The Tulostoma genus, known as stalkballs or stalked puffballs, belongs to the Agaricaceae family. This study was designed to identify an unknown fungal species collected from the Al‐Dujail district in Iraq based on morphological examination and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Between April and July 2019, samples were collected from garden soil in the Al‐Dujail district, Salah Al‐Din Governorate, Iraq. Morphological characteristics were documented using light microscopy. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified, and the ITS region was amplified using conventional PCR with specific primers. The amplified products were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted using MEGA11 software. Morphological analysis revealed smooth, yellow to brown, nearly circular basidiospores. The ITS region amplification yielded a 588 bp fragment. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis showed 91% similarity between the sample (S1‐ITS‐Iraq) and Tulostoma winterhoffii (accession number KU518975.1). The isolate was assigned in GenBank under accession number PV249065, with phylogenetic analysis positioning S1‐ITS‐Iraq in a cluster with the Tulostoma species, with a bootstrap value of 97%, indicating a close relationship. The fungal sample from Iraq was identified as a new record within the genus Tulostoma, marking the first report of T. winterhoffii in the region.
Introduction and Aim: The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-39, a member of the IL-12 family plays a key role in the inflammatory response by modulating immune cell activity and inflammation. A literature search shows no study undertaken for the effect of IL-39's on arthritis so far. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of IL-39 in rheumatoid arthritis. Materials and Methods: This study involved 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis registered at the Rheumatology Clinic at Baghdad teaching hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on treatments received. Group 1 included patients who were not on any treatment for arthritis, Group 2 with patients on hydroxychloroquine and or prednisone treatment,
... Show MoreBacterial meningitis is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. It is crucial for clinical and public health care, as well as disease control, to identify the meningitis-causing agent promptly. Between June 2021-February 2022, a total of 100 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood samples were collected from suspected cases of meningitis admitted to Raparin Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Erbil city-Iraq. Cytochemical, cultural, and biochemical tests were conducted, and confirmed by molecular techniques. Bacterial culture findings were positive in 7% of CSF samples and just one positive among blood samples. The most common pathogens found by cultural characteristics and VITEK 2 Compact System were Staphylococcus sciuri in two
... Show MoreThe production of polyhydroxyalkanoates PHAs from biopolymer degrading bacteria was examined
In the present study, chalcone derivatives were synthesized via the Claisen-Schmidt condensation of 2-methyl acetanilide or 4-nitro acetanilide with p-dimethyl amino benzaldehyde in an ethanolic sodium hydroxide solution. The resulting chalcone reacted with urea or thiourea to produce several novel pyrimidine derivatives. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by FTIR, 1HNMR and 13CNMR spectroscopy. Before the synthesis process, molecular docking studies were performed to evaluate the potential of the synthesized molecules as drug candidates. Thus, molecular docking studies were performed using the CCDC GOLD suite (version 2025). The molecular docking results showed that the synthesized molecules had a noticeable affinity towards
... Show MoreThis article reports the first record of Aenasius arizonensis (Girault, 1915) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) parasitizing the recently introduced species of cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsly (Hemiptera, Psedococcidae) infesting Lantana camara L. (Verbeneceae) as well as other ornamental plants in Baghdad province, Iraq. A short morphological description is also presented.
This study aimed to evaluate the health effects of exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and gaseous pollutants, including carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2), on the hematological parameters of workers exposed to charcoal grilling emissions in restaurants. Air pollutant concentrations were measured in six barbecue restaurants located in Al-Rusafa District, Baghdad, during December 2024 and January 2025. Nine measurements were recorded monthly during morning and evening peak cooking periods. Blood samples were collected from two groups: grilling workers exposed directly to charcoal smoke (n = 30) and customers from dining areas as the control group (n = 30). Hematological an
... Show MoreThe importance of research lies in the school administration and that the school is the main cell of the educational system and its ultimate goal, and therefore modern education requires the presence of sophisticated leaders represented in educational administration at various levels. Administrative leaderships and the two researchers' belief that the institution’s ability and success or failure depend on a special type of leader who is highly effective and efficient, directing workers ’behavior towards creativity and achievement in order to achieve the goals of the institution in serving the educational bodies, increasing the effectiveness of leadership and developing the creative behavior of secondary school principals in
... Show MoreThe Present Work includes the study of the population dynamics of Armadillidium vulgare in AL- Jadiriya region in Baghdad. Monthly samples were collected using a quadrat 0.0625 m2 from November 2007 to November 2008.. The population density of A.vulgare, ranged from 880 ind/m2 in May to251 ind/m2 in January respectively. This species showed high aggregation dispersion in the study area. The sex ratio showed that the number of females were more than that of males and significantly differd (P < 0.05) during the reproductive months. Furthermore, it was found that the juveniles of species were present at most time of the year, But the large sized groups have been observed during summer and spring. And showed a positive linear correlations betwe
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