Pattern of solid tumors of infancy and childhood among sample of patients attending tertiary teaching hospitals in Baghdad

Background: Solid tumors are most common cause of death in the first fifteen years. In developed countries cancer is the leading cause of death from disease in children more than six month of age. The aim of this study was to assess: the relative frequency of the childhood tumor, the distribution of solid tumors of childhood in relation to age, sex of the patient, and histological types of the tumors over period (1992 -2015).Methods: Two thousand four hundreds and three cases of solid tumors of infancy and childhood has been studiedfor period from (1992-2015), 170 was a prospective cases where 2233 cases a retrospective. The study was carried out through histopathological examination of biopsies of patients attending major medical centres in Baghdad, Iraq.Results: Malignant neoplasms in descending order of frequency were, lymphoma (29.5%), central nervous system tumors (24.5%), soft tissue tumors (9.4%), Neuroblastoma (9.1%), wilms’ tumors, (7.4%), Bone tumors, (7.3%), Retinoblastoma (5.1%), Germ cell tumors, (3.5%), Liver tumors (0.2%), others (4.6). Males were more frequently affected with central nervous tumors (59.6%), Malignant lymphoma (69.5%), neuroblastoma (62%), Soft tissue tumors (60.3%), nephroblastoma (51.5%), retinoblastma (58.8%), liver tumor 81 and other miscellaneous tumors (59.6%) while females were more frequently effected with germ cell tumors 70.5% and bone tumors (53.9%). Central nervous system tumors reach a peak between (5-9) years whereas neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, retinoblastoma germ cell tumors, liver tumors reach a peak between (0-4) years and malignant lymphoma, bone tumors and other – Miscellaneous – tumors reach a peak between (10-15 )years. Non Hodgkins lymphoma were the predominating lymphoma (62%), astrocytoma formed the majority of central nervous system tumors (44.6%) While rhabdomyosarcoma was the commonest histologic subtype of soft tissue tumors (76%) Ewing’s sarcoma was the commonest type of bone tumors (56%).Conclusions: A steady increase in the incidence rate of childhood tumors is noticed with a change in pattern from malignant lymphoma to CNS. tumors in the study period. A diagnostically important relationship exists between a particular type of pediatric tumors with age, sex and site

Validation of Novel Transcriptional Targets that Underpin CD44-promoted breast cancer cell invasion

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer worldwide, and metastasis is its worst aspect and the first cause of death. Metastasis is a multistep process, where an invasion is a recurring event. The process of BC cell invasion involves three major factors, including cell adhesion molecules (CAM), proteinases and Growth factors.CD44, a family of CAM proteins and the hyaluronic acid (HA) cell surface receptor, acts as cell differentiation, cell migration/invasion and apoptosis regulator. Rationale: We have previously established a tetracycline (Tet)-OFF-regulated expression system, both in vitro and in vivo (Hill et al, 2006). As a complementary approach, the highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 BC cells expressing high levels of endogenous CD44s (the standard form of CD44), was cultured in the presence and absence of 50 µg/ml of HA. RNA samples were isolated from both cell experimental models, and microarray analysis (12K CHIP from Affymetrix) was applied. More than 200 CD44s transcriptional target genes were identified and were sub-divided into groups of genes based on their function: cell motility, cytoskeletal organization, ability to degrade ECM, and cell survival. Hypothesis: Among these 200 identified genes, we selected seven genes (ICAP-1, KYNU, AHR, SIRT1, SRSF8, PRAD1, and SOD2) and hypothesized that based on evidence from literature, these genes are potential novel targets of CD44-downstream signaling mediating BC cell invasion. Specific Aims: Pursuant to this goal, we proposed the following objectives: 1- Structural validation of ICAP-1, KYNU, AHR, SIRT1, SRSF8, PRAD1 and SOD2 as novel transcriptional targets of CD44/HA-downstream signaling at both RNA and Protein level using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western Blot respectively. 2-Functional validation of ICAP-1, KYNU, AHR, SIRT1, SRSF8, PRAD1and SOD2 as novel transcriptional targets that underpin CD44-promoted BC cell migration using wound healing assay after the transfection with siRNA.Innovation/Consclusion: This study validated seven transcriptional targets of CD44/HA-downstream signaling promoting BC cell invasion. Ongoing experiments aim to dissect the signaling pathways that link CD44 activation by HA to the transcription of these seven genes

This House believes that considering the continuous quarantine and precautionary measures should be of a priority over lifting the restrictions to avoid the negative economic and social consequences

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The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Pattern of solid tumors of infancy and childhood among sample of patients attending tertiary teaching hospitals in Baghdad

