NTU Journal of Pure Sciences

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a prominent etiological cause of bacterial infections. Biofilms form when cells are embedded within a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances that bond to each other or to either inert or living surfaces. It increases antibiotic resistance by maintaining cells. The study aims to determine the biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of E. coliisolates. A total of 200 clinical samples were collected from Kirkuk city hospitals, including urine, sputum, wound, and burn swabs. Forty isolates were classified as E. coli.An antibiotic sensitivity test was conducted using the disc diffusion method with fourteen antibiotic discs. A microtiter plate method was used to detect biofilm.The study revealed antibiotic resistance rates against Ceftriaxone 33 (82.5%), Ceftazidime and Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 32 (80%), Tetracycline 28 (70%), Cefepime 27 (67.5%), Ciprofloxacin and Aztreonam 32 (57.5%), Amoxicillin-clavulanate 12 (30%), and Piperacillin-tazobactam 11 (27.5%). The most effective antibiotics were nitrofurantoin, meropenem, imipenem, chloramphenicol, and gentamycin, with susceptibilities (100%, 90%, 85%, 85%, 75%), respectively. The biofilm production of the E. coliisolates ranged from weak 30 (75%) to moderate 9 (22.5%), and strong 1 (2.5%). The study concluded that all antibiotic-resistant isolates were biofilm producers.

The current investigation aimed to estimate some parameters in child infected with E. histolytica. A total 240 children were included in this study which was carried out in the laboratory of the Pediatric Hospital, Azadi Teaching Hospital, Maternity children Hospital and Kirkuk Teaching Hospital, in Kirkuk City. The results found that the highest infection rate was due to E. histolytica, which reached 89 (68.9%) using the direct examination method, while the ELISA method showed that 48(37.2%) of the total children had diarrhea. Hemoglobin concentration, PCV, ferritin and some electrolytes (potassium, sodium and chloride) showed that some inflammatory parameters (WBC, CRP) significantly reduced(P?0.05) and others significantly elevated(P?0.05) in samples. Also, the creatinine demonstrated non-significant (P?0.05) differences in serum of patients with E. histolytica compared with the controls. It is concluded that E. histolytica led to anemia in children and caused a high immune response in patients.

This article is about A-rings R, for which every element is a sum of an involution k-regular element and a nilpotent element, which commute with each other. These rings are called strongly involution k-regular nil-clean rings or SIKRNC rings. Some characteristics and basic properties of SiKrnc rings are presented in this work.

Community-acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of health problems due to the rising rates of antibiotic resistance, especially for the new generation of antimicrobial families. The objective of this study was to detect the prevalence of K. pneumoniae from clinical samples of community-acquired infections and its association with antimicrobial resistance. A total of 256 different clinical samples were obtained from outpatients at four main hospitals in Kirkuk city. In addition, 38 isolates were identified by culture and biochemical characteristics and then confirmed with the VITEK 2 system. The antibiotic resistance profile was determined by testing 30 antibiotics using both the disc diffusion method and the VITEK 2 AST-419 card. Results: This study involved 256 clinical samples; K. pneumoniae represented 14.8% of all isolates. The antibiotic sensitivity test showed 100% resistance of all isolates to the penicillin group while most isolates were sensitive (89.5%, 84.2%) to lipopeptide and Glycylcycline groups respectively. The data showed increased resistance of K. pneumoniae to the common antibiotics and MDR K. pneumoniae was the most prevalent among the isolates.

