BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is resulted from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which initiated in China in December 2019. Parasites are efficient immune modulators because their ability to stimulate an immune response in infected persons. AIM: This study aims to detect if there is a probable relationship between intestinal parasitic infections and COVID-19. METHODS: Ninety patients consulted at Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital (Al-Shifa center) from October 2020 till April 2021, confirmed infection with COVID-19 by PCR. Stool examination was done for detecting intestinal parasites. RESULTS: From 90 patients, males were 63 (70%), with median age 32 years, while females were 27 (30%), with age 24–44 years. Asymptomatic patients were 8.1 (9%), patients with moderate symptoms 22.5 (25%) cases, while the rest were 59.4 (66%) cases who required enter to the intensive care unit, with symptoms including cough (80%), dyspnea (74%), fever (56%), headache (43%), chest pain (37%), sore throat (35%), myalgia (32%), diarrhea (27%), and hemoptysis (3%). CONCLUSION: There is inverse relationship between parasitic infection and COVID-19 infections, and it is significant to understand the action between parasites and microbiome, also its function in COVID-19 pathogenicity.
Sludge worm samples were collected from the Tigers River sediment during the period from November 2018 to June 2019 in Al Sarafiya District/ Baghdad- Iraq. Biometric morphological measurements focusing on the form of penis sheath and chaetal morphology were used for species identification, in addition to molecular analysis by amplification of conserved 18s rRNA encoding gene using ITS1 and ITS4 universal primers.According to the morphological measurement records, the results revealed the existence of Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparede 1862, L. claparedeianus Ratzel, 1868 and L. cervix Brinkhurst 1963. Other two groups of specimens, with short penis sheath, were identified by molecular technology as L
This study aimed to evaluate good manufacturing practices in food safety of ten different restaurants in the Al-Karkh area of Baghdad, Iraq. Forty samples collected from were collected from knives, food cutting boards, tables, hands and nails workers in restaurants. In addition. 70 food handlers were selected. Through structured interviews, information on the checklist for Good Manufacturing Practices in Food Safety, Food handlers’ general checklist for good hygiene, and Personal Hygiene Checklist were collected. The overall viable bacterial count before Good Hygiene Practices was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the total bacterial counts after Good Hygiene Practices. The highest viable bacterial counts before Good Hygiene P
... Show MoreSocial factors may affect the available sources of toxic substances and causes of poisoning, and these factors may change over time. Additionally, understanding the characteristics of poisoning cases is important for treating such patients. Therefore, the present study investigated the characteristics of poisoning cases in Baghdad Poisoning Consultation Center (PCC) and Forensic Medicine Institute (FMI). Data on all poisoning cases reported in PCC and FMI during 2013 were retrospectively obtained from medical records. Total of 1131 reports of poisoning cases (1082 from PCC and 49 from FMI) were analyzed according to age, sex, geographical distribution and causes of poisoning according to the type and class of poisoning agent. The results
... Show MoreRoad-side dust samples were collected during August in 2020 from selected areas of, Al-Rusafa, Baghdad, Iraq. A sedimentological and mineralogical analysis of street dust was conducted. Three areas were selected to study street dusts which are Al-Baladitat, Al-Obaidi and Ziona. The laboratory analyses were done in the Department of Geology, College of Science, University of Baghdad. The heavy metal contents were determined in the roadside dust using XRF Method. It was found that the dust is of muddy texture, and is believed to be transmitted with the various storms blowing on Baghdad or by the wheels of Cars. The results of mineralogical investigation revealed that the dust samples composed of quartz, feldspar, calcite, gypsum and s
... Show MoreObjectives: To highlight the knowledge of Al-Kindy medical students regarding varicella infection and to assess their knowledge and attitude toward its prevention. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled academic year 2020/2021 students at Al-Kindy College of Medicine from first to final year. We used an online questionnaire by Google forms to collect data, which were analyzed with SPSS 26. Results: A total of 208 students participated with 126 in the preclinical and 82 in the clinical grades. Generally, most clinical students were more aware about epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and complications of varicella infection than the preclinical students. Conclusion: Educational stage is a significant variab
... Show MoreA geographic information system (GIS) is a very effective management and analysis tool. Geographic locations rely on data. The use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the interpretation of natural resource data has been shown to be beneficial. Back-propagation neural networks are one of the most widespread and prevalent designs. The combination of geographic information systems with artificial neural networks provides a method for decreasing the cost of landscape change studies by shortening the time required to evaluate data. Numerous designs and kinds of ANNs have been created; the majority of them are PC-based service domains. Using the ArcGIS Network Analyst add-on, you can locate service regions around any network
... Show MoreThis work deals with the nematode parasitesfrom the midgut of (16) specimens of Green
toad (Bufo viridis) Laurenti, 1768 collected from Baghdad area,central Iraq.
The parasites are:Cosmocercoides variabilis (Cosmocercidae) that considered as the first
report in Iraq on it and Oswaldocruzia filiformis (Molineidae).
In 2010, the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) was reported for the first time in Iraq. The larvae can feed on all parts of tomato plants and can damage all the growth stages. The main host plant is tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, but it can also attack other plants in Solanaceae family. In this study it was found attacking alfalfa plants, Medicago sativa in Baghdad Province. This finding reveals that alfalfa also serves as a host plant for T. absoluta in Iraq.
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients. The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study. The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there were
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