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This present study reports on an investigation into the oral communication strategies (henceforth OCSs) used by College English students (or non-English major students) in Iraq. These students are a large group who are studying in English and need to use OCSs to facilitate their communication because they do not have sufficient exposure to English in daily life. All of the subjects are first-year bachelor students from Medicine field. The data were collected by mean of questionnaire. The results indicate that students of first year employed the following strategies: Approximation, circumlocution, word coinage, mime, literal translation, language switch, and appeal for assistance. While they do not employ avoidance strategies like: topic avoidance and message abandonment. Other finding which is that females use more strategies then males, females use seven strategies out of nine namely: approximation, word coinage, circumlocution, literal translation, language switch, appeal for assistance, and mime. While males use only six strategies out of nine namely: approximation, word coinage, circumlocution, literal translation, language switch, and appeal for assistance. These findings suggested that OCSs help students overcome difficulties in oral English communication. By enhancing students' strategic competence, their communicative competence could be improved. The results of this study could be great help in the teaching of English to Iraqi EFL learners by making them aware of CSs already in their repertoire and by encouraging them to use OCSs more frequently

Suicide attempts by self-poisoning have become a critical health problem. This study aimed to investigate the trend, incidence, and the associated risk factors of suicide attempts by self-poisoning. A total of 7398 Egyptian patients were analyzed. The trend of suicide attempts by self-poisoning was analyzed using 6745 patients over four registry years from January 1, 2016, to January 1, 2020. Then, the associated risk factors behind attempted suicide by self-poisoning from January 1, 2019, to January 1, 2020, were assessed using 2523 suicide attempters by self-poisoning, 201 fatalities by self-poisoning, and another 653 survivors of accidental poisoning. Results showed a rising trend of suicide attempts by self-poisoning over the studied years. The incidence of suicide attempts through deliberate self-poisoning represented 26.63/1,000 (CI95%: 25.63–27.86) to the admitted patients and 26.10/100,000 (CI95%: 25.10–27.14) to the regional population. The death rate due to suicide attempts by self-poisoning was 2.08/100,000 (1.90–2.49). The case fatality rate and the proportionate mortality rate for suicide by self-poisoning were 7.38% (CI95%: 6.45–8.42) and 14.11% (CI95%: 12.4–16.0) respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that attempted suicide by self-poisoning was predicted among patients aged <25 or 25–40 years old (OR = 27.49, CI95%: 15.28–49.64 and OR = 59.42, CI95%: 32.76–107.77 respectively), those of low or moderate socioeconomic status (OR = 35.03, CI95%: 21.32–57.56 and OR = 14.11, CI95%: 10.86–18.43 respectively), students (OR = 2.91, CI95%: 1.57–5.43) and those living in rural residency (OR = 4.12, CI95%: 3.27–5.19). Suicide attempts by self-poisoning exhibited an incremental rise across time which raises a serious concern. Efforts should be directed to overcome the mentioned risk factors triggering suicide attempts by self-poisoning.

Candida is the most prevalent fungal bloodstream infection (BSI) with a high mortality rate among hospitalized patients. Another concern facing physicians is rising global incidence of drug-resistant Candida. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence, antifungal susceptibility, biofilm formation, and virulence genes (HWP1, ALS1, SAP2) of different Candida  spp. isolated from patients with candidemia. 52 isolates of Candida  spp. were identified from blood cultures by chromogenic Candida agar and confirmed by the VITEK 2 system. Isolates were tested for antifungal susceptibility by disk diffusion and VITEK 2 system. Biofilm formation and investigated genes were detected by the Congo red method and conventional PCR, respectively. Candida spp. caused 2.3% of detected BSIs, of which 32.7% were caused by Candida albicans ( C. albicans ) and 67.3% by non- albicans Candida (NAC), with the predominance of C. tropicalis (25%), followed by C. parapsilosis (17.3%), and C. krusei (13.5%). The susceptibility rates to fluconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, amphotericin B, and flucytosine were 64.7%, 76.5%, 100.0%, 100%, 100.0%, and 100.0% in C. albicans, while 53.6%, 71.4%, 91.4%, 91.4%, 94.3%, and 94.3% in NAC, respectively. Biofilm production, HWP1, ALS1, and SAP2 were detected in 70.6%, 82.4%, 76.5%, and 52.9% of C. albicans and 74.3%, 85.7%, 80.0%, and 48.6% of NAC, respectively. There is remarkable shift to NAC BSIs and high azole resistance. Antifungal stewardship and analysis of risk factors associated with this shift are needed.

