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Cloze tests are gap-filling tests designed to measure overall language ability and reading comprehension in a second language. Due to their ease of construction and scoring, cloze tests are widely used in the context of second and foreign language testing. Previous research over the past decades has shown the reliability and validity of cloze tests in different contexts. However, due to the interdependent structure of cloze test items, item response theory models have not been applied to analyze cloze tests. In this research, we apply a method to circumvent the problem of local dependence for analyzing cloze tests with the Rasch model. Using this method, we applied the Rasch model to a cloze test composed of eight passages each containing 8-15 gaps. Findings showed that the Rasch model fits the data and thus it is possible to scale persons and cloze passages on an interval unidimensional scale. The test had high reliability and was well-targeted to the examinees. Implications of the study are discussed.

Objective: Lipocalin-2 is an acute phase-associated adipokine that can serve as an inflammatory and biomarker indicator of cartilage deterioration in osteoarthritis. However, its role in the musculoskeletal system remains not fully understood. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate lipocalin-2 and its relationship with markers of inflammation (Interferon-gamma, ESR, and CRP), bone density (vitamin D3 and calcium), and the triglyceride-glucose index in new-onset arthritis patients in Mosul, Iraq. Methods: This study included 125 participants aged 20 to 65, divided into two groups. The Arthritis Patient Group comprised 70 participants (37 females and 33 males) attending the Bone Diseases Consultation Unit at the Ibn Sina Teaching Hospital in Mosul, Iraq. The Control Group comprised 31 females and 24 males. Ethical approval was obtained from the Iraqi Ministry of Health - Nineveh Health (No. 2022095). Commercial ELISA kits were used to measure serum lipocalin-2, Interferon-gamma, ESR, and CRP as inflammation markers, vitamin D3, and calcium as bone density markers. Moreover, the Triglyceride Glucose (TYG) Index was evaluated. Results: The findings revealed a significant increase in lipocalin-2 levels in males compared to females, with LCN-2 increasing with age. Arthritis patients showed a significant increase (72%) in lipocalin-2 levels. Inflammatory indicators (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, interferon-gamma) displayed significant increases (46%, 1200%, and 581%, respectively). Glucose (23%), triglycerides (71%), and TYG index (21%) also exhibited significant increases. Meanwhile, bone density indicators (vitamin D3 and calcium) found a significant decrease (53% and 20%, respectively) in arthritis patients. Linear correlation coefficient (R) analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between lipocalin-2 and indicators of inflammation, glucose, TG, and TYG index. Conclusion: This study's findings suggest that LCN-2 serum levels were higher in patients with new-onset arthritis than in controls in Mosul, and LCN-2 serum increased in males compared with females and getting older serum LCN-2 increased for the patients and control groups. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the Triglyceride Glucose Index, which measures metabolic disorders, and serum LCN-2 levels and inflammatory indicators in new-onset arthritis patients in Mosul, Iraq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most successful treatment for obesity regarding the degree and duration of weight loss. Aim of the Study: Evaluate the impact of pharmacist educational intervention and training in improving patient adherence and its association with the prevention of clinical nutritional complications after bariatric surgery. Patient and Method: A randomized comparative interventional study was conducted in Najaf Governorate, Iraq. The Intervention group included 58 patients who received standard care and training educational and support programs. The standard care group included 58 patients who received standard care after Bariatric surgery. Results: In the intervention group, at 3 months of follow-up, the mean total score was 5.8 and increased to 6.7 at the 6 months. Conversely, the score decreased in the standard care group from 5.3 at 3 months to 2.2 at 6 months. In contrast to the standard care group, an inverse significant correlation was found between the number of incident complications and the total eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) at 3 and 6 months in the intervention group. Conclusion: The pharmacist intervention leads to better patient adherence to gulidline after Bariatric surgery which results in decreased complications at three and six months after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Despite prolonged life expectancy in patients with beta‑thalassemia due to modern chelation therapy and planned blood transfusions, they still suffer from multisystem complications of this chronic hemolytic anemia, including endocrine system dysfunction. Under‑recognized parathyroid hormone (PTH) dysfunction in these patients can manifest as bone pain and fractures. