Background: Gallstone disease (GSD) is a significant global health burden with variable prevalence influenced by metabolic, genetic, and infectious factors. Increasing evidence suggests that Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus species, contribute to gallstone pathogenesis through enzymatic activity and biofilm formation. Objectives: To characterize Gram-positive bacteria within gallstones from Iraqi patients, evaluate their biofilm-forming capacity, and analyze the relationship between bacterial colonization, gallstone type, and cholesterol levels. Methods: A total of 100 gallstones were obtained from patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy between October 2024 and March 2025. Stones were aseptically processed for bacterial isolation and identification using selective culture media and the VITEK® 2 Compact System. Serum cholesterol levels were determined by enzymatic colorimetric assay. Biofilm formation was quantified via the 96-well microtiter plate method, and statistical correlations between gallstone type, cholesterol level, and bacterial presence were analyzed. Results: Cholesterol stones (57%) were more prevalent than pigment (40%) and mixed stones (3%). Bacterial growth was observed in 43% of gallstones, with Enterococcus species (31 isolates) predominating over S. aureus (12 isolates). Species-level identification revealed E. faecalis (n= 16), E. faecium (n= 9), and E. gallinarum (n= 6), marking the first reported isolation of E. gallinarum from gallstones. Cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in sterile stones (median 235 mg/dL) compared to bacteria-positive stones (173-186 mg/dL) (P < 0.0001). Biofilm analysis showed all S. aureus isolates as strong producers, whereas E. faecalis exhibited predominantly moderate-to-strong formation, while E. faecium and E. gallinarum displayed weaker capacities. Conclusion: A significant interplay between microbial colonization and gallstone composition. Strong biofilm-producing Gram-positive bacteria, particularly S. aureus and E. faecalis, may facilitate stone maturation and persistence. The novel isolation of E. gallinarum expands the spectrum of biliary microbiota.
Background: Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a clinical syndrome that occurs when there is gradual decline in renal operation overtime.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression among medical students at university of Baghdad, college of medicine in Iraq and the association between some variables and depression.
Aim: This study aimed to identify the impact of tobacco use in the etiology of chronic renal failure among Sudanese patients in Omdurman Military Hospital and Omdurman Kidney Dialysis Center
Materials and methods: This descriptive community-based study was conducted in Khartoum State. A random sample of 100 cases with chronic renal failure and 100
... Show MoreThe cervical cancer considered as the fourth female prevalent disease worldwide, it was once the most extensively recognized female cancer two in many low-income countries. Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) exhibits broader tropism and can cause infection in most of the human body organs. Although, human cytomegalovirus HCMV is not yet considered an oncogenic virus, there is increased evidences of HCMV infection implication in malignant diseases of different cancer types. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of CMV infection on the development of HPV16 positive cervical cancinoma. The current retrospective study enrolled a number of paraffinized cervical cancer tissues .included 30 cervical carcinomatous tissues and 10 biopsies from an
... Show MoreBackground: Understanding the morphological characteristics between the floor of the maxillary sinus and the tips of the maxillary posterior roots is crucial in orthodontics involving diagnosis and treatment planning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distances from the maxillary posterior root apices to the inferior wall of the maxillary sinus, thickness and density of maxillary sinus floor using cone-beam computed tomography images and the relationships between roots and maxillary sinus according to gonial angle and skeletal pattern. Materials and methods: Three-dimensional images of each root were checked, and the distances were measured along the true vertical axis from the apex of the root to the sinus floor, and the thickne
... Show MoreStaphylococcus are cause hospital community acquired infection and they are an important cause of health –care associated infection.The Coagulase positive Staphylococcus are Staphylococcus aureus which can implicated in toxic shock syndrome. Methicillin and Vancomycin Staphylococcus aureus resistant (MRSA, VRSA) become major cause of hospital- acquired infection and community acquired infection.Coagulase negative staphylococcus emerged as major cause of infection in immunocompromised patients.The main objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution of Staphylococci among leukemic patients since it is well known that leukemic patients are prone to be infected easily due to their immunosuppressed status.This study was undertaken b
... Show MoreParkinson’s disease (PD) consider as a progressive ageing neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson’s consider as a heterogenous disease, with mainly initiate through correlation between genetic and epigenetic by inducing of different factors on some related genes, these factors like (environmental, toxicants, nutrition, heavy metals, pesticides, some drugs) and also(trauma on head ,strokes) in addition to unknown reasons which cause an idiopathic PD .Current study aims to focusing on specific related PD gene called SNCA by single nucleotides polymorphism (rs2619363) as a risk factor for PD initiation disease in PD patients in addition to study the effect of polymorphisms on random Iraqi patients with different gastrointestinal
... Show MoreIn this paper, we define a cubic positive implicative-ideal, a cubic implicative-ideal and a cubic commutative-ideal of a semigroup in KU-algebra as a generalization of a fuzzy (positive implicative-ideal, an implicative-ideal and a commutative-ideal) of a semigroup in KU-algebra. Some relations between these types of cubic ideals are discussed. Also, some important properties of these ideals are studied. Finally, some important theories are discussed. It is proved that every cubic commutative-ideal, cubic positive implicative-ideal, and cubic implicative-ideal are a cubic ideal, but not conversely. Also, we show that if Θ is a cubic positive implicative-ideal and a cubic commutative-ideal then Θ is a cubic implicative-ideal. Some example
... Show MoreBackground: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of mortality among women in Iraq forming 23% of cancer related deaths. The low survival from the disease is a direct consequence to the advanced stages at diagnoses. Aim: To document the composite stage of breast cancer among Iraqi patients at the time of diagnosis; correlating the observed findings with other clinical and pathological parameters at presentation. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study enrolling the clinical and pathological characteristics of 603 Iraqi female patients diagnosed with breast cancer. The composite stage of breast cancer was determined according to UICC TNM Classification System of Breast Cancer and the Ameri
... Show MoreNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by hepatic fat accumulation in individuals consuming little or no alcohol, has become highly prevalent globally. Oxidative stress plays a central role in instigating inflammation and cell death pathways driving NAFLD progression. This case–control study aimed to elucidate the association between circulating levels of the pivotal non-enzymatic antioxidants – coenzyme Q10 and vitamins E and C – and liver injury parameters among 60 Iraqi NAFLD patients versus 30 healthy controls. NAFLD diagnosis entailed over 5% hepatic steatosis on ultrasound excluding other etiologies. Patients spanned three age groups: 20–29, 30–39, an