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Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a real challenge to our communities worldwide, exerting a high socioeconomic impact. The disease is associated with a great deal of co-agulation cascade disorder, with a considerable increase in D-dimer concentration in blood. Objec-tives: To assess the impact of dialysis session frequency on blood levels of D-dimer among CKD patients infected with COVID-19. Patients and Methods: The study included 40 CKD patients (22 males and 18 females) infected with COVID-19, who attended the Artificial Kidney Unit at Al Hussein Teaching Hospital, Thi-Qar, Iraq for regular dialysis. They were divided into two groups;Group I: 20 CKD patients who had COVID-19. They underwent one hemodialysis session per week. The second group, which included 20 CKD patients infected with COVID-19 underwent three dialysis sessions per week. Plasma levels of D-dimer were measured one day before the start of the study and one day after three weeks in both groups. Result(s): The results of the present study re-vealed that CKD patients infected with COVID-19 who underwent three dialysis session per week (Group II) had a significant drop in blood D-dimer level at the end of three weeks in comparison to the initial values. Furthermore, the decrease in blood D-dimer level was significantly higher among CKD patients with COVID-19 who underwent three dialysis sessions per week (Group II) in comparison to COVID-19 infected CKD patients who underwent single dialysis sessions per week (Group I). Conclusion(s): CKD patients with COVID-19 have an elevated blood level of D-dimer. Increasing the frequency of hemodialysis plays an essential role in lowering the serum D-dimer level among these patients.Copyright © 2023, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.
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Gallstone disease with advanced symptoms is one of the common abdominal emergencies during pregnancy and it is considered to be one of the most frequently reported non-obstetric surgical conditions in pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of surgical cholecystectomy in pregnant women with symptoms of advanced gallstones. This is a retrospective analysis of 2814 pregnant women who attended various wards in government and private hospitals in the governorates of Diyala and Kirkuk in Iraq for more than 2 years, between February 2020 and June 2022. The hospital database was used to confirm the diagnosis of advanced gallstone symptoms in these pregnant women. The incidence of symptomatic gallstones in pregnant women, diagnosis and method of therapeutic management, cholecystectomy according to the pregnancy periods, and perinatal complications of patients according to therapeutic methods were determined. The results confirmed that out of 2814 pregnancies, only 126 (4%) had symptoms of gallstones. It was found that the majority of cases 67 (53%) were within the first trimester of pregnancy and the least 29 (23%) was observed in the second trimester. Acute cholecystitis was the generality 84 (67%) diagnosed in pregnant women with symptomatic gallbladder disease and only 9 (7%) of the patients had undergone prenatal cholecystectomy versus 117 (93%) who were managed conservatively. A total of 20 (16%) cases with undesirable complications were recorded, where 12 cases with low birth weight were noted, where 4 of them underwent surgery and 8 were treated conservatively. It was concluded that a large proportion of women suffer from symptoms of gallstones during pregnancy. Most cases can be managed conservatively, and intervention should be performed as often as needed.Copyright © 2023, Codon Publications. All rights reserved.
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Aims Amputation is a procedure in which an unhealthy limb or a part of it is cut because it is dangerous, or useless or disrupts life. This procedure in itself is considered a crippling procedure, yet it is also a life-saving procedure. This study aimed to compare the causes of amputation in Iraqi subjects for five years (2016-2020). Instruments & Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 758 amputated patients were investigated from 1st day of 2016 to the last day of 2020 at Al-Hariri Hospital for Surgical Specialty. Findings The rate of amputation in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016 was 6%, 6%, 4%, 3%, and 2% of total admitted cases, respectively. The highest cause of amputation in 2020 was diabetes mellitus (18%) and mostly in males. Diabetes mellitus and vascular ischemia in both sexes were 18% of total amputated cases in 2019. Trauma was 23% of total amputated cases in 2018, 57% in 2017, and 64% in 2016. Conclusion The rate of amputation is not so high. There is a significant association between amputation and gender, age, occupation, and the cause of amputation. There is no significant relationship between amputation and the hospital stay, the parts are either lower or upper, and the side is either left or right. Regarding the indications of amputation, the highest cause of amputations changes every year. Copyright© 2023, the Authors.
