Introduction and Aim: Due to a lack of effective medications, beta-thalassemia is a serious issue in Iraq. Thus, the current investigation aimed to explore the relationship between TNF-alpha gene polymorphism G/A (rs 1800629), Vitamin D (Vit D), Calcium (Ca), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and ferritin status in Iraqi beta thalassemia major and intermediate patients.   Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 46 patients suffering from thalassemia major (TM) plus 48 patients suffering from thalassemia intermediate (TI) and 48 of apparently healthy volunteers as control group aged 18-60 years, from Ibn Al-Baladi Hospital, Baghdad.   Results: Studies for the distribution of TNF- alpha G/A (rs 1800629) genotype showed that among TM patients and TI patients, the prevalence of the mutant AA genotype (rs 1800629) was higher in TM patients, while in the control group, it was lower.  Similarly, for the wild genotype (GG), the prevalence was highest in control group followed by T1 and TM patients. The frequency of A allele was high in TM patients, while the G allele frequency was more in the control group. Results also showed that the TNF- alpha genotype variations influenced Vitamin D, Calcium, ALP, and ferritin levels in TM and TI patients, wherein the patients with TNF-alpha mutant genotype (AA) were associated with highest levels of ferritin and ALP among all genotypes groups, while the patients of with TNF-alpha wild genotype (GG) were associated with high levels of Vitamin D and Calcium among all genotypes groups.   Conclusion: Patients with at least one copy of (A) allele had a higher risk of TM and TI and there was an association between the heterogeneous (GA) and mutant (AA) genotypes, also presence of (A) allele with status differences of Vit D, Ca, ALP, and ferritin in Iraqi beta thalassemia major and intermediate patients.

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Background: Nicotine is the foremost chemical constituent responsible for addiction in tobacco products, in the non-ionized condition can be easily absorbed via epithelial tissue of the lung, the mouth, the nose  and across the skin Objective:The study examines the harmful effect of   the nicotine which is an important component of cigarette in vitro. Type of the study: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Examines the harmful effect of   the nicotine which is an important component of cigarette in vitro by using two types of lung cancer cell lines (H460 TP53+/+, H441 TP53-/-). Results: The results showed the total count of H460( TP53+/+) cancer lung cell lines  was (5.2 ×106 cells /ml) , the number  (4.9 ×106 cells /ml)  of them were alive  and (3.6×105 cells /ml) of them  were dead, with percentage  of viability (93.15%), while the total count  of H441( TP53-/-) lung cancer cells was (5.1 ×106 cells /ml), the number (4.1 ×106 cells /ml)  of them were alive, and the number (9.9×105 cells /ml) of them   were dead  with percentage  of viability (80.55%). And it  revealed that the nicotine inhibited viability of H460 lung cancer cell lines in all concentrations (1, 10, 500 and 1000 μ M) and the cells were completely abolished by treatment with (1000 μ M) when the viability reached to minimum percentage (3.43%), while nicotine induced proliferation in H441 lung cancer cell lines even in lowest concentration (1 μ M), whereas the viability reached to maximum percentage (41.04%) at concentration (1000 μ M). Also it noticed that  the treatment with nicotine at concentrations (1,10, 500 and 1000 μ M ) for 24 and 48 hr  induced the apoptosis but not necrosis in H460 lung cancer cell lines, especially at the highest concentrations (1000 μ M) for 48hr when the percentage of apoptosis reached to the maximum value (55.5%), however  it was induced proliferation in H441 lung cancer cell lines with highest proliferation at concentration (1000 μ M), when the percentage apoptosis value reached to the minimum percentage (1.5%) when compared to un treated  cells (control). Conclusions: the cells lack to TP53(H441 TP53-/-)  will proliferate when exposed to nicotine and some of these cells will suffer from necrosis as a replacement of apoptosis.

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It has been postulated that lactobacillus play a critical role in maintaining the normal vaginal ecosystem by preventing overgrowth the of pathogens and other opportunistic organisms by producing lactic acid hydrogen peroxide, bacteriocines and other antimicrobial substances. Current study aimed to determine the effect of vaginal lactobacillus spp (L.acidophilus, L. crispatus, L. gasseri and L. iners), as probiotics isolated from vaginal swabs of fifty healthy women for reduction of urogenital infections(Candida albicans, Gardenella viginals, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) isolated from female patients who attended the obstetric and gynecology clinics in Ibn-AL Baladi Hospital. The effects of lactobacillus strains supernatants agents urogenital pathogens were tested in agar plate diffusion method on Manns-Regoz and Sharpe (MRS) agar and in liquid medium (MRS broth).Also Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), Minimum bacteriocidal concentration(MBC) and Minimum fungicidal concentration(MFC) were determined. The result of antimicrobial activity of vaginal lactobacillus revealed that L.crispatus had the highest effect on urogenital pathogens in both methods while the result of MIC , MBC and MFC showed that the concentration 60% led to minimized growth of G. viginals, S. aureus and E. coli and concentration 70% inhibit growth of these bacteria completely , whereas sharp decrease in candida albicans growth noticed in80% concentration even as the concentration 90% and above inhibited all pathogenic isolates (MBC and MFC).From above results it be clear that all Lactobacillus strains have antimicrobial activity against urogenital pathogens but L.crispatus had the highest affect than others with promising inhibitory spectrum.