Beta thalassemia major (BTM) is a genetic disorder that has been linked to an increased risk of contracting blood-borne viral infections, primarily due to the frequent blood transfusions required to manage the condition. One such virus that can be transmitted through blood is the Human Parvovirus B19 (B19V). The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and molecular detection of B19V. This study included 60 blood donors as controls and 120 BTM patients. B19V was identified by serology, which measured B19-IgG and B19-IgM antibodies. Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (nPCR) was employed to target the VP1/VP2 structural proteins. The results showed that B19V seropositivity represents 27.5% (33 out of 120) in BTM patients, and only 8 out of 60 subjects represents (13.3%) in the control group (P-value 0.078). Notably, male patients exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of B19-IgM and B19-IgG antibodies, with 32% and 24% of males testing positive, respectively, compared to female patients. Elevated levels of Aspartate and Alanine Transaminase were observed with values of 51.94±50.09 and 46.81±50.20, respectively. Additionally, nPCR analysis detected B19V DNA in 4.16% (5 out of 120) of BTM patients, while no positive results were detected in the control group. Screening the blood and blood products for the virus in high-risk group can considerably reduce the prevalence. Preventive measures are required in such vulnerable population.
The genus of Chrysobothris Eschscholtz, 1829 is one of the most diverse and widespread genera of the family Buprestidae of some 700 described species distributed throughout the world. In Iraq, particularly in the Kurdistan region, about 4 species had been recorded so far, many of these species are sympatric, share larval host plants, and are difficult to reliably separate morphologically. The current study investigates species limits and relationships among the recognized species occurring within the Erbil Province; mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase (COX I) molecular analysis confirmed the monophyly of two Chrysobothris species, Ch. affinis (Fabricius, 1794) and Ch. chrysostigma (Linnaeus, 1758). Implications of the resultant larval mor
... Show MoreCyprinidae species are the most abundant and widely distributed fish species in the inland waters of Iraq. Cyprinids are complex species, and it is difficult to identify them on the basis of morphology. Thus, the morphological characteristics must be achieved and confirmed by molecular analysis. Twenty specimens of Cyprinion kais Heckel, 1843 (Piscies, Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) were collected from two localities at Tigris River in the middle of Iraq: five specimens from Al-Tharthar Lake, Saladin Province, and 15 specimens from Al- Zubaydiyah sub-district, Wasit Province
Cyprinidae species are the most abundant and widely distributed fish species in the inland waters of Iraq. Cyprinids are complex species, and it is difficult to identify them on the basis of morphology. Thus, the morphological characteristics must be achieved and confirmed by molecular analysis. Twenty specimens of Cyprinion kais Heckel, 1843 (Piscies, Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) were collected from two localities at Tigris River in the middle of Iraq: five specimens from Al-Tharthar Lake, Saladin Province, and 15 specimens from Al- Zubaydiyah sub-district, Wasit Province. The DNA sequences of C. kais were done using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (cytb) gene. After analysis, the sequences were compared with sequences of ot
... Show MoreThis article studies a comprehensive methods of edge detection and algorithms in digital images which is reflected a basic process in the field of image processing and analysis. The purpose of edge detection technique is discovering the borders that distinct diverse areas of an image, which donates to refining the understanding of the image contents and extracting structural information. The article starts by clarifying the idea of an edge and its importance in image analysis and studying the most noticeable edge detection methods utilized in this field, (e.g. Sobel, Prewitt, and Canny filters), besides other schemes based on distinguishing unexpected modifications in light intensity and color gradation. The research as well discuss
... Show MoreEye Detection is used in many applications like pattern recognition, biometric, surveillance system and many other systems. In this paper, a new method is presented to detect and extract the overall shape of one eye from image depending on two principles Helmholtz & Gestalt. According to the principle of perception by Helmholz, any observed geometric shape is perceptually "meaningful" if its repetition number is very small in image with random distribution. To achieve this goal, Gestalt Principle states that humans see things either through grouping its similar elements or recognize patterns. In general, according to Gestalt Principle, humans see things through genera
... Show MoreHuman skin detection, which usually performed before image processing, is the method of discovering skin-colored pixels and regions that may be of human faces or limbs in videos or photos. Many computer vision approaches have been developed for skin detection. A skin detector usually transforms a given pixel into a suitable color space and then uses a skin classifier to mark the pixel as a skin or a non-skin pixel. A skin classifier explains the decision boundary of the class of a skin color in the color space based on skin-colored pixels. The purpose of this research is to build a skin detection system that will distinguish between skin and non-skin pixels in colored still pictures. This performed by introducing a metric that measu
... Show MoreObjective: The present study investigates whether the exposure to low-power diode laser induces denaturation in red blood cell (RBC) membrane protein composition, and determines the irradiation time for when denaturation of membrane protein process begins. Background: A low-energy laser has been used extensively in medical applications. Several studies indicated significant positive effects of laser therapy on biological systems. In contrast, other studies reported that laser induced unwanted changes in cell structure and biological systems. The present work studied the effect of irradiation time of low-power diode laser on the structure of membrane proteins of human RBCs. Materials and methods: The RBC suspension was divided into five equa
... Show MoreMarshlands environment in southern Iraq is unique and is considered a habitat of thousands of migratory birds as shelter and a source of livelihood for thousands of people living there. Its environment is characterized by a fragile ecosystem that requires great care and effort to achieve the greatest possible balance and parallelism of development, which necessarily require careful environmental planning that accurately regulates the resources of the environment and therefore, planned the best way to use them. The idea of research for creating the spatial organization of the development of the human settlements and taking into account the environmental aspect by thinking for the plann
Gastro oesophageal reflux disease is due to involuntary gastric contents reflux into the esophagus from stomach, causing heartburn and acid regurgitation symptoms. Genetic and environmental factors are important factors in the causation of disease. Human Leukocyte antigens considered as an excellent marker for population genetics analysis and disease association. This study aimed to investigate the association between HLA-DRB1-DQB1 haplotype that inherited in linkage and its association with gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Patients and healthy controls were prospectively recruited from gastrocolonoscope unit at Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital (Baghdad-Iraq) between January and July 2016. Forty Iraqi Arab Muslims patients with a history
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