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.
Abstract
The main problem of the study lies in the lack of a clear perception among the study sample about the impact of digital marketing tools on legal liquidity. Legal) of the International Development Bank for Investment and Finance and to achieve the objectives of the research, the method of observation and survey was used in measuring the dimensions of digital marketing. As for banking liquidity, the reports and financial statements of the bank were used as the research sample, as well as the use of the statistical analysis program SPSS in the statement of the relationship The study concluded, in summary, the following: Mar
... Show MoreA survey statistician for cholera in Iraq for 1980 and until 2003 show that cholera is endemic in Iraq and that the highest number of casualties recorded in the years 1998-1999 and increasing spread of the disease during the wars in hot climates, wet a study bacteriological used where circles selective and tests Alkouhaoah examinations serological system
Background: lip lengthening procedure is one of the surgical options for the correction of gummy smile in patients with short upper lip. Methods: A comparative clinical study was conducted on 15 patients requiring lip lengthening procedure for the esthetic correction of excessive gingival exposure with gummy smile. Scalpel was used in seven patients and diode laser in the remaining eight patients. Under infiltration anesthesia, about one cm strip of mucosa was excised at the vestibular depth and the mucosa of the lip was sutured to the alveolar mucosa. Results: The diode laser group demonstrated less postoperative pain and swelling. Regarding postoperative ecchymosis, three patients in the scalpel group developed ecchymosis and no cases
... Show MorePemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune disease of the skin and mucous membrane. Renal transplantation is a common procedure in
To study the frequency of skin tumors and infections in patients with pemphigus vulgaris compared with renal transplant recipients and normal controls.
One hundred kidney transplant recipients, their ages ranged from 14 to 70 (46.65 ± 4.74) years
The exchanges in various fields,like economics, science, culture, etc., have been enhanced unceasingly among different countries around the world in the twenty-first century, thus, the university graduate who masters one foreign language does not meet the need of the labor market in most countries.So, many universities began to develop new programs to cultivate students who can use more foreign languages to serve the intercultural communication. At the same time, there is more scientific research emerged which is related to the relationship between the second and third languages. This humble research seeks to explain the relevant concepts and analyze the real data collected from Shanghai International Studies University in China, to expl
... Show MoreTargeted current research study of the relationship between guilt and self-consciousness and consisted of the research community of students from the open educational college, as has been selected students in the Department of Counseling and psychological science department and the researcher used guilt, prepared Scale (Ansari, 2003), and the measure of selfawareness prepared (Shammari 0.2000), and extracted his Alsekoumtria characteristics, Fastkhrjt alternatives after a presentation to a group of experts and specialists in the field of psychological counseling psychology, education, science and psychological validity and reliability Alvakronbach manner and retesting reaching reliability coefficient of guilt ((0.85) and awarenes
... Show MoreIn this study, the spreading of the pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is formulated mathematically. The objective of this study is to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19. In fact, to stop the spread of COVID-19, the vaccine of the disease is needed. However, in the absence of the vaccine, people must have to obey curfew and social distancing and follow the media alert coverage rule. In order to maintain these alternative factors, we must obey the modeling rule. Therefore, the impact of curfew, media alert coverage, and social distance between the individuals on the outbreak of disease is considered. Five ordinary differential equations of the first-order are used to represent the model. The solution properties of the system ar
... Show MoreAbstract Organic compounds with pyrazole cores have a variety of uses, notably in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors. The interest in creating pyrazole compounds, examining their many features, and looking for potential uses is growing. Our work has concert with synthesis of chalcones and pyrazolines, then finally pyrazoline-aniline derivatives and evaluation their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal activities