Purpose Establishing links between Mendelian phenotypes and genes enables the proper interpretation of variants therein. Autozygome, a rich source of homozygous variants, has been successfully utilized for the high throughput identification of novel autosomal recessive disease genes. Here, we highlight the utility of the autozygome for the high throughput confirmation of previously published tentative links to diseases. Methods Autozygome and exome analysis of patients with suspected Mendelian phenotypes. All variants were classified according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. Results We highlight 30 published candidate genes ( ACTL6B , ADAM22 , AGTPBP1 , APC , C12orf4 , C3orf17 (NEPRO) , CENPF , CNPY3 , COL27A1 , DMBX1 , FUT8 , GOLGA2 , KIAA0556 , LENG8 , MCIDAS , MTMR9 , MYH11 , QRSL1 , RUBCN , SLC25A42 , SLC9A1 , TBXT , TFG , THUMPD1 , TRAF3IP2 , UFC1 , UFM1 , WDR81 , XRCC2 , ZAK ) in which we identified homozygous likely deleterious variants in patients with compatible phenotypes. We also identified homozygous likely deleterious variants in 18 published candidate genes ( ABCA2 , ARL6IP1 , ATP8A2 , CDK9 , CNKSR1 , DGAT1 , DMXL2 , GEMIN4 , HCN2 , HCRT , MYO9A , PARS2 , PLOD3 , PREPL , SCLT1 , STX3 , TXNRD2 , WIPI2 ) although the associated phenotypes are sufficiently different from the original reports that they represent phenotypic expansion or potentially distinct allelic disorders. Conclusions Our results should facilitate the timely relabeling of these candidate disease genes in relevant databases to improve the yield of clinical genomic sequencing.

L-asparaginase is a crucial enzyme used in chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), its incorporation in the pediatric treatment protocols helped in achieving a high cure rate. However, immunogenic side-effects restrict its application and frequently result in stopping treatment. There is a current need for the identification of novel L-asparaginase with improved properties and lower adverse effects compared to those available in the market. L-asparaginase gene from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ( S. maltophilia ), an isolated organism that was mentioned as a novel and excellent source for L- asparaginase, was cloned and expressed using E. coli DH5α and E. coli BL21(DE3). Investigations of different conditions of expression of recombinant L-asparaginase in E. coli BL21(DE3) using Box–Behnken design predicted maximum expression at 37 °C temperature, 250 rpm agitation, 0.83 mM isopropylthio-β-D-galactoside (IPTG) concentration after incubation for 17 h. The optimized expression conditions were validated using L-asparaginase activity assay. The obtained recombinant protein was purified using Ni-NTA spin column. SDS-PAGE demonstrated a single band of 17 KDa apparent molecular weight. The kinetic parameters were determined, and they exhibited a low Km value of 2.94 × 10 − 2 M and Vmax of 14.73 IU/ml. Cytotoxicity on various cell lines was tested in relation to marketed E. coli L-asparaginase and exhibited low IC50 of 1.92 IU/ml and 2.03 IU/ml for HEP-G2 and K-562 cell lines, respectively. Additionally, mice treated with recombinant L-asparaginase displayed a significantly lower immunological response (IgG) compared to mice treated with marketed E. coli L-asparaginase ( p -value < 0.0001). These findings demonstrate the potentiality of recombinant L-asparaginase for its development as a chemotherapeutic drug.

