The study of single nucleotide polymorphism in a promoter region of ACE-2 receptor gene in the samples of Iraqi population with COVID-19.

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an essential receptor on the host cell's cell membrane. It's interesting to note that the entry point receptor ACE2 protein and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus are correlated. This study aimed to determine the influence of the ACE gene genotype and explore the effects of genetic variation in the promotor region of the ACE-2 gene receptor in SARS COV-2 patients.

Trends in Gender Authorship of Abstract Presentations at Plastic Surgery the Meeting: A Decade Long Analysis.

Current literature fails to examine gender differences of authors presenting abstracts at national plastic surgery meetings. This study aims to assess the ratio of female to male abstract presentations at Plastic Surgery The Meeting (PSTM).The gender of all abstract presenters from PSTM between 2010 and 2020 was recorded.

A cognitive deep learning approach for medical image processing.

In ophthalmic diagnostics, achieving precise segmentation of retinal blood vessels is a critical yet challenging task, primarily due to the complex nature of retinal images. The intricacies of these images often hinder the accuracy and efficiency of segmentation processes. To overcome these challenges, we introduce the cognitive DL retinal blood vessel segmentation (CoDLRBVS), a novel hybrid model that synergistically combines the deep learning capabilities of the U-Net architecture with a suite of advanced image processing techniques.

Genetic variation of CYP2C9 gene and its correlation with cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Background: The major enzyme that is responsible for Sulfonylureas (SUs) metabolism is hepatic cytochrome P-450 2C9 (CYP2C9). It is encoded by the polymorphic gene CYP2C9, which has many allelic variants, among those the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 are the most common and clinically significant allelic variations. People with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), and their risk of dying from it is more than two times higher than that of people without the condition.

Emotions as social information in unambiguous situations: role of emotions on procedural justice perception.

Unlabelled: Emotion as Social Information Theory claims that in an ambiguous situation, people rely on others' emotions to make sense of the level of fairness encountered. We tested whether the information provided by emotions about the fairness of a procedure is still a significant factor in explaining individual differences in perception of variance, even in unambiguous situations. We assessed the effects of others' emotions on observers inferred procedural justice during (un)ambiguous situations when people are treated (un)fairly.

Trends in Female Representation at Plastic Surgery Meetings: A Move Toward Gender Equity at the Podium.

Anecdotally, female plastic surgeons are disproportionately underrepresented as speakers, moderators, and panelists at national and regional plastic surgery meetings. No studies have attempted to quantify female representation at Plastic Surgery The Meeting (PSTM). The objective of our study is to examine trends in female participation at PSTM.

ASSERT: A Blockchain-Based Architectural Approach for Engineering Secure Self-Adaptive IoT Systems.

Internet of Things (IoT) systems are complex systems that can manage mission-critical, costly operations or the collection, storage, and processing of sensitive data. Therefore, security represents a primary concern that should be considered when engineering IoT systems. Additionally, several challenges need to be addressed, including the following ones.

Genetic analysis of X-chromosomal short tandem repeat (X-STR) frequencies in Arab Iraqi male population.

Background: The X-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms are a particular tool in the fields of human population genetics and personal identification. It was necessary in investigating complex kinship or deficiency cases in conditions where information on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or Y chromosome polymorphisms have been used to explore their direct paternal line. This study aimed to investigate the allele frequency of (12X-STR) of 200 unrelated males from different region of Baghdad City to serve as a reference data base for individual identification in Iraqi population.

Cannabis for psychiatric disorders - Has The Pendulum Swung Too Far?

Strong interest in cannabinoids as potential treatment for psychiatric disorders has led to numerous studies. Particularly, cannabidiol (CBD) has promise as a pharmacotherapy for psychotic disorders as well as anxiety disorders. Herein we shed some light on therapeutic potential while examining extant evidence.

A Blockchain-Based Multi-Factor Authentication Model for a Cloud-Enabled Internet of Vehicles.

Continuous and emerging advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have enabled Internet-of-Things (IoT)-to-Cloud applications to be induced by data pipelines and Edge Intelligence-based architectures. Advanced vehicular networks greatly benefit from these architectures due to the implicit functionalities that are focused on realizing the Internet of Vehicle (IoV) vision. However, IoV is susceptible to attacks, where adversaries can easily exploit existing vulnerabilities.

ApoB gene polymorphism (rs676210) and its pharmacogenetics impact on atorvastatin response among Iraqi population with coronary artery disease.

Background: Drug response is below genetic influence, proven by the genetic variants. Pharmacogenetics trials are performed in many diseases, including coronary artery disease. This study was designed to determine the genetic polymorphism (rs676210) Pro2739leu G > A in the lipid metabolism-related gene (ApoB gene) and its pharmacogenetic role in the response to atorvastatin drug in a sample of Iraqi population with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Health- Related Quality of Life Among Jordanian Adolescent Cancer Patients Receiving Active Treatment.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life among adolescents diagnosed with malignancies and currently undergoing treatment in the age group of 13-18 years old.

Method: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. Participants were recruited from the pediatric oncology department at King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan.

An extensive experimental survey of regression methods.

