is mainly correlated with the reattachment region, which is indicative of the well-established breathing motion of the separation bubble. The breathing motion is observed to occur locally and globally (spanwise-averaged). Furthermore, in the low-frequency band, fluctuations in the upstream boundary layer are moderately correlated with the reattachment region fluctuations, but show no correlation with the intermittent region fluctuations. In the mid-frequency band, the intermittent region, separation bubble and reattachment region all exhibit significant correlation with the upstream boundary layer fluctuations, with the upstream fluctuations leading. The time-sequences in this frequency band reveal broad regions of pressure fluctuations that sweep through the interaction and affect the entire interaction. There is no known turbulent source for such large-scale fluctuations and they are believed to be due to a wind tunnel phenomenon. It is concluded that the dominant low-frequency breathing motion follows an oscillator model, but there remain significant correlations to upstream fluctuations that are not tied to the dominant breathing motion and seem to follow an amplifier model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adrenal hemorrhage (AH) can occur due to multiple etiologies with variable radiographic appearance, often indistinguishable from underlying adrenal neoplasms. There is a lack of AH literature and evidence-based guidelines. Our study aimed to understand the prevalence and etiology of AH, follow-up, and incidence of underlying neoplasm. An institutional database was queried from January 2006 to October 2021 for patients with AH on imaging, excluding patients with known malignancies, adrenal masses, or prior adrenal surgery. Demographics, medical history, hematoma size, laterality, biochemical evaluation, intervention, and additional imaging were reviewed. Of 490,301 imaging reports queried, 530 (0.11%) with AH met inclusion criteria. Most imaging (n = 485, 91.5%) was performed during trauma evaluation. Two patients underwent dedicated intervention at presentation. Interval imaging was performed in 114 (21.5%) patients at a median of 2.6 (interquartile range 0.99-13.4) mo, with resolution (n = 84, 73.7%) or decreased size of AH (n = 21, 18.4%) in most patients. Only 10 patients (1.9%) saw an outpatient provider in our system to address AH or evaluate for underlying mass, and 9 (1.7%) underwent biochemical screening. Thirteen patients (11% of 118 patients with any follow-up) had evidence of an adrenal mass, confirmed on serial imaging (n = 10) or adrenalectomy (n = 3). Scans performed for nontrauma indications were significantly more likely to have an underlying mass (n = 6/26 [23.1%]) than those performed for trauma evaluation (n = 7/92 [7.6%], P = 0.04). AH is a rare finding associated with an increased rate of underlying adrenal mass, particularly when unrelated to trauma. Most AH resolves spontaneously without intervention. Follow-up imaging at 6 mo can help distinguish mass-associated AH from simple hemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age‐related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory disability associated with human aging. Yet, there are no approved measures for preventing or treating this debilitating condition. With its slow progression, continuous and safe approaches are critical for ARHL treatment. Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), a NAD+ precursor, is well tolerated even for long‐term use and is already shown effective in various disease models including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. It has also been beneficial against noise‐induced hearing loss and in hearing loss associated with premature aging. However, its beneficial impact on ARHL is not known. Using two different wild‐type mouse strains, we show that long‐term NR administration prevents the progression of ARHL. Through transcriptomic and biochemical analysis, we find that NR administration restores age‐associated reduction in cochlear NAD+ levels, upregulates biological pathways associated with synaptic transmission and PPAR signaling, and reduces the number of orphan ribbon synapses between afferent auditory neurons and inner hair cells. We also find that NR targets a novel pathway of lipid droplets in the cochlea by inducing the expression of CIDEC and PLIN1 proteins that are downstream of PPAR signaling and are key for lipid droplet growth. Taken together, our results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of NR treatment for ARHL and provide novel insights into its mechanism of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a great deal of investigation into medical services ability and specialized advancements during the most recent 10 years. To state the obvious, Internet of Things (IoT) has demonstrated insure associating different clinical hardware, sensors, and medical services experts to give top-notch clinical consideration at a distant area. This has upgraded patient security, diminished medical care costs, expanded admittance to medical services benefits, and expanded functional adequacy in the medical care industry. Emerging technologies such as IoT have the potential to transform our lives in many ways. A smart ubiquitous framework can only be built using smart objects in the IoT system, which is its ultimate building pieces. This research surrenders an audit of potential IoT-based innovation applications in medical services conducted to date. This paper records the development of the use of the Healthcare Internet of Things (HIoT) in tending to different medical care worries according to the viewpoints of empowering innovation, medical care administrations, and applications. Besides, potential HIoT framework issues and issues are explored. The current research closes by giving a wellspring of comprehension on the various uses of HIoT with expectations of empowering future scholastics that are quick to chip away at and kick off something new in the field to have a superior handle of the subject. IoT innovation has helped medical care experts in checking and diagnosing an assortment of well-being concerns, estimating an assortment of well-being factors, and giving demonstrative capacities at far-off areas using these standards. The structure and implementation of a specific framework are the subject of this paper. This has moved the medical services industry's concentrate away from clinics and toward patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: S100B is a calcium-binding protein that is secreted from astrocytes and other glial cells in the central nervous system and may affect the growth and/or differentiation of neurons and astrocytes. The neuropathological studies in cell cultures of Toxoplasma gondii and postmortem studies in patients with schizophrenia revealed many glial abnormalities, particularly in astrocytes. This study aimed to evaluate S100B protein levels in patients with schizophrenia having seropositive and seronegative toxoplasma. Methods: This study included 40 patients with schizophrenia and 39 healthy control groups, with 20 toxoplasma seropositive in each group. The patients' psychopathology were evaluated with the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). S100B