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This study aimed to find out the level of stress and coping methods among elderly in Sulaimanya city during the pandemic COVID-19. Through the snowballing sampling method, 394 elders were included to this study. After validation, two scales were used in this study;stress subscale from Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and a culture-bound scale for determining coping methods. The results of this study showed that participants experienced a mild level of stress. Male participants, elders who live with their family, unvaccinated elders, physically passive elders have had higher stress level than female, elderly home, vaccinated, physical active elders. The findings also indicated that spiritual connection was the most common coping method used by the sample. Results of this study are the first and foremost way to share elder's unexpressed messages;it also can be a way for verbalizing their unspoken feelings. These results may also inform the elder's caregivers that elder's stress level and illness anxiety was not very high, strengthening their social support and spiritual connection may help them to reduce their distress into a lesser degree.
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The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of the fungal species associated with COVID-19 viral infection in 150 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital in Al-Diwaniyah City, Iraq, for a five-month period from October 2021 to February 2022. The results indicated the dominance of Candida spp. over the rest of the isolated fungal species, with 97 isolates (64.66%). Aspergillus spp., with 15 isolates (10%), came in second. Rhizopus sp. with 2 isolates (1.33%). Then with 1 isolate (0.66%) for each of Penicillium sp., Coccidiodes sp., and Rhodotorula sp., Also, results show that the male has a higher percentage than the female (54.9%) and co-infections with fungi were more common in the 60-69 age group then in the 70-79 age group (34% versus 24%, respectively). Taking a deeper look at the patients' medical histories, it was shown that fungal co-infection was more prevalent in those with chronic sickness than in those without chronic disease (55.66% versus 43.14%, respectively).Copyright © RJPT All right reserved.
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This study was undertaken in the college of the Dentistry-University of Basra, Oral and maxillofacial surgery Department. This survey assessed protective measures regarding COVID-19 infection and aimed to evaluation the evidence on the affiliation between use of preventive measures and COVID-19 infection among dental students in Basra. The questionnaires were designed and assembled into two domains as follows: 1-Personal data including age, sex, and academic stage. 2-Analytical data including questions regarding infection rate among dental students and their commitment of COVID-19 preventive measures. An explanation for the aim of this study was coupled to the questionnaire, and the members were asked to sign an online informed permission. The questionnaires were directed toward 1000 dental students and only 875 were responding to the survey and included in the databank. The duration of study approximately takes 10 days, the questionnaire was conducted to students on February, 12th 2020 and the documents collecting were closed at (February, 22nd 2020). On the topic of preventive measures follow in order to avoid the dispersion of COVID-19 infection, an endemic feature of Corona virus disease has led to the deaths of thousands of individuals across several countries. For the prevention of the extent of the disease and its mortality, several preventive measures have been recommended. Conversely, the level of acquaintance and the implementation of such protective measures against COVID-19 among dental students in Basra which constitute vulnerable group are yet to be evaluated. Eight-hundred and seventy-fife questionnaires were analysed. Out of the 875 participants, (250) were males, and (675) were females. Two hundred and sixty-one (29.8%) participants had been infected with covid-19, and six hundred and fourteen (70%) were not being infected. Regarding the correlation between the infection with COVID-19 and the sex and college stage, consequently, no substantial statistical differences were detected between the males and females amongst COVID infected students. This survey demonstrated that the terms of self-protective means in addition to community disaffection will be considerably drops the statistics of dental student's COVID infections.Copyright © RJPT. All right reserved.
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Background: COVID-19 has caused a considerable number of hospital admissions in China since December 2019. Many COVID-19 patients experience signs of acute respiratory distress syndrome, and some are even in danger of dying. Background: to measure the serum levels of D-dimer, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), and neopterin in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq. And to determine the cut-off values (critical values) of these markers for the distinction between the severe patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and the controls. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, we collect blood from 89 subjects, 45 were severe patients hospitalized in many Baghdad medical centers who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, and 44 were apparently healthy subjects as a control. The time of collection is from September 15 th to December 31 th, 2021. The optimal cut-off points (critical values) and prognostic relevance of D-dimer, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), and neopterin were investigated using (ROC) curves analysis. Results: In severe patients hospitalized with COVID-19 the levels of D-dimer, NLR, and neopterin were statistically significantly higher than in control participants (P < 0.005). The D-dimer, NLR, and neopterin tests have areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of 0.920, 0.90, and 0.74 respectively, and their critical values for the differentiation between the severe patients and control were 0.22 micro g/ml, 2.56, and 3.02 nmol/L. Conclusions: D-dimer, NLR, and neopterin levels in sever COVID-19 patients were higher than control, with values of greater than 0.22 micro g/ml, 2.56 and 3.02 nmol/L respectively was linked to a severe COVID-19 infection with good sensitivity and selectivity.
