Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive airflow limitation that is preventable but not curable. It is associated with persistent symptoms that cause a considerable burden on individual productivity at work, and daily activities, and reduced quality of life, also burdening the healthcare system and society. Objectives: The study aims to measure the burden of COPD on patients in terms of daily activities and work productivity. It also seeks to investigate some inflammatory biomarkers' levels and their correlation with selected outcomes. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study on 120 stable COPD patients who were diagnosed and treated according to the GOLD guidelines at Kirkuk General Hospital's chest and Internal Medicine consultation clinics, and in private internist clinics in Kirkuk City, Iraq between January and April 2023. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI-COPD) measured the Burden of COPD. The symptom burden was assessed by the COPD assessment test (CAT). The level of IL-6 monoclonal antibodies was measured via a Roche Cobas 6000 analyzer and TNF-α using the ELISA sandwich technique. All these devices and machines were authorized by the Ministry of Health, Iraq. Results: The mean age was (54.1 ± 8.12) years, 62.5% being males and 37.5% being females; 41.7% were public sector employees, and 39.2% were self-employed. Due to COPD, the overall work loss was (45.9±18.91) days, the mean percentage of absenteeism was (10.9% ± 12.31%), activity impairment was (47.5% ±17.79%) among all patients, presenteeism was (40.8 ± 15.05%,) and COPD-related retirees were 14.2% of the study group. The mean CAT score (19.3±5.63) was high and the most troubling symptom among patients was chest tightness. WPAI-COPD scores were higher in older age and longer disease duration. The levels of biomarkers were above the reference ranges, the mean IL-6 level was (69.4 ± 35.29) pg/ml, and the mean TNF-α was (72.3 ± 22.45) pg/ ml. Conclusions: COPD patients exhibit a disease burden in terms of productivity loss at work and activity impairment that increases with aging and disease duration. COPD patients with low BMI are more prone to a decline in lung functions and to worse symptoms.
The industrial sector of the important drivers of economic activity sectors due to having the capabilities and the potential to qualify biggest contribution to the economic development of the country, which requires the availability of a higher degree of safety in industrial organizations, and the preservation of the lives of employees and workers in emergency situations, and that all the work is not without its dangers, which produces in a year of uncertainty in the possible events get in the future, therefore, reduce the dangers that could be exposed to industrial organizations and management are at the heart of the strategic direction which works to stimulate thinking about the future and respond to the changes that occur in theextern
... Show MoreBackground: Dialysis is in common use to treat patients
with end stage renal failure .However longstanding dialysis
harboring some cellular changes in various body fluids.
This study was conducted in order to detect these changes
in urine.
Objective: The study was conducted to detect cellular
changes in urine of patients with longstanding dialysis.
Method: Fifty-three urine samples were examined
cytologically obtained from patients with longstanding
dialysis during 6 months period. Freshly voided midstream
urine samples were taken . Samples were centrifuged and 2
to 3 drops of sediments were smeared on 2 glass slides and
fixed in 95% ethyl alcohol then stained with Hand E stain
to be evaluated.
R
Background: Laparoscopic surgery for
appendicitis is now a well established and
advanced method of performing general surgical
procedures.
Objectives: To compare the outcome of
laparoscopic and open appendectomies in terms
of operative time, analgesic requirement,
postoperative complications, hospital stay, return
to normal activity and condition of scar.
Methods: This prospective study was carried
out from 1stMay 2008-1st January 2010, involving
110 patients (45 male and 65 female) with
features suggestive of acute appendicitis were
divided into 45 patients laparoscopic
appendectomy (LA) group and 65 patients open
appendectomy (OA) group, after taking informed
consent. LA was done with the
Background: Zinc is involved in a variety of
metabolic processes and it has a well known
antioxidant activity, so the measurement of its serum
level can have a special value in several diseases.
Objectives: The study is designed to determine the
serum zinc level in heart failure patients and to
compare it with that of healthy individuals and to
study the significance of the results obtained.
Methods: Atomic absorption spectrometer
technique was used to determine serum zinc level in
fifty heart failure patients and fifty healthy individuals
who were age and sex matched.
Results: The mean serum zinc level in healthy
individuals was about 45.5% greater than that of heart
failure patients. This diffe
Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is the
most common rheumatic cause of diffuse pain and
multiple regional musculoskeletal pain and disability.
Objective: is to assess the contribution of serum
lipoprotein (A) in the pathogenesis of FMS patients.
Methods: One hundred twenty two FMS patients
were compared with 60 healthy control individuals
who were age and sex matched. All FMS features and
criteria are applied for patients and controls; patients
with secondary FMS were excluded. Serum
Lipoprotein (A): [Lp(A)], body mass index (BMI), &
s.lipid profile were determined for both groups.
Results: There was a statistical significant difference
between patients &controls in serum lipoprotein
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease its etiology is unknown. The classical autoimmune diseases, have adaptive immune genetic associations with autoantibodies and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), diabetes mellitus type two (DM II). Serum of99 males suffering from RA without DMII as group (G1), 45 males suffering from RA with DM II as group (G2) and 40 healthy males as group (G3) were enrolled in this study to estimation of alkaline phosphates (ALP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and Pentraxin-3(PTX). Results showed a highly significant increase in PTX3 levels in G1 and G2 compared to G3 and a significant decrease in G1comparing to G2. Results also revealed a significa
... Show MoreNew bidentate dithiocarbamate ligand (NaL) namely [Sodium-2-(((3-methyl -4- “(2,2,2-tri fluoro ethoxy) pyridin-2”-yl) methyl) sulfinyl)-1H-benzoimidazole -1-carbodithioate] was prepared. This free ligand was synthesized from the reaction of a (RS)-2-([3-methyl -4-(2,2,2-tri fluoroethoxy) pyridin-2-yl] methyl sulfinyl)-1H benzoimidazole, CS2 and NaOH in methanol as solvent. From reaction of dithiocarbamate salt (NaL) with metal ions (M); Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pd(II)”, have obtained the DTC complexes at general molecular formula [M(L)2(H2O)2] and [Pd(L)2]. To characterize the ligand and its complexes, used different analyses methods such FTIR, UV-Vis, elemental microanalysis, atomic absoreption, magnetic susceptibil
... Show MoreRasheed Street has had great importance by the nature of what was seen as being of vital events of a key facility in the Iraqi capital Baghdad since ancient times until now .
And such as cultural and historical memory-rich street for Iraq, pulsating nerve since the beginning of the last century thanks to the commercial and intellectual stature, as well as being a tourist landmark frequented alleys most of the tourists coming to Iraq , which counted for them a source of tourist attraction, given the religious diversity of fungal who excelled by the street, as we find in exchange for his Church of the Virgin Mary, the time which was built in the middle of the Caliphs Mosque towering minarets and promised that the oldest and largest of t
Food industries are variety to include number of agricultural products (plantbotential and animal) which can be manufactured locally, thus, Iraqi market is full by different types of food products from neighbor countries, because of un equivalence and inability of competence, in away to cover (90%) average of local request need under commercial opening.
In Iraq although its importance, this industry suffers from difficulties, the most important one is the rising in products costs, shortage in agricultural products, experience, and qualification, besides, the challenges , by flooding market in food products and what are contained of higher competitive features from quality and prices side
... Show More