Naturally occurring human immunity to parasitic infection has been associated with Immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses against parasite allergen-like proteins. However, parasites are known to exert strong immunomodulatory effects; including regulatory cells and cytokines. Elevated IgE levels often lead to the elimination of parasites and the removal of poisons from the body. This study aimed to measure the total serum IgE levels in 100 leukemia patients with and without parasitic infection. (100) blood samples from leukemia patients after chemotherapy were used in this study. This study was carried out between September 2023 and May 2024, at Kirkuk Oncology and Hematology Center and Kirkuk General Hospital to determine the total IgE level in serum. We have noticed the presence of different types of parasites in 52 samples with leukaemia disease, the most prominent was (protozoa)Entamoeba histolytica, Blastocyst hominis, and others, (helminths) Ascaris lumbricoides, Entrobius vermicularis and seropositive toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG)and (48) samples that do not contain parasites. However, the mean IgE concentration in leukemia patients infected with parasites was higher (199.59ng/ml) compared to non-infected leukemia and controls at146.56ng/ml, and 49.9ng/ml respectively. The study proved that IgE levels increased in parasitic infection in leukemia patients after chemotherapy.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasitic pathogen responsible for trichomoniasis, a common STD causing vaginal microbiota changes. Overgrowth of Gardnerella vaginalis, anaerobic bacteria, and mycoplasmas causes bacterial vaginosis, leading to vulvovaginal symptoms globally. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of vaginal microbiota changes and polymicrobial vaginosis associated with Trichomonas vaginalis and to estimate the correlation of some epidemiological factors with trichomoniasis in women of childbearing age in Kirkuk Governorate. This study was conducted in Kirkuk Governorate between November 10, 2023 and March 15, 2024. The total number of married, non-pregnant women was 100, ranging in age from 18 to 45 years. From each participant, two vaginal discharge specimens were collected: identify Trichomonas vaginalis via wet-mount microscopy and the other specimen was inoculated into various culture media to isolate aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, or Candida spp. A total of 100 examined women (10%) had a Trichomonas vaginalis infection. The highest frequency was observed in the 25–29 age group. The study a revealed a higher prevalence of T. vaginalis infection in rural areas than in urban areas. It was revealed that there was a high rate of infection with T. vaginalis among women with low education levels, whereas infection rates decreased as the education level of women increased. This study found that Gardnerella vaginalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis had the highest association with Trichomonas vaginalis infection. The highest prevalence of T. vaginalis infection was associated with younger married women, women residing in rural areas, and women with low educational attainment. Trichomoniasis affects the vaginal microbiota by reducing Lactobacilli and has a strong relationship with Gardnerella vaginalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The effect of petroleum resins on Al-Qayyarah asphalt was studied to modify its chemical, physical, and engineering properties. Due to climate change, rising temperatures, and increased loads, traditional asphalt has become unsuitable for paving main roads, leading to the search for alternatives or modifications to the properties of conventional asphalt. Therefore, petroleum resins of both aliphatic and aromatic types were used due to their rapid mixing compatibility and being solid materials. In addition, bonding materials like sulfur help with the interlocking and stability of asphalt mixing over time bonding petroleum resins with asphalt compounds through free radical reactions. Petroleum resins were used at a rate of up to 5% of the weight of the asphalt. The effect of both types was significant on the properties of the asphalt, as the aromatic resins had a considerable impact achieving a Marshall stability of up to 22KN and indirect tensile strength of 1.985KPa to determine its resistance to heat and moisture. Therefore, the addition of petroleum resins to Al-Qayyarah asphalt significantly improves the performance of the asphalt, provides excellent storage stability with the asphalt, and increases its load-bearing capacity.

The current study was conducted to determine the suitability of the water sources for human use in the villages of Ain al-Hussan affiliated with Sinjar District in Nineveh Governorate. Ten sampling sites were chosen, during the summer and autumn seasons, to conduct some qualitative tests such as pH, electrical conductivity, total hardness, and total number of bacteria, in addition to some positive and negative ions. The logarithmic model was also applied to determine the quality of water sources. The results indicated an increase in the concentration of sulfate ions and the total number of bacteria, which reached 1041 mg/L and 95056 cells. ml-1, respectively, exceeding the permissible limits for drinking and domestic uses, as confirmed by the results of the Water Quality Index (WQI), which ranged from (91.83 to 261.2), to classify the quality of the studied water as unfit for human consumption in its current state, as eighty percentof it was unfit for human consumption, and the rest was of very poor quality.

