Abstract Background: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2) proto-oncogene is overexpressed or amplified in approximately 15%-25% of invasive breast cancers. Approximately 35% of HER2-amplified breast cancers have coamplification of the topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A) gene encoding an enzyme that is a major target of anthracyclines. Hence, the determination of genetic alteration (amplification or deletion) of both genes is considered as an important predictive factor that determines the response of breast cancer patients to treatment. The aims of this study are to determinate TOP2A status gene amplification in a set of Iraqi patients with breast cancer that have had an equivocal (2+) and positive HER2/neu by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and to compare the results with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2/neu status. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional prospective study done on 53 patients with invasive breast carcinoma. Twenty-six out of total 53 cases were positive HER2/neu (3+), the remaining 27 equivocal HER2-IHC (2+) cases reanalyzed using dual-color chromogenic in situ hybridization (ZytoVision) probe kit for further identification of HER2/neu gene amplification. Using chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), TOP2A gene status determination was done for all cases. Results: There is a direct significant correlation between TOP2A gene amplification and HER2/neu positivity, P < 0.05 in that 15 (39.4%) out of 38 positive HER2/neu cases were associated with topoisomerase gene amplification. Regarding relation of topoisomerase gene to hormone receptor status (ER and PR), there was a significant negative relationship between the gene and ER receptor status. The higher level of gene amplification was noticed in ER and PR negative cases in about 13 (43.3%) and 14 (48.2%) for ER and PR, respectively. Conclusion: TOP2A gene status has a significantly positive correlation with HER2/neu status while it has a significantly negative correlation with hormone receptor status.
While conservative access preparations could increase fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth, it may influence the shape of the prepared root canal. The aim of this study was to compare the prepared canal transportation and centering ability after continuous rotation or reciprocation instrumentation in teeth accessed through traditional or conservative endodontic cavities by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).
Forty extracted intact, matured, and 2-rooted human maxillary first premolars were selected for this
This study presents, for the first time, an innovative Jet Plasma-assisted technique for the green synthesis of TiO₂@Ag core–shell nanoparticles using chard leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The Jet Plasma provides a highly energetic environment that accelerates nucleation and core–shell formation at low temperatures without toxic precursors. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited uniform and stable structures, as confirmed by comprehensive characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and zeta potential analysis. XRD patterns confirmed the crystalline anatase
... Show MoreImage retrieval is used in searching for images from images database. In this paper, content – based image retrieval (CBIR) using four feature extraction techniques has been achieved. The four techniques are colored histogram features technique, properties features technique, gray level co- occurrence matrix (GLCM) statistical features technique and hybrid technique. The features are extracted from the data base images and query (test) images in order to find the similarity measure. The similarity-based matching is very important in CBIR, so, three types of similarity measure are used, normalized Mahalanobis distance, Euclidean distance and Manhattan distance. A comparison between them has been implemented. From the results, it is conclud
... Show MoreBackground: Male infertility is a global concern and it tends to increase due to miscellaneous factors, such as environmental toxins and genetic and lifestyle choices. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) has recently attracted attention due to its involvement in male infertility mechanisms and impact on sperm production and function. AHR, a versatile receptor expressed in various tissues, including the testes, regulates the genes involved in spermatogenesis. AHR activation is associated with cell cycle regulation and chromatin condensation during spermatogenesis. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the influence of AHR activation on blood-testis barrier (BTB) integrity, focusing on the role of tight junction protein-1 (TJP1)
... Show MoreHumanity is confronted with a growing array of environmental challenges that demand immediate attention and cannot be disregarded. One of the issues the world faces is air pollution, which presents a significant risk to both the environment and human well-being. The capitalist system has a great impact on the exacerbation of air pollution and environmental deterioration. This impact is reflected in Caryl Churchill’s post-apocalyptic play Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen (1971). The play presents a futuristic scenario in which humanity faces grave consequences due to the polluting practices of capitalism and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. It depicts a future in which environmental degradation drives people
... Show MoreA phytoremediation experiment was carried out with kerosene as a model for total petroleum hydrocarbons. A constructed wetland of barley was exposed to kerosene pollutants at varying concentrations (1, 2, and 3% v/v) in a subsurface flow (SSF) system. After a period of 42 days of exposure, it was found that the average ability to eliminate kerosene ranged from 56.5% to 61.2%, with the highest removal obtained at a kerosene concentration of 1% v/v. The analysis of kerosene at varying initial concentrations allowed the kinetics of kerosene to be fitted with the Grau model, which was closer than that with the zero order, first order, or second order kinetic models. The experimental study showed that the barley plant designed in a subsu
... Show MoreElectronic properties such as density of state, energy gap, HOMO (the highest occupied molecular orbital) level, LUMO (the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) level and density of bonds, as well as spectroscopic properties like infrared (IR), Raman scattering, force constant, and reduced masses for coronene C24, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) C24O5and interaction between C24O5and NO2gas molecules were investigated. Density functional theory (DFT) with the exchange hybrid function B3LYP with 6-311G** basis sets through the Gaussian 09 W software program was used to do these calculations. Gaussian view 05 was em
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