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COV-19 has been quickly spreading in the world, producing lung inflammation and abrupt, even deadly, pulmonary collapse, COV-19were much higher in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic pa-tients. Diabetes is one of the primary causes of illness and death, and its prevalence is projected to increase rapidly over the next several decades. This investigation sought to determine how COVID-19 influenced the levels of glucose in the blood of patients diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes (DM), as well as whether or not the levels of glucose returned to normal following a recovery period of one month. Addi-tionally, there was a connection between ABO blood type and the severity of COV-19. The current study was to how COV-19 affected ABO group distribution and blood glucose levels in people who suffer from type 1 and 2 diabetes (DM). Study design: This study included ninety (90) patient divided into three groups: diabetes patient group (30) sample (control), 30 sample of DM with COV-19group and 30 sample recovery from Covid 19 after period one month of recovery, determination of the above mentioned blood groups was performed using manual method, and glucose levels measured of DM by diabetes device. The study demonstrated a relation between blood type ABO and COV-19, with type B blood being the most influenced by COV-19 in patients with type 2 diabetes, whereas there were no significant variations between blood types in those who suffer from type 1 diabetes. In type 1, 2 diabetic patients, no significant differences in blood glucose levels were found between diabetic patients with COV-19 and the recovery group from COV-19. The study displayed that the severity of COV-19 disease associated with B blood type in patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes and Cov-19 has no direct impact on blood glucose levels.Copyright © 2023, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.
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The purpose of this paper is to capture the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 emerging risks on construction projects' success in developing countries from the contractors' perspective. To achieve this, we collected data from Iraqi construction industry and conducted the following multistage research methodology: (1) preliminary investigation with four construction contractors to identify the success indicators of construction projects;(2) focus group session with 11 experts to identify the COVID-19 emerging risks for the construction industry;(3) semistructured interviews with seven construction experts to develop several hypotheses on the effect of COVID-19 emerging risks on project success;(4) survey data collection from 99 construction contractors;and (5) development of a structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the effects of COVID-19 emerging risks on project success. The results of the SEM analysis show that financial market (FM)-related risks, supply chain operations (SCO)-related risks, health and safety of construction workforce (HSCW)-related risks, organizational implications (OI)-related risks, and contractual implications (CI)-related risks have a significant impact on construction projects success. CI-related risks have the strongest total effects on project success, followed by OI-related risks, FM-related risks, HSCW-related risks, and SCO-related risks, respectively. The results also emphasis the significant mediation role of CI between COVID-19 emerging risks and project success. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and contracting companies by helping researchers and construction contractors to better understand how the key risk factors emerging from extreme conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic affect construction projects' success and may serve as a guideline for developing effective response strategies. © 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Backgrounds: Immune-inflammatory responses appear to play a key role in severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. Interleukin-35 (IL-35) and presepsin (PSN) are inhibitory cytokine and pro-inflammatory interleukin, which play a crucial role in the immune system modulation, respectively. Therefore, the study of IL-35 and PSN interaction with other parameters may be critical for managing patients with COVID-19. Material(s) and Method(s): A total of 125 severe/critical COVID-19 patients and 60 healthy persons as a control group were enrolled in this work. These patients were admitted to Marjan medical city and Al-Sadeq hospital in Iraq during February to August 2022 and diagnosed as severe cases depending on the SpO2 percentage according to the guidelines released by the National Health World. Anti-and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-35 and PSN) were detected by ELISA technique. Finding(s): Presepsin showed a positive correlation with admission to the respiratory care unit (RCU) (r=.022, p=.011). A negative correlation was found between presepsin and C-reactive protein (CRP) (r=.21, p=.018). Both PSN and IL-35 in biochemical tests showed a positive strong effect on glucose levels in COVID-19 patients (r=.234, p=.008 and r=.241, p=.007, respectively). IL-35 had a positive impact on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (r=.28, p=.002). Hemoglobin (Hb) level showed a positive correlation with presepsin (r=.2, p=.02). Conclusion(s): This study confirms the growing evidence showing the direct role of regulatory pro-inflammatory cytokines in the development and control of COVID-19 through the interaction with other parameters.Copyright © 2023, TMU Press.