Background: Solid tumors are most common cause of death in the first fifteen years. In developed countries cancer is the leading cause of death from disease in children more than six month of age. The aim of this study was to assess: the relative frequency of the childhood tumor, the distribution of solid tumors of childhood in relation to age, sex of the patient, and histological types of the tumors over period (1992 -2015).Methods: Two thousand four hundreds and three cases of solid tumors of infancy and childhood has been studiedfor period from (1992-2015), 170 was a prospective cases where 2233 cases a retrospective. The study was carried out through histopathological examination of biopsies of patients attending major medical centres in Baghdad, Iraq.Results: Malignant neoplasms in descending order of frequency were, lymphoma (29.5%), central nervous system tumors (24.5%), soft tissue tumors (9.4%), Neuroblastoma (9.1%), wilms’ tumors, (7.4%), Bone tumors, (7.3%), Retinoblastoma (5.1%), Germ cell tumors, (3.5%), Liver tumors (0.2%), others (4.6). Males were more frequently affected with central nervous tumors (59.6%), Malignant lymphoma (69.5%), neuroblastoma (62%), Soft tissue tumors (60.3%), nephroblastoma (51.5%), retinoblastma (58.8%), liver tumor 81 and other miscellaneous tumors (59.6%) while females were more frequently effected with germ cell tumors 70.5% and bone tumors (53.9%). Central nervous system tumors reach a peak between (5-9) years whereas neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, retinoblastoma germ cell tumors, liver tumors reach a peak between (0-4) years and malignant lymphoma, bone tumors and other – Miscellaneous – tumors reach a peak between (10-15 )years. Non Hodgkins lymphoma were the predominating lymphoma (62%), astrocytoma formed the majority of central nervous system tumors (44.6%) While rhabdomyosarcoma was the commonest histologic subtype of soft tissue tumors (76%) Ewing’s sarcoma was the commonest type of bone tumors (56%).Conclusions: A steady increase in the incidence rate of childhood tumors is noticed with a change in pattern from malignant lymphoma to CNS. tumors in the study period. A diagnostically important relationship exists between a particular type of pediatric tumors with age, sex and site

Anti-cancer properties of Microalgae (T1) Extract in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Breast cancer (BC), a worldwide health issue, is the most common malignant cancer in women in Gulf region, including the State of Qatar. Unfortunately, malignant tumors has the capability to metastasis, which involves both migration and invasion of cancer cells which are the most threatening aspects of cancer (McSherry et al., 2007). Consequently, researchers have concentrated on Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, as conventional medicine has been facing various challenges such as; poor understanding of the mechanisms with BC proliferation and invasion within various groups of patients, drug resistance, and the failure of current therapies to completely cure the disease. A significant CAM method have been raised which is the treatment with herbs and extracts derived from seeds, leaves, fruits and roots of plants; each of these invariably represents a combination of several bioactive compounds. Our biofuel has provided us with a crude extract of a microalgae coded as T1 that consist of carotenoids, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b. Carotenoids is a bioactive molecule that inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion and induce apoptosis to tumor cells

Minimizing energy consumption in scheduling of dependent tasks using genetic algorithm in computational grid

Energy consumption by large computing systems has become an important research theme not only because the sources of energy are depleting fast but also due to the environmental concern. Computational grid is a huge distributed computing platform for the applications that require high end computing resources and consume enormous energy to facilitate execution of jobs. The organizations which are offering services for high end computation, are more cautious about energy consumption and taking utmost steps for saving energy. Therefore, this paper proposes a scheduling technique for Minimizing Energy consumption using Adapted Genetic Algorithm (MiE-AGA) for dependent tasks in Computational Grid (CG). In MiE-AGA, fitness function formulation for energy consumption has been mathematically formulated. An adapted genetic algorithm has been developed for minimizing energy consumption with appropriate modifications in each components of original genetic algorithm such as representation of chromosome, crossover, mutation and inversion operations. Pseudo code for MiE-AGA and its components has been developed with appropriate examples. MiE-AGA is simulated using Java based programs integrated with GridSim. Analysis of simulation results in terms of energy consumption, makespan and average utilization of resources clearly reveals that MiE-AGA effectively optimizes energy, makespan and average utilization of resources in CG. Comparative analysis of the optimization performance between MiE-AGA and the state-of-the-arts algorithms: EAMM, HEFT, Min-Min and Max-Min shows the effectiveness of the model

Multiobjective Dynamic Vehicle Routing Problem and Time Seed Based Solution Using Particle Swarm Optimization