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate PTH in patients with beta‑thalassemia >10 years of age. METHODS: A cross‑sectional study was performed on 76 randomly selected patients >10 years old with beta‑thalassemia (including both thalassemia major and thalassemia intermedia) in the Al‑Kut Hereditary Blood Disease Center in Wasit province, Iraq. The study covered the period from November 2021 to April 2022. Data were collected from patients’ files after written consent, including sex, age, ferritin level, mean hemoglobin level, type of chelation therapy, frequency of transfusion, mean calcium level, and whether the patients were splenectomized or not. RESULTS: Of the 76 patients enrolled in the study, 39 (51.3%) were males. There were 63 (82.9%) who had thalassemia major. The majority of cases (n = 55, 71%) were from the age group >15 years. Fifteen (19.7%) patients had low PTH levels. The age group >15 years had a higher frequency of having low PTH levels (P = 0.01 and Pearson factor ‑ 0.29). The study found a positive correlation between low calcium and low PTH levels (P = 0.001, Pearson factor = 0.1). High ferritin levels had no significant correlation with PTH levels (P = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Beta‑thalassemia patients can have a low PTH level. It can occur more often in patients >15 years old, which necessitates close monitoring for older thalassemia patients. A declining calcium level in these patients can correlate with a low PTH level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study seeks to elucidate the significant impact of cloud accounting technologies as a type of innovation in information technology and its contribution to enhancing the financial reporting standard within the scope of international standards. To reach the objectives of this study and look at hypotheses through a descriptive and analytical lens, it is necessary to look at previous research and use it to make a questionnaire that shows how important it is to use cloud accounting techniques to improve the quality of financial reporting. The system comprises two axes, and the total number of questions reached 26. The distribution was conducted among a subset of employees in publicly traded corporations. 118 participants were included in the study conducted on the Iraqi Stock Exchange. The hypotheses were examined using descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation matrix, and the structural equation modelling technique with the statistical software SPSS version 26. The findings demonstrated a statistically significant influence of cloud accounting, namely at a rate of 26.6%, on attaining high-quality financial reporting. It became evident that the future of cloud accounting in Iraq would be remarkable if the government and all companies made every effort to overcome the challenges and barriers that hinder its implementation, thereby significantly enhancing the generation of high-quality financial statements aligned with international financial reporting standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Petroleum Research & Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the clinical, histological, and pathological characteristics in children with GCT and assess their outcome. METHODS This was a retrospective study conducted for children with germ cell tumors who were treated at the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Center/Medical City for 3 years from January 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2018, and their follow-up till June 30th, 2021. Thirty-four cases were identified. The total information was collected by using data from the medical record at our oncology registry and from registered archives in outpatient records. Follow-up of patients over an average period of more than 3 years was carried out either in person at the outpatient clinic or by phone call. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23 was used for analysis. RESULTS The initial age of presentation ranged from birth until 14 years. More than sixty percent presented below 4 years of age, and then after this, the age at diagnosis was near equally distributed in both 5-9 years and 10-14 years; 6 and 5 patients (17.6% and 14.7%, respectively). Females predominate in all age groups (76.5%) versus (23.5%) males with a male-to-female ratio of 1: 3.2. The main presenting symptom was fever in 13 (38.3%) patients. There were 11 (32.4%) patients who had testicular swelling, and 11 (32.4%) patients with abdominal distension. The duration of symptoms is more than 6 weeks in 19 (55.9%) cases. The common histological type is a yolk sac tumor in 18 (52.9%) patients. No patients presented with stage I, 9 patients with stage II, 6 (17.7%) patients with stage III, and 9 (26.5%) patients with stage IV. The duration of symptoms is more than 6 weeks in 19 (55.9%) cases. There were four benign cases. CONCLUSION The delayed diagnosis is one of the main obstacles in the management of this group. Risk assessment and staging were not conclusive in some cases due to the gaps between surgeons and oncologists. The upstaging gives better outcome in the overall survival compared to other studies at the same place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The healthcare field has experienced a significant increase in data generation due to the emergence of modern applications and the internet. Consequently, understanding and extracting meaningful information from these extensive datasets has become a critical factor in the success of any application in this sector. Digital analytics and classification tools can assist in handling the challenges of processing large datasets to produce highly consistent, logical, and