Intestinal protozoan infections are common, particularly among children under 5 years, who are more vulnerable due to their developing immune systems. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between protozoal infections and nutritional status in 260 children under 5 years, conducted from 1/9/2024 to 1/2/2025. Parasitological diagnosis was done using direct microscopy (saline and iodine wet mounts) and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining for coccidian parasites. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated based on WHO standards to compare infected and non-infected groups. Entamoeba histolytica was the most prevalent protozoan, with a 56.25% infection rate. Underweight status was notably common among children aged 4–5 years. Findings indicated a strong association between protozoal infection and malnutrition, likely resulting from nutrient malabsorption, chronic diarrhea, and reduced appetite due to infection.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common among hemodialysis (HD) patients and are associated with an increased risk of complications; however, their diagnosis is often challenging due to frequent subclinical or atypical presentations. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of UTIs in HD patients with renal failure and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pyuria as a screening tool. Patients and Methods: A total of 200 hemodialysis patients were enrolled in the study, comprising 100 males and 100 females. Midstream, clean-catch urine samples were collected and subjected to standard urinalysis and culture. Significant bacteriuria was defined as ?10? CFU/mL in males and ?10? CFU/mL in females. Pyuria was defined as ?10 neutrophils per high-power field. Results: Bacterial growth was detected in 75 urine samples (37.5%), while 125 samples (62.5%) showed no significant growth. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated organism (40%, n=30), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=10). Pyuria was present in (85/200) patients (42.5%), of whom 55 (64.7%) had culture-confirmed UTIs. Pyuria demonstrated a sensitivity of 73.3%, specificity of 76%, a positive predictive value of 65%, and a negative predictive value of 83%. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that UTIs among HD patients are more prevalent in females and the elderly, with E. coli as the predominant multidrug-resistant pathogen, While pyuria proved to be a useful supportive indicator for diagnosis, it should be interpreted in conjunction with urine culture to avoid both overdiagnosis and missed infections in hemodialysis patients.

Graph theory has gained popularity as a flexible tool in machine learning to capture complex correlations between objects in non-Euclidean structured data. Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have proved to be effective deep learning methods to learn node and graph-level representations using message passing, attention and convolution applied to graph structures. This review classifies more than 39 GNN variants into five structural families: Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs), Graph Attention Networks (GATs), Graph Sample and Aggregate (SAGE), Graph Isomorphism Networks (GINs) and attention-augmented or hybrid models. In addition to the recent models AA-HGNN, DySAT, EGNN, DyHAN, Hyper-GNN, and MGH, which are built to include heterogeneity, scalability, dynamic graphs, and geometric invariance. These models acknowledge the increasing diversity of GNN architectures adapted to real-life requirements in such areas as recommendation systems, bioinformatics, and social networks. Additionally, the review lists important challenges to GNN development, which included overfitting, explainability, and multi-modal learning, and provides directions in the future. To illustrate the development and use of GNN models in numerous directions, this paper provides a graph-centric structure through which researchers can learn how the GNN models are evolving and how it is used in several directions.

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is a common endocrine disorder that may result from autoimmune, genetic, or infectious causes. Aim: This study aimed to explore the relationship between CMV infection and thyroid dysfunction in relation to anti-thyroid peroxidase (antibody positivity). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kirkuk, Iraq, from October 2024 to April 2025. It included 100 patients with thyroid dysfunction (13 hyperthyroid, 87 hypothyroid) and 50 healthy controls. Serum samples were analyzed for TSH, T3, T4, anti-TPO antibodies, and CMV IgM/IgG. Results: CMV seropositivity was significantly associated with thyroid dysfunction (P = 0.038). Among hyperthyroid patients, 30.77% were CMV IgG positive and 7.69% had combined IgM and IgG positivity. In hypothyroid patients, 21.84% were CMV IgG positive and 10.34% showed co-positivity. Anti-TPO antibody positivity was found in 23% of patients. A strong and statistically significant association was observed between Anti-TPO positivity and CMV IgM/IgG co-positivity (34.78% vs. 2.60% in Anti-TPO negatives; P = 0.001). Gender-stratified analysis revealed that CMV IgM/IgG co-positivity was markedly more prevalent in Anti-TPO positive males. Conclusion: The findings indicate a significant relationship between CMV infection and thyroid dysfunction, especially hypothyroidism with autoimmune features. CMV may act as a triggering factor in thyroid autoimmunity.