level and T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) were analyzed by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and the enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay method, respectively. Results: No significant difference was found in S100B values between the patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls (p=0.94). No statistically significant correlations were found between S100B and both PANSS subscale scores and disease duration. S100B median values between toxoplasma IgG-positive and negative groups have no statistically significant difference in both healthy controls (p=0.38) and patients with schizophrenia (p=0.93). Conclusion: This study found no association between S100B protein levels and both schizophrenia and latent toxoplasma. Some studies report a role for S100B in schizophrenia; however, uncertainties still exist and are in some ways contradictory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few years, the Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining remarkable attention in both academic and industrial worlds. The main goal of the IoT is laying on describing everyday objects with different capabilities in an interconnected fashion to the Internet to share resources and to carry out the assigned tasks. Most of the IoT objects are heterogeneous in terms of the amount of energy, processing ability, memory storage, etc. However, one of the most important challenges facing the IoT networks is the energy-efficient task allocation. An efficient task allocation protocol in the IoT network should ensure the fair and efficient distribution of resources for all objects to collaborate dynamically with limited energy. The canonical definition for network lifetime in the IoT is to increase the period of cooperation between objects to carry out all the assigned tasks. The main contribution in this paper is to address the problem of task allocation in the IoT as an optimization problem with a lifetime-aware model. A genetic algorithm is proposed as a task allocation protocol. For the proposed algorithm, a problem-tailored individual representation and a modified uniform crossover are designed. Further, the individual initialization and perturbation operators (crossover and mutation) are designed so as to remedy the infeasibility of any solution located or reached by the proposed genetic algorithm. The results showed reasonable performance for the proposed genetic-based task allocation protocol. Further, the results prove the necessity for designing problem-specific operators instead of adopting the canonical counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a rare premature aging disease, most commonly caused by mutations of the genes encoding the CSA or CSB proteins. CS patients display cachectic dwarfism and severe neurological manifestations and have an average life expectancy of 12 years. The CS proteins are involved in transcription and DNA repair, with the latter including transcription‐coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC‐NER). However, there is also evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction in CS, which likely contributes to the severe premature aging phenotype of this disease. While damaged mitochondria and impaired mitophagy were characterized in mice with CSB deficiency, such changes in the CS nematode model and CS patients are not fully known. Our cross‐species transcriptomic analysis in CS postmortem brain tissue, CS mouse, and nematode models shows that mitochondrial dysfunction is indeed a common feature in CS. Restoration of mitochondrial dysfunction through NAD+ supplementation significantly improved lifespan and healthspan in the CS nematodes, highlighting mitochondrial dysfunction as a major driver of the aging features of CS. In cerebellar samples from CS patients, we found molecular signatures of dysfunctional mitochondrial dynamics and impaired mitophagy/autophagy. In primary cells depleted for CSA or CSB, this dysfunction can be corrected with supplementation of NAD+ precursors. Our study provides support for the interconnection between major causative aging theories, DNA damage accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and compromised mitophagy/autophagy. Together, these three agents contribute to an accelerated aging program that can be averted by cellular NAD+ restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to biosynthesize zinc nanoparticles (ZnNPs) from licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root extract and to apply that on seeds germination of two Sorghum bicolor varieties (Enkath and Rabeh). Three concentrations of both licorice extract and colloidal solutions of ZnNPs (25%, 50%, and 75%) were tested on some features of planting seeds in vitro including Seeds germination percentage, shoot length, root length, seedlings length, and Root-Shoot Ratio. Along with that, characterization of ZnNPs was also done. AFM of the phyto-synthesized ZnNPs reached an average of 68.69 nm. Presenting of (-CH) group through FTIR confirmed finding compounds -CH3 and -CH2 in monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides and mono acidic saccharides. The exposure to ZnNPs showed remarkable effects on seed germination and other growth parameters of sorghum seedlings. The low concentration of 25% of ZnNPs exhibited the best shoot length compared with the high concentrations (50% and 75%). The two concentrations of 50% and 75% exhibited the presence of hairy roots in order to the smallness of roots. Thus, the low concentration (25%) of ZnNPs can be used as a material for S. bicolor seed priming in the field with low toxicity on this plant. The results of this work encourage using ZnNPs as an improver in agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a complex condition characterized by insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and obesity. This project aims to induce MS in rat and then a demonstration of the main biochemical parameters. In male, Sprague-Dawley rats, MS has been prompted suitably and relatively by fast (six weeks) approach through a high fructose in drinking water (40%). It has been found that serum urea, creatinine and total bilirubin raise in MS significantly. Moreover, dyslipidemia has arbitrated via some considerable lipid profile deviations. In addition, BMI, blood glucose, and insulin monitoring evidently ensure achievement of MS. It is concluded that a well-established rat model of MS could be employed by a 40% fructose in drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of two-dimensional carrier gases in gated GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures is investigated theoretically. It is shown that under certain conditions a two-dimensional hole gas at the upper GaN/AlGaN interface can be formed in addition to the two-dimensional electron gas at the lower AlGaN/GaN interface. For the calculations, a Schrödinger-Poisson solver and a simple analytical model developed in the present work are used. Conditions for the formation of a two-dimensional hole gas are elaborated. It is shown that once a two-dimensional hole gas is created, it shields the coexisting two-dimensional electron gas which will result in a diminishing