Background: COVID-19 has caused a considerable number of hospital admissions in China since December 2019. Many COVID-19 patients experience signs of acute respiratory distress syndrome, and some are even in danger of dying. Objective: to measure the serum levels of D-dimer, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), and neopterin in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq. And to determine the cut-off values (critical values) of these markers for the distinction between the severe patients diagnosed with COVID‐19 and the controls. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, we collect blood from 89 subjects, 45 were severe patients hospitalized in many Baghdad medical centers who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, and 44 were apparently healthy subjects as a control. The time of collection is from September 15 th to December 31 th, 2021. The optimal cut-off points (critical values) and prognostic relevance of D-dimer, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), and neopterin were investigated using (ROC) curves analysis. Results: In severe patients hospitalized with COVID-19 the levels of D-dimer, NLR, and neopterin were statistically significantly higher than in control participants (P< 0.005). The D-dimer, NLR, and neopterin tests have areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of 0.920, 0.90, and 0.74 respectively, and their critical values for the differentiation between the severe patients and control were 0.22 μg/ml, 2.56, and 3.02 nmol/L. Conclusions: D-dimer, NLR, and neopterin levels in sever COVID-19 patients were higher than control, with values of greater than 0.22μg/ml, 2.56 and 3.02nmol/L respectively was linked to a severe COVID-19infection with good sensitivity and selectivity.
Hormones, their receptors, and the associated signaling pathways make compelling drug targets because of their wide-ranging biological significance to study the role of asprosin in obese male patients with diabetic mellitus type II. ELISA method was used to assay asprosin and insulin. Blood was taken with drawn sample from 30 obese normal patients with age range (40-60) years, 30 diabetic patients with age range (40-60) years at duration of disease (1-5) years and 30 normal healthy patients. The mean difference between T2DM according to insulin % (23.8±0.6) was increased than the mean of IFG (17.7±1.0) (P 0.000). The mean difference between T2DM according to asprosin (122.1±21.8) was increased than the mean of IFG (51.4±2.7) (P 0
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to critically appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions suitable for delivery by nurses, designed to enhance cardiac patients' adherence to their prescribed medications.
Cardiac medications have statistically significant health benefits for patients with heart disease, but patients' adherence to prescribed medications remains suboptimal.
A systematic quantitative review of intervention effects.
Background and Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs), among a wide range of microbial infections, are of a double-edged worry with health-care and economic implications. They are serious diseases that can influence various parts of the urinary tract. The aim of this study was characterization of the enteric bacteria isolated from urine of human UTIs and studying their antimicrobial sensitivity. Materials and methods: A total of 50 urine samples were collected from patients with UTIs of both genders. The isolates identification was done using routine diagnostic methods and confirmed by Vitek2. Antimicrobial susceptibility was done against 10 antimicrobials. Results: Both genders of human were found to suffer from urinary tract problems
... Show MoreBackground: Atherosclerosis is well known related to age and certain cardiovascular diseases. Aging is one reason of arteries function deterioration which can cause loss of compliance and plaque accumulation, this effect increases by the presence of certain diseases such as hypertension and diabetes disease. Aim: To investigate the reduction of blood supply to the brain in patients with diabetes and hypertension with age and the role of resistive index in the diagnosis of reduced blood flow. Method: Patients with both diseases diabetic and hypertension were classified according to their age to identify the progression of the disease and factors influencing the carotid artery blood flow. By using ultrasound and standard Doppler techniq
... Show MoreBackground: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the esthetic smile in sample of Iraqi adults and to assess the gender differences. Materials and Methods: 100 persons (50malesand 50 females had class I normal dental and skeletal selected for this study.Clinical examination and digital photograph with posed smile were performed for each individual. Six linear soft tissue parameters in each photograph using AutoCAD program 2011. Five visual and four quantitative evaluations of the smile were studied for eachsubject. The smile arch and index, buccal corridor spaces (BCSs) were studied.Descriptive statistics of the measurements were calculated. Independent student’s ttestswere used to evaluate the gender differences. Statistics: Desc
... Show MoreBackground: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic immunologic disease. The etiology of OLP is unknown, viral antigens (for example EBV) have been proposed as etiologic agents. OLP may get transformation to malignancy so research on the presence of these in OLP lesions seems to be necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate EBV expression immunohistochemically in OLP. Materials and Methods: Tissue specimens of 30 formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue Blocks histologically diagnosed oral lichen planus was performed to evaluate EBV expression. Results: Expression of EBV was detected in epithelium of (46.6%) in the study samples in (OLP). no statistically significant correlation was found with clinical parameters except for a significan
... Show MoreObjective(s): To determine the impact of health education program toward their end-stage renal failure (ESRF)
patients’ knowledge through a follow-up approach each two months post program implementation for six months.
Methodology: "Follow-up" longitudinal design by using time series approach of data analysis and the application of
pre-post tests approach for the study group and the control group. The study is conducted in Al-Shahid Ghazi Hariri
Teaching Hospital for Surgical Specialties/Centre for Disease and Renal Transplant, and Al-Khayal private Hospital for
renal disease and transplantation during the period from August, 29th
, 2010 through February, 28th
, 2011. To achieve
the objectives of the study, purp
Background: Soft Laser has been advantageous in medical applications and is widely used in clinical practice. It is applied because it doesn’t cause the significant thermal effects or tissue hurt when irradiated. The blood response to low power laser radiation provides information about processes of laser radiation interaction with live creatures. Objective: The aim of the current work was to evaluate the laser-induced changes of in vitro erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in patients with breast cancer by irradiating a human blood sample using a green laser and comparing its effects before and after irradiation with the same power density (100mW/c
... Show MoreBackground: Human semen contains high concentrations of fructose, zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in bound and ionic forms for Zn and Cu. The presence of abnormal levels of fructose and those trace elements may affect spermatogenesis with regard to production, maturation, motility and fertilizing capacity of the spermatozoa.Objective: To evaluate the levels of fructose, Zn and Cu in seminal plasma in different groups of male infertility and to correlate their concentrations with various sperm parameters.Methods: The concentrations of fructose, Zn and Cu were measured in 114 semen samples from normozoospermic, oligozoospermic, astheno-zoospermic, and azoospermic men using the electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry for Zn and Cu determinatio
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