Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19, a respiratory syndrome. It causes inflammation and damages several organs in the body. miRNAs play a role in regulating the infection resulting from SARS-CoV-2. MicroRNA-155, a kind of microRNA linked to viral defences, can affect the immune responses during COVID-19. Objectives: Examination of the involvement of microRNA-155 in the development and severity of COVID-19, as well as finding the correlation between microRNA-155 and viral load (copies/mL) in severe cases of the disease. Materials and Method: A case-control research study was performed between October 2022 and June 2023. It included a cohort of 120 hospitalised individuals with severe cases of COVID-19, together with 115 individuals with mild cases of COVID-19 and apparently healthy individuals. A real-time PCR procedure was applied to determine microRNA-155 expression in the studied groups and the viral load (copies/mL) in severe cases of the disease. Results: MicroRNA-155 was expressed in severe cases threefold more than its expression in mild cases of COVID-19 and healthy individuals. Also, a strong association was demonstrated between microRNA-155 and viral load (copies/mL) in severe COVID-19. Conclusion: MicroRNA-155 could be used as a biomarker for severe COVID-19 conditions and could have a role in disease severity and infectious particles of the virus. Since it is positively correlated with viral load (copies/mL) in severe cases of the disease
COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that has a wide spectrum of symptoms from asymptomatic to severe fatal cases due to hyperactivation of the immune system and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study aimed to assess the level and impact of interleukin (IL)-13, IL-33, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α cytokines on immune responses in mild and moderate COVID-19-infected Iraqi patients. A prospective case-control study was conducted from January 2023 to January 2024; it included 80 patients infected with moderate COVID-19 infection who consulted in different private clinics and 40 healthy controls. The serum of both groups was tested for quantification of serum IL-13, IL-33, and TNF-α using the human enzyme-linked immunosorbe
... Show MoreRoutine vaccination activities, such as detection, reporting, and management of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs), are generally handled by healthcare providers (HCPs). Safe vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) were introduced to control the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practice of HCPs in Iraq about reporting adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, and their association with sociodemographic variables. The study was a cross-sectional study that was carried out between August and September 2021 at the COVID-19 vaccination centers in Iraq. This study used an online and paper-based questionnaire, which
... Show MoreThe two parameters of Exponential-Rayleigh distribution were estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation method (MLE) for progressively censoring data. To find estimated values for these two scale parameters using real data for COVID-19 which was taken from the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment, AL-Karkh General Hospital. Then the Chi-square test was utilized to determine if the sample (data) corresponded with the Exponential-Rayleigh distribution (ER). Employing the nonlinear membership function (s-function) to find fuzzy numbers for these parameters estimators. Then utilizing the ranking function transforms the fuzzy numbers into crisp numbers. Finally, using mean square error (MSE) to compare the outcomes of the survival
... Show Moreprotein oxidation through oxidative stress, which represents the overall status of the protein in the cell/tissue. Due to their increased levels of AOPPs were reported during T2DM. The aim of this study was to assess AOPP level in T2DM subjects with foot ulcer (DFU) and explore its correlation with infection. Type 2 diabetic patients (n=108) and healthy subjects (n=25) were enrolled in this study. The T2DM group was subdivided to diabetic patients without complications (n=25) and eighty-three (83) of them have diabetic foot. They were sub- grouped into two groups according to presence Osteomyelitis and abscess, and in reliance on medical analysis of WBC count and CRP. Group of diabetic without superficial or deep ulcer and no osteomyelitis
... Show MoreSome new norms need to be adapted due to COVID-19 pandemic period where people need to wear masks, wash their hands frequently, maintain social distancing, and avoid going out unless necessary. Therefore, educational institutions were closed to minimize the spread of COVID-19. As a result of this, online education was adapted to substitute face-to-face learning. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Malaysian university students’ adaptation to the new norms, knowledge and practices toward COVID-19, besides, their attitudes toward online learning. A convenient sampling technique was used to recruit 500 Malaysian university students from January to February 2021 through social media. For data collection, all students
... Show MoreThe coronavirus-pandemic has a major impact on women's-mental and physical-health. Polycystic-ovary-syndrome (PCOS) has a high-predisposition to many cardiometabolic-risk factors that increase susceptibility to severe complications of COVID-19 and also exhibit an increased likelihood of subfertility. The study includes the extent of the effect of COVID-19-virus on renin-levels, glutathione-s-transferase-activity and other biochemical parameters in PCOS-women. The study included 120 samples of ladies that involved: 80 PCOS-patients, and 40 healthy-ladies. Both main groups were divided into subgroups based on COVID-19 infected or not. Blood-samples were collected from PCOS-patients in Kamal-Al-Samara Hospital, at the period between Decembe
... Show MoreThis study aims to analyze the messages of a number of global news outlets on Twitter. In order to clarify the news outlets tactics of reporting, the subjects and focus during the crisis related to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The study sample was chosen in a deliberate manner to provide descriptive results. Three news sites were selected: two of the most followed, professional and famous international news sites: New York Times and the Guardian, and one Arab news site: Al-Arabiya channel.
A total of 18,085 tweets were analyzed for the three accounts during the period from (1/3/2020) to (8/4/2020). A content analysis form was used to analyze the content of the news coverage. The results indicate an increase in th
... Show MoreDust storms are a common ecological occurrence in many world‘s countries, mainly in dry and semi-dry parts. Dust storms tremendously influence human health, the environment, the climate, and numerous social aspects. In this paper, spatial and temporal analysis, metrological triggers, and trajectory, dust exporting areas of a severe dust storm that occurred in Iraq on May 16, 2022, were investigated. The dust storm's backward trajectory was determined using HYSPLIT model, which is then compared with MODIS and Meteosat satellite images. The weather is then analyzed using the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis model, and the approximate area of these sources was determined using Landsat 8 satellite image classification method. The results revealed
... Show More