Aim: To find any association between specific ABO blood groups and FUT2 secretory status and COVID-19 in a sample of Iraqi dentists. Materials and Methods: For each participant, a questionnaire including demography, COVID-19 status, blood grouping, and RH factor, with chemo-sensitive symptoms was recorded. The saliva samples were collected and DNA was extracted from leukocytes. Sequencing of molecular detection of the FUT2 gene by real-time PCR and the data was done, whilst drawing the phylogenetic tree. Results: Out of 133, most of the dentists were female 61%, most were just under 35 years of age. The most participants in this study were predominantly with blood group O (40%), followed by B, A, and AB, with (90%) of them were RH+. All blood grouping and RH factor were high significantly associated with COVID-19 infection and its frequency (p<0.001). A significant association between smell dysfunction and infected blood group A and RH+ (p =0.044, 0.038) while taste dysfunction was negatively and significantly correlated with AB group (r=-0.73; p=0.008). The FUT2 secretor showed a significant association with COVID-19 infection and frequency. The majority of COVID-19-infected participants experienced a significant loss of both smell and taste with fast recovery within 2 weeks. Conclusions: The COVID-19 infection susceptibility and reinfection are associated with FUT2 secretory status and greatly associated to olfactory and gustatory sense loss.
Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic inflammation that essentially affects the small intestine and is caused by eating gluten-containing foods. This study sought to determine gene expression of NLRP3 Inflammasome in peripheral blood of Iraqi CD children using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. Thirty children with CD (12 males and 18 females) were enrolled in the study and their age range was 3-15 years. The diagnosis of the disease was confirmed by serological examinations and intestinal endoscopy. A control sample of 20 age-matched healthy children was also included. The children were stratified for age, gender, body max index (BMI), histological findings, and marsh classification. Furthe
... Show MoreBackground: Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a malignant hematological disease of hematopoietic stem cells. It is difficult to adapt treatment to each patient's risk level because there are currently few clinical tests and no molecular diagnostics that may predict a patient's clock for the advancement of CML at the time of chronic phase diagnosis. Biomarkers that can differentiate people based on the outcome at diagnosis are needed for blast crisis prevention and response improvement. Objective: This study is an effort to exploit the SLC25A3 gene as a potential biomarker for CML. Methods: RT-qPCR was applied to assess the expression levels of the SLC25A3 gene. Results: In comparison to the mean ΔCt of the control group, which was found to b
... Show MoremiRNAs regulate protein abundance and control diverse aspects of cellular processes and biological functions in metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Lethal-7(Let-7) miRNAs specifically target genes associated with diabetes and have a role in the regulation of peripheral glucose metabolism. The present study aimed to describe the gene expressions of the let-7a gene with the development of diabetes in Iraq and the difference in the expression of this gene in patients with diabetes and healthy individuals. The association between age and gender with the development of diabetes was studied in this study and the results were compared with those of healthy individuals in the group of control. Based on the obtained results, there was
... Show MoreCeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic inflammation that essentially affects the small intestine and is caused by eating gluten-containing foods. This study sought to determine gene expression of NLRP3 Inflammasome in peripheral blood of Iraqi CD children using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. Thirty children with CD (12 males and 18 females) were enrolled in the study and their age range was 3-15 years. The diagnosis of the disease was confirmed by serological examinations and intestinal endoscopy. A control sample of 20 age-matched healthy children was also included. The children were stratified for age, gender, body max index (BMI), histological findings, and marsh classification. Fu
... Show MoreThis study aims to analyze the messages of a number of global news outlets on Twitter. In order to clarify the news outlets tactics of reporting, the subjects and focus during the crisis related to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The study sample was chosen in a deliberate manner to provide descriptive results. Three news sites were selected: two of the most followed, professional and famous international news sites: New York Times and the Guardian, and one Arab news site: Al-Arabiya channel.
A total of 18,085 tweets were analyzed for the three accounts during the period from (1/3/2020) to (8/4/2020). A content analysis form was used to analyze the content of the news coverage. The results indicate an increase in th
... Show MoreTo assess the impact of COVID‐19 on oral hygiene (OH) awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, fear of infection and economic impact in the Middle East.
This survey was performed by online distribution of questionnaires in three countries in the Middle East (Jordan, Iraq and Egypt). The questionnaire consisted of five sections: the first section was aimed at collecting demographic data and the rest sections used to assess OH awareness, attitude towards dental treatment, degree of fear and economic impact of COVID‐19. The answers were either multiple choice, closed‐end (Yes or N