COVID-19 antibody seroprevalence in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq: A population-based study

Abstract Objective This population-based study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods We analyzed the national COVID-19 database that contains data regarding COVID-19 testing, management, and clinical outcomes in Duhok. For this study, different subdistricts within each district of Duhok were considered distinct clusters. Blood samples were collected from and questionnaires were administered to eligible and consenting participants who were members of different families from the subdistricts. Immunoassays were conducted to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and the associations between certain variables were investigated. Results The average number cases of COVID-19 before November 2020 was 23141 ± 4364, which was significantly higher than the average number of cases between November 2020 and February 2021 (3737 ± 2634; P = 0.001). A total of 743 individuals agreed to participate and were enrolled in the study. Among the participants, 465/743 (62.58%) were found to have antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Among the participants with antibodies, 262/465 (56.34%) denied having any history of COVID-19-related symptoms. The most common symptom was fever (81.77%), followed by myalgia (81.28%). We found that antibody levels increased steadily with age (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.117; P = 0.012). A significant association was found between antibody levels and the presence of symptoms (P = 0.023; odds ratio = 1.0023; 95% confidence interval = 1.0002-1.0061). Conclusions A significant reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases was observed. This might be due to the high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Duhok. However, infection-prevention measures should be followed as it remains unclear whether acquired immunity is protective against reinfection. It expected that the infection rates during the next wave will not be as high as the first wave due to the high infection rate in the society.

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Symptoms of Neurotoxicity among Carpenters Living in Rural Ecuador: A Population-based Study (The Atahualpa Project)

Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice ◽

10.4103/jnrp.jnrp_286_17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 08 (04) ◽

pp. 649-652

Author(s):

Oscar H. Del Brutto ◽

Robertino M. Mera ◽

Ani Reich de Amador ◽

Mauricio Zambrano ◽

Pablo R. Castillo

Keyword(s):

Linear Model ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Population Based ◽

Age Difference ◽

Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Demographic Questionnaire ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Atahualpa Project

ABSTRACT Background: There is no information on the prevalence of symptoms related to neurotoxicity among carpenters working in underserved populations. To assess the magnitude of the problem, we conducted a population-based study in Atahualpa, a rural Ecuadorian village, where most men work as carpenters under poor safety conditions. Methods: All men aged 40–75 years living in Atahualpa were identified during a door-to-door survey and evaluated with a general demographic questionnaire, the Q16 questionnaire, the depression axis of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Results: Among 230 participants, 63% were carpenters. Seventy participants (30%) had a positive Q16 questionnaire (≥6 points), which suggested neurotoxicity. In a logistic regression model adjusted for age, education, alcohol intake, symptoms of depression, and MoCA score, the proportion of Q16 positive persons was 39.1% for carpenters and 15.9% for noncarpenters (odds ratio: 3.53, 95% confidence interval: 1.75–7.15, P < 0.0001). In a generalized linear model, adjusted mean scores in the Q16 questionnaire were 4.9 for carpenters and 3.6 for noncarpenters (β: 1.285, standard error: 0.347, P < 0.0001). There was no correlation between scores in the Q16 questionnaire and the MoCA (Pearson correlation coefficient = −0.02), and the only significant covariate in the multivariate linear model was age, with every 10 years of age difference contributing 0.64 points in the Q16 questionnaire. Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of symptoms associated with neurotoxicity among carpenters after adjusting for a number of confounders. Long-term exposure to toxic solvents is the most likely explanation to this finding.

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Lymphoproliferative malignancies in patients with neurofibromatosis 1

Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases ◽

10.1186/s13023-021-01856-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Christina Bergqvist ◽

François Hemery ◽

Arnaud Jannic ◽

Salah Ferkal ◽

Pierre Wolkenstein

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Medical History ◽

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Incidence Rate ◽

Population Based ◽

Neurofibromatosis 1 ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

History Of

AbstractNeurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is an inherited, autosomal-dominant, tumor predisposition syndrome with a birth incidence as high as 1:2000. A patient with NF1 is four to five times more likely to develop a malignancy as compared to the general population. The number of epidemiologic studies on lymphoproliferative malignancies in patients with NF1 is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence rate of lymphoproliferative malignancies (lymphoma and leukemia) in NF1 patients followed in our referral center for neurofibromatoses. We used the Informatics for Integrated Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) platform to extract information from the hospital’s electronic health records. We performed a keyword search on clinical notes generated between Jan/01/2014 and May/11/2020 for patients aged 18 years or older. A total of 1507 patients with confirmed NF1 patients aged 18 years and above were identified (mean age 39.2 years; 57% women). The total number of person-years in follow-up was 57,736 (men, 24,327 years; women, 33,409 years). Mean length of follow-up was 38.3 years (median, 36 years). A total of 13 patients had a medical history of either lymphoma or leukemia, yielding an overall incidence rate of 22.5 per 100,000 (0.000225, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.000223–0.000227). This incidence is similar to that of the general population in France (standardized incidence ratio 1.07, 95% CI 0.60–1.79). Four patients had a medical history leukemia and 9 patients had a medical history of lymphoma of which 7 had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and 2 had Hodgkin lymphoma. Our results show that adults with NF1 do not have an increased tendency to develop lymphoproliferative malignancies, in contrast to the general increased risk of malignancy. While our results are consistent with the recent population-based study in Finland, they are in contrast with the larger population-based study in England whereby NF1 individuals were found to be 3 times more likely to develop both non-Hodgkin lymphoma and lymphocytic leukemia. Large-scale epidemiological studies based on nationwide data sets are thus needed to confirm our findings.