Regression is a very relevant problem in machine learning, with many different available approaches. The current work presents a comparison of a large collection composed by 77 popular regression models which belong to 19 families: linear and generalized linear models, generalized additive models, least squares, projection methods, LASSO and ridge regression, Bayesian models, Gaussian processes, quantile regression, nearest neighbors, regression trees and rules, random forests, bagging and boosting, neural networks, deep learning and support vector regression. These methods are evaluated using all the regression datasets of the UCI machine learning repository (83 datasets), with some exceptions due to technical reasons.

Detection of Metallo-β-Lactamase Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Public and Private Hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq.

Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been reported to be an important nosocomial infection. Its intrinsic and acquired resistance to various antimicrobial agents and its ability to develop multidrug resistance imposes a serious therapeutic problem. Different clinical samples were collected from public and private hospitals in Baghdad city, Iraq.

A multicenter prospective phase II trial of neoadjuvant epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil (FEC100) followed by cisplatin-docetaxel with or without trastuzumab in locally advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of the (FEC100) followed by cisplatin/docetaxel with and without trastuzumab as primary chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

Methods: Eighty patients with LABC (T2-T4, N0-N2, M0) were enrolled to receive 24 weeks of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil (FEC100) followed by cisplatin and docetaxel, plus trastuzumab if HER2 positive. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and axilla in separate HER2-negative and HER2-positive cohort.

Changes in biologic features between primary and recurrent or relapsed breast cancers.

Objective: Changes in ER, PR and Her2 receptor status between primary and metastatic cancer tissue have been suggested in breast cancer. The frequencies of these changes are still not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate these changes in breast cancer population of Kuwait.

An assessment of the effectiveness of mechanical and chemical cleaning of Essix orthodontic retainer.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of mechanical and chemical cleaning on the removal of microorganisms from Essix orthodontic retainers.

Design: In vitro laboratory study.

Setting: Department of Orthodontics and Microbiology, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, UK.

Connexin 26 gene mutations in non-syndromic hearing loss among Kuwaiti patients.

Objective: To study connexin 26 (Cx26) gene mutations among autosomal recessive non-syndromal hearing loss in Kuwaiti patients and evaluate their effect on phenotypes.

Subjects And Methods: This cross sectional study included 100 patients aged between 6 months and 18 years, who were referred to the Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Centre for audiology and speech evaluation of autosomal recessive non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss confirmed by clinico-genetic evaluation and a battery of diagnostic tests. Gene profiling and sequencing were performed to detect the presence and nature of Cx26 mutation.

Using whole-exome sequencing to identify inherited causes of autism.

Despite significant heritability of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), their extreme genetic heterogeneity has proven challenging for gene discovery. Studies of primarily simplex families have implicated de novo copy number changes and point mutations, but are not optimally designed to identify inherited risk alleles. We apply whole-exome sequencing (WES) to ASD families enriched for inherited causes due to consanguinity and find familial ASD associated with biallelic mutations in disease genes (AMT, PEX7, SYNE1, VPS13B, PAH, and POMGNT1).

Tryptophan oxidative metabolism catalyzed by geobacillus stearothermophilus: a thermophile isolated from kuwait soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.

Tryptophan metabolism has been extensively studied in humans as well as in soil. Its metabolism takes place mainly through kynurenine pathway yielding hydroxylated, deaminated and many other products of physiological significance. However, tryptophan metabolism has not been studied in an isolated thermophilic bacterium.

Transformation of chenodeoxycholic acid by thermophilic Geobacillus stearothermophilus.

We performed a series of experiments with Geobacillus stearothermophilus, a thermophile isolated from oil-contaminated soil in the Kuwaiti desert. The organism has a good potential for the transformation of a broad spectrum of organic molecules such as steroids, amino acids, and aromatic hydrocarbons. In the present study, we tested its potential for the transformation of a bile component, chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA).

P53 gene polymorphisms and breast cancer risk in Arab women.

The association between polymorphisms in the p53 tumor suppressor gene and breast cancer risk has been studied in many human populations with conflicting conclusions. However, similar studies in Arab women are not available, and the status of these polymorphisms in this ethnic population is not known. We investigated the status of four known p53 gene polymorphisms and their possible role in breast cancer risk in Arab women.

Antioxidant activity of biotransformed sex hormones facilitated by Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Bacillus stearothermophilus, a thermophilic bacterium isolated from Kuwaiti desert, when incubated with exogenous progesterone for 10 days at 65 degrees C produced two monohydroxylated, two dihydroxy isomers of progesterone and a B-Seco compound. These metabolites were purified by TLC and HPLC followed by their identification through (1)H, (13)C NMR and other spectroscopic data. Microbial hydroxylation of 17beta-estradiol resulted in the production of estrone.

Modification of progesterone and testosterone by a food-borne thermophile Geobacillus kaustophilus.

The present work was carried out to study structural modification of steroids by Geobacillus kaustophilus, a bacterial thermophile present in milk and the environment. Incubation of progesterone and testosterone with G. kaustophilus at 65 degrees C resulted in oxygenated steroid nuclei.

Impact of 226C>T MSH2 gene mutation on cancer phenotypes in two HNPCC-associated highly-consanguineous families from Kuwait: emphasis on premarital genetic testing.

Lynch syndrome or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is one of the commonest cancer susceptibility syndromes. It is characterized by early onset colon cancer and a variety of extracolonic tumours. Germline mutations in the DNA mismatch repair genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS1, and PMS2) are responsible for this disorder.