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.
Metabolic dysregulation and obesity are associated with many metabolic alterations, including impairment of insulin sensitivity and dyslipidemia. Recent studies highlight the key role of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate-dependent Rac exchange proteins (PREX proteins) in the pathogenesis of obesity, advocating further elucidation of their potential therapeutic implications. The present study aimed to estimate the serum level of PREX proteins and its potential association with insulin resistance markers and plasma lipids level in obese and overweight non-diabetic patients. The study included 30 persons classified as obese, 30 as overweight, and 30 healthy individuals of similar age and gender. The levels of PREX1 and PREX2 were
... Show MoreObesity is a worldwide health complication. In 2014, 600 million adults and 42 million kids, less than five years of age, were obese. It is a hyperassembly of energy in the form of adipose tissues which has worse effects on health. The major factors of the obesity epidemic are: heavy meal which is rich in lipids, carbohydrates resulting in overweight and eventually obesity, and a decrease in physical activity that leads to defects in calorie conception. In health care facilities ferritin assay is used as a screening test to detect iron deficiency; however, its reliability in obesity has been questioned. The present study aimed to assess and compare the incidence of obesity, hyperferritinemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypouricemia among middle-ag
... Show MoreFood industries are variety to include number of agricultural products (plantbotential and animal) which can be manufactured locally, thus, Iraqi market is full by different types of food products from neighbor countries, because of un equivalence and inability of competence, in away to cover (90%) average of local request need under commercial opening.
In Iraq although its importance, this industry suffers from difficulties, the most important one is the rising in products costs, shortage in agricultural products, experience, and qualification, besides, the challenges , by flooding market in food products and what are contained of higher competitive features from quality and prices side
... Show MoreRasheed Street has had great importance by the nature of what was seen as being of vital events of a key facility in the Iraqi capital Baghdad since ancient times until now .
And such as cultural and historical memory-rich street for Iraq, pulsating nerve since the beginning of the last century thanks to the commercial and intellectual stature, as well as being a tourist landmark frequented alleys most of the tourists coming to Iraq , which counted for them a source of tourist attraction, given the religious diversity of fungal who excelled by the street, as we find in exchange for his Church of the Virgin Mary, the time which was built in the middle of the Caliphs Mosque towering minarets and promised that the oldest and largest of t
Nature's strategies and solutions represent a significant and rich source to benefit from in creating an architectural composition that corresponds to its structure, which leads to the emergence of unexpected, vibrant, and constantly changing architectural forms due to the continuous development and progress in technology and science. Transformation is one of the strategies of nature that can be used to form the structure of future architecture, characterized by diversity and continuous formal change. Therefore, this strategy must be studied to create an adaptive architectural structure. The research aims to develop a theoretical framework that explains the role of transformation strategy in forming the structure of future architect
... Show MoreThis current study aims to:
1st: The recognizing of Alexithymia level for 6th grade students (Study Specimen) through the next Zero Hypothesis:1. There are no statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between the arithmetic mean of the specimen degrees as a whole and the central assumption for the scale of the lack in emotions expression
2. There are no statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between the arithmetic mean of the male students specimen and the arithmetic meanc of the female students specimen for the scale of Alexithymia.
2nd: ldentification the level of the emotional intelligence among 6th grade students (Study Specimen) through the next Zero Hypothesis:
1) There are no statistically si