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.
Purpose: Providing practical knowledge of the requirements of a detailed feasibility study for selecting the investment project.
Findings: Directing the private sector towards investing in productive projects - the pre-cast reinforced concrete project - as it achieves a financial return as well as providing Providing foreign currencies by reducing imports and exploiting available natural resources
Practical implications: The importance of a detailed feasibility study to determining whether the project can be implemented or not.
The precast concrete method is one of the best modern c
... Show MoreThe analysis of time series considers one of the mathematical and statistical methods in explanation of the nature phenomena and its manner in a specific time period.
Because the studying of time series can get by building, analysis the models and then forecasting gives the priority for the practicing in different fields, therefore the identification and selection of the model is of great importance in spite of its difficulties.
The selection of a standard methods has the ability for estimation the errors in the estimated the parameters for the model, and there will be a balance between the suitability and the simplicity of the model.
In the analysis of d
... Show MoreThis research aims to test the relationship between "relational leadership as an independent variable and organizational energy as a dependent variable. The current research variables are among the recent and important variables for the development of organizations, and for the purpose of explaining the relationship and influence between the variables, a set of goals has been formulated, including providing the interested and scientific and theoretical information explaining the nature of the variables The research, and the extent to which its causes are reflected in the research sample to increase the interest of the research organization’s organization and make it more appropriate to the required performance in light of a cha
... Show MoreParkinson’s disease (PD) consider as a progressive ageing neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson’s consider as a heterogenous disease, with mainly initiate through correlation between genetic and epigenetic by inducing of different factors on some related genes, these factors like (environmental, toxicants, nutrition, heavy metals, pesticides, some drugs) and also(trauma on head ,strokes) in addition to unknown reasons which cause an idiopathic PD .Current study aims to focusing on specific related PD gene called SNCA by single nucleotides polymorphism (rs2619363) as a risk factor for PD initiation disease in PD patients in addition to study the effect of polymorphisms on random Iraqi patients with different gastrointestinal
... Show MoreThe research aims to identify the bedroom furniture designs for children who are in ages range between (4-6) years and the rate of employing them in developing their aesthetic sense. To achieve this objective, the researchers developed the two research tools represented by a analysis-description form of bedroom furniture designs included a number of domains that were represented in the shapes, colors, and sizes of the furniture, as well as the availability of the safety factor, ease of use, cleaning and movement. As for the aesthetic sense scale included (30) paragraphs and alternatives (always, sometimes, never), they were distributed among a representative sample of (170) mothers of children were chosen randomly from (17) kindergartens
... Show MoreAbstract
The research aims to identify the logical intelligence of distinguished students and to identify the extent of the contribution of the fields of logical intelligence to the sensitivity of students' sensory processing in distinguished schools. The research sample consisted of (400) male and female students selected by the stratified random method with the proportional method. The scale that was prepared according to the theoretical framework and the adopted theory was applied after being subject to the psychometric properties of validity and reliability, Logical thinking (observation, interpretation, mathematical and arithmetic operations) contributed to sensory processing. The results showed that disting
... Show MoreThe international business environment faces many challenges, including the intensity of competition, the speed of expansion, and control of the market. This leads to its shadow on the local business environment, which prompted many economic units to adopt modern strategies, including mergers and acquisitions, for expansion and prosperity. The research was conducted to verify the role of internal audit in the governance of strategy operations (Mergers and acquisitions) and its reflection on management decisions and making them efficient and effective. Internal auditing is the independent variable related to the other variable, the governance of strategic operations and its impact on management decisions for strategic operations as a depende
... Show MoreAbstract : This research is a field study of international cities that hosted various events of which (Sports, Exhibitions, Scientific, Cultural) and other events, these positive impacts on the city driven by such hosts were identified. The research goal was to support hosting events to improve the hostess city and to draw future plans for further developments and to invest event’s hosting to strengthen the city’s value according to a strategic vision that looks for the future the most important conclusions are Entering events hosting is a part of urban development strategies and The most important recommendations are coordination between hosting event activities and its facilities with the infrastructure structure of the host city, its
... Show MoreThis research test the relationship and the effect of an explanatory variable transparency in the organizational reputation responder variable by senior management in the departments of the Ministry of Housing and Construction centrally funded, As well as come out among other recommendations contribute to the achievement of organizational reputation of the organizations surveyed. Given the importance of the research topic for the public sector and the community and the environment in which they operate researcher designed questionnaire containing (30) items, and collected data from (92) respondents, representing the research community (eight establishments) exclusively and comprehensively, relying descriptive analytic
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