This work deals with kinetic data of Beckmann rearrangement reaction of methyl 3 and 4- pyridyl ketoximes (No.1and 2) to the corresponding 3- pyridine and 4-pyridine carboxylic acid and methyl amine by action of perchloric acid as a catalyst. A spectrometric method was used in this investigation by following the decay of absorbances of ketoximes at optimal wavelengths. These reaction were obey pseudo first order kinetic with respect to ketoximes. Rate constants for these ketoximes were evaluated in the temperature range (298-338) k and found to depend on temperature , structure of ketoxime and the concentration of acid catalyst employed. Finally, the activation parameters for Beckmann rearrangement reaction of ketoximes were calculated ,interpreted and discussed.

A novel 4D hyperchaotic system with two positive Lyapunov exponents is created from a Rikitake 3D system using a feedback control strategy. Several dynamical properties are investigated both theoretically and numerically, including phase, equilibrium points, divergence, root stability, and Lyapunov exponents. Additionally, using MATLAB 2021, the numerical simulation validates the veracity of the theoretical conclusions. Finally, Multisim 14.2 was used to simulate and build the electrical circuit for a new system.

Contemporary mobile communication systems require a flexible infrastructure that can accommodate a range of services that require different performance characteristics, so network slicing has become a necessary mechanism for generating multiple isolated virtual networks, built on top of a single physical infrastructure, to provide services best suitable for the application performance requirements. In this paper, an ensemble learning model for network slice allocation in 5G networks is presented based on machine learning techniques. The proposed model combines ensemble learning techniques such as Random Forest (RF), CatBoost (CT), and AdaBoost (ADB), with Logistic Regression (LR) as the final decision-making stage. The proposed ensemble model demonstrated performance with an accuracy of 98.32%, which is over 2% better than the best single model (CatBoost at 96.23%). The proposed ensemble model consistently outperformed Random Forest and AdaBoost by more than 4% and more than 5% respectively. In addition, the proposed ensemble model was balanced and across key 5G slice types (eMBB, mMTC, URLLC) supported the diverse service requirements.

A simple, sensitive, and precise indirect spectrophotometric method has been developed for quantifying amiloride hydrochloride (AMD. HCl), both as a pure compound and in its dosage forms (tablets). This work is based on indirect spectrophotometric method of the oxidation of (AMD. HCl) by adding a known amount of oxidizing agent calcium hypochlorite (Ca(OCl)2) in acidic medium. The unreacted amount of Ca(OCl)2 then reacted with a known quantity of the dye eosin Y to shorten its color, and then the absorption of the remaining amount of the dye to form an orange-colored product that can be measured at a wavelength of 518 nm. A thorough investigation was conducted into the optimization of method conditions. Beer's law was followed under ideal circumstances in the concentration range of 2–12 µg/mL, with a relative standard deviation of 2.62%, a recovery of 100.03%, and a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.9992. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.0932 µg/mL, while the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.028 µg/mL. The molar absorptivity coefficient was 1.8856×104 L/mol. cm, which corresponds to Sandall’s sensitivity of 0.0138 µg/cm2. The method was applied to the assay amiloride hydrochloride (AMD. HCl) in tablets, yielding acceptable analytical results. Additionally, a new tool for assessing analytical protocols related to green analytical chemistry attributes had been used in order to assess the environmental impact of the proposed technique. The new instrument is known as the Green Analytical Procedure Index, or GAPI.