effect of the gate voltage on the two-dimensional electron gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike traditional analytical optimization techniques, bio-inspired multi-objective optimization has recently enjoyed an intense interest regarding wireless sensor network (WSN) issues. Network lifetime and target coverage are among the major concerns in many well-established scenarios of WSNs, such as routing and node deployment. For set covers scenario in WSNs, however, little attention has been paid to the role of multi-objective requirements. In this paper, we take a step toward exploring the feasibility of such bio-inspired algorithms for solving multi-objective set covers problem in WSNs. The main contributions of this study are twofold. First, we extend the set covers problem and address it with three issues: network lifetime, target coverage, and network connectivity as a multi-objective set covers (MOSC) formulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort to define such a general multi-objective set covers problem. Second, we design and elaborate four well-known multi-objective optimization algorithms from evolutionary and swarm intelligence community to tackle the formulated MOSC problem. All characteristic components of the adopted algorithms are tailored specifically to handle the formulated problem. Further, a self-adaptive heuristic mutation operator is proposed to attain and emphasize the strength of the algorithms in terms of network lifetime and coverage probability. Extensive simulations are performed to test and demonstrate the performance of the designed algorithms to tackle the problem appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkia speciosa, a plant that grows abundantly in Southeast Asia region, has been reported to exhibit antioxidant property. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of antioxidant effects of empty pod extract of Parkia speciosa on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. There were 4 groups of cardiomyocytes, the negative control, hydrogen peroxide, extract of Parkia speciosa+hydrogen peroxide and quercetin+hydrogen peroxide. Cardiomyocytes of groups 3 and 4 were preincubated for 1 h with 500 µg/ml of the ethyl acetate fraction of the Parkia speciosa extract or 1000 µM quercetin prior to exposure to 500 μM hydrogen peroxide for 1 h. Hydrogen peroxide significantly increased the protein expression of NADPH oxidase 4, superoxide dismutase 1 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, in comparison to the negative control. NADPH oxidase 4 and superoxide dismutase 1 activities as well as reactive oxygen species level were also elevated. These elevations were significantly decreased in the pretreated groups. The Parkia speciosa extract group had comparable effects to that of quercetin. Parkia speciosa extract showed antioxidant property against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cardiomyocytes by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase and NADPH oxidase 4 signalling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report highlights mandibular tooth in an ectopic position in the floor of the mouth, associated with submandibular salivary gland, which was completely obliterating the Wharton duct. Very few such cases have been reported in the literatures. Since ectopic tooth may lead to pain, discomfort sensation upon mastication, and even infection (sialadenitis), its diagnosis and treatment is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) is a dog tapeworm cestoda; it is larval stage responsible to cystic echinococcosis, one of the most common and dangerous worldwide zoonotic parasitic disease. The aim of this study was the molecular identification of the local strain of E. granulosus isolated from sheep liver slaughtered in the principal abattoir of Aqrah city, Northern of Iraq during Jun-Nov. 2017. In this study, 37 sheep liver infected by E. granulosus, 12 of high DNA purity fertile (have protoscolices) cyst of them were considered. A molecular study conducted on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) gene. Results demonstrated that E. granulosus isolates were sheep strain (G1) genotype, with fascinating highly corresponding 95% and 96% to global isolates, particularly to north African and Mediterranean countries, by employing phylogenetic tree analysis. So, the isolates of our project were deposited in Genbank (accession No. MG792129). This study findings provide that the local isolates of E. granulosus from sheep liver in Aqrah city, Northern of Iraq are loyally equivalent to global strains and isolates, in addition, nad1 gene considers a perfect biomarker in a molecular identification and phylogenetic study of this parasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desert truffle Tirmania sp. is appropriate as a greener reducing agent to synthesize silver nanoparticles at room temperature in a dark place by utilizing the aqueous extract of ascocarps of Tirmania sp. and 10-3AgNO3 solution. Characterization of those nanoparticles was accomplished by changing color, UV-visible spectrum, FT-IR, AFM and SEM analyses. The changing in color is considered a first indicator for the formation of AgNPs which changed from pale yellow to dark brown after seventy-two hours. UV-visible spectrum showed the formation of AgNPs at peak 415 nm. AFM and SEM images demonstrated nanoparticles with spherical or irregular-shaped, agglomerated and highly heterogeneous. The higher zone of inhibition was 14 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a concentration of 5 mg/well while, the lower zone of inhibition was 9.5 mm toward Staphylococcus aureus at the level of 5 mg/well. These Tirmania-AgNPs had a promising antibacterial activity toward gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, mainly the infectious bacteria of the eyes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luminescent charge transfer of CO++(3Π,1Σ+) ions in a beam with several atomic and molecular target species in a scattering cell was observed at 60–2000 eVlab projectile energies. Emission from CO+(B 2Σ+→X 2Σ+) was spectrally analyzed with a resolution of up to 1 Å full width at half maximum. In the case of CO+++CO collisions, CO+(B) emission due to electron capture by the projectile and to target ionization were distinguished using isotopic substitution. CO+(A 2Π→X 2Σ+) emission from the ionized target was also observed in this reaction. Similarly, with N2 as a target, strong N+2(B 2Σ+u→X 2Σ+g) emission was observed. The absolute cross sections for CO+(B) formation are 1–5 Å2. The CO+(B) vibrational excitation at 2000 eV can be explained by Franck–Condon transitions from the CO++(3Π)/(1Σ+) beam components in the ratio 1:2. At low energy the product CO+ vibrational excitation is higher, especially from collisions with Ar. The vibrational population distribution differs from that derived from earlier translational energy spectra, possibly due to a different CO++(3Π/1Σ+) beam composition. The rotational excitation is in all cases strikingly low, even at low impact energy. This is ascribed to the large electron capture radius (∼2.8 Å). © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing coverage of the target sensing field and