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

Video copyright protection is the most generally acknowledged method of preventing data piracy. This paper proposes a blind video copyright protection technique based on the Fast Walsh Hadamard Transform (FWHT), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), and Arnold Map. The proposed method chooses only frames with maximum and minimum energy features to host the watermark. It also exploits the advantages of both the fast Walsh Hadamard transform (FWHT) and discrete wavelet transforms (DWT) for watermark embedding. The Arnold map encrypts watermarks before the embedding process and decrypts watermarks after extraction. The results show that the proposed method can achieve a fast embedding time, good transparency, and robustness against various

The current work aims to evaluate the association between genetic mutations in thymidylate synthetase (TYMS gene in exon1 and partial regions of promotor and intron 1 [877 bp, 657,220–658,096 bp]) and the therapeutic outcomes for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Iraqi patients. An observational cross-sectional study involving 95 RA patients with established RA patients based on their methotrexate treatment responsiveness. Genetic sequencing of the TYMS gene was performed for all patients according to the instruction manuals of the sequencing company (Macrogen Inc. Geumchen, South Korea). Four polymorphisms were identified by sequencing 95 randomly selected patients in the noncoding region of TYMS

The present study is concerned with studying the effect of aquatic plant Hydrella vorticellata with the concentration of 10 and 20 gm/2 K gm soil on percentage and growth rate of germinating seeds of Hordeum vulgare and Vicia faba. More overs, the quantitative amount of NPK in both tested plants and Hydrella vorticellata, are estimated as an organic fertilizer. It has also been find the total number of root cells, the number of dividing cells, and stages of mitosis. The study reveales, that there are no significant differences between the concentration of hydrella used in germination percentage, growth rate, wet and dry weight. While there are differences in the plants containing NPK. The number of cells dividing stages and number of divid

This study was undertaken to introduce a fast, accurate, selective, simple and environment-friendly colorimetric method to determine iron (II) concentration in different lipstick brands imported or manufactured locally in Baghdad, Iraq. The samples were collected from 500-Iraqi dinars stores to establish routine tests using the spectrophotometric method and compared with a new microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) platform as an alternative to cost-effective conventional instrumentation such as Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). This method depends on the reaction between iron (II) with iron(II) selective chelator 1, 10-phenanthroline(phen) in the presence of reducing agent hydroxylamine (HOA) and sodium acetate (NaOAc) b

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major health concern and leading of death in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Glutathione S – Transferase(GST) are known for their broad range of detoxification and in the metabolism of xenobiotics . The role of functional variants of these genes in the development of various disorder is proven. We investigated the possible role of these variants in the development of CAD in T2DM patients. In this case – control study a total of 60 patients (T2DM = 30 ; T2DM – CAD = 30) and 30 controls were included. Serum lipid profiles were measured and DNA was extracted from the blood samples. Multiplex PCR for GSTT1/M1 (present / null) polymorphism, were performed for genotyping of study pa

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

מטרת המחקר הזה היא לבדוק את שלושה סיפורים קצרים מהקובץ הראשון של אהרון אפלפלד , שנחשב ההצהרה הרשמית על היותו סופר השואה הראשון בישראל , המשותף לשלושת הסיפורים הוא הנימה של הגיבורים היוצאים למסע פיזי ונפשי לגלות את אשר אירע להם , מגמתו של המחקר היא לבדוק את הצורה המיוחדת שבה אפיין אפלפלד את גיבוריו שמעידים על כך , כי השואה היא החוויה המרה והקשה בקרב היהודים והשלכותיה נשארה טמונה בקרבם גם אחרי המלחמה ואחרי שנים