Interrelation of the Circulating and Tissue MicroRNA-21 with Tissue PDCD4 Expression and the Invasiveness of Iraqi Female Breast Tumors.

The changes in the translational repression and variation in mRNA degradation induced by micro RNA are important aspects of tumorigenesis. The association of microRNA-21 with clinicopathologic features and expression of programed cell death 4 (PDCD4) in Iraqi female's with breast tumors has not been studied. MicroRNAs were extracted from a set of 60 breast tumor tissues and blood samples of females with breast cancer and benign breast lesions obtained after breast-reductive surgery, and only blood samples from 30 normal volunteers.

Effects of trace elements on albumin and lipoprotein glycation in diabetic retinopathy.

Objective: To test the effect of some trace elements, on protein and lipoprotein glycosylation and their impact on the severity of diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: A case control study was conducted in 42 diabetic patients (14 without retinopathy [DC]; 14 with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy [NPDR]; 14 with proliferative diabetic retinopathy [PDR]) at Ebin Al-Haitham Specialized Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq for Ocular Diseases from February to December 2008. In addition to 20 age and gender matched healthy controls (NC).

Purines and oxypurines in myocardial ischemia.

Objective: To evaluate the plasma levels of purine nucleosides and oxypurines in the presence of other risk factors as additional markers for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia and severity of myocardial infarction.

Methods: A case control study was conducted on 101 patients with ischemic heart disease (stable angina, n=19: unstable angina, n=29: acute myocardial infarction [AMI]; n=53 patients) admitted to the Cardiology Unit at Al-Kadhimyia Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq from January to November 2007 in addition to 31 healthy controls. Blood samples were aspirated from those with AMI within the first 12 hours of onset of chest pain.