Background: Gallstone disease (GSD) is a significant global health burden with variable prevalence influenced by metabolic, genetic, and infectious factors. Increasing evidence suggests that Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus species, contribute to gallstone pathogenesis through enzymatic activity and biofilm formation. Objectives: To characterize Gram-positive bacteria within gallstones from Iraqi patients, evaluate their biofilm-forming capacity, and analyze the relationship between bacterial colonization, gallstone type, and cholesterol levels. Methods: A total of 100 gallstones were obtained from patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy between October 2024 and March 2025. Stones were aseptically processed for bacterial isolation and identification using selective culture media and the VITEK® 2 Compact System. Serum cholesterol levels were determined by enzymatic colorimetric assay. Biofilm formation was quantified via the 96-well microtiter plate method, and statistical correlations between gallstone type, cholesterol level, and bacterial presence were analyzed. Results: Cholesterol stones (57%) were more prevalent than pigment (40%) and mixed stones (3%). Bacterial growth was observed in 43% of gallstones, with Enterococcus species (31 isolates) predominating over S. aureus (12 isolates). Species-level identification revealed E. faecalis (n= 16), E. faecium (n= 9), and E. gallinarum (n= 6), marking the first reported isolation of E. gallinarum from gallstones. Cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in sterile stones (median 235 mg/dL) compared to bacteria-positive stones (173-186 mg/dL) (P < 0.0001). Biofilm analysis showed all S. aureus isolates as strong producers, whereas E. faecalis exhibited predominantly moderate-to-strong formation, while E. faecium and E. gallinarum displayed weaker capacities. Conclusion: A significant interplay between microbial colonization and gallstone composition. Strong biofilm-producing Gram-positive bacteria, particularly S. aureus and E. faecalis, may facilitate stone maturation and persistence. The novel isolation of E. gallinarum expands the spectrum of biliary microbiota.
The accurate extracting, studying, and analyzing of drainage basin morphometric aspects is important for the accurate determination of environmental factors that formed them, such as climate, tectonic activity, region lithology, and land covering vegetation.
This work was divided into three stages; the 1st stage was delineation of the Al-Abiadh basin borders using a new approach that depends on three-dimensional modeling of the studied region and a drainage network pattern extraction using (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) data, the 2nd was the classification of the Al-Abiadh basin streams according to their shape and widenings, and the 3rd was ex
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The education sector suffers from many problems, including the scarcity of schools that can absorb the increasing number of students in light of the increasing population growth rate, as some regions suffer from a lack of opening of new schools or the expansion of existing schools to increase their capacity so that attention is required. The research sought to identify the level of maturity of project management at the research site (Building Department in Al-Karkh I/ Ministry of Education) Being responsible for educational projects and their implementation and to know that, the ten areas of the knowledge guide to project management PMBOK have been adopted according to the PM3 model (one of the models of maturity
... Show MorePurpose: This research seeks to provide a point of view based on the creation of sustainable value to the customer of the banks in the context of total quality management and relationship marketing. It aims to develop a model to measure the value of sustainable customer peduncular under total quality management PAL (administrative leadership, involvement of employees, continuous improvement, process improvement, staff training), through the mediation of relationship marketing and objective dimensions (administrative leadership, involvement of employees, continuous improvement, improving processes , staff training), and to explore any of the variables and dimensions more influential in the creation of sustainable value to the cust
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to provide an overall assessment to the efficiency of the Iraq stocks exchanges (ISE) through specifying well –known models .First, Fama's efficient market hypothesis as a contrary concept to the random walk hypothesis, was performed and it has been found that ISE follows the random process, so the price of the shares can't be predicated on the basis of past information. Second,we use a multifactor model, which so named multiple regression, to explore the link between ISE and the main economic indicators. our empirical analysis finds that every weak associations exists between major ISE measures and main economic indicators.
The current study aimed at (identifying the impact of a proposed strategy based on the realistic mathematics theory in the mathematical interrelation among the third intermediate grade students), two samples from the third intermediate grade were tested in a school affiliated to Rusafa I General education Directorate in Baghdad for the academic year (2022-2021)the experimental group will study according to the proposed strategy and it consisted of (30) female students , the control group will study through the traditional method and the number of its students is (30), thus the study sample consisted of (60) female students, the two groups were equalized in the variables (age in months, intelligence, prior knowledge) and to achieve the study
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