Radon and its daughters are of the natural radioactive decay of the uranium series. Exposure to radon gas leads to lung cancer, so the risks are significantly higher for smokers than for non-smokers. Therefore, the risk of radon increases for both active and passive smokers. The radioactivity of alpha particles emitted by radium 226, the main source of radon 222, has become harmful because its prevalence and inhalation increase with increased smoking. In this study, a CR-39 detector was used to measure radon, radium, and uranium concentrations and then calculate risk parameters in seven cigarette-smoking females in vitro study of human blood samples, and three normal females with no actual and passive cigarette smoking. The radon concentrations in blood samples varied from 147.36±0.08 Bq/kg to 659.92±0.04 Bq/kg with an average of 316.83±150.42 Bq/kg, the radium concentration varied from 13.55±0.27 Bq/kg to 60.70±0.13 Bq/kg with an average value 29.05±13.84 Bq/kg, and uranium concentration varies from 11.89±0.29 ppm to 53.23±0.14 ppm with an average value 25.47±12.13 ppm. The annual effective dose ranged from 4.42±0.48 to 12.57±0.28 mSv/y with average value of 8.35±3.10 mSv/y. The annual risk cases of lung cancer varied from 79.50±.0.11 to 226.26±0.07 with an average value of 150.22±55.78 per million people. The results deal with the radioactive effect of female cigarette smokers as a risk factor for lung cancer. Most of the results exceed the permissible international limits. Hence, human health and their life are at risk of radioactivity resulting from cigarette smoking that is concentrated in the blood of female smokers examined in this work.
Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is caused of 85% of all lung cancers. Among the most important factors for lung tumor growth and proliferation are the tyrosine kinase receptors that coded by the epidermal growth factor recep-tor (EGFR) gene. Activation of EGFR ultimately leads to developing of lung cancer. The present study was undertaken with an objective to detect EGFR mutations in bronchial wash from Iraqi patients with NSCLC before treatment. Methods: DNA was extracted from bronchial wash samples collected from 50 patients with NSCLC by using a Qiamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Then, EGFR mutations were determined by using real-time RCR combined with two technologies, Amplification Refractory Mutation System (
... Show MoreBackground: Breast cancer remains a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality, there is a need for continued efforts to understand the etiology of the disease, maintain screening effort, implement prevention strategies, and develop better treatments.Objective: To analyze the risk factors, improve early detection and prevention of breast cancer in Al-Russafa district- Baghdad, aiming to increase survival rate and improve the quality of life.Methods: A cross sectional audit of 258 breast cancer cases seen at Al-Elwiya maternity teaching hospital from January2009 to December 2011,data collected from patients files were: age, gender , residency, marital status, parity, age at menarche and menopause age at first live birth, hormonal therap
... Show MoreBackground: Post-partum depression (PPD) is a form of postnatal depression that affects mothers. Clinical manifestations usually appear within six months after delivery. Risk factors that influence the severity of post-partum depression are not fully known in the Iraqi population.
Objectives: We aim to evaluate the risk factors and identify potential predictors that may influence the symptom levels (severity) of post-partum depression among Iraqi women from Baghdad.
Subjects and Methods: The current study is cross-sectional, and we used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a cut-off value of 13 to differentiate patients into two those with lower symptom levels (LSL) and higher symptom levels (HSL). We also explored p
Pre-eclampsia complicates 2-8% of all pregnancies and it is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and pre-term delivery in the world. Unfortunately, there is scarcity of documents discussing the circulating level of several essential trace elements in Pre-eclampsia patients in Baghdad especially in the last trimester of the pregnancy. The present study was designed to quantitative evaluation the whole blood concentration of two trace elements, copper (Cu), and iron(Fe), in pre-eclamptic women in the third trimester of pregnancy. The study was conducted on 18 Pre-eclamptic pregnant women as patients group with clinical detected high blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg and 13 normotensive pregnant women as control group from Al-Alwiya
... Show Moreاليورانيوم المنضب واستخدامه امريكياً في العراق
The life on earth is driven by energy, supplied by the tiny organelles of the cell called mitochondria and they are usually stated as the powerhouses of the cell. In population genetics, Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is used extensively to categorize individuals or populations. The mutation sites observed in human mtDNA by comparing with the reference sequence (rCRS) are termed into definite human mtDNA haplogroups. Previous studies showed that mtDNA specific haplogroups and polymorphisms were established to be linked with various human diseases, including cancer in numerous populations. Furthermore, it is also known that several mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms are implicated in enhanced production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS
... Show MoreSpices are natural substances taken from special plants and have a different taste when added to food and some of them have great benefits for health and body. These plants vary from country to country depending on the type of soil and how they are grown and this affects their quality. In this study, the specific activity of 40K, 238U and 232Th series and 137Cs in some selected natural food spices commonly used in Iraq kitchen were determined using gamma spectrometry and the ingested doses via food consumption were also assessed. The average specific activity of 40K, 238<
Background: Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) infection has been implicated in pathogenesis of several types of carcinomas such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric cancer and bladder cancer and has recently been associated with breast cancer.
Objective: To evaluate the relations between Epstein Barr virus-encoded small RNA (EBER) and breast cancer.
Methods: Twenty two cases of breast cancer were retrieved from the Al-Kadhimiya Teaching Hospital in Baghdad. Clinical data were analyzed from the medical records and formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tumor tissue were examined by Chromogeneic in situ hybridization (ISH) technique for the detection of EBER.
Results: The expression of EBER in tissues patients with breast cancer in the present
Smoking-related diseases can be attributed to the inhalation of many different toxins, including heavy metals, which have a host of harmful health effects. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether local and imported cigarette brands used in Iraq , have they elevated levels of metals or not .Three metals Lead (Pb) , Cadmium (Cd) and Chromium(Cr) were determined in tobacco of seventeen brands of imported cigarettes commonly available in Iraq and three Iraqi domestic cigarettes , which were randomly taken from retail market in Baghdad by using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The produced data of imported and local cigarette brands were discussed and compared together and with studies from elsewhere .The result
... Show MoreBreast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. This work was conducted to estimate the roles of oxidative stress, vitamin B12, homocysteine (HCY), and DNA methylation in BC disease progression. Sixty BC patients (age range 33–80 years) and 30 healthy controls were recruited for this study. Patients with BC were split to group 1 consisted of stage II BC women (low level), and group 2 consisted of patients in stages III and IV (high level). Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3), HCY, and vitamin B12 levels in the study groups were measured. Also, the 5-methylcytosine (5mC) global DNA methylation levels were evaluated. The results showed a significant
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