Morphological and molecular identification of freshwater eutardigrade Dactylobiotus parthenogeneticus (Bertolani, 1982) in the Greater Zab River of Kurdistan Region - Iraq.

Dactylobiotus parthenogeneticus is one of the widespread species of tardigrade all over the world. Tardigrades of this species were collected from the Greater Zab River in Erbil City-Iraq by filtering water of the river through a plankton net with a mesh of 45 µm pore. The samples were mounted on a slide with a cover slip and examined under the microscope to determine morphological characteristics and measurements. Based on these characters the species identified to be D. parthenogeneticus. To support this diagnosis, DNA barcoding techniques were applied to do molecular analysis and sequencing on the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The sequence was subjected to the GenBank database of NCBI and recorded with the accession number PP140905. The result of the sequencing and molecular analysis of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene confirmed to be the same species diagnosed by relying upon morphological characters. This study represents one of the pioneer researches and documents on tardigrades and found D. parthenogeneticus for the first time in the Greater Zab River in Kurdistan, North of Iraq. Tardigrades play a magnificent role in different trophic levels and can be utilized as an indicator of ecosystem health.

Comprehensive genetic analyses of childhood acute leukemia in Iraq using next-generation sequencing.

Background: Molecular analyses in hematological malignancies provide insights about genetic makeup. Probable etiological factors in leukemogenesis could also be disclosed. Since genetic analyses are still primitive in Iraq, a country of repeated wars, we conceived of performing next-generation sequencing (NGS), to disclose the genomic landscape of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) among a cohort of Iraqi children. Methods: Dried blood samples were collected from Iraqi children with ALL (n=55), or AML (n=11), and transferred to Japan where NGS was done. Whole-exome, whole-genome, and targeted gene sequencings were performed. Results: Somatic point mutations and the copy number variations among Iraqi children with acute leukemia were comparable with those in other countries, and cytosine-to-thymine nucleotide alterations were dominant. Strikingly, TCF3-PBX1 was the most recurrent fusion gene (22.4%) in B-cell precursor ALL (B-ALL), and acute promyelocytic leukemia (AML-M3) was subtyped in 5 AML cases. Additionally, a high frequency of RAS signaling pathway mutations was detected in children with B-ALL (38.8%), along with 3 AML cases that carried oncogenic RAS. Conclusions: Apart from disclosing the high frequency of TCF3-PBX1, NGS confirmed our previous finding of recurrent RAS mutations in Iraqi childhood acute leukemia. Our results suggest that the biology of Iraqi childhood acute leukemia is in part characteristic, where the war-aftermath environment or geography might play a role.

The Start-Up of the first Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center in the Iraqi Kurdistan: a Capacity-Building Cooperative Project by the Hiwa Cancer Hospital, Sulaymaniyah, and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation: an Innovative Approach.

We describe the entire process leading to the start-up of a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation center at the Hiwa Cancer Hospital, in the city of Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Iraqi Region. This capacity building project was funded by the Italian Development Cooperation Agency and implemented with the support of the volunteer work of Italian professionals, either physicians, nurses, biologists and technicians. The intervention started in April 2016, was based exclusively on training and coaching on site, that represent a significant innovative approach, and led to a first autologous transplant in June 2016 and to the first allogeneic transplant in October. At the time of reporting, 9 months from the initiation of the project, 18 patients have been transplanted, 15 with an autologous and 3 with an allogeneic graft. The center at the HCH represents the first transplantation center in Kurdistan and the second in wide Iraq. We conclude that international development cooperation may play an important role also in the field of high-technology medicine, and contribute to improved local centers capabilities through country to country scientific exchanges. The methodology to realize this project is innovative, since HSCT experts are brought as volunteers to the center(s) to be started, while traditionally it is the opposite, i.e. the local professionals to be trained are brought to the specialized center(s).