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.
Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune illness, which is consider by three main features: Sclerotic changes in the skin and internal organs, Vasculopathy of small blood vessels, Particular autoantibodies (1). The most important autoantibodies appeared significantly in SSc patients are anti-topoisomerase I autoantibody (Scl-70), anti-centromere autoantibody (ACA), and anti-RNA polymerase III autoantibody (RNAP3) (2). Anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) are infrequent in rheumatic conditions and in healthy persons but occur commonly in limited systemic sclerosis (CREST syndrome), and rarely appeared in the diffuse form of systemic sclerosis (3). Anti-Ro/SSA and antiLa/SSB, antibodies directed against Ro/La ribonucleoprot
... Show MoreBackground: Benign Prostate Hypertrophy(BPH)is a common urological problem worldwide which is defined as denomatous hyperplasia of the periurethralpart of prostate gland that occurs especially in men over 50 years old and that tend to obstruct urination by constriction the urethra Objectives: The study was aimed to investigate the level of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric Oxide (NO) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) as an antioxidant, besides other factors such as the level of Lipids Profile (Total Chlosterol (TC), High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C), Very Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (VLDL-C), and Triglyceride (TG))in patients suffer from BPH . Methods: In this study ;clinical ,spec
... Show MoreBackground: Ejection fraction have been used frequently
for assessment of the left ventricular function, but can be
associated with errors in which myocardial performance
index have been used as another parameter to measure the
left ventricular function.
Objective: selecting another echocardiography parameter
for the assessment of myocardial in function instead of the
ejection fraction.
Methods: 160 patients referred to the echocardiogram unit
from the period december 2007 to august 2008 requesting
assessment of left ventricular function. After clinical
examination, routine blood tests; chest x-ray and
electrocardiographic recording have been completed. All
patients informed to come for this unit af
Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae were considered as normal flora of skin, and intestine. It can cause damage to human lungs; the danger of this bacterium is related to exposure to the hospital surroundings. materials and methods: the detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae on morphological and biochemical tests and then assured with VITEK 2 system. Resistance to antibiotics was determined by Kirby-Baeur method. And genotyping of IMP-1 in isolates was done by PCR technique, then biofilm formation was identified by Micro titer plate method. Results: The present study included a collecting of 50 specimens from different clinical specimens, (blood 40%, urine 30%, sputum 20%, wound infection 10%); 10 isolates were identified as K
... Show MoreMercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead, were measured in sediment samples of river and marine environmental of Basra governorate in southern of Iraq. Sixteen sites of sediment were selected and distributed along Shatt Al-Arab River and the Iraqi marine environment. The samples were distributed among one station on Euphrates River before its confluence with Tigris River and Shatt Al-Arab formation, seven stations along Shatt Al-Arab River and eight stations were selected from the Iraqi marine region. All samples were collected from surface sediment in low tide time. ICP technique was used for the determination of mercury and arsenic for all samples, while cadmium and lead were measured for the same samples by using Atomic Absorption Spectrosc
... Show MoreThe focus of this research revolves around the importance level of sialic acid in the reasoning of cases, including tumors and then evaluate the patient's response to treatment and its impact on the immune response there are a lot of evidence showing that parts Alkrbu ???????? in peptides sugary and glycoproteins play an important role in Alfalitin life and responsiveness
KE Sharquie, SA Al-Meshhadani, AA Al-Nuaimy, Saudi medical journal, 2007 - Cited by 9
Background:As arelationshipbetween gingivitis disease and the presence of the oral protozoa Trichomonastenax has been represented byconsiderable differences among various study population.The purpose of present study is determining the prevalence of T.tenax in patients with gingivitis and healthy subjects. Subjects,Materials and Methods:The presence of the parasite has been diagnosed with 58 patients withgingivitisand 58 healthy persons during the period of the study(April and May 2015) by taken two swabs for each one,microscopic examination was done using saline wet mount method and stained method. Age, sex and brushing teeth habit were in a count. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS program. Results:Gingivitis disease was observed in 5
... Show MoreAbstract
The concept of unipolar has allowed the united states of America to
control the rest of the internations community units through the rxclusively of
control in international affairs without enabling other countries who have the
ability to compete with it to appear this comes as a result of it's position to all
kinds of powers like military, economic and technical powers that enable it to
continue dominating other countries, this superior control enabled it to be the
(hyper power) on the international political scene so that it allowed it to
exercise and implement the policy of domination against all this appeared
after its empire superiority became clear, in a unique way that have never
been known in