A multiobjective dynamic vehicle routing problem (M-DVRP) has been identified and a time seed based solution using particle swarm optimization (TS-PSO) for M-DVRP has been proposed. M-DVRP considers five objectives, namely, geographical ranking of the request, customer ranking, service time, expected reachability time, and satisfaction level of the customers. The multiobjective function of M-DVRP has four components, namely, number of vehicles, expected reachability time, and profit and satisfaction level. Three constraints of the objective function are vehicle, capacity, and reachability. In TS-PSO, first of all, the problem is partitioned into smaller size DVRPs. Secondly, the time horizon of each smaller size DVRP is divided into time seeds and the problem is solved in each time seed using particle swarm optimization. The proposed solution has been simulated in ns-2 considering real road network of New Delhi, India, and results are compared with those obtained from genetic algorithm (GA) simulations. The comparison confirms that TS-PSO optimizes the multiobjective function of the identified problem better than what is offered by GA solution

Phytochemical screening, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies of aerial parts of Trigonella hamosa (branched Fenugreek)

Trigonella hamosa (Genus: Trigonella; Family: Fabaceae), also known as branched Fenugreek, is a medicinally important plant traditionally employed for the treatment of common ailments. This study aimed at the evaluation of the chemical composition and biological profile of T. hamosa. The hydro-methanolic extract of T. hamosa (METH) was prepared through maceration, and subjected to solvent–solvent fractionation to obtain n-hexane fraction (HFTH), chloroform fraction (CFTH) and n-butanol fraction of T. hamosa (BFTH). Chemical profiling was carried out through preliminary phytochemical screening and determination of total phenolic (TFC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC) and GC–MS analysis. In biological profiling, the extract and fractions were analyzed for in vitro antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral and thrombolytic activities. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various primary and secondary metabolites in extract and fractions of T. hamosa, polyphenolic quantification of METH showed highest TPC (139.32 ± 2.07 mg GAE/g D.E.) and TFC (61.31 ± 3.12 mg QE/g D.E). Similarly, a total of 22 compounds were tentatively identified in the GC–MS analysis of HFTH. The highest antioxidant activity was observed for HFTH in the CUPRAC and DPPH assays followed by METH which presented maximum results in CUPRAC assay. In vitro antidiabetic assay of HFTH showed significant alpha-amylase inhibition potential (70.13%) followed by CFTH (53.42 %). In the anti-thrombolytic assay, maximum results were observed for HFTH (60.99 %) followed by METH (45.24 %). The comparative bioactive fraction was subjected to antibacterial assessment which presented a concentration-dependent increase in antibacterial activity against various strains; Escherichia coli with a zone of Inhibition (16 mm), Bacillus subtilis (15 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (15 mm), Bacillus pumilus (14 mm). Similarly, HFTH exhibited strong antiviral potential against all the tested viral strains; avian influenza A H9, avian infectious bronchitis virus IBV, and Newcastle disease virus NDV with strong hemagglutination titers 2, 0, and 2 respectively. Furthermore, the phytoconstituents identification by GC–MS was further analyzed by subjecting to in-silico molecular docking analysis for determination of interaction between identified phytoconstituents and α-amylase enzyme. This study highlighted the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic potential of aerial parts of Trigonella hamosa that could be further explored for the selection of leads which may contribute to novel drug development

Validation of public health competencies and impact variables for low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND: The number of Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is increasing, but questions have been raised regarding the relevance of their outcomes and impacts on context. Although processes for validating public health competencies have taken place in recent years in many high-income countries, validation in LMICs is needed. Furthermore, impact variables of MPH programmes in the workplace and in society have not been developed. METHOD: A set of public health competencies and impact variables in the workplace and in society was designed using the competencies and learning objectives of six participating institutions offering MPH programmes in or for LMICs, and the set of competencies of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice as a reference. The resulting competencies and impact variables differ from those of the Council on Linkages in scope and emphasis on social determinants of health, context specificity and intersectoral competencies. A modified Delphi method was used in this study to validate the public health competencies and impact variables; experts and MPH alumni from China, Vietnam, South Africa, Sudan, Mexico and the Netherlands reviewed them and made recommendations. RESULTS: The competencies and variables were validated across two Delphi rounds, first with public health experts (N = 31) from the six countries, then with MPH alumni (N = 30). After the first expert round, competencies and impact variables were refined based on the quantitative results and qualitative comments. Both rounds showed high consensus, more so for the competencies than the impact variables. The response rate was 100%. CONCLUSION: This is the first time that public health competencies have been validated in LMICs across continents. It is also the first time that impact variables of MPH programmes have been proposed and validated in LMICs across continents. The high degree of consensus between experts and alumni suggests that these public health competencies and impact variables can be used to design and evaluate MPH programmes, as well as for individual and team assessment and continuous professional development in LMICs