With 549,393 new cases recorded in 2018, bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Urinary bladder cancer is the cause of about 3 percent of all new cancer diagnoses and 2.1 percent of all cancer deaths. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of the N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1(NDRG1) as a biomarker for bladder cancer patients in the Iraqi population. One hundred individuals in the case-control study were enrolled and divided into two groups. The first group included 50 patients diagnosed with a bladder mass and investigated by undergoing cystoscopy examination for transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURB). The second group included 50 healthy individuals who had normal bladder tissue. The results of the present study showed the highest level of (NDRG1) among cases with statically significant association (p=0.001). The ROC curve demonstrated that the protein level of (NDRG1) could distinguish disease patients from healthy individuals with a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 92%. Serum (NDRG1) protein is an efficient and noninvasive tumor marker for diagnosing bladder cancer. Keywords: N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURB).
This research aims to examine the role of global green finance as a critical driver of both economic and environmental sustainability within small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises (SMEs) in Iraq. Utilizing a convergent mixed-methods framework, the study integrates qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and a quantitative survey of 300 agricultural SMEs to assess the barriers, enablers, and institutional conditions influencing the adoption of green finance. The findings indicate that, despite growing awareness and substantial latent demand for sustainability-linked investments, adoption is significantly constrained by institutional fragmentation, regulatory ambiguity, and resource limitations at the firm level. Grounded in Ins
... Show MoreBackground: In recent years, the prevalence of obesity has climbed sharply. Still, only a few safe and effective medications are approved as weight-loss drugs. Objective: This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of community pharmacists in Iraq regarding the use of Liraglutide and Semaglutide as weight-loss medications. Method: A cross-sectional survey was implemented using a validated questionnaire and a convenient sample of Iraqi community pharmacists from different governorates. The questionnaire was created after conducting a literature review of the most important articles about liraglutide and semaglutide. The questionnaire consists of three sections. The first part was used to collect demographic information. The
... Show MoreBackground: Successful root canal therapy depends on thorough chemo mechanical debridement of pulpal tissue, dentin debris and infective microorganisms. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles, sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine in reducing the bacterial infection of the root canals. Materials and Methods: The root canals of 55 single-rooted teeth were cleaned, shaped, and sterilized. All the teeth samples were inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis and incubated at 37°C for 2 weeks. Then, the teeth were divided into four groups. Group I (n=15): 100 ppm silver nanoparticles, Group II (n=15): 2.5 sodium hypochlorite, Group III (n=15): 2% chlorhexidine, IV (n=10): Normal saline as a contr
... Show MoreBackground: In recent years, the prevalence of obesity has climbed sharply. Still, only a few safe and effective medications are approved as weight-loss drugs. Objective: This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of community pharmacists in Iraq regarding the use of Liraglutide and Semaglutide as weight-loss medications. Method: A cross-sectional survey was implemented using a validated questionnaire and a convenient sample of Iraqi community pharmacists from different governorates. The questionnaire was created after conducting a literature review of the most important articles about liraglutide and semaglutide. The questionnaire consists of three sections. The first part was used to collect demographic information. The second a
... Show MoreAlice Walker (1944) ranks among the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. Through her novels Meridian and the color Purple, Alice outlines many issues concerning the effect of authoritarian thinking upon its often innocent victims, and the possibility of meaningful, productive resistance. Walker's texts aim at giving a voice to those who have no voice especially those poor, rural black women who are robbed of power and the right to make decisions about their own lives by a range of forces standing against them. These texts also aim at clarifying how Walker's female protagonists, Meridian and Celia try to free themselves from oppression, misery , fear and underestimation
... Show MoreTemporomandibular disorders (TMDs) were investigated in 143 pretreatment orthodontic patients (43 males and 102 females) whose age ranged between 10-25 years at the College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Iraq. The study was undertaken to elucidate the prevalence and severity of TMDs in malocclusion patients and to defme the relationships between malocclusion and TMDs. The clinical signs and subjective symptoms were recorded according to the principles introduced by Helkimo (1974b). Subjective symptoms were reported by 65.7% of the patients with 22.40/0 described as severe, and the most common symptoms were TMJ sounds and feeling offatigue. Clinical signs were observed in 81.8% of the sample with 22.4 and 6.3% described as moderate and
... Show MoreIntelligent or smart completion wells vary from conventional wells. They have downhole flow control devices like Inflow Control Devices (ICD) and Interval Control Valves (ICV) to enhance reservoir management and control, optimizing hydrocarbon output and recovery. However, to explain their adoption and increase their economic return, a high level of justification is necessary. Smart horizontal wells also necessitate optimizing the number of valves, nozzles, and compartment length. A three-dimensional geological model of the As reservoir in AG oil field was used to see the influence of these factors on cumulative oil production and NPV. After creating the dynamic model for the As reservoir using the program Petrel (2017.4), we
... Show MoreExpired drug Metoclopramide was investigated as an antibacterial corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in 0.5M H3PO4 solution using the electrochemical method at 30oC and 60oC. The results showed that this drug is an efficient inhibitor for carbon steel and the efficiency reached to 82.244 % for 175 ppm at 30oC and 76.146% for 225 ppm at 60oC. The adsorption of drug on carbon steel surface follows Langmuir adsorption isotherm with small values of adsorption-desorption constant. The polarization plots revealed that Metoclopramide acts as mixed-type inhibitor. Some parameters of inhibition process were calculated and discussed. The surface morphology of the carbon steel speci
... Show MoreExperts have given much attention on the use of waste in asphalt paving because of its significance from a sustainability perspective. This paper evaluated the performance properties of asphalt concrete mixes modified with Crumb Rubber (CR) as a partial replacement for two grade sizes of fine aggregate (2.36, and 0.3 mm) at six replacement rates: 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by weight. Asphalt concrete mixes were prepared at their Optimum Asphalt Content (OAC) and then tested for their engineering properties. Marshall properties, fatigue, rutting, ideal CT index test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy were deployed to examine the crystalline structure and elemental composition of the C
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