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 purpose of this work was to study the effects of the Nd:YAG laser on exposed dentinal
tubules of human extracted teeth using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Eighty 2.5mm-thick
slices were cut at the cementoenamel junction from 20 extracted human teeth with an electric saw. A
diamond bur was used to remove the cementum layer to expose the dentinal tubules. Each slice was
sectioned into four equal quadrants and the specimens were randomly divided into four groups (A to D ).
Groups B to D were lased for 2 mins using an Nd:YAG laser at 6 pulses per second at energy outputs of
80 , 100 and 120 mJ. Group A served as control. Under SEM observation, nonlased specimens showed
numerous exposed dentinal tubules. SEM o
Objectives : The study aims to assessing nurses’ knowledge concerning peritonitis- dialysis association at the
peritoneal dialysis units, and to identifying the relationship between some nurses’ knowledge and some of their
demographic characteristic.
Methodology : A descriptive study was carried out at the peritoneal dialysis units in Baghdad Teaching
Hospitals started from November 29th 2004 to August 15th, 2005. A purposive sample of (52) nurses was
selected from Baghdad Teaching Hospitals. The data were collected through the use of constructed
questionnaire, which comprised of (97) items as an interview questionnaire technique as mean of data
collection. The reliability of the instrument was determined through
The present research included synthesis of silver nanoparticle from(1*10-3,1*10-4 and1*10-5) M aqueous AgNO3 solution through the extract of M.parviflora reducing agent. In the process of synthesizing silver nanoparticles we detected a rapid reduction of silver ions leading to the formation of stable crystalline silver nanoparticles in the solution.
The path and its nodal purposes
Abstract
This study has come to indicate the doctrinal purposes of faith in this path، It was composed of an introduction and four demands، as follows:
The first requirement: the intentions of distinguishing between the ranks of people according to divine justice، as those who pass by him are different. Some of them are safe by his work، surviving from the fire، and some of them are not peace، he falls into the fire of Hell، and all of them are different in their ranks in a manner consistent with the justice of God Almighty and the works they have given themselves.
The second requirement: the purposes of divine mercy in honoring the Prophet and his nation on the path and embodying their
This research concerns the fact of the school garden and how can we tackle this issue. The research starts with a question forwarded to those who are interested in the ministry of education matters; the question is that how is the extent of interest in the school garden project? And how it is activated in the Iraqi Educational Institution program? In addition, the analysis reveals the importance of the school garden since we, as teachers and students, suffer from seeing the view of the trashes, the wastes of school furniture, the stinking water and the weeds and how it is accumulated in the back yard of the school. To add fuel to the fire, the increase in number of the students; year after year. This increase leads to adding more classes
... Show MoreBackground: Obesity typically results from a variety of causes and factors which contribute, genetics included, and style of living choices, and described as excessive body fat accumulation of body fat lead to excessive body, is a chronic disorder that combines pathogenic environmental and genetic factors. So, the current study objective was to investigate the of the FTO gene rs9939609 polymorphism and the obesity risk. Explaining the relationship between fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) rs9939609 polymorphism and obesity in adults. Methods: Identify research exploring the association between the obesity risk and the variation polymorphisms of FTO gene rs9939609. We combined the modified odds ratios (OR) as total groups and subgro
... Show MoreThe research statement to the amount of the contribution of information and communication technology in the quality of tourism and hotel services, and determine the relationship between the impact of information and communication and the quality of tourism services technology, The importance of the research is to establish the philosophical thinking of the nature of variables, as a modern administrative terminology and employ them towards the quality of tourism and hotel services, the research dealt with a problem expressed by a number of intellectual and practical questions, Was formulated based on the current situation witnessed by the tourism sector and hotel in Iraq, and the real gap was the lack of awareness of the impo
... Show MoreBackground: Obesity increases the host’s susceptibility by modulating the immune and inflammatory systems in a manner that predisposes to inflammatory tissue destruction and leaves an individual at greater risk of periodontitis. Melatonin is a pineal secretory product involved in numerous actions, such as regulation of internal biological clocks and energy metabolism, and it functions as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. There exists a substantial amount of evidence supporting the beneficial effect of melatonin supplementation on obesity and its complications. Aim of the study: To investigate the effects of systemic melatonin intake on periodontal health status and lipid profiles in obese periodontitis patients. Subjects and met
... Show MoreThe aggregation capacity of human reb blood cells lies between that of the non- aggregated arythrocyte and the remarkably full sedimentation. As the ability to aggregate is atributed to many factors such as the availability of macromolecules and plasma lipids, the role of plasm lipid profile on RBC aggregation and sedimentation changes in normal and diabetic patients is studied.Also serum lipid profile measurement (Total cholesterol, Triglyceride, HDL, LDL, VLDL) in normal and diabetic subjects were made. The principle of measurement includes detecting the transmitted laser light through a suspension of 10% diluted red blood cells in plasma. In all diabetics, the raulux formation and sedimentation rate is enhanced.