Background: Chronic cigarette smoking is one of the major risk factors for coronary artery disease. However, it has additional cardiac adverse effects independent of coronary atherosclerosis. Patient and Methods: After informed consent and perm- ission from the review board of the hospital, 80 healthy subjects who were classified as smokers or non-smokers were included in the study. They were examined by standard echocardiography protocol which was followed by two-dimensional speckle tracking to assess the functions of the right ventricle. Results: The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) was significantly reduced in smokers as compared to non-smokers (P < 0.05). The tricuspid flow peak late diastolic velocity (A wave) was sig

This study sought to investigate the impacts of big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and business intelligence (BI) on Firms' e-learning and business performance at Jordanian telecommunications industry. After the samples were checked, a total of 269 were collected. All of the information gathered throughout the investigation was analyzed using the PLS software. The results show a network of interconnections can improve both e-learning and corporate effectiveness. This research concluded that the integration of big data, AI, and BI has a positive impact on e-learning infrastructure development and organizational efficiency. The findings indicate that big data has a positive and direct impact on business performance, including Big

Rice is a major staple food for more than two thirds of the world population. Pathogenesis-related proteins-10 (PR10) have a range of 154 to 163 amino acid with molecular weight ~ 17 kDa.  They are acidic and generally intracellular and cytosolic proteins accumulate in plants in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, a PR10 gene and its corresponding protein were characterized in O. sativa, O.  barthii, O. glaberrima, O. glumipatula, O. meridionalis, O. nivara, O. rufipogon and  O. punctata. The results revealed a narrow range of variation at both DNA and protein levels in all examined species except O. glumipatula. The latter showed a relatively

      This study aimed to get a better understanding of molecular epidemiology and genetic variation in the spike glycoprotein as a key viral component involved in viral entrance into host cells and as a potential vaccination target. Three Iraqi SARS-CoV-2 strains were investigated using whole-genome sequencing, with two of them clustering into the 20A (GH) clade, and the remaining strain is clustered in 20E (GV) clade, belonging to the B.1.36.1 and B.1.177.80 lineage, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing of the viral RNA samples revealed nine sporadic nonsynonymous uncommon mutations with freq

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases which occurs as a result of unknown reasons. This study was conducted at Baghdad Teaching Hospital/City of Medicine, where blood samples were taken from 60 Iraqi patients with RA (49 females and 11 males) and these patients were matched by age and sex with 20 healthy controls (16 females and 4 males). Patients with RA were diagnosed by a consultant rheumatologist according to ACR / EULAR criteria in 2010. In this study the patients were divided into four groups as follows; the first group consisted of 12 patients treated with methotrexate (MTX), the second group consisted of 10 patients treated with etanercept, the third group consisted of 18 patients treate

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common disease especially among young children (before school age) and it is one of the common causes of acquired hearing loss in childhood. Pediatric patients with OME are usually undernourished. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the serum levels of trace elements (zinc, copper, magnesium, iron) have a role in the development of OME in children. This study carried out on 55 children and subdivided them into two groups. Group 1 (patient group) consist of 30 children suffering from OME and group 2 (control group) included 25 apparently healthy children. Serum levels of zinc, copper, magnesium and iron were measured for both groups. Comparison the results between the two groups showed t