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The association between subclinical hypothyroidism and TPOAb positivity with infertility in a population-based study: Tehran thyroid study (TTS)

BMC Endocrine Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12902-021-00773-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Batul Birjandi ◽

Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani ◽

Atieh Amouzegar ◽

Maryam Tohidi ◽

Razieh Bidhendi Yarandi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Autoimmunity ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Population Based Study ◽

History Of ◽

Autoimmune Condition ◽

Biochemical Measurements ◽

Adverse Pregnancy ◽

Adjusted Logistic Regression

Abstract Background Thyroid autoimmunity(TAI) is the most prevalent autoimmune condition in women of fertile age. There are increasing data regarding the association of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity with adverse pregnancy outcomes but there is no consensus regarding infertility and TPOAb positivity; thus we aimed to evaluate the association between thyroid TPOAb positivity and infertility in females and males in a population-based study (TTS). Methods Cross-sectional study of 3197 female and male participants in Tehran Thyroid Study (TTS) at the framework of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). Data included biochemical measurements and a self-administered questionnaire. Results A total of 12,823 cases in phase 4, 3719 cases (2108 female and 1611 male) were analyzed. The mean TSH of the infertile female and male was 2.52 ± 2.68 μIU/ml and 3.24 ± 10.26 μIU/ml respectively. The TPO median(IQR) of women with and without a history of infertility were 6.05 (3.30–13.96)and 6.04 (3.17–11.15);(P = 0.613), they were 5.08 (3.20–125.68) and 5.31 (3.93–125.68);(P = 0.490) in male participants, respectively. Results of crude and adjusted logistic regression analysis of the development of infertility by thyroid function and TPOAb, except for fT4 in male subjects, depicted no association between infertility and other variables in both crude and adjusted models. Conclusion Based on the result, thyroid autoimmunity was not associated with infertility in both females and males.

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High prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Iran: a large population-based study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/1471-2458-9-44 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Farhad Hosseinpanah ◽

Farshad Kasraei ◽

Amir A Nassiri ◽

Fereidoun Azizi

Keyword(s):

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Large Population ◽

Population Based ◽

Population Based Study ◽

High Prevalence

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Natural History of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: A 12-year Longitudinal Population-Based Study

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1053/j.gastro.2007.06.010 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 133 (3) ◽

pp. 799-807.e1 ◽

Cited By ~ 186

Author(s):

Smita L.S. Halder ◽

G. Richard Locke ◽

Cathy D. Schleck ◽

Alan R. Zinsmeister ◽

L. Joseph Melton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Population Based ◽

Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Population Based Study ◽

History Of

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Parental History of Diabetes in a Population-Based Study

Diabetes Care ◽

10.2337/diacare.19.8.827 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 19 (8) ◽

pp. 827-830 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

B. E. K. Klein ◽

R. Klein ◽

S. E. Moss ◽

K. J. Cruickshanks

Keyword(s):

Population Based ◽

Parental History ◽

Population Based Study ◽

History Of ◽

Parental History Of Diabetes

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PREVALANCE OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER IN UPPER ASSAM: AN INSTITUTIONAL STUDY.

10.36106/ijsr/0807612 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 50-51

Author(s):

Ayesha Agarwal ◽

Trishan Paul ◽

Rudra Kanta Gogoi ◽

Rheetwik Baruah ◽

Chiranjeev Baruah

Keyword(s):

Oral Cavity ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Population Based ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Medical College ◽

Starting Point ◽

High Prevalence ◽

North Eastern ◽

Total Body

In India, head and neck cancers (HNCA) account for 14.3% cancers at all sites. In North-eastern India, there is a high prevalence of HNCA which can be associated with pervasive habit of using tobacco, lime and betel. The alarmingly high prevalence of cancers of head and neck in this part of India has prompted us to take up this study. Ahospital-based study on prevalence of cancer in various head and neck regions like oropharynx, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, salivary glands and nasal cavity was conducted in Department of Radiation Oncology, Assam Medical College and Hospital from June 2020 to May 2021.The prevalence is found to be signicantly high at 57.59%, affecting males more than females in the age group of 50-59 years. HNCA of hypopharynx and oral cavity constituted a major burden of total body cancer. This study hopes to quantify and analyse the HNCAspectrum and should help as a starting point for a much needed population based study in this region. Acomprehensive effort is required to identify the cause of such high prevalence of HNCAin this region of India, generate awareness and treatment options suited to meet this challenge.

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Immune-response against Streptococcus pyogenes in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm – A population-based case-control study

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526.37.2.143 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 143-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Wanhainen ◽

Rasmussen ◽

Björck ◽

Björck

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm ◽

Streptococcus Pyogenes ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Population Based ◽

Case Control ◽

Abdominal Aortic ◽

History Of ◽

Antibody Levels ◽

Control Study

Background: In a population-based case-control study the association between antibodies to Streptococcus pyogenes antigens and the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was analysed. Patients and methods: Forty-two patients with screening-detected AAA were compared to 100 age- and sex matched controls with normal aortas. Antibodies against three recently characterized cell wall-attached proteins of S. pyogenes (SclA, SclB and GRAB) were analysed in plasma samples obtained at screening (current), and in samples obtained from a study conducted 12 years previously on the same population (historical). Results: Historical antibody levels against the S. pyogenes antigen GRAB were significantly higher in AAA patients compared with controls (0.25 vs 0.17, p = 0.021). A similar trend was observed in current GRAB antibody levels (0.23 vs 0.17, p = 0.072). GRAB-antibody levels at age 60 years retained the association with AAA in a logistic regression model after adjustment for a history of atherosclerosis (OR 20.2, p = 0.022), current smoking (OR 21.4, p = 0.025) and family history of AAA (OR 12.9, p = 0.053). Current and historical antibody levels against SclA and SclB in AAA patients were similar to those in controls. Conclusions: The results indicate that the immune response against S. pyogenes protein GRAB may be involved in the pathogenesis of AAA.

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