IL-15 gene mutation as a molecular risk factor in acute lymphoid leukemia.

The present study investigated the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the interleukin (IL)-15 gene located (exon 8) on the chromosomal location 4q31.21 and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) risk in Iraqi patients. A total of 78 (49 male -29 female) primary ALL (62B-cell, 16 T-cells lineages cases and 30 healthy control subjects (median age 11, age range were 4-21.5), were enrolled at the Nanakaly Hospital of Erbil Province between February 2021 and January 2022. The genotype analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger DNA sequencing. The IL15 homozygous rs10833 (100%) and rs2291596 (63.6%) genotypes indicated high frequencies and were associated with a risk of developing ALL, while the remaining 16 novel mutations indicated in low frequency (9.1%) except for the 97270G>GT genotype (18.2%). High expression levels were noted for different clusters of differentiation (CD) biomarkers between both subtypes of ALL, including, CD10, CD19, CD22, CD79a, CD99,  terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), and human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) isotype in B-cells lineages, while, CD2, CD3, CD5, CD7, CD13, CD117 and TdT are more specific to T-cells lineages. On the other hand,  significant changes were noted in certain hematological parameters including red blood cells (RBCs), haemoglobin (g/dl), haematocrite (HCt %), red blood cell distribution width (RDW %), and platelet counts (PLT- 109/L) compared with those of healthy subjects. Finally, it was concluded that various novel mutations were recorded with different subtypes of ALL diseases, and mild anemia was observed among patients. Future studies will be towered to associate these mutations with prognosis and therapeutic response of diseases.

Assessment of 222Rn, 226Ra, 238U, 218Po, and 214Po activity concentrations in the blood samples of workers at selected building material factories in Erbil City.

The objective of this research is to assess the impact of radon concentration on workers at certain construction material industries in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The CR-39 solid-state track detector was used in this experiment to monitor radon levels and their daughters. For this purpose, as a case study group, 70 workers were divided into seven subgroups (gypsum, cement plant, lightweight block, marble, red brick 1, crusher stone, and concrete block 2), and 20 healthy volunteers were selected as a control group. The findings demonstrate that the mean concentrations of radon, radium, uranium, and radon daughters deposited on the detector face (POS) and chamber walls (POW) for the case study group were 9.61 ± 1.52 Bq/m3, 0.33 ± 0.05 Bq/Kg, 5.39 ± 0.86 mBq/Kg, 4 ± 0.63, and 16.62 ± 2.64 mBq/m3, whereas for the control group, they were 3.39 ± 0.58 Bq/m3, 0.117 ± 0.03 Bq/Kg, 1.91 ± 0.32 mBq/Kg, 1.41 ± 0.24, and 5.88 ± 1 mBq/m3, respectively. The statistical analysis revealed that radon, radium, uranium, and POW and POS concentrations were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001) in the samples for the case study groups of cement, lightweight block, red brick 1, marble, and crusher stone factories in comparison to the control group; however, the results for gypsum and concrete block 2 factories were not statistically significant in comparison to the control group. Intriguingly, the radon levels in every blood sample examined were far lower than the 200 Bq/m3 limit established by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Hence, it may be argued that the blood is devoid of contaminants. These results are crucial for determining whether or not an individual is exposed to substantial quantities of radiation and for demonstrating a link between radon, its daughter, uranium, and the prevalence of cancer among workers in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Natural radioactivity and radiological risk assessment due to building materials commonly used in Erbil city, Kurdistan region, Iraq.

Radiometric monitoring of construction materials is required for estimating the interior and exterior exposure to ionizing radiation emitted by terrestrial radioactive elements in building materials. Using gamma-ray spectroscopy, the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40 K in fifty-two samples from eighteen different building materials commonly used in Erbil city, Kurdistan region, Iraq, were evaluated to assess possible radioactive dangers to human health. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40 K ranged from 1 ± 0.1 (gypsum board) to 130 ± 11 (granite), 1.3 ± 0.2 (gypsum) to 66 ± 8 (ceramic sample), and 18.74 ± 4 (gypsum) to 1061.708 ± 40 (granite) with an average of 28 ± 5, 20.7 ± 4, and 340.8 ± 18 (average ± standard deviation), respectively. Radiological indicators (activity concentration index, alpha and gamma index, hazard indices, interior absorbed gamma dose rate and the corresponding yearly effective dosage rate, and excess lifetime cancer risk) were computed to assess the health risks associated with these building materials. Consideration was given to the indoor annual effective dosage for common construction materials, the radon surface expiration rate, and the indoor radon concentration. The mean values of activity concentration were then inputted into the RESRAD-BUILD computer software to calculate a resident's long-term radiation exposure. The dosages were measured over a range of 0 to 70 years. From 0 to 30 years, there was a significant change in dosages; however, from 30 to 70 years, the dosages were reasonably consistent. This research demonstrates that granite samples are not safe for dwellings with poor ventilation (especially those without windows). In general, other investigated construction materials in the buildings are deemed safe for the population, since the computed values for these parameters fall within the well-being restrictions or criterion values.