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the updated challenges facing the whole world. To identify the more blood group that positive to COVID19 in male or female. A cross-sectional study was conducted for positively confirmed 265 patients with COVID19 positive in Wasit province at AL-Zahraa Teaching Hospital from the period of March 13th till April 20th. All of them full a question-naire regarded by risk factors and other comorbidities. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23 using fre-quency tables and percentage. For numerical data, the median, and interquartile range (IQR) were used. Differences between categorical groups were performed by fissure exact test. In this study, the median age of the patients was 43 years old and interquartile range 25-56 years. Majority of the patients were female 60% and 51% of them were from the same region (wasite). The dominant blood group among patients was (O) 40%. The highest percentage of comorbidities among patients was hypertension 40%, and the most presenting symptoms were cough and fever. About 51% of patients were with mild symptoms. Diabetes, coronary heart diseases, and chronic renal diseases were significantly related to disease severity (P-value=0.02, 0.001, 0.01 respectively.Copyright © 2023, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.
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Background and Purpose: A significant part of the "post-acute COVID-19 syndrome" that may significantly aggravate patients' clinical history is pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a pathological result of chronic and acute interstitial lung illnesses linked to impaired wound repair. Despite being inconclusive, the information that is currently available suggests that more than a third of COVID-19 hospital patients experience aberrant lung fibrosis after leaving the hospital. The current study's goal is to ascertain if pulmonary fibrosis and COVID-19 susceptibility are related. Material(s) and Method(s): The Al-Amal Hospital provided data on coronavirus infections. Regarding Pulmonary Fibrosis, Age, and Gender in the Najaf Province in 2022. The results were evaluated using the Statistical Analysis System application's Chi-squared test (SPSS). Result(s): In the study results of our study were as follows, where it was found that (11.21%) of the total patients in the age group 18-25 are prone to suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, while (20%) of the age group were 25-36, and also found that (29.08%, 45.74% and 31.19%) for the following age groups, respectively: 36-47y, 47-57y and 57-67y. Finally, it was found that 117 (26.77%) patients out of 320 suffer from pulmonary fibrosis symptoms of the age group 67-77 years, where it formed a significant difference compared with the rest of the age groups. Conclusion(s): There is a link between infection with COVID 19 and pulmonary fibrosis, among other conditions. However, our study shows that severe COVID-19 is linked with considerable respiratory symptoms and morbidity, in-cluding dyspnea, which was reported by many survivors. There is an urgent need for more research to understand the connection more generally and to identify therapies that might help prevent similar lung infections in the future.Copyright © 2023, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Since it has been a global pandemic for the past three years, the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, has spread to all parts of the world. It first appears as pneumonia, which can progress to severe respiratory failure and has as its major hallmark a systemic inflammatory immune response brought on by an increased production of cytokines that causes a cytokine storm. Bacterial co-infections raise the risk of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. The current study was conducted to investigate the impact of bacterial co-infection, IL-17, D-dimer, fer-ritin and CRP in Covid-19 pneumonia outcome. Four mL of blood samples were collected from 120 patients attending to AL-Amal hospital and Al-Sader medical city, Najaf/Iraq, from July 2021-January 2022;1.5 mL of blood kept in tube containing 3.2% sodium citrate to estimation D-dimer by Minivides and 2.5 mL in plane tube to separate serum that used to detect IL-17, ferritin and CRP. Patient divided into Critical 33 (27.5%), sever 42 (35%) and Mild/Moderate (M/M) 45 (37.5%), In addition to 60 apparently healthy subjects as controls group. The result indicated that a significant increase (p < 0.05) in mean serum level of IL-17 in patients compare to healthy group, and the mean critical and server cases higher than M/M cases (101.79, 74.83, and 27.65) pg/mL. The results founded that most bacterial co-infection within critical and sever cases with 22(44%) and 26 (52%) respectively while M/M cases were 2(4%) only. Finally the results founded an elevated number of leukocyte, higher neutrophil and higher infection-related biomarkers (S. ferritin, D-dimer, and CRP) especially in critical cases (18.5+/- 2.62, 88.42+/-12.6, 738.68+/-154.41, 5.76+/-2.75, and 122.85+/-35.39) respectively. In conclusion the level of IL-17, ferritin and D-dimer highly increased in Covid patients that correlated with severity of Covid pneumonia so by this biomarkers can recognized between two types of patients. Secondary bacterial infection increased progressive state of patients.Copyright © 2023, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.
