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.
Technology developed at very rapid paces in the last decade of the twentieth century and what followed, especially communication technology, as the World Wide Web appeared in the mid-nineties of the last century, Facebook in 2004 and 2006, the mobile phone, 1993, 1994, and social networking sites. The other. These technological developments have had an impact on societies, whether among individuals in one country or among different peoples. The citizen in any part of the world has become a journalist who practices the work of a specialized or professional journalist, even if he does not know how to read and write, or has a low level of education, as he can now transmit events from wherever he is to the world, through his personal page, or v
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The effect of physical and mental health on the feelings of personal welfare are known as health-related quality of life. Infection with hepatitis B virus is a major global health problem. Health-related quality of life was emerged as an important consideration in the care of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. The aim of the current study was to measure health-related quality of life among a sample of chronic hepatitis B patients in AL-Najaf city/Iraq. The current study was cross-sectional study carried out on (104) already diagnosed chronic viral hepatitis B patients who attended the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Center/Al-Sader Medical City/Najaf during November 2018 to May
... Show MoreThis study is marked by: The ignorant poem and body language
Its main objective is to reveal the manifestations of this language in the text mentioned, and accordingly, the sieve poem has been read semantic (semantic) and hermeneutic, revealing the poet's ability to employ symbols and signals (body language) in the poem chosen for this purpose; The existence of such language in pre-Islamic poetry. After a long reflection and reading, the signs and symbols of the physical movement of the body, and its feminine and aesthetic manifestations were identified, and this was achieved through the use of modern critical methodologies that directly affect this language. The study consisted of an introduction and three topics, followed by t
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and remains one of the main reasons of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. KRAS variant rs61764370 (T>G) is associated with an increased risk of occurrence of many cancers, Here The case-control study was accomplished on 135 women including 45 women with breast cancer patients, 45 women with benign breast lesions and 45 healthy women to analyze the association of KRAS variant rs (61764370 T>G) with breast cancer. LCS 6 variant in KRAS gene was amplified by using specific primers, then genotype was detected after sequencing the PCR products. The results showed that the genotype and allele frequency of TT and GT allele of KRAS
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This study was conducted by using soil map of LD7 project to interpret the
distribution and shapes of map units by using the index of compaction as an
index of map unit shape explanation. Where there were wide and varied
ranges of compaction index of map units, where the maximum value was
0.892 for MF9 map unit and the lower value was 0.010 for same map unit.
MF9 has wide range appearance of index of compaction after those indices
were statistically analyzed by using cluster analysis to group the similar
ranges together to ease using their values, so the unit MF9 was considered as
key map unit that appears in the soils of LD7 project which may be used to
expect another map units existence in area of
In Iraq 1.4 million of people have diabetes, the prevalence of T2DM was ranged (8.5%—13.9%), and the cluster of metabolic abnormalities has long been identified as the risk factors for type 2 diabetes and is now commonly described as metabolic syndrome/MetS. Insulin resistance takes a key role in the process of the MetS and has even been hypothesized as its underlying cause. Clinical and epidemiologic studies also indicate that obesity and life style habit might be correlated with IR. This study examined the relationship between IR and MetS in a sample of young, healthy university students in Iraq. It discovered that the severity of IR is positively correlated with the clustering of MetS risk factors in Iraqi students, suggesting
... Show MoreBackground: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare cerebrovascular disease characterized by bilateral stenosis starting at the supraclinoid internal carotid artery (ICA), with the development of a collateral network of vessels. It is an established cause of stroke in the pediatric age group. Despite its increasing prevalence in various parts of the world, it remains largely underrecognized in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq. This is the first case of MMD in an Iraqi patient undergoing surgery. Case description: A 12-year-old boy presents with a 3-months history of progressive behavioural changes. MRI revealed diffuse infarcts of different ages. MRA and CT angiography revealed extensive asymmetrical steno-occlusive changes of t
... Show MoreAbstract: Background: Prediabetes and are increasing in prevalence all over the world, they each carry risks to the future development of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. These risks will be greatly exaggerated if they occur together in the same individual. The aim of the study was to find the prevalence and the association of prediabetes and metabolic syndrome, in addition to analyzing the correlation of the risk factors that lead to their development. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, simple random study that included 300 Iraqi individuals, aged between 30-75 years, who accepted to take part in this study were recruited. Result: Prevalence of prediabetes and metabolic syndrome was (33.66%) and (42%) r
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