Background: While warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are used to manage thromboembolic events, they possess several features that impact adherence. Objective: To assess medication adherence and self-efficacy in patients receiving warfarin or DOAC treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital in Baghdad from December 2022 to May 2023 on patients receiving either warfarin or DOACs. The Arabic version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) questionnaire and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6C) questionnaire were used to assess adherence and self-efficacy. Results: 181 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 56.9% received warfarin and 43.1% received DOACs. The mean ARMS score was 13.71, and 81.77% of the patients were adherent to anticoagulant therapy. There was a significant difference in adherence between the warfarin and DOAC groups. The mean SES6C score for the participants was 50.01. Patients in the DOAC group had significantly higher self-efficacy compared to those in the warfarin group. The adherence score correlated significantly with patients’ gender, education level, hospitalization and duration of anticoagulant use, while the SES6C score did not correlate with any of the independent variables. There was a significant negative correlation between self-efficacy scores and medication adherence scores. Conclusions: Patients receiving DOACs showed a higher self-efficacy to manage chronic diseases and lower medication adherence as compared to warfarin. Higher self-efficacy was associated with higher adherence to treatment.
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Iraq and the United Kingdom. While the disease is frequently diagnosed among middleaged Iraqi women at advanced stages accounting for the second cause of cancer-related deaths, breast cancer often affects elderly British women yielding the highest survival of all registered malignancies in the UK. Objective: To compare the clinical and pathological profiles of breast cancer among Iraqi and British women; correlating age at diagnosis with the tumor characteristics, receptor-defined biomarkers and phenotype patterns. Methods: This comparative retrospective study included the clinical and pathological characteristics of (1,940) consecutive female patients who were diagnosed with invasive b
... Show MoreThere are a few studies that discuss the medical causes for diabetic foot (DF) ulcerations in Iraq, one of them in Wasit province. The aim of our study was to analyze the medical, therapeutic, and patient risk factors for developing DF ulcerations among diabetic patients in Baghdad, Iraq.
Background: The etiology of Systemic lupus erythematosus seems to be multifactorial including environmental as well as genetic factors. The genetic predisposition was supported by the occurrence of Systemic lupus erythematosus in more than one member of a family as well as in identical twins.
Aim of the study: To determine the human leukocyte antigen typing class I (A and B) in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematousus disease.
Methods: Patients group consisted of 44 Iraqi Arab Muslims patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus disease who presented to Baghdad Medical City from January 2010 to January 2012 from Baghdad Province. The second control group consisted from 80 Iraqi Arab Muslims volunteers from hospital employees and t
Multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the intergenic region between estrogen receptor 1 and
To assess the potential association between rs3757318 SNP and breast cancer pathogenicity, specifically in relation to serum vitam
خلفية البحث: مرض السكري هو عامل خطر لأمراض القلب والأوعية الدموية وتصلب الشرايين وسبب مهم للوفاة. يرتبط خلل الدهون في الدم بشكل شائع بمرض السكري من النوع الثاني ويعتبر مؤشر تصلب الشرايين في البلازما علامة قوية للتنبؤ بخطر الإصابة بتصلب الشرايين وأمراض القلب التاجية. الهدف من البحث: دراسة ارتباط المؤشرات الدهنية لتصلب الشرايين لدى المرضى العراقيين المصابين بالسكري من النوع الثاني ولديهم أمراض قلبية وعائ
... Show MoreWe are, today, facing a torrent of information, ideas, images and videos due to advances of communication technology and electronic publishing. In addition to the proliferation of social networking sites that allow individuals to use them and participate in their channels without any restrictions limiting their freedom in publishing. Due to these sites many terms have emerged like alternative media which use internet and its various techniques to serve its objectives notably the freedom of expression without restrictions. This research studies the phenomenon of interactive media i.e. alternative media through Facebook along with the freedom that makes it spreading in the society and the relation of individual freedom with social diversit
... Show MoreVaccination against novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) become highly recommended. In Iraq, three vaccines are available. They are Pfizer-Biontech, Oxford-AstraZenica, and Sino harm vaccines. A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed to a total of 2399 individual who are vaccinated with one of the available vaccines. People who are infected with Covid-19 before and/or after vaccination of either studied SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were also involved in this study (1175 case). Signs and symptoms have been reported for each of confirmed positive cases of Coronavirus disease. Statistical data analyses were applied to reveal the effect of different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on the incidence of novel coronavirus disease among Iraqi population. Also, the
... Show MoreLeishmaniosis is a tropical neglected parasitic disease that is endemic in many countries, including Middle East, with no existing effective vaccines. The bite of female sand-fly transmits the causative agent, Leishmania spp., to humans. High toxicity, resistance and treatment failure of the available chemotherapy against visceral leishmaniosis demands the investigation of new anti-leishmanial compounds. Lupeol is a form of triterpene isolated from several medicinal plants and possesses an antimicrobial property. In this study, cytotoxic effect of lupeol was screened against the mammalian amastigotes form and insect promastigote form of Leishmania donovani, following three cycles of incubation at different concentrations by MTT assay. Resul
... Show MoreHerpes labialis is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, characterized by an eruption of small and usually painful blisters on the skin of the lips, mouth, gums, or the skin around the mouth. Although there is no successful treatment available, the local use of compounds with effective anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects may be of value in this respect. This project was designed to evaluate clinically the local use of silymarin, a group of flavonoids with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective activity, in the treatment of herpes simplex ulcer. Fifty three patients with herpes labialis ulcers (HLU) were enrolled in this randomized, single blinded, placebo controlled clinical study, and they were al
... Show More