information-rich summaries. This paper presents several analytics methodologies based on literature that can be used as pre-processing steps to determine dataset characteristics. The study conducted a comparative analysis of twelve classification algorithms using two international datasets to measure their efficiency accurately. The outcome of the analysis step will assist researchers in selecting the most suitable algorithm for each dataset's characteristics, resulting in more organized and thorough results. The study revealed that four algorithms, namely Logitboost, Random Forest, XGBoost, and Multilayer Perceptron, achieved the best accuracy. The XGBoost algorithm, which produced the highest accuracy, was used to classify new CBC datasets collected from various hospitals in Iraq for Hematology studies and statistics. Future research should investigate combining algorithms to leverage their benefits while overcoming their limitations. Overall, using digital analytics tools and algorithms in healthcare can provide critical insights into large datasets, leading to improved disease diagnosis outcomes and the advancement of medical knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) is one of the most widely used measures of emotional and cognitive representations of illness. The B-IPQ has been translated and adapted into many languages. However, the scale has not been translated into Iraqi Arabic in patients with type II diabetes. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate psychometric properties of the B-IPQ among Iraqi patients with type II diabetes. Methods: In this quantitative study, the Arabic Version of the B-IPQ was given to 192 Iraqi patients with type II diabetes. The participants were randomly selected from 5 hospitals and a diabetes society in Baghdad, Iraq. The participants included individuals diagnosed at least 1 year before this research. Using WINSTEPS computer program, the Rating Scale Model (RSM) was employed as a polytomous extension of the Rasch model (RM) to evaluate the scale in terms of unidimensionality, local independence, item statistics, and rating structures. Results: The results indicated that the values of infit and oufit mean square (MNSQ) are within the ideal range of 0.60 and 1.40, suggesting that the items of the scale fit to the RM. The data was found to be unidimensional because the first factor explains 5.5% of the unexplained variance with an eigenvalue of 1.5 (< 2). The results also showed that items are locally independent, and both persons and items have high Rasch separation reliability indices. More importantly, the response options or categories of the scale work optimally because with the increase in category values, observed averages also increased. Conclusion: The overall findings showed that the Arabic version of the B-IPQ is a valid and reliable instrument and can be employed to assess illness perceptions among Iraqi patients with type II diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A solvent extraction was applied using liquid ion exchange as a sensitive method to extract Germanium (IV) as anion complex K[GeO2(OH)2]-from basic media of KOH by used DB18C6 as a ligand dissolved in chloroform to form the ion pair association complex K-DB18C6+; K[GeO2(OH)2]-, the maximum wavelength of the extracted complex was λmax=290nm, and molar absorptive 1.269×103 L/mol.cm. the Beer's -lambert law was adhered to within the specified range (1-20)ppm. The limits of detection and quantity were 0.034 and 0.102 ppm, respectively. The research studied optimal conditions of extraction efficiency, such as KOH concentration, shaking time, methanol effect, and electrolyte effect. In addition, a new spectrophotometric method was utilized to determine the remain of Ge(IV) in aqueous solutions and to calculate its distribution ratio (D) using Janus green B. This method was more sensitive when comparing the results with previous studies. DB18C6 as a ligand was used to determine Germanium (IV) in some canned foods widely sold in Iraq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of this fungus as the causal agent of root rot on cockscomb ( I C. argentea i ) in Iraq and worldwide. Keywords: cockscomb EN cockscomb 1 3 3 12/29/22 20221001 NES 221001 I Celosia argentea i (cockscomb, family Amaranthaceae) is an important annual flowering plant cultivated for landscaping worldwide and widely grown across most provinces of Iraq. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Type 1diabetes (T1D) is immune-mediated disease that presented as a consequence of the gradual destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells, which in results total beta-cell loss and complete dependence on exogenous insulin. Objective: To explore the potential environmental risk factors associated with the development of T1D among children. Patients and Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the pediatric department of Albatool teaching hospital in Diyala province, Iraq. A hundred children diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type1 (cases) and hundred children (controls) without diabetes during the period between February 2020 to May 2020. Data collection was done through interviewing parents' or the caregivers of children directly using a questionnaire that was used before for study T1D. the target population was the children attending the outpatient clinic of the endocrine pediatric department of Albatool teaching hospital. A total of 200 