Background: Oral anticoagulation medication, warfarin and non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) may require long term use which may affect patients’ satisfaction with their treatment and their quality of life (QOL). Objective: To compare the quality of life and treatment satisfaction among groups of patients using different anticoagulant therapies (warfarin and NOAC). Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital for cardiac surgery in Baghdad in the period between December 2022 to May 2023. The study population included a convenient sample of patients receiving either warfarin or non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants treatment. The Arabic version of the short form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire and the Anti-Coagulant Treatment Satisfaction Scale (ACTS) questionnaire were used to assess the quality of life and satisfaction with treatment respectively. Results: The study included 181 patients in total. The mean physical and mental quality of life scores for study participants were 42.3±9.92 and 52.6±10.36 respectively. There was no significant difference in the QOL between patients taking warfarin and those on non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants treatment. The mean total satisfaction score was 65.4±6.73. Patients receiving non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants had significantly higher satisfaction compared to those receiving warfarin (P=0.000). The physical score correlated significantly with gender, educational level, employment status, number of chronic medications and number of chronic diseases. The total satisfaction score correlated significantly with gender, number of chronic medications, number of side effects and duration of anticoagulation. There was a significant correlation between the QOL and treatment satisfaction (P=0.000). Conclusion: Treatment with non-vitamin k antagonist oral anticoagulants showed comparable QOL and higher treatment satisfaction than that of warfarin. Better treatment satisfaction can improve patients’ QOL which may ultimately enhance their adherence to treatment.
This study investigates the levels of gaseous and particulate pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, CO, and CO₂) emitted during charcoal-grilling activities in five selected restaurants in the Al-Karkh district of Baghdad, with a focus on their environmental and health implications. Developing countries, including Iraq, face severe pollution-related challenges exacerbated by inefficient combustion processes inherent to traditional cooking practices. Restaurants that rely on charcoal grilling are a significant source of both indoor and outdoor air pollution, posing acute and chronic health risks to workers and patrons. This research documented measured amounts of pollutants released from burning coal using two types of particulate matter (PM2.5; PM10)
... Show MoreThis study concluded detection of Toxoplasma gondii in milk, immunologically by using Elisa and nested PCR)nPCR (based on B1 gene, also to investigate the effect of toxoplasmosis, parity, breed and flock on some milk composition in the Iraqi local and Shami goats in the middle of Iraq. A total of 80 milk samples of the lactating goats were collected. Results of this study showed the prevalence of Toxoplasmosis was 21.25% and 28.75% by Elisa and nPCR respectively without significant differences. The sensitivity of Elisa was a low (30.43%) whereas the specificity was a high (82.45%). The degree of agreement estimated by Kappa coefficient revealed a slight agreement (0.14) between two methods. The results indicated that goats infected
... Show MoreObjectives To compare the clinical efficacy of microvascular decompression surgery (MVD) and gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) as a treatment for patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and evaluate the outcome regarding pain relief, recurrence, and complications with both modalities of treatment. Patients and Methods A randomized prospective study conducted in SaadAlwitry Neurosciences Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Eighty-four patients with TN from January 2016 to January 2018, 45 patients had GKR while 39 patients treated with MVD. The pain evaluated pre-and post-operatively using the Barrow Neurological Institute Pain Intensity scale (BNIPI), visual analog scale (VAS) and Brief Pain Inventory Facial (BPI-Facial) scoring systems. In GKR p
... Show MoreBacteria strain H8, which produces high amount of exopolysaccharide (EPS), was isolated from soil, and identified as strain of Azotobacter chrococcum by its biochemical /physiological characteristics, EPS was extracted, partially purified and used as bioflocculant. The biochemical analysis of the partially purified EPS revealed that it was an alginate. analysis of EPS by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) show that the -OH groups present in bioflocculant are clearly seen at 3433.06 cm-1, the peaks attributed to the -CH3 groups present at 2916.17 cm-1 , and some distinct peaks such as carboxyl group showed strong absorption bands at 1604.66 cm-1, 1411.80 cm-1 and 1303.79 cm-1 indicate the chemical structure of alginate. The effe
... Show MoreThis study aims to develop a thermosensitive mucoadhesive periodontal in situ gel of secnidazole for local release of drug for treatment of periodontitis, in order to increase the drug residence time and to increase patient compliance while lowering the side effects of the drug.
Cold method was used to prepare 30 formulas of secnidazole periodontal in situ gel, using different concentrations of thermosensitive polymers (poloxamer407 alone or in combination with poloxamer 188) and methyl cellulose (MC ) or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K4M )in different concentrations used as mucoadhesive polymer and the resultant formulations were subjected to several tests such as gelation temperature GT, appearance and pH value. The fo
... Show MoreThis study investigated the impact of lime stabilization on the fate and transformation of AgNPs. It also evaluated the changes in the population and diversity of the five most relevant bacterial phyla in soil after applying lime-stabilized sludge containing AgNPs. The study was performed by spiking an environmentally relevant concentration of AgNPs (2 mg AgNPs/g TS) in sludge, applying lime stabilization to increase pH to above 12 for two hours, and applying lime-treated sludge to soil samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to investigate the morphological and compositional changes of AgNPs during lime stabilization. After the application of lime stabilized sludge to
... Show MoreLow grade crude palm oil (LGCPO) presents as an attractive option as feedstock for biodiesel production due to its low cost and non-competition with food resources. Typically, LGCPO contains high contents of free fatty acids (FFA), rendering it impossible in direct trans-esterification processes due to the saponification reaction. Esterification is the typical pre-treatment process to reduce the FFA content and to produce fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The pre-treatment of LGCPO using two different acid catalysts, such as titanium oxysulphate sulphuric acid complex hydrate (TiOSH) and 5-sulfosalicylic acid dihydrate (5-SOCAH) was investigated for the first time in this study. The optimum conditions for the homogenous catalyst (5-SOCAH) wer
... Show MoreBackground: Salivary immunoglobulin IgA plays an essential role in the immune response against dental caries. This studywas conducted to compare the salivary IgA levels and flow rate of stimulated saliva in caries active and caries free children. Materials and methods: The present study included sixty healthy children age 7-10 yearswho were divided into two groups. They were caries free and caries active children (30 children in each group). Assessment and recording of caries – experience were through the application of Decayed, Missing and Filled Tooth Index (DMFT) and (dmft) index, for permanent and deciduous teeth respectively. After dental examination, stimulated saliva samples were collected from the subjects and performed und
... Show MoreBackground: Salivary immunoglobulin IgA plays an essential role in the immune response against dental caries. This studywas conducted to compare the salivary IgA levels and flow rate of stimulated saliva in caries active and caries free children. Materials and methods: The present study included sixty healthy children age 7-10 yearswho were divided into two groups. They were caries free and caries active children (30 children in each group). Assessment and recording of caries – experience were through the application of Decayed, Missing and Filled Tooth Index (DMFT) and (dmft) index, for permanent and deciduous teeth respectively. After dental examination, stimulated saliva samples were collected from the subjects and performed und
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