extending the network’s lifetime, together known as Coverage-lifetime is the key issue in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Recent studies realize the important role of nature-inspired algorithms in handling coverage-lifetime problem with different optimization aspects. One of the main formulations is to define coverage-lifetime problem as a disjoint set covers problem. In this paper, we propose an evolutionary algorithm for solving coverage-lifetime problem as a disjoint set covers function. The main interest in this paper is to reflect both models of sensing: Boolean and probabilistic. Moreover, a heuristic operator is proposed as a local refinement operator to improve the quality of the solutions provided by the evolutionary algorithm. Simulation results show the necessity to inject a heuristic operator within the mechanism of evolutionary algorithm to improve its performance. Additionally, the results show performance difference while adopting the two types of sensing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newcastle disease is a highly contagious disease of domestic and wild birds result in huge economic losses due to extreme morbidity and mortality. The aim of this paper is to explore the possibility of the harmful impact of Newcastle disease vaccine on certain biochemical profiles regarded to chicken liver. This study conducted during January-April 2014, one day old - 53 chicks were divided into two groups; vaccinated (with Newcastle disease vaccine) group at the age of 1, 3, and 7 days and unvaccinated group. Results show damaging effects of vaccination on the liver glycogen and malondialdehyde concentrations, serum superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase activities. In contrast, studied parameters look to return to their usual range at the age of 30 days. From the convincing outcome of our investigation, it can be concluded that Newcastle disease vaccination has a detrimental influence on the liver of chickens, nonetheless this effect can be overwhelmed by the time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide pandemic Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a new viral disease that spreads mostly through nasal discharge and saliva from the lips while coughing or sneezing. This highly infectious disease spreads quickly and can overwhelm healthcare systems if not controlled. However, the employment of machine learning algorithms to monitor analytical data has a substantial influence on the speed of decision-making in some government entities. ML algorithms trained on labeled patients’ symptoms cannot discriminate between diverse types of diseases such as COVID-19. Cough, fever, headache, sore throat, and shortness of breath were common symptoms of many bacterial and viral diseases. This research focused on the numerous tendencies and projected expansion of the Iraq pandemic to encourage people and governments to take preventive measures. This work is an established basic benchmark for demonstrating machine learning's capabilities for pandemic prediction. The suggested approach for forecasting the number of COVID-19 cases can assist governments in taking safeguards to avoid the disease's spread. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of our strategy using publicly available datasets and models. A polynomial network is trained on this premise, and the parameters are optimized using frequent weighting. When compared to linear models, the polynomial model predicts better and is more effective in forecasting COVID-19 new confirmed cases. As well, it aims to analyze the spread of COVID-19 in Iraq and optimize polynomial regression. In time series-based models, curve fitting using frequent weighting to implement models such as linear regression and polynomial regression is utilized to estimate the new daily infection number. The datasets were collected from March 13, 2020, to December 12, 2021. The continuous COVID-19 pandemic puts both human lives and the economy at risk. If AI could forecast the next daily hospitalization number, it may be a useful tool in combating this pandemic sickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disease characteristics of patients enrolled in the International PNH Registry were assessed during two follow-up periods based on hemolytic status while untreated with eculizumab: Non-hemolytic cohort : follow-up time defined as time from disease start until last reported untreated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) value < 1.5 × upper limit normal (ULN); Hemolytic cohort : follow-up time defined as time from LDH ≥ 1.5 × ULN at or post-disease start, to most recent untreated follow-up. A total of 1012 patients met criteria for the Non-hemolytic cohort and 1565 patients for the Hemolytic cohort; median (min, max) years of follow-up were 2.2 (0.0, 54.2) and 1.2 (0.0, 37.2) years, respectively. Annual rate of thrombotic events (TEs) was lower in the Non-hemolytic than Hemolytic cohort (0.01 events/person-year vs. 0.03 events/person-year; p < 0.001). Mortality was lower in the Non-hemolytic cohort than the Hemolytic cohort (0.1% (1 death) vs. 1.8% (22 deaths); p < 0.001). While elevated risks for TEs were observed in patients with hemolysis, many TEs were also observed in patients without hemolysis. As thrombosis is the leading cause of mortality in patients with PNH, this real-world analysis highlights the importance of awareness and monitoring for TEs in patients with PNH regardless of hemolytic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Obesity is a serious on public health. It contributes in many serious health conditions including high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems ... etc. Polymorphism of TA (rs9939609) in fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene was found to be associated with obesity in children and adults according to many studies conducted on populations from Europe, America and Asia. Whether Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 is an associated with obesity in Iraqi population remains of concern. Objective To investigate the polymorphism of rs9939609 SNP in FTO gene and its relationship to the obese males in Iraqi population. Methods One hundred twenty of males were classified as obese based on body mass index (BMI) with mean age 20-50 year and fifty aged-matched healthy males as a control were included in this study. Lipid profile was estimated by using Spinreact-Сє, and an ELISA kit was used to assess the FTO level. Results The results showed that there are significant differences P = 0.05 for AA genotype with all parameters whereas TA genotype showed significant differences with most of parameters in revers to TT genotype, which has showed no significant differences with most of parameters. The percentage of TT, TA, AA, alleles were 27.72%, 49.86%, 22.42% respectively, also an elevated of TT genotype frequency was observed in healthy compared to obese. On the other hand, the percentage of T and A allele frequency were 52.65% and 47.35% respectively. Also, an elevated in serum FTO enzyme level was observed in obese. Conclusion The presence of A risk allele in the Iraqi population is the cause in the incidence of obesity, which reflected its impact on the BMI and