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Aims: This study is carried out to report on the knowledge and practice regarding breast self-examination (BSE) among women from the city of Mosul in Iraq and to evaluate the prevalence of performing clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography among them.Settings and Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey carried out among females working in the University of Mosul, as a sample of the female population of Mosul city.Subjects and Methods: The sample was collected conveniently, and the data were collected from July to November 2018. Data were collected by interviews with 405 participants. Knowledge answers were scored and categorized into two groups: good and poor level of knowledge.Results: A final sample of 384 participants were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 42.58 ± 8.9. Only 39 (10.1%) and 37 (9.6%) participants performed mammographic examination and CBE of their breasts, respectively. Just 100 (30.3%) of the 330 females who knew BSE performed BSE routinely or intermittently. The mean knowledge score was 4.22 ± 1.66, and only 141 females (42.7%) were found to have a good level of knowledge. A statistically significant association of knowledge level with marital status (P = 0.015), perceived benefit of BSE (P = 0.001), previous gain of instructions of BSE (P < 0.05), and the provider (P < 0.05) was found.Conclusions: The performance results of BSE were poor as well as for CBE and mammography among the study participants. There is a need for educational programs to create awareness and improve knowledge about routine breast cancer screening behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was carried out in the laboratory of agricultural microbiology Department, faculty of agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt, in summer and winter seasons 2013 and 2014. In order to study the aflatoxin Ml (AFM1) contamination in milk, kareish cheese and yoghurt. AFMI was detected in raw milk in only 10 out of 12 samples (83.3%) in each season. Winter season had higher AFMI concentration than summer season with the mean values of 311.8 and 207.0 ng/1, respectively. AFMI was detected in all samples of kareish cheese (24 samples) in summer as well as in winter season. Winter season had higher AFMI concentration than summer season with average values of 651.36 and 527.40 ng/kg, respectively. The present results observed that 83.33% of cheese sample examined exceeding the limits of EU (50 ng/kg), and (70.83%) of cheese samples examined exceeding the limits of codex (500 ng/kg) in both summer and winter seasons. In yoghurt, the AFMI did not detect in 3 out of 12 samples of yoghurt tested. In summer season the positive samples ranged from 31.46 to 66.05 ng/kg with average of 39.13 ng/kg. AFMI did not detect in only one out of 12 samples tested in winter season. Also, the positive samples ranged from 56.6 to 84.14 ng/kg with an average of 64.68 ng/kg. Cheese had a higher concentration of AFMI than both raw milk and yoghurt. Also, yoghurt had the lowest concentration of AFMI comparing to raw milk and cheese. Heating treatments reduced the concentrations of AFMI in all raw milk samples tested. Boiling caused 26.71 % degradion of AFMI, whereas pasteurization caused only 15.45% degradation. In yoghurt, two strains of probiotic bacteria (lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis) individually were gradually reduced the concentration of AFMI in contaminated milk with 25 ppt, as a function of time with complete elimination by the end of storage period (3 days) at refrigerator, while the cocktail of the two strains showed more ability for reducing AFMI. Both probiotic bacteria (L. acidophilus and B. lactis) showed more ability for reducing AFMI in contaminated milk with 50.0 ppt or 75 ppt.The most important reductions of AFMI concentration were 41.80 ppt (45.3%), 2.6 ppt (69.90%) and 7.12 ppt (92.8%) which achieved by using the same concentration individually of each strain and in combination, respectively, in contaminated milk with 75ppt after two days. No AFMI was detected using combined strains after three days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]