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.
Pressure ulcers are one of the most common hospital-acquired major conditions that occur in patients with mobility limitations and result in endangering patient safety, prolonging hospital stay, disability, and death. This study aims to examine the level of nurses’ practices and perceived barriers for preventing pressure ulcers among critically ill patients.
A cross-sectional survey was conducte
Urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that often affects the bladder and thus the urinary system. E. coli is one of the leading uropathogenic bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. Uropathogenic E. coli is highly effective and successful in causing urinary tract infections through biofilm formation and urothelial cell invasion mechanisms. Other organisms that cause urinary tract infections include members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, streptococci and staphylococci species and perch. In addition, K.penumoniae is another important gram-negative bacterium that causes urinary tract infections. With the PCR technique, unseen bacterial species can be detected using standard clinical microbiology methods. In this study, the
... Show MoreDiabetes mellitus is a chronic illness that commonly leads to progressive and incapacitating of patients’ condition over the past 20 years.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the coughing technique, ShotBlockerTo evaluate the effects of the coughing technique, ShotBlocker and vibration device on pain intensity and patient satisfaction during subcutaneous (SC) insulin injections in hospitalised adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Background: For many decades, the ECG was the
workhorse of non-invasive cardiac test and today although
other techniques provide more details about the structural
anomalies in congenital heart diseases, ECG is likely to be
part of clinical evaluation of patients with such diseases
because it is inexpensive, easy to perform and in certain
situations may be both sensitive and specific.
Objective: this study carried out to identify the pattern of
ECG study in patients with TOF.
Methods: this is a retrospective study of 200 patients
with TOF, referred to Ibn Al-Bitar cardiac center from
April 1993 to May 1999. The diagnosis of TOF established
by echocrdiographic, catheterization and angiographic
study.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the main cause of female infertility. The role of insulin resistance in the development of polycystic ovary is actively discussed here. The study included patients with PCOS without insulin resistance (n = 48) and with insulin resistance (n = 39). The comparison groups were patients with no history of PCOS: a control group without insulin resistance (n = 46) and a group of patients with insulin resistance (n = 45). The following parameters were determined in patients: FSH, LH, TSH, T3f, T4f, PRL, E2, 17-OHd, Pr, AMH, Test total, Testf, DHEAS, DHEASs, SHBG, ACTH, cortisol, IRI, IGF-1, C-peptide, and glucose level. The HOMA-IR index and the LH / FSH ratio and t
... Show MoreThe objective of this study was to investigate the prophylactic roles of human enteric derived Lactobacillus plantarum L1 (Ll) and Lactobacillus paracasei L2 (L2), on EHEC O157:H7 infection in rodent models (In vivo). The Lactobacillus suspensions (L1 and L2) were individually and orally administered to experimental rats at a daily two consecutives of 100 μl (108 CFU/ ml/rat) for up to two weeks. Thereafter, on the 8th day of experiment rats were orally challenged with one dose infection of EHEC (105 CFU/ml/rat). Animals mortality and illness symptoms have been monitored. There was no fatal EHEC infection in rats that had been pre‑colonized with the Lactobacillus strains, while most of EHEC infected rats were died (90%). The
... Show MoreBackground: Repeated teenage pregnancy is a major burden on the healthcare system worldwide. Objective: We aimed to compare teenagers with their first and third pregnancies and to evaluate the likelihood of neonatal complications. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on female teenagers (aged ≤ 19 yr) with singleton pregnancies. The subjects (n = 298) were screened over 12 months. Ninety-six women were excluded, based on the exclusion criteria. The remaining subjects (n = 202) were divided into two groups: teenagers with first pregnancy (n = 96) and teenagers with third pregnancy (n = 47). The subjects were observed throughout pregnancy and delivery. The final sample size of the first and thi
... Show MoreIsolation of fungi was performed from February to July, 2019. One hundred clinical specimens were collected from King Abdullah Hospital (KAH) Bisha, Saudi Arabia. Samples were collected from twenty patients of different ages (30 - 70 years old) ten males and ten females. The samples were collected from patients with the two types of diabetics. Specimens included blood, hair, nail, oral swabs and skin. Specimens were inoculated on Sabourauds Dextrose agar containing chloramphenicol. Thirteen fungal species were isolated and identified. The isolated species were: Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. terrus, A. nidulans, A. fumigatus, Candida albicans, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. Tropicalis, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium solani, Penicill
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