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

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

A new ligand [N-(4-methoxy benzoyl amino)-thioxo methyl ] leucine (MBL) was prepared from the reaction of (4-methoxy benzoyl isothiocyanate with leucine acid in molar ratio (l:l), it was characterized by elemental analysis (C.H.N.S), FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H and 13C-NMR. The complexes of the bivalent ions (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Hg ) have been prepared and characterized too. The structural was established by elemental analysis (C.H.N.S), FT-IR, UV-Vis spectra, conductivity measurements atomic absorption and magnetic susceptibility and determination of molar ration (M:L). The complexes showed characteristic behavior of tetrahedral geometry around the metal ions except with (Cu) complex showed square planer.

A series of lanthanide metal (???) complexes have been prepared from the new azo ligand, 3-(1-methyl-2-benzimidazolylazo)-Tyrosine (MBT). The structural feature were confirmed on the basis of their elemental analysis, metal content, molar conductance, magnetic measurement, FTIR, 1 HNMR and UV-Vis spectra studies. The isolated complexes were found to have a mole ratio (1:2) (metal:ligand) stoichiometry with the general formula [Ln(MBT)2]Cl (Ln(???) = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd). The chelates were found to have octahedral structures. The FTIR spectra shows that the ligand (MBT) is coordinated to lanthanide ions as a N, N, O-tridentate anion via benzimidazole nitrogen, azo nitrogen and oxygen of hydroxyl after deprotonation. Com

Irisin is a novel myokine and adipokine, its role during pregnancy and its association with some metabolic risk factors especially pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) need more evaluation. The aim of the study is to find whether the pre-BMI could predict irisin levels during normal pregnancy and to clarify associations of irisin with some pathological parameters.

Irisin levels were estimated by ELISA in sera of 59 normal pregnant women who enrolled from December 2016 to May 2017 at Maternity Hospital, Zakho city, Kurdistan region (Iraq). Thirty-two normal-weight pregnant (pre-BMI≤24.9 kg/m², Age=24.03 mean±3.7standard deviation) and 27 overweight/obese-pregnant (pre-BMI>25 kg/m², Age=27.6 mean±3.9

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a fundamental food for the majority of world population. Cyclin Dependent Kinase -A (CDKA) accelerates transition through different stages of cell cycle and contributes in gametes formation. In the present investigation, a CDKA encoding gene along with the corresponding protein were characterized in O. sativa Indica Group, O. glaberrima,  O. barthii, O. brachyantha, O. glumipatula, O. longistaminata, O. meridionalis, O. nivara, O. punctata and O. rufipogon using in silico analyses. The results reflected little variation in most species except O. longistaminata and O. brachyantha. Compared with the remaining species, O. longistaminata