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Pneumococcal disease is a global public health concern that significantly contributes to clinical disease burden and economic burden. Patients frequently afflicted are young children and older adults, as well as the immunocompromised population. Immunization is the most effective public health strategy to combat pneumococcal disease and several vaccine formulations have been developed in this regard. Although vaccines have had a significant global impact in reducing pneumococcal disease, there are several barriers to its success in Iraq. The war and conflict situation, increasing economic crises and poverty, poor vaccine accessibility in the public sector, and high vaccine costs are a few of the major obstacles that impede a successful immunization program. The last reported third dose pneumococcal conjugate vaccine coverage for Iraq was 37% in 2019, which is expected to reduce even further owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, strategies and policies to improve pneumococcal vaccine availability and coverage need to be strengthened to achieve maximum benefits of immunization. In the current review, we provide an overview of the existing knowledge on pneumococcal disease-prevention strategies across the globe. The main aim of this manuscript is to discuss the current status and challenges of pneumococcal vaccination in Iraq as well as the strategies to prevent pneumococcal infections.
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Aim/Purpose The main aims of this research are to explore the moderating effects of gender on the relationships of such factors and the intention to use mobile learning, to examine the factors that influence m-learning acceptance in the universities and higher education institutions (HEI) in Iraq, and to investigate the influence of the intention to use on the actual use of mobile learning in (HEI). Background Over recent decades, mobile learning has played an increasingly important role in the teaching and learning process, especially for higher education. As such, acceptance and use of mobile learning has become a topic of interest within the education sector. In this regard, UTAUT is one of the widely used models for examining users' intention for use and acceptance of information technology.Methodology A survey method was used in this study involving a sample of 323 participants recruited from several universities in Iraq. Contribution This study has made significant contributions to the advancement of m -learn- ing in Iraq by developing a mobile learning model that can help guide practi- tioners to promote and facilitate the use of such an approach in universities.Findings The findings showed that gender moderated the relationships of social influ- ence (SI), effort expectancy (EE), and performance expectancy (PE) with re- spondents' intention to use m-learning. In addition, the findings confirmed the perceived enjoyment, performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), self-efficacy (SE), and social influence (SI) had significant direct effects on in- tention to use m-learning. Furthermore, the respondents' intention to use or be- havioral intention had a significant impact on the actual use of m-learning.Recommendations for PractitionersIt is vital for university management and practitioners to encourage students about the advantages of mobile learning in higher education institutions. In Iraq, the research in mobile learning is still very new and there are few studies have analyzed the gender effect on the mobile technology acceptance in learn- ing. This study provides a roadmap of the gender effect on variables that could influence mobile learning acceptance in higher education institutions in Iraq.Recommendations for Researchers The gender moderation effect on the factors that influence the mobile learning acceptance is important, thus the new researchers are advised to examine the gender effect on other factors that could influence mobile learning acceptance. Moreover, cross-nation studies are needed to further validate the findings of this research because it was conducted from the perspective of a developing na- tion where mobile learning is still in its infancy. Future studies may broaden the research to examine additional potential elements, such as the quality of ser- vices in future models, which can help enhance the understanding of learners' acceptance and continuous usage of mobile learning as well as to improve the utility of UTAUT.Impact on Society The use of mobile learning has increased in its importance for higher education around the globe, including Iraq. Clearly, mobile learning has been pervasively used in education throughout the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, students were required to study at home for months as per govern- ments' orders in order to avoid being affected by the virus. With mobile learn- ing, students were able to continue their studies;otherwise, they would have missed the academic year. Academic staff and administrators should therefore encourage and employ mobile learning for instruction, student communication, and exam administration.Future Research Given that the UTAUT model was used in higher educational settings for this research, it is advised to look into its application in corporate settings to see if comparable results can be repeated or not. More research is advised to look at the moderating effects of demographic factors, such as age and place of origin, in order to shed more light on students' adoption of mobile learning in HEIs in developing nations.