central obesity through the disturbances in lipid profile and FTO enzymes value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a practically implementable bit interleaved coded modulation (BICM) scheme is introduced to enable fractional bits-per-cell storage at NAND flash cells. The proposed system utilizes a near-systematic modulation scheme as well as a demodulation algorithm that generates reliability information for the use of soft-input error correction code (ECC) decoders. Both modulation and demodulation algorithms have simple structures and they are implemented in hardware efficiently with small area/power cost. Via software simulations and actual flash data experiments, we showed the benefits of the proposed BICM scheme using a low density parity check (LDPC) code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Na3FeF6 catalyst on the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2 have been studied for the first time. The results showed that for the MgH2 sample doped with 10 wt% Na3FeF6, the onset dehydrogenation temperature decreased to 255 °C, which was 100 °C and 162 °C lower than those of the as-milled and as-received MgH2 sample, respectively. The re/dehydrogenation kinetics were also significantly enhanced compared to the un-doped MgH2. The absorption kinetics showed that the as-milled MgH2 only absorbed 3.0 wt% of hydrogen at 320 °C in 2 min of rehydrogenation, but about 3.6 wt% of hydrogen was absorbed within the same period of time after 10 wt% Na3FeF6 was added to MgH2. The desorption kinetics showed that the MgH2 + 10 wt% Na3FeF6 sample could desorb about 3.8 wt% of hydrogen in 10 min at 320 °C. In contrast, the un-doped MgH2 sample desorbed only 0.2 wt% of hydrogen in the same period of time. The activation energy for the decomposition of the as-milled MgH2 was 167.0 kJ mol−1, and this value decreased to 75.0 kJ mol−1 after the addition of 10 wt% Na3FeF6 (a reduction by about 92.0 kJ mol−1). It is believed that the in situ formation of the active species of NaMgF3, NaF and Fe during the heating process could enhance the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2, due to the catalytic effects of these new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instant radiosity methods rely on using a large number of virtual point lights (VPLs) to approximate global illumination. Efficiency considerations require grouping the VPLs into a small number of clusters that are treated as individual lights with respect to each point to be shaded. Two examples of clustering algorithms are Lightcuts [WFA *05] and LightSlice [OP11]. In this work, we use the notion of geometric separatedness of point sets as a basis for a data structure for pre-computing and compactly storing a set of candidate VPL clusterings. Our data structure is created prior to rendering, is view-independent and relies only on geometric and radiometric information. For any point to be shaded, we show that a suitable clustering of the VPLs can be efficiently extracted from this data structure. We develop the above framework into an accurate and efficient clustering algorithm based on well-separated pair decompositions which outperforms earlier work in speed and/or quality for diffuse scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel algorithm, IlluminationCut, for rendering images using the many-lights framework. It handles any light source that can be approximated with virtual point lights (VPLs) as well as highly glossy materials. The algorithm extends the Multidimensional Lightcuts technique by effectively creating an illumination-aware clustering of the product-space of the set of points to be shaded and the set of VPLs. Additionally, the number of visibility queries for each product-space cluster is reduced by using an adaptive sampling technique. Our framework is flexible and achieves around 3 - 6 times speedup over previous state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasion and spread of cancer cells are two of the most notable characteristics of malignant tumors. Recent studies suggest that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been linked to this significant occurrence. It is linked to the absence of the epithelial brow and the presence of mesenchymal facial hair. The aims of the present study were to explore the immunohistochemical staining of vimentin and E-cadherin ex vivo as EMT markers and assess their potential as predictive biomarkers for transitional cell cancer (TCC). In this study, 55 paraffin-embedded biopsies from TCC patients and 10 autopsies that appeared to be normal were included. Immunohistochemistry was used to produce patterns of vimentin and E-cadherin expression. When compared to female patients, the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin significantly increased with increasing age in male patients (> 50 years). In contrast to the considerable rise in vimentin expression in higher grades and stages of the tumor, E-cadherin expression was significantly reduced with tumor stage and grade. The findings of this study reveal that elevated vimentin and reduced E-cadherin are important indicators associated with a poor prognosis for TCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interaction of a vortex ring impinging on multiple permeable screens orthogonal to the ring axis was studied to experimentally investigate the persistence and decay of vortical structures inside the screen array using digital particle image velocimetry in a refractive index matched environment. The permeable screens had porosities (open area ratios) of 83.8%, 69.0%, and 55.7% and were held by a transparent frame that allowed the screen spacing to be changed. Vortex rings were generated using a piston-cylinder mechanism at nominal jet Reynolds numbers of 1000, 2000, and 3000 with piston stroke length-to-diameter ratios of 2 and 3. The interaction of vortex rings with the porous medium showed a strong dependence of the overall flow evolution on the screen porosity, with a central flow being preserved and vortex ring-like structures (with smaller diameter than the primary vortex ring) being generated near the centerline. Due to the large rod size used in the screens, immediate reformation of the transmitted vortex ring with size comparable to the primary ring (as has been observed with thin screens) was not observed in most cases. Since the screens have lower complexity and high open area ratios, centerline vortex ring-like flow structures formed with comparable size to the screen pore size and penetrated through the screens. In the case of low porosity screens (55.7%) with large screen spacing, reemergence of large scale (large separation), weak vortical structures/pairs (analogous to a transmitted vortex ring) was observed downstream of the first screen. Additional smaller scale vortical structures were generated by the interaction of the vortex ring with subsequent screens. The size distribution of the generated vortical structures were shown to be strongly affected by porosity, with smaller vortical structures playing a stronger role as porosity decreased. Finally, porosity significantly affected the decay of total energy, but the effect of screen spacing decreased as porosity decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare form of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). It has an unfavorable outcome with death rates as high as 25% during the acute phase and up to 50% of cases progressing to end-stage renal failure. Uncontrolled complement activation through the alternative pathway is thought to be the main underlying pathopysiology of aHUS and corresponds to all the deleterious findings of the disease. