Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal malignancy and one of the top ten common cancers worldwide with approximately 2 million cases. There are multiple risk factors that could lead to CRC emergence; of which are genetic polymorphisms. Excision repair cross-complementing group 2 (ERCC2) gene encodes for ERCC2 enzyme which plays a crucial role in maintaining genomic integrity by removing DNA adducts. Several studies suggested that there could be a link between genetic polymorphisms of ERCC2 gene and the risk of CRC development. Hence the present study aims to validate the relationship between the following ERCC2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs13181, rs149943175, rs530662943, and rs1799790) and CRC susceptibility. A total of 121 participants were enrolled in this case control study; 72 CRC patients and 49 apparently healthy individuals. CRC patients aged 56.34 ±11.89 years and 41 (56.9%) were males while control group were 53.20 ± 17.33 years and 26 (53.1%) of them are males. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by Sanger sequencing then the association between genetic polymorphisms and CRC susceptibility was examined. GA genotype and A allele of rs149943175 were associated with lower risk of CRC development [OR 95% (CI)= 0.3 (0.1-0.88); P=0.02 and 0.4 (0.1-0.9); P=0.03 respectively]. However, GA genotype and A allele carriers of rs530662943 had significantly increased risk compared to GG genotype and G allele respectively [OR 95%(CI)= 5.17 (1.1-24.0); P=0.03 and 4.76 (1.0-21.6); P=0.04 respectively]. Additional stratified analyses showed that carriers of heterozygous genotype of rs149943175 who non-smokers, females or BMI figures less than 25 are less likely to develop CRC compared to wild genotype carriers. Taken together, genetic polymorphisms of ERCC2 modulate the susceptibility of CRC malignancy.
Amygdalin (d-Mandelonitrile 6-O-β-d-glucosido-β-d-glucoside) and its semi synthetic product is Laetrile ( also called vitamin B17): a natural cyanogenic glycoside occurring in the seeds of some edible plants, such as bitter almonds and peaches. Early in the 19th century, Amygdalin was first isolated in 1830 by two French chemists, Robiquet and Boutron-Charlard, as active components in various fruit pits and raw nuts. However, the systematized study of vitamin B17 started when chemist Bohn (1802) discovered that a hydrocyanic acid is released during distillation of the water from bitter almonds. The various pharmacological effects of Laetrile include antiatherogenic, activity in renal fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, immune regulation, ant
... Show MoreBackground: The transcriptional control of various cell types, especially in the development or functioning of immune system cells involved in either promoting or inhibiting the immune response against cancer, is significantly influenced by DNA or RNA methylation. Multifaceted interconnections exist between immunological or cancer cell populations in the tumor's microenvironment (TME). TME alters the fluctuating DNA (as well as RNA) methylation sequences in these immunological cells to change their development into pro- or anti-cancer cell categories (such as T cells, which are regulatory, for instance). Objective: This review highlights the impact of DNA and RNA methylation on myeloid and lymphoid cells, unraveling their intricate
... Show MoreBackground: Moringa peregrina is widely used in the traditional medicine of the Arabian Peninsula to treat various ailments, because it has many pharmacologically active components with several therapeutic effects. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Moringa peregrina seed ethanolic extract (MPSE) against key enzymes involved in human pathologies, such as angiogenesis (thymidine phosphorylase), diabetes (α-glucosidase), and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (carbonic anhydrase). In addition, the anticancer properties were tested against the SH-SY5Y(human neuroblastoma). Results: MPSE extract significantly inhibited α-glucosidase, thymidine phosphorylase, and carbonic anhydrase with half-maximal i
... Show MoreCancer is one of the dangerous diseases that afflict a person through injury to cells and tissues in the body, where a person is vulnerable to infection in any age group, and it is not easy to control and multiply between cells and spread to the body. In spite of the great progress in medical studies interested in this aspect, the options for those with this disease are few and difficult, as they require significant financial costs for health services and for treatment that is difficult to provide.
This study dealt with the determinants of liver cancer by relying on the data of cancerous tumours taken from the Iraqi Center for Oncology in the Ministry of Health 2017. Survival analysis has been used as a m
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Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in females. In Iraq there are noticeable elevation in incidence rates and prevalence of advanced stages of breast cancer. Ferritin is intracellular iron storage protein abundant in circulation and its main application in differential diagnosis of anemia.
The level of serum ferritin was found raised in various cancers including breast cancer. The aim of this study was to assess whether the serum ferritin concentration would be altered in Iraqi women with breast cancer and it could be related to progression of disease.
Sixty eight females participated in this study. The mean age of these females was 53.25± 9.52 .The level of serum ferritin was measured in 24
... Show MoreBackground : Knee flexors tightness has been documented in apparently healthy adults and in those with musculoskeletal problems, but the influence of age on the tightness has not been studied in Iraq. This study was therefore designed to determine the influence of age on knee flexors tightness in apparently healthy subjects.Methods: Knee flexors tightness was measured using the active knee extension test (AKET) in 200 apparently healthy male and female subjects, aged 13 to 59 years. The subjects were recruited into 5 age groups using the purposive sampling technique.Knee flexors tightness was compared across the age groups using one-way analysis ofvariance (ANOVA). The independent t-test was used to compare knee flexors tightness on both
... Show MoreThe adopted accelerated curing methods in the experimental work are 55ºC and 82ºC according to British standard methods. The concrete mix with the characteristics compressive strength of 35MPa is design according to the ACI 211.1, the mix proportion is (1:2.65:3.82) for cement, fine and coarse aggregate, respectively. The concrete reinforced with different volume fraction (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75)% of glass, carbon and polypropylene fibers. The experimental results showed that the accelerated curing method using 82ºC gives a compressive strength higher than 55ºC method for all concrete mixes. In addition, the fiber reinforced concrete with 0.75% gives the maximum compressive strength, flexural and splitting tensile strength for all types of
... Show MoreIntroduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, that may be transferred from mothers to infants during pregnancy if it is left untreated. Method: This study was conducted among 65 women who suffered from recurrent abortions in Iraq. Syphilis screening recombinant (IgM + IgG) level by ELISA, RADIM (Italy) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) (positive and negative results) tests were used to analyse the data. Results: A non-significant association was observed with age (p=0.989), and the number of healthy births (p=0.643). Non-significant differences were observed in comparisons between smoker and non-smoker percentages in the study group. The rapid test for syphilis confirmation was applied using Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) tests.
... Show More- baumannii is an aerobic gram negative coccobacilli, it is considered multidrug resistance pathogen (MDR) and causes several infections that are difficult to treat. This study is aims to employ physical methods in sterilization and inactivation of A. baumannii, as an alternative way to reduce the using of drugs and antibiotics.
Cold Atmospheric Plasma was generated by one electrode at 20KV, 4 power supply and distance between electrode and sample was fixed on 1mm. A. baumannii (ATCC 19704 and HHR1) were exposed to Dielectric Barrier Discharge type of Cold Atmospheric Plasma (DBD-CAP) for several periods
Aging of asphalt pavements typically occurs through oxidation of the asphalt and evaporation of the lighter maltenes from the binder. The main objective of this study is to evaluate influence of aging on performance of asphalt paving materials.nAsphalt concrete mixtures, were prepared, and subjected to short term aging (STA) procedure which involved heating the loose mixtures in an oven for two aging period of (4 and 8) hours at a temperature of 135 o C. Then it was subject to Long term aging (LTA) procedure using (2 and 5) days aging periods at 85 o C for Marshall compacted specimens. The effect of aging periods on properties of asphalt concrete at optimum asphalt content such as Marshall Properties, indirect tensile strength at 25 o C,
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