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Introduction: In the last decade, the number of religious mass gathering ceremonies, which take place in Iraq, has increased considerably. Millions of participants visit the country annually from across the world to reach Karbala on foot or by other vehicles for participation in a religious ritual called Arbaeen, which lasts about 20 days. Unlike the Hajj mass gathering, another important annual religious mass gathering event of Muslims, an evidence-based review of scientific literature about influential factors on the health of participants in these ceremonies in Iraq has not been done.Methods: Using PRISMA guidelines and searching PubMed, Scopus, ISI_Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases, original English language studies focused on participants' health in religious ceremonies of Iraq until October 2021 were selected. The methodological quality of the studies and the risk of bias were checked using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists. In addition, the data from the Iraqi Ministry of Health and other organizations, including WHO and CDC, about Iraq's health condition and other resources were used to describe the related findings better and make health recommendations for the participants.Results: Thirty-two studies passed our criteria and were included for analysis. There was not any clinical trial. All of them were observational (cross-sectional) or qualitative (interview) research;the majority had low to moderate quality scores. Considering the limitations, the leading health risks of participants in religious ceremonies in Iraq include road accidents, insufficiency of Iraq's health system, cardiovascular disease, respiratory tract (including Covid-19) infections, unhealthy food and drink, gastrointestinal infections (including hepatitis), and zoonotic infections(leishmaniasis).Conclusion: Regarding the grandeur of Iraqi-related mass gatherings, preparation must begin before the events. Pre-participation examination, vaccination of high-risk individuals, and training of pilgrims and authorities on the health hazards are critical.
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Background: The One Health concept (OHC) seeks to improve the health of plants, animals, and humans because improving animal and plant health will increase the capacity for improving human health. Many risks such as plant and animal biotechnology applications have the potential to generate new diseases that can be transmitted to humans. In this way, the health of humans, animals, and plants is interrelated and depends on one another. However, it has been difficult to apply the OHC in some countries, such as those in the Middle East. The absence of financial support in the region is a major hindrance to applying this concept in the region. The application of the OHC requires the support of specialists who can advocate the government for support in launching OHC-related projects. Here, we discuss the OHC in the context of antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, and biosafety/biosecurity, which are important public health issues. Furthermore, we describe the current status of the OHC in the Middle East and recent research conducted related to this concept. There has been recent international solidarity in the application of the OHC to reduce risks that threaten the health of organisms. Several countries jointly launched the Global Health Security Agenda in 2014 with the aim of realizing a world that is free of infectious disease-related health risks. However, no previous review articles have examined the applications of the OHC in the Middle East region. This article discusses the OHC in terms of its needs and current applications in the Middle East. Methodology: The following keywords were used in the search: "One Health," "Middle East," "medicinal plants," "viruses," "rabies," "MERS," and "antimicrobial resistance." Related papers were obtained by searching for these keywords using available search engines, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google search, as well as international organization websites. Conclusion(s): The concept of One Health is relatively new and has not been applied in most countries, possibly because the value of this concept for improving human health is not well understood. The key principle defining this concept and its importance is the interdependency of plants, animals, and human health. By applying the OHC, humans can benefit from healthy plants and animals by enhancing their growing conditions, medications, and environments. This would in turn improve general human health by allowing the safe extraction of therapeutics and food resources.Copyright © 2023