children were included in the study. Computer software SPSS (Version 25) and Microsoft Excel (2016) were used to carry out the statistical analysis of data. Results: The results show Children who had insufficient family income had the highest risk for developing T1D (p<0.001), and children born to low educated parents, especially illiterate parents, had a risk to develop T1D (p< 0.001), followed by children whose parent had a history of consanguinity had a high risk for developing T1D (p=0.004). Children born to older mothers had a higher risk for developing T1D (p=0.04). Children with cesarean section delivery had more risk to develop T1D (p <0.000), followed by children a history of early onset of weaning had more risk to develop T1D (p= 0.001). Children had a history of bottle feeding had more risk to develop T1D (p= 0.004). Conclusion: The following factors were associated with significant risk for developing type 1 DM in children: Insufficient family income, low educated parents especially illiterate parents, history of consanguinity. Maternal factors, including older mothers, mothers with a previous history of abortion and infection, and a history of abnormal weight gain. Child factors include, including a history of hospital delivery, a low birth weight, an early onset of weaning, and bottle-feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe and reliable drinking water is one of the major prerequisites for a healthy life, as water is of fundamental importance for life on earth. Microbiological contamination is an important waterquality problem faced all over the world. Pathogen contamination of rivers that are primarily used for drinking water is an urgent consideration. For this study, seven samples were taken from different sites at different seasonal periods across four months: January, March, July, and October, all in 2019. The physico-chemical evaluation focused on the pollution of water caused by human activities. The Canadian Council of Ministries of the Environment Water Quality Index methodology (CCME WQI) was used in this study for rating the water quality index (WQI) of the Euphrates River. Physicochemical parameters including pH, temperature, nitrate ion, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, sulfate ion, chloride, total dissolved salts, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, and turbidity were determined. Water samples were analyzed for the presence of trace elements (copper and zinc). The microbiological examination included the determination of counts of bacteria Enterobacteriaceae cultivated at 36°C--37°C for 18--24 h. The results of the physico-chemical analysis and mean microbial counts of the investigated water samples were compared with the set standards (WHO guidelines for drinking water quality). Most of the physico-chemical term data indicated poor quality concerning turbidity, conductivity, and sulfate ion concentration with values much higher than the permissible standards. Water pH varied 7.6 with 574.714 ± 65.688 mg/L dissolved solids, EC (1,105.821 ± 143.986 µS/cm), tur (19.289 ± 2.845 NTU), and hardness (405.8 ± 40 mg/L) (within limit). Calcium (106.629 ± 7.244 mg/L), magnesium (43.232 ± 4.439 mg/L), and sulfate (299.964 ± 11.397 mg/L) exceeded permitted levels whereas nitrate ions were below the limit (3.564 ± 0.342 mg/L). The concentrations of trace elements, including zinc, in the current water samples were >0.01 mg/L. The bacteriological quality of most water samples analyzed in the current study did not meet the standards set for drinking water as the results showed that the count of total aerobic bacteria had reached the maximum level (114 x 10-6) cell/mL. The results of this study, therefore, show that the bacteriological data and physico-chemical parameters of the different water samples had values beyond the maximum tolerable limits recommended by the WHO for drinking water. The second part of this work focused on the spatial variability of the WQI of the Euphrates River study area, and the water samples reveal that the majority fall under marginal to poor WQI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to explore the Entamoebahistolytica in 500 patients (human stool) selected from a private laboratory in Baghdad/Iraq during the period from 1st of April 2018 till the 31th of August, by using the iodine stain to detect the stages of parasite in all samples, evaluate the prevalence of the parasite between males and females and to evaluate the relationship of the parasite in selected months of this study. This study showed that the total number of infected patients is 394 from 500 taken sample. The high incidence (81.13%) is occurred in August and the low incidence (76.84%)is occurred in April. This result showed no significant differences appeared between the chosen months of the study (P<0.01). The result of this study showed no significant differences (p<0.01) appeared between the males and females of the study, the number of infected patients are (192 males out of 240 and 202 females out of 260). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological diversity of SARS-CoV-2 was assessed by investigating the genetic variations of the spike glycoprotein of patients with COVID-19 in Iraq. Sequencing identified fifteen novel nucleic acid variations with a variety of distributions within the investigated samples. The electropherograms of all identified variations showed obvious co-infections with two different viral strains per sample. Most samples exhibited three nonsense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), p.301Cdel, p.380Ydel and p.436del, which yielded three truncated spike glycoproteins, respectively. Network and phylogenetic analyses indicated that all viral infections were derived from multiple viral origins. Results inferred from the specific clade-based tree showed that some viral strains were derived from European G-clade sequences. Our data demonstrated the absence of single-strain infection among all investigated samples in the studied area, which entails a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 in this country. The identified high frequency of truncated spike proteins suggests that defective SARS-CoV-2 depend on helper strains possessing intact spikes during infection. Alternatively, another putative ACE2-independent route of viral infection is suggested. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe co-infection with multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Jordan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences is the property of University of Jordan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents the behavior of single tension pile in collapsible soil (Gypseous soil) by experimental work. The natural Gypseous soil with 66% gypsum used in the study was brought from Salah Al-Deen governorate in Iraq while that of the sand was brought from Karbalaa governorate, south of Baghdad, Iraq. The model pile used is smooth steel pipe pile with slenderness ratios (L/D) of 10, 15, 20 and 25. The effect of the gypsum content included in the soil as well as the effect of rest time and the effect of (L/D) on the pullout capacity of pile were studied in the laboratory scale model pile. The results showed that the pullout capacity of pile in Gypseous soil is more than its capacity in Sandy soil by about 64%. When the rest time was increased, the pullout capacity of tension pile embedded in Gypseous soil decreased. Increasing (L/D) ratio of pile in Gypseous soil from 15 to 20 increases pullout capacity of pile to about 65%, while increasing that ratio from 20 to 25 increases pullout capacity of pile to about 76% . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to determine carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates recovered from two hospitals in Iraq. A total of 540 different clinical samples were collected. Isolates were identified and Carbapenemase production were detected using MBL E-test, Modified Hodge’s Test (MHT), and Modified Carba NP test. A total 30 A. baumannii isolates were obtained from clinical specimens. It was found that 73.3% isolates were carbapenem resistant. Out of 30 A.baumannii isolates, 22 (73.3%) isolates were confirmed to be MBL positive by MBL E-test method, 5(16.6%) by MHT, and 27 (90%) isolates by Modified Carba NP test. Results revealed that 21 A.baumannii isolates (70%) were found to be MDR and only 9 isolates (30%) were XDR. It can conclude that most of carbapenem resistant A.baumannii clinical isolates were MDR. The CNPt assay was the most reliable among phenotypic assays to detect MBL production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various indices derived from red blood cell (RBC) parameters have been described for distinguishing beta thalassemia minor and other types of hypochromic microcytic anemia. Objective: The study is aimed at investigating the diagnostic reliability of different RBC indices and formulas in differentiation between beta thalassemia minor and other types of hypochromic microcytic anemia. Subjects and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which was carried out since first of Jan 2011 to end of December 2011 on 171 children with hypochromic microcytic anemia in Kut Oncology Centre, Wasit, Iraq. Results: There was a statistical significant difference between thalassemic group and other groups regarding blood indices as well as the eight formulas which were used. The highest correctly identified patients (PCIP) was reported for RBCs count (84%) with sensitivity and specificity of 96.3%. The Youden's index for RBCs was 58.2 which is the highest value compared with other seven parameters or indices which were used in this study. The second highest Youden's index was for G & K index, with 78.4% PCIP, and sensitivity and specificity of 98.2%. Youden's index of red cell distribution width (RDW) was the lowest value compared to other values used in this study as well as the lowest percentage of correctly identified patients (65%). The sensitivity and specificity of RDW for BTM was 86.1%. Conclusion: According to this study, cell counter-based parameters and formulas, particularly RBCs, and Green and King index are superior to all other methods examined for distinguishing between thalassemia trait and other hypochromic microcytic anemia; while, RDW was inadequate and ineffective for that purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Renal biopsy is crucial to determine the pattern of the different types of renal diseases. It represents the gold standard of diagnostics for renal pathologies, including glomerular diseases, and it has an important value for the prognosis,monitoring disease progression, and planning the management protocol. Aims and objective: To report the frequency of different pathological lesions affecting the kidney in patients who were admitted to our medical centre. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study of all patients with renal diseases who underwent percutaneous renal biopsy at the Erbil Kidney Centre for eight years(1stof January 2010 to 31st of December 2017). A total of 893 cases were biopsied and subsequently studied via histopathological examination and immunofluorescence microscopy. The study is ethically permitted by the Kurdistan Board for Medical Specialization. Results: The average age of the patients was 30.9 years. The most common clinical indication for biopsy included nephrotic syndrome (46.47%), acute renal failure (19.04%), chronic renal failure (15.34%),nephritic syndrome (7.39%), proteinuria alone (7.28%), and hematuria alone (4.48%). In patients with a primary glomerular disease, focal segmental glomerular sclerosis minimal change disease were the most frequent (27.44% and 16.01%) in the younger patients (18.61±13.47 years), while membranous glomerulonephritis was more common in older patients (38.94±13.69 years). Patients with a secondary glomerular disease were mainly diagnosed with lupus nephritis,amyloidosis,and diabetic nephropathy. Conclusion: The epitome of our study signifies that the spectrum of glomerular diseases varies based on age,sex,ethnicity, and geographical distribution. The implementation of renal biopsy proved to be a cornerstone in reaching the correct diagnosis. Future studies should implement the use of electron microscopy in conjunction with classical techniques of histopathology and immunofluorescence microscopy to diagnose equivocal cases of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies about transfusion transmitted HCV infections are limited and very important to make insight about this burden health problem which are the main route of transmission for HCV in the developing countries and to improve blood banks practices for blood donations by implementation of maximally sensitive screen for HCV. Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study done at the hemato-oncology center in Al-Karama Teaching Hospital, Wasit-Iraq. The patients included have different Hemato-oncological diseases over a period from the 1st of January 2016 to the 31st of May 2016. The patients were classified according to age, sex, disease and number of blood or blood products transfusion. HCV serological screen done by specific enzyme immunoassays (EIA) antibody detection and by Molecular Nucliec Acid Amplification Technique (NAT) viral load in Al-Karama Teaching Hospital Lab. Results: 59 patients included in this study. 61% of them was male, 50% of them were below 10 years of age. Leukemia, hemophilia and Von Willebrand diseases constitute around 70 % of the studied patients. About 70% of the patients were received more than 25 time as blood or blood products before time of investigation. 13 (22%) of the studied patient were positive for HCV by serology and 17 (28.8%) of them were positive for HCV by molecular viral load. From the 13 patients with Serologically positive test, two of them were negative in molecular viral load study. While the serological study was negative in 40 patients, six of them were positive in viral load study. Seventeen patients were diagnosis to have hepatitis C virus by viral load study, eleven of them were serologically positive. This difference was statistically significant with P value 0.0001. Conclusion: The methods of blood screen in Iraq, as other developing countries still mainly depend on serology which not enough to give safe blood. There are urgent needs to adapt increasingly sensitive serology with introduction of Molecular Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology (NAT) side to side in blood donations screen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to explore the Cryptosporidium in 90 patients (human stool) selected from a private laboratory in Baghdad/Iraq during the period of study in (2019), by using the modified acidfast Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stain to identify the oocyst of parasite in all samples, evaluate the prevalence of the parasite between males and females and for evaluate the relationship of the parasite and age of patients in this study. This study showed that the total number of infected patients is 40 from 90 taken samples. The result of this study showed no significant differences (p<0.01) appeared between the males and females of the study, the number of infected patients is (17 females out of 40 and 23 males out of 50). And there were significant differences (p<0.01) between the younger ages that was more affected than the older patients (33.33% and 6.66%) Respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Mustansiriyah Journal of Science is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective of this study is the evaluation of health risk of heavy metals in soils of urban community gardens of Baghdad City in Iraq. The soil samples were collected from 14 community gardens and analyzed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. The non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk index (RI) were utilized to evaluate human health risk of heavy metals. The health hazard evaluation showed that there is no non-carcinogenic hazard in light of the fact that the HI values were beneath the threshold value (HI < 1). The HI for children and adults has a descending order of Cd < Cr < Cu < Ni < Pb < Zn. The carcinogenic RI values for Cd, Cr and Ni were over the unacceptable threshold value (RI < 1 × 10−4), demonstrating that there is a serious carcinogenic risk for children