Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Iraq and the United Kingdom. While the disease is frequently diagnosed among middleaged Iraqi women at advanced stages accounting for the second cause of cancer-related deaths, breast cancer often affects elderly British women yielding the highest survival of all registered malignancies in the UK. Objective: To compare the clinical and pathological profiles of breast cancer among Iraqi and British women; correlating age at diagnosis with the tumor characteristics, receptor-defined biomarkers and phenotype patterns. Methods: This comparative retrospective study included the clinical and pathological characteristics of (1,940) consecutive female patients who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 2014 to 2016 in Iraq (Medical City Teaching Hospital, Baghdad: 635 cases) and UK (John Radcliffe, Oxford and Queen's, BHR University Hospitals: 1,305 cases). The studied parameters in both groups comprised the age of the patient at the time of diagnosis, breast cancer histologic type, grade, tumor size, lymph node status, clinical stage at presentation, Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR) and HER2 positive tumor contents and the receptor defined breast cancer surrogate subtypes. Results: The Iraqi patients were significantly younger than their British counterparts and exhibited higher trend to present at advanced stages; reflected by larger size tumors and frequent lymph node involvement compared to the British (p<0.00001). They also had worse receptor-defined breast cancer subtypes manifested by higher rates of hormone receptor (ER/PR) negative, HER2 positive tumor contents, Triple Positive and Triple Negative phenotypes (p<0.00001). Excluding HER2 status, the significant differences in the clinical and tumor characteristics between the two populations persisted after adjusting for age among patients younger than 50 years. Conclusion: The remarkable differences in the clinical and tumor characteristics of breast cancer between the Iraqi and British patients suggest heterogeneity in the underlying biology of the tumor which is exacerbated in Iraq by the dilemma of delayed diagnosis. The significant ethnic disparities in breast cancer profiles recommend the prompt strengthening of the national cancer control plan in Iraq as a principal approach to the management of the disease.
The performance of asphalt pavements is crucial due to heavy traffic loads from civil and industrial developments. Various additives and modifiers are used in flexible roads to improve their resistance to deterioration caused by climatic changes. From this context, modifying the asphalt binder with polymers is popular in asphalt pavement construction. The present research investigates the effect of Polyethylene (PE) polymers in powder form on the characteristics of asphalt mixtures since these polymers are composed of hydrocarbons. It is similar to asphalt binders, making them very effective in enhancing the performance of neat asphalt produced from the oil refinery. To confirm this, two types of PE, High-Density PE (HDPE) and Low-Density P
... Show MoreFlow unit and reservoir rock type identification in carbonates are difficult due to the intricacy of pore networks caused by facies changes and diagenetic processes. On the other hand, these classifications of rock type are necessary for understanding a reservoir and predicting its production performance in the face of any activity. The current study focuses on rock type and flow unit classification for the Mishrif reservoir in Iraq's southeast and the study is based on data from five wells that penetrate it. Integration of several methods was used to determine the flow unit based on well log interpretation and petrophysical properties. The flow units were identified using the Quality Index of Rock and the Indicator of Flow Zone. Th
... Show MoreObjective(s): To evaluate students’ communication skills and their academic performance; to compare between the students relative to communication skills and their academic performance in the University of Baghdad and to identify the relationship between students’ communication skills, academic performance and their socio-demographic characteristics of age, gender, grade and socioeconomic status. Methodology: A descriptive design, using the evaluation approach, is carried through the present study to evaluate colleges’ students’ communication skills and their academic performance in the University of Baghdad for the period of January 7th 2019 to August 28th 2019. A non-probability, purposive sample, of (80) university students, i
... Show MoreThe banking system considered as one of the most important intermediate circle between creditor and debtors it is mean the most important funding rings in economic activity, whether finance takes the a consumer or investment form and therefore it is the main base to stimulate economic activity both on the demand side, both consumption and investment and therefore of the main motivating factors for economic growth.
The banking system depends in achieve its goals on the grants and loan recovery, or what is known credit process and according to what the importance referred to the role of the banking system, it is important to ensure the safety and efficiency of the mechanisms of banking device and safety is
... Show MoreThe disruptions in supply chains have put small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in dire need of resilient supply chains through which they can improve their performance. Based on the resource dependence theory, this study proposes a mediation model to improve the environmental performance (EP) of SMEs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of supply chain resilience (SCR) on EP mediated by ambidextrous green innovation (AMGI). We proved a structural equation model based on questionnaire data from 261 companies in Iraq to test our hypotheses. The results show that SCR has a positive effect on AMGI for proactive and exploitative green innovation dimensions and positive impact on SMEs’ EP. AMGI plays a media
... Show MoreAbstract:
The problem of poverty is one of the most important development challenges facing developing countries including Sudan for several decades. Although many efforts have been made to reduce poverty, however, its rates are increasing, and public policies adopted by the government in this regard remain elusive in achievinging its main objectives or making any significant progress. The purpose of the present study is to analyse poverty in Sudan by identifying its measurement, causes and the factors that have contributed to the increasing poverty rates over the past two decades. Also this study aims at investigating the interim poverty reduction strategy in Sudan as well as evaluates that strategy throug
... Show MoreCommunication is one of the main elements of culture, it is the source of its formation and a factor of its development and spread. Communication is a 'dynamic' cultural process and is an integral part of the political, social, economic and cultural aspects of people. Therefore, mass communication means help in the course and movement of individuals and cultural communities. The relationship between media and culture according to this perspective is one of many key factors and influential forces that make it coherent and sometimes intertwined. It is a problematic relationship that leads to research and study in order to lay the right foundations in the orientation towards the audience.
Mass communication has many basic functions.
... Show MoreAbstract:The optimum design of the magnetic deflector with the lowest values of the radial and spiral distortion aberration coefficients was computed. The optimized calculations were made using three models, Glaser bell-shaped, Grivet-lenz and exponential models. By using the optimum axial field distribution, the pole pieces shape which gave rise to those field distributions was found by using the reconstruction method. The calculations show that the results of the three models coincide at the lower values of the excitation parameter. In general the Glaser- bell shaped model gives the optimum results at the whole range of the excitation parameter under investigation.The negative values of the spiral distortion aberration coefficient appears
... Show MoreMicrofinance Institutions (MFIs) offers small loans with easy repayment system and till now these institutions have served millions of needy people around the globe. This study highlights the hurdles influence the smooth working and growth of Microfinance institution in Egypt. The structured interviews were conducted from the top and mid-level managers of MFI's. This study revealed that interest rate, political and economic conditions, corruption, customer outreach, competition and technology are the important elements for MFI's success. It is evident that lack of use of technology and less importance drawn on customer outreach programs are the main challenges of MFI's in Egypt. This study provides a roadmap for practitioners and strategic
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