BACKGROUND: CRC is one of the most common cancers in the world. K-ras is proto-oncogene with GTPase activity that is lost when the gene is mutated. Analysis of K-ras mutational status is very important for CRC treatment, being the most important predictors of resistance to targeted therapy. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the frequency and spectrum of K-ras mutation among Iraqi patients with sporadic CRC. PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 35 cases with sporadic CRC; their clinicopathological parameters were analyzed. The FFPE blocks were used for DNA extraction; PCR amplification of K-ras gene and hybridization of allele-specific oligoprobes were performed. The assay covers 29 mutations in the K-ras gene (codons 1

Moderately, advanced national election technologies have improved political systems. As electronic voting (e-voting) systems advance, security threats like impersonation, ballot tampering, and result manipulation increase. These challenges are addressed through a review covering biometric authentication, watermarking, and blockchain technologies, each of which plays a crucial role in improving the security of e-voting systems. More precisely, the biometric authentication is being examined due to its ability in identify the voters and reducing the risks of impersonation. The study also explores the blockchain technology to decentralize the elections, enhance the transparency and ensure the prevention of any unauthorized alteration or

Leishmania parasites reproduce wherever there are cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system, almost in macrophages. These are most copious in the liver and spleen;therefore, infection leads to an expansion of both of them. This study determined the burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) infection on liver and spleen. A total of 20 mice were infected peritoneally with 2x107promastigotes of Leishmania donovani / ml and other 12 mice left without infection as a healthy control. The weight of whole body, liver and spleen were measured and the histological development using hematoxylin and eosin stains were determined after 15, 30, 45-and 60-days post infection. The results represent that the mean weights of liver and spleen were increased in inf

An efficient networks’ energy consumption and Quality of Services (QoS) are considered the most important issues, to evaluate the route quality of the designed routing protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). This study is presented an evaluation performance technique to evaluate two routing protocols: Secure for Mobile Sink Node location using Dynamic Routing Protocol (SMSNDRP) and routing protocol that used K-means algorithm to form Data Gathered Path (KM-DGP), on small and large network with Group of Mobile Sinks (GMSs). The propose technique is based on QoS and sensor nodes’ energy consumption parameters to assess route quality and networks’ energy usage. The evaluation technique is conducted on two routing protocols i

This study presented an endeavour to integrate the value chain activities with the Balanced Scorecard for a comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s strategic performance. It also demonstrated the connection and the integration of the activities of the value chain with the Balanced Scorecard. The financial measurement was linked with non-financial measurement by integrating these techniques to achieve an appropriate performance that supports all aspects of the organizational performance. Consequently, the research problem in this study emerged, which is due to the concentration of many organizations on the measurement of financial performance. Notably, the latter caused the decline of some organizations from the competitive market. T

Background: Color stability of glass ionomers (GIs) could be affected by many factors such as pH and consumption of liquid medications like antibiotics. Most common antibiotics used during childhood are amoxicillin suspension (AM.S) and azithromycin suspension (AZ.S) which have acidic and basic pH respectively. Aim: to evaluate and compare the effect of AM.S and AZ.S on color stability of nano resin-modified GI. Methods: Thirty disc of nano resin-modified glass ionomer (2mm height x 4mm diameter) were divided into three groups (n=10 for each) and independently exposed to AM.S, AZ.S, and artificial saliva (A.S.). Color stability was evaluated in triplicate by VITA Easyshade® before and after three immersion protocols, repeated over

Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) is one of the most common infectious human pathogens. H. pylori could induce inflammation, that causes illnesses and disorders of upper gastrointestinal which including peptic ulcer diseases, dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. It is important to use a better tolerated and greatly effective eradication regimen. In this study, 75 newly diagnosed adult patients with H. pylori infection were included and completed the study, they were allocated into three groups with three different treatment regimens for H. pylori eradications; Group A (25 patients) received oral standard clarithromycin-based tr

Medical images play a crucial role in the classification of various diseases and conditions. One of the imaging modalities is X-rays which provide valuable visual information that helps in the identification and characterization of various medical conditions. Chest radiograph (CXR) images have long been used to examine and monitor numerous lung disorders, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, atelectasis, and hernia. COVID-19 detection can be accomplished using CXR images as well. COVID-19, a virus that causes infections in the lungs and the airways of the upper respiratory tract, was first discovered in 2019 in Wuhan Province, China, and has since been thought to cause substantial airway damage, badly impacting the lungs of affected persons.

This research aims to understand the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the nickel laterite deposit in the East Sulawesi Ophiolite Belt in Wiwirano District, North Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The deposit is analyzed and described to determine the laterization process and supergene enrichment. The geochemical data was obtained from X-ray fluorescence analysis, and mineralogical data from petrography and X-ray diffraction analysis. The minerals in the limonite zone are dominated by goethite and hematite. Minerals found in the saprolite zone include quartz, orthopyroxene, and lizardite, whereas the bedrock is made up of olivine, orthopyroxene, serpentine, and chromite. Fe2O3, Al2O3, and Co contents are high in