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.
Background Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) combination therapies from various mechanisms of action and families have been revolutionized the management landscape of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Ombitasvir, paritaprevir with ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) ± ribavirin (RBV) is approved to treat HCV genotype 4 (GT4) infection. Here, our objective was to delineate the efficacy and safety of OBV/PTV/r plus RBV in treating of Egyptian naïve patients infected with HCV GT4.
Methods a cohort of 100 Egyptian patients infected with HCV GT4 was allocated and administered orally OBV/PTV/r with RBV. The primary endpoint of our study was a sustained virological response (HCV RNA < 12 IU/mL) 12 weeks after the c
... Show MoreObjective: Atorvastatin therapy is now recommended for reduction of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM), based on convincing evidence of reductions in mortality and vascular events in major clinical outcome trials. The aim is to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin on proinflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6), HbA1c andleptin in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Sixty fivenewly diagnosed T2DM patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups; group I treated with metformin only; in group II atorvastatin was added with metformin. Twenty healthy subjects were enrolled as control group. While maintaining their usual eating habits, fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results
... Show MoreBackground: Despite extensive efforts towards its elimination, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to be a major concern, posing risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in those infected. Therefore, there is a need for reliable biomarkers to accurately assess the infection. While liver enzymes remain the standard diagnostic tools, the anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor interleukin-37 (IL-37) has emerged as a potential biomarker. Aims: To assess the relationship between serum IL-37 and liver enzymes in HBV patients. Methods: Liver enzymes were measured by Fujifilm’s dry chemistry system (Fuji Dri-Chem), whereas Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was utilized for determination of IL-37 levels. A total of 100 patients
... Show MoreObjectives: to assess chronic diseases patients’ knowledge toward stroke risk factors and warning signs, besides
determining the relationship between chronic diseases patients’ knowledge and their sociodemographical
characteristics.
Methodology: A descriptive study was carried out at public medical clinics which has started from December
2
nd, 2008 to August 8th, 2009. A purposive "non-probability" sample of (300) chronic diseases individuals who
were clients of Public Medical Clinics who have one or more of the following chronic diseases (hypertension,
diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, and previous stroke), in Baghdad city. The data were collected through the use
of a constructed questionnaire which consists
This study was conducted in Diyala province for renal failure patients during the periods August 2015 - April 2016. Hundred renal failure patients were enrolled in the study after diagnosis by the consultant physician at Ibn-Sina Center for Dialysis in Baquba Teaching Hospital according to criteria adopted by the World Health Organization for diagnosis of renal failure disease. The number of males in patient’s sample was 61 (61%) and females was 39 (39%) with an age range of 10 – 88 year (44.7 ± 22.1 year). In addition, the study included 50 apparently healthy individuals and considered as a group control, in which the number of males and females was similar (25 individual), with an age range of 18 – 88 year (51.7 ± 17.3 year). The
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to critically appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions suitable for delivery by nurses, designed to enhance cardiac patients' adherence to their prescribed medications.
Cardiac medications have statistically significant health benefits for patients with heart disease, but patients' adherence to prescribed medications remains suboptimal.
A systematic quantitative review of intervention effects.
Background : Coronary artery disease is theunderlying cause in approximately two thirds of
patients with systolic heart failure ;
Coronary artery angiogriphy may be useful to
define the presence ,
Anatomical characteristics ,and functional
significance of Coronary artery disease in
selected heart failure patients with or without signs
and aymptoms of Coronary artery disease.
Objectives: to verify the clinical usefulness of
coronary angiography (CA) in congestive heart
failure (CHF) patients with no history of ischemic
heart disease and to identify predictive factors for
performing coronary angiography to patients with
congestive heart failure with no obvious ischemia.
Methods :this is a cross-ses
Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by inflammatory events in the airways, that makes breathing a hard process in these patients. Angiotensin II (AngII) is important regulator for aldosterone production. Also, it participates in inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory events. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is responsible for the production of AngII. We hypothesised that ACE and AngII participate in the progression of asthma by increasing ROS production and inflammatory processes. Thus, we evaluated the level of AngII, the activity of ACE, and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) as indicators for oxidative stress in 60 asthmatic male patients and 30 non-asthmatic male control. An asthma control test (ACT) was estima
... Show MoreThe body of the actor and its expressive significance is an essential topic in studying acting . it is not only confined to the study of soul and body from philosophical aesthetic perspective , but also to study the conception and mechanism of such a dichotomy followed by theatre directors and theorists , who are highly concerned with the creativity of actors . The researchers believe that such a study would be of benefit for actors as well as others working in theatre .
The study falls into two sections . the first deals with the phi
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