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and Shiga toxin-associated HUS are the 2 other important TMA diseases. Although differentiating HUS from TTP is relatively easy in children with a preceding diarrheal illness or invasive S. pneumoniae, differentiating aHUS from TTP or other microangiopathic disorders can present a major diagnostic challenge in adults. ADAMTS13 analysis is currently the most informative diagnostic test for differentiating TTP, congenital TTP, and aHUS. Today empiric plasma therapy still is recommended by expert opinion to be used as early as possible in any patient with symptoms of aHUS. The overall treatment goal remains restoration of a physiological balance between activation and control of the alternative complement pathway. So it is a reasonable approach to block the terminal complement complex with eculizumab in order to prevent further organ injury and increase the likelihood organ recovery. Persistence of hemolysis or lack of improvement of renal function after 3-5 daily plasmaphereses have to be regarded as the major criteria for uncontrolled TMA even if platelet count has normalized and as an indication to switch the treatment to eculizumab. Eculizumab has changed the future perspectives of patients with aHUS and both the FDA and the EMA have approved it as life-long treatment. However, there are still some unresolved issues about the follow-up such as the optimal duration of eculizumab treatment and whether it can be stopped or how to stop the therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Freundlich constants were used for predicting corn growth parameters. [•] All P sources reduced levels of Freundlich K, increased 1/n and EPC0 in both soils. [•] Hog manure had smaller values of Freundlich K in the P deficient Eram-Lebo soil. [•] Corn biomass, tissue P and P uptake were increased by P sources in both soils. [•] Freundlich constants had relationships with agronomic parameters in low P soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing human urine with clinoptilolite results in a solid phase upon which majority of nutrients are concentrated, which may be used as fertilizer; in addition to a liquid residue to be disposed of which is saline, rich in organics and contains residual nutrients. Despite several work regarding nutrients recovery from human urine, the fate of organic matter in the liquid residue is yet to be revealed. This study aims to investigate the combination of sorption and anaerobic processing (ANA) to accomplish concurrent nutrient recovery, and organic matter removal from hydrolyzed human urine (HHU) for environmental protection. Fixed bed clinoptilolite columns were used for nutrient recovery from HHU and an anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed reactor (AnEGSB) was used for removal of organic matter from residue of the former process. Furthermore, the effluent of AnEGSB was subjected to post treatment using stage-wise sorption to enhance the effluent quality before disposal. Majority of nutrients were removed by the sorption process with 80% of ammonium and almost all of phosphorus. Sorption removed 35% of orgnic matter while ANA was responsible for the rest. Post treatment helped to polish the quality of the AnEGSB effluent to the permissible level of domestic w astewater discharge standards of EU.With the proposed combination, almost 100% of nitrogen and phosphorus were recovered for further use as fertilizer providing benefits for sustainability. Also, 97% of organic matter could be removed from HHU to provide environmental protection, which was accompanied by methane (CH 4) production of 0.4 L CH 4 /day which is equivalent to 0.113 L CH 4 /g COD removed. Successful implementation of the proposed combination helps improve management of domestic wastewater. [Display omitted] • Hydrolyzed human urine (HHU) is a nutrient rich, highly saline stream. • HHU also contains substantial amounts of organic matter. • Sorption using clinoptilolite is an effective way of nutrient recovery from HHU. • Fate of organic matter in HHU through storage and sorption process is unrevealed. • Almost all nutrients and 95% of organic matter were eliminated from final residual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genes encoding a family of proteins termed proline-rich γ-carboxyglutamic acid (PRRG) proteins were identified and characterized more than a decade ago, but their functions remain unknown. These novel membrane proteins have an extracellular γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) protein domain and cytosolic WW binding motifs. We screened WW domain arrays for cytosolic binding partners for PRRG4 and identified novel protein-protein interactions for the protein. We also uncovered a new WW binding motif in PRRG4 that is essential for these newly found protein-protein interactions. Several of the PRRG-interacting proteins we identified are essential for a variety of physiologic processes. Our findings indicate possible novel and previously unidentified functions for PRRG proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier we identified wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosome 3A as a major determinant of grain yield and its component traits. In the present study, a high-density genetic linkage map of 81 chromosome 3A-specific markers was developed to increase the precision of previously identified yield component QTLs, and to map QTLs for biomass-related traits. Many of the previously identified QTLs for yield and its component traits were confirmed and were localized to narrower intervals. Four novel QTLs one each for shoot biomass (Xcfa2262-Xbcd366), total biomass (wPt2740-Xcfa2076), kernels/spike (KPS) (Xwmc664-Xbarc67), and Pseudocercosporella induced lodging (PsIL) were also detected. The major QTLs identified for grain yield (GY), KPS, grain volume weight (GVWT) and spikes per square meter (SPSM) respectively explained 23.2%, 24.2%, 20.5% and 20.2% of the phenotypic variation. Comparison of the genetic map with the integrated physical map allowed estimation of recombination frequency in the regions of interest and suggested that QTLs for grain yield detected in the marker intervals Xcdo549-Xbarc310 and Xpsp3047-Xbarc356 reside in the high-recombination regions, thus should be amenable to map-based cloning. On the other hand, QTLs for KPS and SPSM flanked by markers Xwmc664 and Xwmc489 mapped in the low-recombination region thus are not suitable for map-based cloning. Comparisons with the rice (Oryza sativa L.) genomic DNA sequence identified 11 candidate genes (CGs) for yield and yield related QTLs of which chromosomal location of two (CKX2 and GID2-like) was confirmed using wheat aneuploids. This study provides necessary information to perform high-resolution mapping for map-based cloning and for CG-based cloning of