Routine 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 was distributed among HCPs (physicians and pharmacists) in COVID-19 vaccination centers. A total of 117 pharmacists and physicians responded to the survey. Two-thirds of respondents were pharmacists. The majority of the respondents (49.6%) had fair knowledge levels on AEFIs. The perception of 43% of the participants was very good, whereas the perception of 28%, 23%, and 6% of the participants was fair, good, and poor, respectively. The reporting practice of HCPs was inadequate in 53% of respondents. The number of pharmacists who had good knowledge of AEFIs was significantly higher than that of the physicians. The age group (30-39) years of HCPs was significantly associated with more positive perception towards AEFIs. The number of pharmacists that had good perception was significantly higher than that of the physicians. Furthermore, HCPs aged 30 to 39 years had significantly higher reporting practices than other age groups. The study highlighted that the HCPs working at the COVID-19 vaccination centers have low knowledge of AEFIs. On the other hand, HCPs had more positive perception towards reporting AEFIs. Education programs and reference materials are needed to increase their awareness about AEFIs.
This article reports the first record of Aenasius arizonensis (Girault, 1915) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) parasitizing the recently introduced species of cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsly (Hemiptera, Psedococcidae) infesting Lantana camara L. (Verbeneceae) as well as other ornamental plants in Baghdad province, Iraq. A short morphological description is also presented.
Nineteen thrips species recorded in center of Iraq during 1999-2001, four of them was recorded by El-Haidari & Daoud, 1967; Thrips tabaci Lindeman, Retithrips syriacus (Mayet), Parascolothrips prieseri Mound, Anaphthrips sudanensis Trybom. Fifteen species are recorded for the first time in Iraq, Thrips meridionalis (Priesner), Microcephalothrips abdominals (Crawford), Scolothrips pallidus (Beach), Scolothrips sexmaculatus (Pergande), Scritothrips mangiferae Priesner, Frankliniella schultzie Trybom, Frankliniella unicolor Morgan, Frankliniella Tritici Bagnall, Retithrips aegypticus Marchal, Retithrips javanicus
... Show MoreFour new species of Thrips (Thripidae) Chirothrips imperatus sp. nov.; Frankliniella megacephala sp. nov.; Retithrips bagdadensis sp. nov; Taeniothrips tigridis sp. Nov.; from middle of Iraq, are described and illustrated with their hosts.
(1) Background: Plant flavonoids are efficient in preventing and treating various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of hesperidin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruits, in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation, which induced lethal toxicity in vivo, and to evaluate its importance as an antitumor agent in breast cancer. The in vivo experiments revealed the protective effects of hesperidin against the negative LPS effects on the liver and spleen of male mice. (2) Methods: In the liver, the antioxidant activity was measured by estimating the concentration of glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), whereas in spleen, the concentration of cytokines including IL-33 and TNF-α was measured. The in vitro expe
... Show MoreThe shortage in surface water quantities led to a shift in dependence on the groundwater as an alternative water source in southern parts of Iraq. The groundwater is decreasing in quantity and water quality is degrading due to different factors. Therefore, it is important to assess the groundwater quality of the Missan Governorate of the country by analyzing the physicochemical parameters and distinguishing the probable sources of contaminants in the area. The present study used water quality diagrams and statistical methods such as factor analysis and agglomerative cluster analysis to determine the sources of chemical ions in the forty-four groundwater samples collected from wells in the study area. In addition, the Water Quality Index (WQ
... Show MoreThe flexibility of interaction between the movement of macroeconomic variables that affect and are affected by the balance of payments, especially the movement of the current account, implies a perception of the maturity of economic development and what the theory assumes from the launch of a wide range of economic movement that varies in the degree of its influence according to the level of economic development and the vitality of the internal/external overlap relations through the assumed response to the movement of the macroeconomic variables. On this basis, it is possible to estimate the soundness and rationality of the economic decision taken that takes into account the required reciprocal repercussions between the current a
... Show MoreArthropod-borne infections, known as vector-borne diseases, are a significant threat to both humans and animals. These diseases are transmitted to humans and animals through the bites of infected arthropods. In the last half century, there have been a number of unexpected viral outbreaks in Middle Eastern countries. Recently, Iraq has witnessed an outbreak of the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus with high morbidity and mortality rates in humans. However, very little is known about the prevalence and distribution of CCHFV in Iraq, and therefore, it is impossible to quantify the risk of infection. CCHFV is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. However, transmission can also occur through contact with the blood or ti
... Show MoreThe open hole well log data (Resistivity, Sonic, and Gamma Ray) of well X in Euphrates subzone within the Mesopotamian basin are applied to detect the total organic carbon (TOC) of Zubair Formation in the south part of Iraq. The mathematical interpretation of the logs parameters helped in detecting the TOC and source rock productivity. As well, the quantitative interpretation of the logs data leads to assigning to the organic content and source rock intervals identification. The reactions of logs in relation to the increasing of TOC can be detected through logs parameters. By this way, the TOC can be predicted with an increase in gamma-ray, sonic, neutron, and resistivity, as well as a decrease in the density log
... Show Morerhabditid Mesorhabditis franseni Fuchs, 1933 (Family, Mesorhabditidae) and pratylenchid nematode Pratylenchus goodeyi Sher and Allen, 1953 (Family, Pratylenchidae). They were illustrated by molecular aspects. All specimens of both genera were cultured and reproduced for DNA extraction. M. franseni (IRQ.ZAh2 PP528819.1 isolate) was characterized. P. goodeyi (IRQ.ZAh5 PP535537 isolate) was also characterized. Selected specimens of these two species were molecularly characterized using the partial ITS-rRNA gene sequences. The ITS-rRNA sequence of IRQ.ZAh2 PP528819.1 isolate had a range of (98.62%-100%) sequence homology with ITS-rRNA sequence of M. franseni available in NCBI database. While, the ITS-rRNA sequence of IRQ.ZAh5 PP535537 isolate h
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