Background: Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in the world, standing for the most frequent cause for hospitalization and emergency cases. Respiratory viruses are the most triggering cause. Aim: To assess the role of viral infections, especially COVID-19, in the pathogenesis of asthma initiation and exacerbations. Method: Electronic search was done for the manuscripts focusing on asthma as a risk factor for complications after COVID-19 infection. The outcomes were titles, materials, methods and classified studies related or not related to the review study. Three hundred publications were identified and only ten studies were selected for analysis. Seven studies were review, one retrospective, one longitudinal cohort study and one letter to the editor. Results: The included literature sources have highlighted different effect of asthma on COVID-19 progression. Asthma can be triggered by this virus and asthmatic patients with COVID-19 should not stop their treatment. Others suggest that asthma does not appear to be a significant risk factor for developing severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization or intubation. Conclusions: Asthma is considered as comorbidity factor leading to complications and mortality in subjects infected with COVID-19.
Aim: To find any association between specific ABO blood groups and FUT2 secretory status and COVID-19 in a sample of Iraqi dentists. Materials and Methods: For each participant, a questionnaire including demography, COVID-19 status, blood grouping, and RH factor, with chemo-sensitive symptoms was recorded. The saliva samples were collected and DNA was extracted from leukocytes. Sequencing of molecular detection of the FUT2 gene by real-time PCR and the data was done, whilst drawing the phylogenetic tree. Results: Out of 133, most of the dentists were female 61%, most were just under 35 years of age. The most participants in this study were predominantly with blood group O (40%), followed by B, A, and AB, with (90%) of them were RH+.
... Show MoreEarly and accurate detection of COVID-19 from chest computed tomography (CT) scans are becoming essential for effective clinical decision-making and disease control. This study is proposing a robust deep learning framework that integrates a convolutional self-attention network (CSAN), gamma correction for image enhancement, and a voting-based ensemble classifier to improving diagnostic performance. The model is being evaluated on a dataset of 2,271 CT images and is achieving an accuracy of 95.12%, sensitivity of 97.25%, specificity of 98.11%, F1-score of 96.46%, and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.977. Experimental results are demonstrating that the proposed method significantly surpasses baseline models, including standalone CSAN,
... Show MoreWith its rapid spread, the coronavirus infection shocked the world and had a huge effect on billions of peoples' lives. The problem is to find a safe method to diagnose the infections with fewer casualties. It has been shown that X-Ray images are an important method for the identification, quantification, and monitoring of diseases. Deep learning algorithms can be utilized to help analyze potentially huge numbers of X-Ray examinations. This research conducted a retrospective multi-test analysis system to detect suspicious COVID-19 performance, and use of chest X-Ray features to assess the progress of the illness in each patient, resulting in a "corona score." where the results were satisfactory compared to the benchmarked techniques. T
... Show MoreBackground: Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has enormously affected various healthcare services including the one of community pharmacy. The ramifications of these effects on Iraqi community pharmacies and the measures they have taken to tackle the spread of COVID-19 is yet to be explored. In this cross sectional survey, infection control measures by community pharmacies in Sulaimani city/Iraq has been investigated.
Methods: Community pharmacists were randomly allocated to participate in a cross-sectional survey via visiting their pharmacies and filling up the questionnaire form.
Results and discussion:
... Show MoreObjective: To measure the serum levels of Fetuin-A, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), and ferritin in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19in Baghdad, Iraq. Moreover, to determine these biomarkers' cut-off valuesthat differentiate between severely ill patients and control subjects. Methods: This case-control study was done from 15 September to the end of December 2021 and involved a review of the files and collectionof blood samples from patients (n=45, group1) hospitalized in COVID-19 treatment centersbecause of severe symptoms compared tohealthy subjects as controls (n=44, group2). Results: Fetuin-A serum levels were not statistically different between patients and controls. In contrast, IMA and ferritin levels were significan
... Show MorePolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most endocrine problem in women of regenerative age. PCOS women typically belong to an age and sex group which is at higher risk for severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19). COVID-19 targets cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor presents on cells in veins, lungs, heart, digestion tracts, and kidneys. Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) over activity has likewise been described in metabolic disorders; type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and conditions shared by women with polycystic ovary condition. The point of this study is to know the job of renin and ACE2 in PCOS and coronavirus and its relationship with hormones and other metabolic parameters related. The study groups consist of 1
... Show MoreSusceptibility to the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has recently been associated with ABO blood groups in patients of different ethnicities. This study sought to understand the genetic association of this polymorphic system with risk of disease in Iraqi patients. Two outcomes of COVID-19, recovery and death, were also explored. ABO blood groups were determined in 300 hospitalized COVID-19 Iraqi patients (159 under therapy, 104 recovered, and 37 deceased) and 595 healthy blood donors. The detection kit for 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) RNA (PCR-Fluorescence Probing) was used in the diagnosis of disease.
This study aimed to assess orthodontic postgraduate students’ use of social media during the COVID-19 lockdown. Ninety-four postgraduate students (67 master’s students and 27 doctoral students) were enrolled in the study and asked to fill in an online questionnaire by answering questions regarding their use of social media during the COVID-19 lockdown. The frequency distributions and percentages were calculated using SPSS software. The results showed that 99% of the students used social media. The most frequently used type of social media was Facebook, 94%, followed by YouTube, 78%, and Instagram, 65%, while Twitter and Linkedin were used less, and no one used Blogger. About 63% of the students used elements of social media to l
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