yield QTLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Soil test phosphorus (STP) finds its agronomic utility for the recommendation of phosphorus (P) fertilizer to crops and in risk assessment of offsite soil P movement from an environmental perspective. The objective of this research was to understand the influence of P from several P sources applied at 0, 50 and 150mg P kg−1 on STP in six different soils both before crop P removal (NBP0) and after the first (NBP1) and seventh harvest (NBP7) of corn (Zea mays L.). The P was extracted with Bray1 solution from animal P sources alone as well as from soils amended with P sources. The various net Bray1 (NBP) levels were computed by subtracting Bray1 levels in the control treatments from the P amended treatments. The results suggested that monogastric P sources contained relatively large proportions of Bray1 than ruminants. However, when gross Bray1 levels were expressed as percent of total P, the hog (Sus scrofa) manure (HM) and cattle (Bos taurus) manure 2 (CM2) had identical proportions while sewage sludge (SS) and turkey (Meleagris gallopava) litter (TL) had the least amount of Bray1 extractable P. Both cattle manures and HM resulted in significant higher concentration of NBP0 and NBP1 in most soils among the animal P sources. All P sources in the Eram–Lebo soil and all soils amended with TL at both levels of P application had the least amounts of NBP0 and NBP1. The greatest proportion of total residual P was detected as Bray1 in HM and the least in TL. These findings will be helpful for land managers with high soil test P levels who are under P regulation to help discern how various P sources affect soil Bray 1P. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Soil test phosphorus (STP) is commonly used for phosphorus (P) fertilizer recommendations in agriculture and in risk assessment of offsite P movement from environmental perspectives. Present guidelines do not differentiate between the P sources and assume that P added to the soil would behave alike. The objective of this study was to understand the influence of different animal P sources applied at three different rates on changes in STP in many different soils using P mass balance approach. Six P sources consisting of three types of monogastric, two ruminant and triple super phosphate (TSP) applied at 0, 50, and 150mgPkg−1 in six different soils. Corn (Zea mays L.) was used to remove P and total of seven harvests were achieved. The STP (Bray 1P) was monitored at T 0 and after each harvest and relationship was developed between STP and net P addition/removal to compute the slope. Prior to crop P removal, the Turkey (Meleagris gallopava) litter (TL) produced the smallest slope at both rates and across all soils. Most P sources resulted large slope values in the Woodson soil. The slope value progressively decreased from higher rate to lower rate to the control treatment in P mass balance study. Soil clay content, initial STP, soil pH, and soil organic matter levels were involved in explaining variations in slope value in TL, while initial STP and clay content in Hog (Sus scrofa) manure (HM) and biosolid (SS) amended soils in net P addition/removal study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The main objective of this article is to introduce a new integral operator ...s.bf(z) defined by using the fractional derivative for Hurwitz. Lerch zeta function. This operator was motivated by many researchers namely Srivastava, Srivastava and Attiya, and many others. Inclusion relations for new subclasses of analytic functions defined by operator aforementioned are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this article is to introduce a new integral operator ...s,bf(z) defined by using the fractional derivative for Hurwitz. Lerch zeta function. This operator was motivated by many researchers namely Srivastava, Srivastava and Attiya, and many others. Inclusion relations for new subclasses of analytic functions defined by operator aforementioned are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study we evaluate the effect of two doses of Coriander (Coriandruin sativum). Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Vanadyl sulfate, and Sodium tungstate on liver glycogen concentration (LGC), serum enzymes Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate transaminase (AST) levels in 15 days age broiler chickens. The results showed that full dose of Coriander (1500 mg/kg Bwt) has a significant (P⩽0.05) decreasing effect on LGC, ALT and AST levels, in reverse to half dose which do not show a significant effect. In the combination of the half dose of Coriander with Sodium, tungstate (750 mg/kg Bwt + 15 mg/kg Bwt) there is a significant increase in LGC and ALT, but not AST level in comparing with control group. Also the same effects were seen in combination dose of Coriander with Vanadyl sulfate (750 mg/kg Bwt + 50 mg/kg Bwt) on the studied parameters. On the other hand, results show that Thyme in full dose (2000mg/kg Bwt) has similar significant effect by lowering LGC, ALT, and AST levels as in case of Coriander, while half dose (l000mg/kg Bwt) of Thyme show no significant effects on the studied parameters. Thyme with Vanadyl sulfate have no significant effect on ALT and AST with increasing LGC. Sodium tungstate in the full dose (30mg/kg Bwt) has a significant decline effect on the studied parameters in comparing with control group, while there is no effect of Sodium tungstate when used in half dose (15mg/kg Bwt) except increasing level of ALT. Vanadyl sulfate has the same effect similar to Sodium tungstate in full doses, while half dose of Vanadyl sulfate shovy no significant effect on studied parameters. From this study we conclude that both medicinal plants Coriander and Thyme also Sodium tungstate and Vanadyl sulfate have a significant dose dependant effects on glycogen concentration and serum levels of ALT and AST in broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim was to determine the frequency of postpartum depression (PPD), its correlates and the effect on the quality of life. Material and Methods: This study was conducted among 708 mothers having a child aged 2 weeks-18 months. A questionnaire on descriptive features and PPD risk factors; Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and WHOQOL-BREF quality of life scale were used for the data collection. Results: The rate of PPD frequency was 15%. The gestational age, mental problems and anxiety during pregnancy, emotional changes in the premenstrual period, past depression/PPD history, depression/PPD history in the family, satisfaction with the marriage, thinking that the baby affected the marriage adversely were the factors related with PPD. The quality of life was lower in women with PPD than those without PPD. Conclusion: The frequency of PPD is quite high and PPD is decreasing the quality of life of the mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim was to determine the frequency of postpartum depression (PPD), its correlates and the effect on the quality of life. Material and Methods: This study was conducted among 708 mothers having a child aged 2 weeks-18 months. A questionnaire on descriptive features and PPD risk