BACKGROUND: Diffuse astrocytomas constitute the largest group of primary malignant human intracranial tumours. They are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) into three histological malignancy grades: diffuse astrocytomas (grade II), anaplastic astrocytomas (grade III) and glioblastoma (grade IV) based on histopathological features such as cellular atypia, mitotic activity, necrosis and microvascular proliferation. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a 170-kDa transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor expressed in a variety of normal and malignant cells regulating critical cellular processes. When activated, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) triggers several signalling cascades leading to increased proliferation and angiogenesis and decreased apoptosis and hence associated with aggressive progression of the tumour. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) level is known to be a strong indicator associated with the aggressive behaviour of the tumour and acts as a prognostic factor for evaluating the survival rate. AIM: To evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in different grades of astrocytoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded astrocytic tumours of 44 patients were collected from the archival material of pathology department of Ghazi Al Hariri Teaching Hospital during the period from June to December 2018. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were used to characterise the tumours histologically based on cellularity, nuclear hyperchromasia, polymorphism, mitotic activity, vascular proliferation and necrosis with or without pseudopallisading of tumour cells. Diagnosis and grading of astrocytic tumours in this study were made according to WHO criteria (2016). Using a monoclonal antibody to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and immunohistochemical analysis, the expression and distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor in astrocytic tumours were examined. RESULTS: The study included 1 case pilocytic astrocytoma (grade I), 20 cases diffuse astrocytoma (grade II), 5 cases anaplastic astrocytoma (grade III) and 18 cases of glioblastoma (grade IV). Expression of EGFR was found in 38.88% of the glioblastoma samples (grade IV). However, none of the astrocytomas of WHO grades I, II and III showed immunoreactivity for EGFR protein. Different patterns of immunoreactive cells and significant intratumor heterogeneity of EGFR expression were observed in glioblastomas. CONCLUSION: The immunohistochemical expression of Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was restricted only to high-grade astrocytic tumours, namely glioblastoma, thus may use to predict glioblastoma.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a complex debilitating disease because its pathogenesis is not clear. This study aims at detecting some pathogenesis factors that lead to induce the disease. Chlamydia pneumoniae is one of these pathogenesis factors which acts as a triggering factor for the disease. The study groups included forty Iraqi Ankylosing spondylitis patients and forty healthy persons as a control group. Immunological and molecular examinations were done to detect Chlamydia. pneumoniae in AS group. The immunological results were performed by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to detect anti-IgG and anti-IgM antibodies of C. pneumoniae revealed that five of forty AS patients' samples (12.5%) were positive for anti-IgG and IgM C. pneu
... Show MoreThe exchange rate is of great importance at the global and local levels alike, as this importance increases with the increasing rates of development of economic relations between countries of the world due to openness and integration into the global economy, expressed by the expansion of the volume of trade and financial relations between countries. The Central Bank of Iraq has set the need to stabilize this price as a goal to reduce inflation rates and reduce them to the internationally accepted rates by using the foreign currency sale window to achieve a balance between the forces of supply and demand for foreign currency and to preserve the value of the Iraqi dinar. The research concluded that the central bank was It has a maj
... Show MoreThe study was conducted at research station A, department of field crops, college of agricultural engineering sciences, university of Baghdad during summer 2021 to evaluate the effect of boron and some growth regulators on some growth criteria and yield of soybean crop (cv. shimaa). The experiment was carried out according to split plots by using randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plots included three concentrations of boron (75, 150 and 225) mg.L-1, the sub-plots included three levels of growth regulators, spraying kinetin (100 mg. L-1), spraying ethrel (200 mg.L-1) and spraying kinetin (100 mg.L-1) + spraying ethrel (200 mg.L-1) as
... Show MoreThere are many animal models for polycystic ovary (PCO); using exogenous testosterone enanthate is one of the methods of induction of these models. However, induction of insulin resistance should also be studied in the modeling technics. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the expression of insulin receptor substrate (Irs)-2 mRNA in the liver tissue of rat PCO model. Nineteen Wistar rats were divided into three groups; (1) PCO modeling group (N =7) received daily 1.0 mg/100g testosterone enanthate solved in olive oil along with free access dextrose water 5%, (2) vehicle group (N =6), which handled like the PCO group, but did not receive testosterone enanthate, (3) control group (N =6) with standard care. Al
... Show MoreDual-species biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus generate difficult-to-treat illnesses. Nutrition stress in biofilms affects physiology, microbial metabolism, and species interactions, impacting bacteria growth and survival. Furthermore, the function of alginate, which is encoded by the algD gene, in the production of biofilms has been established. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of starvation on algD gene expression in single-species biofilm of P. aeruginosa and dual-species biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus from hospital sewage. A total of six P. aeruginosa and six S. aureus isolates were obtained from the microbiology laboratory at the Department of Biology, College of Science, Universit
... Show MoreAntibiotic resistance is the capability of the strains to resist or protect themselves from the effects of an antibiotic. Such a resistance towards the current antimicrobials leads to the search of novel antimicrobials. Nanotechnology has been promising in different field of science and among it is the use of nanoparticles as antibacterial agents. The gastrointestinal tract seems to be the primary reservoir of uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC) in humans. UPEC strains harbour the urinary tract and cause urinary tract infection. They cause serious ailments in terms of humans. They develop resistance and increase their virulence by forming biofilms. They also show a remarkable locomotory movement with the aid of autoinducer controlled ge
... Show MoreI n vitro rooting plantlets of three sugarcane genotypes(Co.j.64, Co.j.86 and Missan) were cultured in the field after exposed at different doses of gamma rays (1,2,3,4,) kr. Data of reduction percentage on vegetative growth, roots number, length per plant and their diameter were investigated. Results showed gradual reductions in number of shoots, length and diameter as according to increasing of gamma doses. The reduction percentage in shoot number, length were reached 57.86,70.36 % at 4 kr respectively which have mean number and length per plant reached (9.27 and 55.33 cm) as compared with the control treatment ,While 1 kr caused higher percent in diameter reached 9.69 % with mean of diameter per plant reached 2.57 cm. Mean time , Ge
... Show MoreHerbal remedies are used in induction of lactation. In view of that .Borage Officinalis was employed to ensure an abundant milk supply or rectify milk insufficiency .However, this remedy has not been scientifically tested .The animals were treated with the aqueous extract of Borage Officinalis flowers at a daily concentration of 100 mg / kg body weight /ml for each rat through Oro-gastric tube for 14 days. Animals were subdivided into subgroups according to their physiological status. Mammary glands of these animals were processed for histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies. Parameters indicated that the aqueous extract of Borage Officinalis flowers induced lactogenesis in the mammmary glands of virgin and pregnant rats
... Show MoreBackground: Feeding is a complicated process that involves the coordination of cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal (GI), and oropharyngeal mechanisms, with support from the musculoskeletal and craniofacial systems. The practice of feeding could be correlated with eruption stage and nutritional status in infants. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the relation of feeding patterns to a selected oral variable (stage of the eruption of primary teeth) and growth parameters among clinically healthy infants. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study on a sample of (300) infants aged between 6 and 18 months was performed in Karbala City, Iraq. The feeding pattern was investigated using an information sheet ans
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