Abstract Objective: To identify correlation of elevated LDH & CRP levels with the outcomes of COVID-19. Methodology: The cross-sectional retrospective study consisted of 200 COVID-19 patients who presented at a private clinical in Baghdad, Iraq. It was carried out from February 2021 to February 2022. Data included age, gender and clinical presentation. Blood samples were taken for high sensitivity CRP and LDH in the serum. Results: Out of 200 patients, 50 were critical and 150 severe according to clinical features. LDH and CRP showed a significant increase (p=0.000) in critical patients. This group involved admission to the respiratory intensive care unit requiring mechanical ventilation than in patients with severe COVID-19 (760.5±6.3 vs. 290.3±4.1 and 44.9±7.6 vs. 25.4±2.3, respectively) Conclusions: LDH and CRP in critical COVID-19 patients may be considered as a risk factor for predicting the bad progression of the disease.
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, and the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to be a global concern with new variants. Our research focused on the relationship between COVID-19 and air pollution, and we included findings from recently published research. In summary, there is a direct relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 infection and fatality rates. This relationship was evident after many parts of the world declared lockdowns. Research to understand the relationship between infection rates and air pollutants identified indirect factors that contributed to the spread of infection. In this article, we explore studies on air pollutants, the use of face masks, weather conditions, short-
... Show MoreHistoric city centers are cultural archives where built forms and spatial practices hold the collective memory of generations. In Baghdad, the concept of Cultural DNA (C-DNA) is a tool to understand how cultural codes are the generative rules that shape the evolution and persistence of the historic urban fabric. This research explores the role of C-DNA as a trigger of urban morphogenesis in Rusafa, the historic heart of Baghdad, by looking into how cultural values underpin spatial continuity, change, and adaptability. The study uses Space Syntax methodologies with DepthmapX, supported by historical maps, surveys, and field observations, to analyze two morphological stages of Rusafa: 1850 and now. Through axial analysis, the research
... Show MoreBackground: Although underdeveloped in Iraq, telehealth was one tool used to continue health service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: To assess women’s experiences and satisfaction with gynaecological and obstetric telehealth services in Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Free telehealth services were provided by 4 obstetrician-gynaecologists associated with private clinics in 2020–2021. All patients who accessed the services between June 2020 and February 2021 were invited to complete a postconsultation survey on their experience and satisfaction with services. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression conducted using SPSS version 25. Results: A total of 151 (30.2%) women re
... Show MoreThe research focuses on determination of best location of high elevated tank using the required head of pump as a measure for this purpose. Five types of network were used to find the effect of the variation in the discharge and the node elevation on the best location. The most weakness point was determined for each network. Preliminary tank locations were chosen for test along the primary pipe with same interval distance. For each location, the water elevation in tank and pump head was calculated at each hour depending on the pump head that required to achieve the minimum pressure at the most weakness point. Then, the sum of pump heads through the day was determined. The results proved that there is a most economical lo
... Show MoreThe outbreak of a current public health coronavirus 2019 disease is a causative agent of a serious acute respiratory syndrome and even death. COVID-19 has exposed to multi-suggested pharmaceutical agents to control this global disease. Baricitinib, a well-known antirheumatic agent, was one of them. This article reviews the likely pros and cons of baricitinib in attenuation of COVID-19 based on the mechanism of drug action as well as its pharmacokinetics. The inhibitory effect of baricitinib on receptor mediated endocytosis promoter, AKK1, and on JAK-STAT signaling pathway is benefacial in inhibition of both viral assembling and inflammation. Also, its pharmacokinetic has encouraged the physicians toward the drug
... Show MoreIn recent decades, the identification of faces with and without masks from visual data, such as video and still images, has become a captivating research subject. This is primarily due to the global spread of the Corona pandemic, which has altered the appearance of the world and necessitated the use of masks as a vital measure for epidemic prevention. Intellectual development based on artificial intelligence and computers plays a decisive role in the issue of epidemic safety, as the topic of facial recognition and identifying individuals who wear masks or not was most prominent in the introduction and in-depth education. This research proposes the creation of an advanced system capable of accurately identifying faces, both with and
... Show MoreBackground: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2) which utilizes angiotensin converting enzyme2 (ACE2) to invade the host cells. This membrane-bound peptidase is widely distributed in the body; its activity antagonizes the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Once SARS-Cov2 enters the cell, it causes downregulation of ACE2, resulting in the unopposed activation of RAAS. The unregulated activity of the RAAS system can deteriorate the prognosis in COVID-19 patients. A soluble form of ACE2 (sACE2) was reported to have a role in the SARS-Cov2 invasion of the susceptible cells.
Aim of the study: This study aims to inve
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Many genetic factors are known to be related to osteoporosis, and currently the role of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) gene in bone health has been studied intensively. Some variation of this gene, such as rs1042044 and rs6458093, are known to be linked to metabolic diseases and lower bone mineral density, however their specific contribution to osteoporosis remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the combined genotypic effect of rs1042044 and rs6458093 as a genetic risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal Iraqi women.METHODS: Blood samples from 75 osteoporosis patients and 75 healthy controls, aged 45-85, were collected. DNA was extracted, and a region of GLP-1R
... Show MoreMachine Learning (ML) algorithms are increasingly being utilized in the medical field to manage and diagnose diseases, leading to improved patient treatment and disease management. Several recent studies have found that Covid-19 patients have a higher incidence of blood clots, and understanding the pathological pathways that lead to blood clot formation (thrombogenesis) is critical. Current methods of reporting thrombogenesis-related fluid dynamic metrics for patient-specific anatomies are based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, which can take weeks to months for a single patient. In this paper, we propose a ML-based method for rapid thrombogenesis prediction in the carotid artery of Covid-19 patients. Our proposed system aims
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