factors; Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and WHOQOL-BREF quality of life scale were used for the data collection. Results: The rate of PPD frequency was 15%. The gestational age, mental problems and anxiety during pregnancy, emotional changes in the premenstrual period, past depression/PPD history, depression/PPD history in the family, satisfaction with the marriage, thinking that the baby affected the marriage adversely were the factors related with PPD. The quality of life was lower in women with PPD than those without PPD. Conclusion: The frequency of PPD is quite high and PPD is decreasing the quality of life of the mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal manure amended soils often contain large amounts of bioavailable phosphorus (P) and constitute high risk for the deterioration of surface water quality through eutrophication. Current standards set for the safe disposal of animal manure through soil application are based on the assumption that phosphorus in all P sources would behave similarly. The primary objective of this study was to understand the influence of P from several manure and mineral fertilizer sources applied at 0, 50, and 150 mg P kg-1 on two measures of bioavailable P to six soils of different initial soil test P levels using corn (Zea mays L.) P uptake and an iron oxide strip method for soil analysis (FeO-P). Total net bioavailable P (TNBP) was calculated by subtracting total P uptake by corn after seven consecutive harvests in control treatments that did not receive P from the P uptake from P-amended treatments. Net biovavailable P after the first harvest (NBP1) was calculated in a similar fashion but only using data from the first harvest. Significant differences in TNBP and NBP1 were found when comparing P sources. The hog (Sus scrofa) manure had the greatest P bioavailability while turkey (Meleagris gallopava) litter had the lowest among the animal P sources across all soils and levels of P application. Significant differences were also found between soils with the highest amounts of TNBP and NBP1 found in the Woodson soil and lowest detected in the Crete soil for most P sources. The FeO-P method was useful in predicting TNBP from most P sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Um-Jingir is a fermented indigenous Sudanese food product made mainly from cooked grinded pearl millet to which sugar, yogurt, lemon and salt will be added upon serving. It is vended by women and widely consumed by workers in industrial areas in Khartoum State, Sudan. Sixty samples of Um-Jingir were randomly collected from vending women near industrial areas in Khartoum State over a period of three months from 21st of May to 5th of September 2007. The study was focused on determining the bacteriological quality and safety of street vended Um-Jingir. Microbial analysis resulted in aerobic plate counts from 3 ×104 to 3.5×107 colony forming unit (cfu)/ml, while MacConkey's agar counts ranged from 2×102 to 2.7 ×103 cfu/ml and mannitol salt agar growth of about 2×102 to 1.6×103 cfu/ ml. Total coliforms ranged from 3 to 1400 MPN/100 ml. Bacillus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. were detected in 70, 68.3, 6.6, and 5% of samples, respectively. Pseudomonas spp. and several Enterobacteriaceae species were isolated including Proteus spp., Klebsiella spp., Hafnia spp. and Escherichia spp. The minimum pH of Um-Jingir samples was 3.4, whereas the highest pH was 6.7. Alteration of the classic formula by omitting yoghurt and replacing it with citric acid showed that the nutritional value of Um-Jingir could be reduced to meet the low price requirements. Observation of Um-Jingir vending places showed that they were crowded, unclean and the sanitary levels were low. In spite of the high nutritional value of this product and its importance for low income consumers, the established results in addition to close observation of Um-Jingir marketing conditions indicated that consumption of street vended Um-Jingir might have negative effects on public health. Therefore, vending this type of food requires more attention from health authorities, better educational programmes for vendors and improvements of preparation and handling environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Um-Jingir is a fermented indigenous Sudanese food product made mainly from cooked grinded pearl millet to which sugar, yogurt, lemon and salt will be added upon serving. It is vended by women and widely consumed by workers in industrial areas in Khartoum State, Sudan. Sixty samples of Um-Jingir were randomly collected from vending women near industrial areas in Khartoum State over a period of three months from 21st of May to 5th of September 2007. The study was focused on determining the bacteriological quality and safety of street vended Um-Jingir. Microbial analysis resulted in aerobic plate counts from 3 ×104 to 3.5×107 colony forming unit (cfu)/ml, while MacConkey's agar counts ranged from 2×102 to 2.7 ×103 cfu/ml and mannitol salt agar growth of about 2×102 to 1.6×103 cfu/ ml. Total coliforms ranged from 3 to 1400 MPN/100 ml. Bacillus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. were detected in 70, 68.3, 6.6, and 5% of samples, respectively. Pseudomonas spp. and several Enterobacteriaceae species were isolated including Proteus spp., Klebsiella spp., Hafnia spp. and Escherichia spp. The minimum pH of Um-Jingir samples was 3.4, whereas the highest pH was 6.7. Alteration of the classic formula by omitting yoghurt and replacing it with citric acid showed that the nutritional value of Um-Jingir could be reduced to meet the low price requirements. Observation of Um-Jingir vending places showed that they were crowded, unclean and the sanitary levels were low. In spite of the high nutritional value of this product and its importance for low income consumers, the established results in addition to close observation of Um-Jingir marketing conditions indicated that consumption of street vended Um-Jingir might have negative effects on public health. Therefore, vending this type of food requires more attention from health authorities, better educational programmes for vendors and improvements of preparation and handling environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate demographic, clinical and laboratory findings of the patients with Hodgkin's disease. • Material and Method: 282 patients with Hodgkin's disease admitted to our clinic between years 1981 to 2001 were evaluated retrospectively according to their demographic, clinical and laboratory findings. • Results: Presenting disease stages, histopathological subtypes and clinical and laboratory findings were found to be parallel with literature. The incidence of the B symptoms during diagnosis was two times more in our patients and the lymphocyte depleted subtype of the disease is more frequent than other series published in the literature. We observed that thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia and high ecythrocyte sedimentation rate were associated with advanced disease stage. • Conclusion: Although ESR is a nonspecific test, we think that it can be a useful parameter for the follow-up period especially in patients with high ESR initially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]