This study concerns the isolation of oil degraded bacterial samples from oil polluted soil in Al-Dora refinery/ Baghdad – Iraq. Soil samples (15) were on mineral salt agar medium (MSM) used to screen the oil degrading bacteria by forming clear zones around the colonies. To confirm the degradation of oil by these bacteria, the isolates were inoculated in mineral salt broth, 15 isolates of Pseudomonas spp. was detected from which two isolates identified as P. aeruginosa by morphological, physical and biochemical characteristics that confirmed by using Vitick identification system. Growth was estimated in terms of whole cell by measuring optical density at 620 nm and free extract protein was estimated by protein measurement with Folin phe

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mycotoxin produced mainly by fungi Aspergillus flavus in food and animals feed. It is considered as a carcinogenic toxin for human and animals. The current study is designed to investigate the incidence of mycoflora in twenty four samples of local stored maize collected from Iraqi governorates; investigate the presence of aflatoxin B1 on these samples using TLC and ELISA techniques. The fungi recovered from maize samples were Aspergillus flavus (18.57 % ), Fusarium spp. (12.8 % ), A. ocraceus (9.96 % ) , A. terrus (9.07 % ), A. fumigatus (8.46 % ) , Alternaria spp. (6.40 % ) Rhizopus spp. (4.98 % ), A. niger spp., A. oryzae spp. (4.80 % ), Penicillium spp. (4.53 %) A. versicolor spp., Rhizoctonia spp. (4.27 %), A

      The detection of diseases affecting plant is very important as it relates to the issue of food security, which is a very serious threat to human life. The system of diagnosis of diseases involves a series of steps starting with the acquisition of images through the pre-processing, segmentation and then features extraction that is our subject finally the process of classification. Features extraction is a very important process in any diagnostic system where we can compare this stage to the spine in this type of system. It is known that the reason behind this great importance of this stage is that the process of extracting features greatly affects the work and accuracy of classification. Proper selection of

This study aimed to detect Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses through hematological and molecular tests. The 16S rRNA gene of the Anaplasma phagocytophilum parasite was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), then sequenced, and subjected to phylogenetic analysis to explore "Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis" (EGA) infection in three important gathering race horses areas in Baghdad governorate, Iraq. Blood samples were obtained from 160 horses of varying ages, three breeds, and both sexes, between January and December 2021. Prevalence and risk variables for anaplasmosis were analyzed using statistical odds ratio and chi-square tests. Results demonstrated that clinical anaplasmosis symptoms comprised jaundice, wei

Biometrics represent the most practical method for swiftly and reliably verifying and identifying individuals based on their unique biological traits. This study addresses the increasing demand for dependable biometric identification systems by introducing an efficient approach to automatically recognize ear patterns using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Despite the widespread adoption of facial recognition technologies, the distinct features and consistency inherent in ear patterns provide a compelling alternative for biometric applications. Employing CNNs in our research automates the identification process, enhancing accuracy and adaptability across various ear shapes and orientations. The ear, being visible and easily captured in

Background: Vitamin D deficiency/ insufficiency is common in different age groups in both genders especially among pregnant women and neonates where it is associated with several adverse outcomes including preeclampsia and preterm delivery.  

Objectives: To assess the extent of vitamin D deficiency/ insufficiency among mothers and their neonates and some factors related to it and identify some adverse outcomes of the deficiency/ insufficiency on neonates (preterm birth and low birth weight).

Subject and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 88 Iraqi pregnant women and neonates admitted to “Al-Elwiya teaching hospital for maternity” in Baghdad- Al

In their cross-sectional study, Al-Rubaye et al studied the extent of vitamin D (VD) deficiency/ insufficiency, factors affecting its degree, and the adverse outcomes of the altered VD status among a group of mothers and their neonates from Baghdad, Iraq. They found that 96.6% of the mothers had VD deficiency/ insufficiency compared to 86.4% in their neonates. Maternal VD levels and neonatal weights were significantly correlated with neonatal VD levels. We believe that the study results need to be revised. This is based  two points listed in this letter to editor

Background: Vitamin D deficiency/ insufficiency is common in different age groups in both genders especially among pregnant women and neonates where it is associated with several adverse outcomes including preeclampsia and preterm delivery.   Objectives: To assess the extent of vitamin D deficiency/ insufficiency among mothers and their neonates and some factors related to it and identify some adverse outcomes of the deficiency/ insufficiency on neonates (preterm birth and low birth weight). Subject and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 88 Iraqi pregnant women and neonates admitted to “Al-Elwiya teaching hospital for maternity” in Baghdad- Al-Rusafah from 1st of June 2019 to 31st of August 2019. Dat