and adults in the study area. The carcinogenic RI for children and adults has a descending order of Cr < Cd < Ni. These findings give environment administrators and leaders data on whether therapeutic activities are required to decrease exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study was conducted for 150 faecal samples taken from sheep from different areas of Baghdad governorate for the year 2020, in which the parasite was identified by the usual method, which is the method of microscopy and also by staining with iodine dye, which was the positive result of 150 samples were 90 samples (60%). This study showed that the rate of infection and the presence of this parasite in sheep increases in cold months (66) 44% more than in hot months (24)16%. The results of this research showed us that young animals are more susceptible to infection than adult animals, as in these results 70 (46.66%) and 20 (13.33%). Making a gene tree for this parasite and comparing it to the rest of the countries and for the same parasite, a program Mega 6 that shows the convergence of the genetic sequence found in Iraq with other countries. Genetic sequence with the gene sequences of a parasite in other countries to look for the presence of any gene mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background and study aims: Liver disease in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection ranges from minimal lesion to liver cirrhosis and sometimes eventually evolving hepatocellular carcinoma. Whether and how HCV determines the different clinical and histological manifestation of the disease is not fully understood. It has not been clearly elucidated whether the extent of liver injury induced by HCV is influenced mainly by direct cytopathic damage or by an immune-mediated response against HCV-infected hepatocytes. The aim of this study is to verify whether the amount of virus in individual patient’s serum could be related to the severity of liver injury. Patients and methods: This study was carried out in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad. Serum levels of HCV-RNA were measured in 27 patients with chronic HCV using b-DNA assay. Core liver biopsies of the patients were evaluated according to Ishak histological activity index system. Results: The serum HCV RNA concentrations in the patients ranged from 3.2×103 to 1.2×107 copies/ml. In all patients no correlation was observed between the variable levels of viraemia and the age of the patients. Furthermore no correlations were observed between the serum HCV RNA concentrations and the biochemical liver function test levels: Total serum bilirubin, AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase. Histologically; patients were categorized into four subgroups: four patients (14.8%) had minimal activity, 17 patients (63%) had mild activity, and six patients (22.2%) had moderate activity. No significant correlation was found between viraemic levels and these histological findings or their individual components: Interface hepatitis, confluent necrosis, intralobular liver cell necrosis and portal inflammation. According to the stage of the fibrosis, the patients were categorized into seven subgroups: one patient (3.7%) with stage zero, seven patients with stage one (25.9%), four patients with stage two (14.9%), eight patients with stage three (29.6%), three patients with stage four (11.1%), two patients with stage five (7.4%), and two patients in cirrhotic stage six (7.4%). There was no correlation between the serum HCV RNA concentration and the stage of fibrosis. Hepatic steatosis was observed in 16/27 patients. It was mild in nine patients, moderate in five patients, and severe in two patients. Correlation has not been observed between the serum HCV RNA viraemic level and the severity of steatosis. Conclusion: Serum HCV-RNA level does not determine the degree of hepatic injury precisely and liver biopsy is necessary to accurately evaluate the extent of liver damage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Recently, extensive research has established that epidemiologic and therapeutic links exist between allergic rhinitis and asthma. The objective of this study was to clarify this association in Iraq. Methods: The data included in this study were collected from five surveys for asthma and allergic rhinitis that were performed during the period from September 2000 to July 2008. These surveys were parts of Tikrit University College of Medicine PHC program. Results: The frequency of allergic rhinitis (AR) was 61.6% among individuals with asthma versus 6% among non-asthmatic (control) subjects (Odd Ratio [OR] = 25.5; P < 0.0001). All studies indicated a significant frequency of AR among asthmatic patients in comparison with non-asthmatic subjects, whether the patients were adults or children (OR for adults = 14.9 and 22.5, for children 34.7 and 48.4; P < 0.001 for all). Furthermore, the high frequency of AR in asthmatic patients was seen whether the study was a community based study (CBS) (OR = 14.9 and 48.4; P < 0.0001) or a hospital based study (HBS) (OR = 22.5 & 34.7; P < 0.0001). The frequency of current asthma was 51.8% among individuals with AR versus 5.4% among control subjects (OR = 23.1; P < 0.0001). Conclusions: This study provided evidence that AR and asthma are strongly associated with each other and the treatment approach should consider the entire airway rather than only a part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]