L-asparaginase is an important therapeutic enzyme that is frequently utilized in the chemotherapy regimens of adults as well as pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, a high rate of hypersensitivity with prolonged use has limited its utilization. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) EMCC2297 isolate was reported as a novel and promising source for L- asparaginase. The present study aimed at the production, purification, and characterization of L- asparaginase from S. maltophilia EMCC2297 isolate. The microbial production of L-asparaginase by the test isolate could be increased by pre-exposure to chloramphenicol at 200 µg/ml concentration. S. maltophilia EMCC2297 L-asparaginase could be purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulphate precipitation and the purified form obtained by gel exclusion chromatography showed total activity of 96.4375 IU/ml and specific activity of 36.251 IU/mg protein. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the purified form of the enzyme is separated at an apparent molecular weight of 17 KDa. Michaelis-Menten constant analysis showed a Km value of 4.16 × 10− 2 M with L-asparagine as substrate and Vmax of 10.67 IU/ml. The antitumor activity of the purified enzyme was evaluated on different cell lines and revealed low IC50 of 2.2 IU/ml and 2.83 IU/ml for Hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG-2), human leukemia cancer cell line (K-562), respectively whereas no cytotoxic effect could be detected on normal human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5). However, mice treated with native L-asparaginase showed lower IgG titre compared to commercial L-asparaginase. This study highlights the promising characteristics of this enzyme making it a valuable candidate for further research and development to be an adduct in cancer chemotherapy.

Background To understand the contribution of Mendelian mutations to the burden of undiagnosed diseases that are suspected to be genetic in origin, we developed a next-generation sequencing-based multiplexing assay that encompasses the ~3000 known Mendelian genes. This assay, which we term the Mendeliome, comprises 13 gene panels based on clinical themes, covering the spectrum of pediatric and adult clinical genetic medicine. We explore how these panels compare with clinical whole exome sequencing (WES). Results We tested 2357 patients referred with suspected genetic diagnoses from virtually every medical specialty. A likely causal mutation was identified in 1018 patients, with an overall clinical sensitivity of 43 %, comparing favorably with WES. Furthermore, the cost of clinical-grade WES is high (typically more than 4500 US dollars), whereas the cost of running a sample on one of our panels is around 75–150 US dollars, depending on the panel. Of the “negative” cases, 11 % were subsequently found by WES to harbor a likely causal mutation in a known disease gene (largely in genes identified after the design of our assay), as inferred from a representative sample of 178. Although our study population is enriched for consanguinity, 245 (24 %) of solved cases were autosomal dominant and 35 (4 %) were X-linked, suggesting that our assay is also applicable to outbred populations. Conclusions Despite missing a significant number of cases, the current version of the Mendeliome assay can account for a large proportion of suspected genetic disorders, and provides significant practical advantages over clinical WES.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are increasingly recognized for their potential in biology due to their excellent drug delivery capabilities and ease of synthesis. To create AuNPs using marine sponge Amphimedon compressa , we used several techniques, including ultraviolet–visible (UV–visible) spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The UV–visible spectroscopy results demonstrated the formation of stable AuNPs at a pH of 7, with a peak absorption at 564 nm. FTIR spectroscopy indicated that secondary metabolites featuring –OH functional groups acted as reducing agents in the production of AuNPs. Morphological analysis showed that the AuNPs were spherical, consistently shaped particles averaging 10–40 nm in diameter, with proven stability over time. The inhibition zones for the bacteria tested with the synthesized AuNPs varied from 26 to 31 mm. Both the AuNPs and the A. compressa extract displayed significant antioxidant activity, achieving DPPH radical scavenging percentages of 70.73% and 85.62%, respectively. In terms of anti-inflammatory activity, the AuNPs showed dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity, with hemolytic inhibition percentages of 4.8%, 10.2%, 12.8%, 14.9%, 19.5%, and 22.4% at increasing concentrations. Furthermore, both the crude extract and the synthesized AuNPs exhibited adulticidal activity against the house fly ( Musca domestica ) and the mosquito ( Culex pipiens ). The LC 50 and LC 90 values for the crude extract were 34.988 and 62.836 ppm for M. domestica , and 9.258 and 17.399 ppm for C. pipiens . For the AuNPs, the corresponding values were 8.545 and 15.157 ppm for M. domestica , and 7.573 and 14.074 ppm for C. pipiens . Adult mortality caused by the AuNPs extract reached 100.00% for both Musca domestica and Culex pipiens at a concentration of 6 ppm. Overall, M. domestica and C. pipiens were more sensitive to AuNPs than to the crude extract. Both the synthesized AuNPs and the crude extract caused a significant, dose-dependent reduction in fecundity and hatchability in M. domestica and C. pipiens . In conclusion, the marine sponge A. compressa serves as an effective biological source for the synthesis of AuNPs, which demonstrate significant antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-biofilm, and insecticidal activities, highlighting their potential in biomedical and environmental fields.