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Background/Aims In November 2019, there were abundant cases of COVID-19 for which the first case was reported in Wuhan, China. Cytokine storm syndrome is the severe immune reaction that may cause a severe tissue response in COVID-19 patients. Colchicine has an important role in inhibiting activation of NLRP3 inflammasome that predispose to decrease cytokine production. This study aimed to evaluate whether colchicine is effective in treatment of COVID-19 patients or not. Methods A randomized, open labelled, clinical trial of colchicine for the treatment of COVID-19, allocated between 8th May to 18th June 2021. Patients with mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19 infection;confirmed by real time PCR (RT-PCR) and/or lung involvement confirmed by computed tomography scan compatible with COVID- 19. The colchicine tablet dosage was 0.5mg twice daily for 14 days added to the standard treatment versus control group who received standard treatment without colchicine, with the trial registration ID: NCT04867226. The study was conducted in Erbil City, Iraq with the endpoints being clinical, laboratory parameters duration of hospitalization and side effects. Results 80 patients participated in the study. Fewer patients in the colchicine group had musculoskeletal symptoms (17.5%, p: 0.001) in comparison to the patients, who received control treatment. The serum ferritin level in most of patients who treated with colchicine returned to normal in contrast to the control group, whose serum ferritin level was still high (p: 0.041). Similarly, the average of CRP and D-dimer after treatment among the colchicine group participants was significantly lower than the control group, the P-values were 0.011 and 0.043, respectively. The colchicine group patients stayed for a shorter duration at the hospital (18.4 days) compared to the control group (24.24 days). Pvalue was 0.009. In addition to that the response and cure rate were higher in the colchicine group (56%) in the comparison to control group (43.1%) Table 1: Laboratory Parameters with musculoskeletal symptoms and duration of hospitalization of both Treatment Regimens. Conclusion The colchicine drug can be effective in treating patients with COVID-19 infection by improving musculoskeletal symptoms and inhibiting inflammatory biomarkers;it is also effective in reducing duration of hospitalization. (Table Presented).
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On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the new coronavirus COVID-19 to be epidemic. Adherence to infection control methods is strongly affected by an individual's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). The study aimed to evaluate medical students' understanding, and attitudes toward COVID-19 at the Kirkuk Medical College in Iraq. From October 16 to October 26, 2020, a cross-sectional online study was conducted, among a sample of students in Kirkuk Medical College, one of the Iraqi governorates. A total of 214 students were included in this research, and the age varied between 20-25 years. The questionnaire was divided into demographic data, knowledge, attitudes, and practices, modified from an online questionnaire regarding COVID-19 previously used. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were conducted. Among the study sample (n=214), age ranged between 20-25 years, 72.9% were females, and 86.9% resided in urban areas. The learning questionnaire's total accuracy rate was 96.3%. 98.1% of the students know that the virus is spreading by respiratory droplets from infected individuals, 30.4% have a good attitude towards COVID-19, and 100% have good practice dodging crowded places and practicing appropriate hand hygiene. The majority of students are knowledgeable of disease transference prevention and good practices. Female gender and urban residency play a positive role in knowledge and practice in respect to COVID-19 but not in what concerns the attitude. It is recommended to continue health education programs to correct the negative attitude among students, especially those who reside in rural areas.Copyright © 2023, Codon Publications. All rights reserved.
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Through and after the quarantine period of the COVID-19 epidemic, Mobile Applications developed for different purposes and goals, such as contacts and patient tracing, digital services, monitoring and testing, epidemiological research, and quarantine compliance. The main aim of this study is to highlight the effect of mobile pandemic applications in Iraqi society and the trustworthiness of developers and distributors of apps. To this end, we explored differences in the attitudes of smartphone users toward pandemic apps and shared the data to conduct research. The method adopted to achieve the Survey in this study is an Email and telephone-based Survey of (318) participants adults over 18 years old in Iraq. We used a total of (315) for Statistical Analysis. This 9-item Survey examined the current use of epidemic applications, motivations for using them, trust in app distributors, data handling, willingness to share coded data with researchers using a pandemic app, attitudes toward app use among people, demographics, and personal characteristics. The results of this study showed that most participants stated they were using smartphones (307/315, 97.5), but only (77/307, 24.4) were using pandemic apps on their smartphones. Intriguingly, in this Survey, when participants asked for the preferable organizations for storing data and application division, trust in federal or state government, regional health office, public-appointed such as statutory health insurance, or government-funded organizations (research institutes) was much higher than in private organizations (private research institutions, clinics, health insurances, information technology companies). © University of Garmian. All Rights Reserved.