Employing Recurrent Neural Networks to Forecast the Dollar Exchange Rate in the Parallel Market of Iraq

In this study, neural recurrent neural networks (RNN) have been used to forecast the price of dollars in Iraqi dinars, as it is clear that the government's efforts to control prices in the parallel markets, the commercial markets witnessed a decline in the exchange rate, but it rose again. Which indicates an economic problem that is still present in the country. Despite adjusting the exchange rate of the dinar, the dollar crisis in Iraq has not ended yet. Here we want to forecast the daily price of the dollar against Iraqi dinars for the common next 30 days. According to the results the RNN model have been performed for the data under consideration with different numbers of hidden layer and nodes. The best architecture for the RNN model was [1,10,1,1] using soft plus activation function, which gives the performance of 85% for the training dataset and (92% and 90%) for the testing and validation datasets respectively, with Mse (0.018, 0.000417, and 0.000477) for training, testing, and validation respectively at epoch 4. According to the results of the forecasted values which start from 15 May 2023 to 13 June 2023 the price of dollars will be between 1390 to 1435

Correlation of Circulating ANGPTL5 Levels With Obesity, High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein in Adolescents

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL) is a family of eight members known to play an important role in metabolic diseases. Of these, ANGPTL5 is suggested to regulate triglyceride metabolism and is increased in obesity and diabetes. However, its role in metabolic diseases in adolescents is not well-studied. In this study, we tested the hypothesis of a positive association between plasma ANGPTL5, and obesity, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in adolescents. Adolescents (N = 431; age 11–14 years) were randomly selected from middle schools in Kuwait. Obesity was classified by the BMI-for-age based on the WHO growth charts. Plasma ANGPTL5, HsCRP, and Ox-LDL were measured using ELISA. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.65% and 33.18%, respectively. Mean (SD) plasma ANGPTL5 levels were significantly higher in obese, compared with overweight and normal-weight adolescents (23.05 (8.79) vs 18.39 (7.08) ng/mL, and 18.26 (6.95) ng/ml, respectively). ANGPTL5 was positively associated with both HsCRP (ρ=0.27, p \u3c 0.001) and Ox-LDL (ρ = 0.24, p \u3c 0.001). In Conclusion, ANGPTL5 levels are elevated in obese adolescents and are associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors, HsCRP and Ox-LDL. The use of ANGPTL5 as a powerful diagnostic and prognostic tool in obesity and metabolic diseases needs to be further evaluated

Genome-wide association study identifies novel risk variants from RPS6KA1, CADPS, VARS, and DHX58 for fasting plasma glucose in Arab population

Consanguineous populations of the Arabian Peninsula, which has seen an uncontrolled rise in type 2 diabetes incidence, are underrepresented in global studies on diabetes genetics. We performed a genome-wide association study on the quantitative trait of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in unrelated Arab individuals from Kuwait (discovery-cohort:n = 1,353; replication-cohort:n = 1,196). Genome-wide genotyping in discovery phase was performed for 632,375 markers from Illumina HumanOmniExpress Beadchip; and top-associating markers were replicated using candidate genotyping. Genetic models based on additive and recessive transmission modes were used in statistical tests for associations in discovery phase, replication phase, and meta-analysis that combines data from both the phases. A genome-wide significant association with high FPG was found at rs1002487 (RPS6KA1) (p-discovery = 1.64E-08, p-replication = 3.71E-04, p-combined = 5.72E-11; beta-discovery = 8.315; beta-replication = 3.442; beta-combined = 6.551). Further, three suggestive associations (p-values <8.2E-06) with high FPG were observed at rs487321 (CADPS), rs707927 (VARS and 2Kb upstream of VWA7), and rs12600570 (DHX58); the first two markers reached genome-wide significance in the combined analysis (p-combined = 1.83E-12 and 3.07E-09, respectively). Significant interactions of diabetes traits (serum triglycerides, FPG, and glycated hemoglobin) with homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were identified for genotypes heterozygous or homozygous for the risk allele. Literature reports support the involvement of these gene loci in type 2 diabetes etiology.Peer reviewe

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic people in Najran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: This cross-sectional hospital based study aimed at determining the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetes among local people of Najran, Saudi Arabia.Methods: We aimed to investigate the levels of knowledge, attitude and practice among diabetic people in Najran area.Results: 10% of the participants scored >7, 28% scored >5 and 62% scored 5 and less in Knowledge questionnaire. None [0.00%] of the participants scored 7 or more out of the attitude questionnaire. 100% of the participants scored 5 and less out of 12. 100% of the participants scored >6 and 0% scored 12 or more in the practice questionnaire.Conclusions: Our study revealed that the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetes in the area of Najran is very poor. We suggest that a structured educational program to be adopted by the health authorities in Saudi Arabia

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in health surveillance systems, disease prevention, and treatment globally. Among the many factors that might have led to these gaps is the issue of the financing of national health systems, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as a robust global system for pandemic preparedness. We aimed to provide a comparative assessment of global health spending at the onset of the pandemic; characterise the amount of development assistance for pandemic preparedness and response disbursed in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic; and examine expectations for future health spending and put into context the expected need for investment in pandemic preparedness. Methods In this analysis of global health spending between 1990 and 2021, and prediction from 2021 to 2026, we estimated four sources of health spending: development assistance for health (DAH), government spending, out-of-pocket spending, and prepaid private spending across 204 countries and territories. We used the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) and the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) to estimate spending. We estimated development assistance for general health, COVID-19 response, and pandemic preparedness and response using a keyword search. Health spending estimates were combined with estimates of resources needed for pandemic prevention and preparedness to analyse future health spending patterns, relative to need. Findings In 2019, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, US$9·2 trillion (95$7·3 trillion (95% UI 7·2–7·4) in 2019; 293·7 times the $24·8 billion (95$43·1 billion in development assistance was provided to maintain or improve health. The pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in development assistance targeted towards health; in 2020 and 2021, $1·8 billion in DAH contributions was provided towards pandemic preparedness in LMICs, and$37·8 billion was provided for the health-related COVID-19 response. Although the support for pandemic preparedness is 12·2% of the recommended target by the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP), the support provided for the health-related COVID-19 response is 252·2% of the recommended target. Additionally, projected spending estimates suggest that between 2022 and 2026, governments in 17 (95% UI 11–21) of the 137 LMICs will observe an increase in national government health spending equivalent to an addition of 1% of GDP, as recommended by the HLIP. Interpretation There was an unprecedented scale-up in DAH in 2020 and 2021. We have a unique opportunity at this time to sustain funding for crucial global health functions, including pandemic preparedness. However, historical patterns of underfunding of pandemic preparedness suggest that deliberate effort must be made to ensure funding is maintained