The multisystemic effects of COVID-19 may continue for a longer time period following the acute phase, depending on the severity of the disease. However, long-term systemic transcriptomic changes associated with COVID-19 disease and the impact of disease severity are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 and its severity on transcriptomic alterations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) following 1 year of the disease. PBMCs were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy control donors who did not have COVID-19 (C; n = 13), from COVID-19 patients without pneumonia (NP; n = 11), and from COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia (SP; n = 10) after 1-year of follow-up. Following RNA isolation from PBMCs, high-quality RNAs were sequenced after creating a library. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DElncRNAs) were identified using Benjamini–Hochberg correction and they were analysed for hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Intergroup comparisons (C vs. NP, C vs. SP, and NP vs. SP) of DEGs and DElncRNAs were performed and hub genes were determined. Functional enrichment analyses of DEGs and DElncRNAs were made using Metascape (v3.5.20240101) and the first version of NCPATH. The RNA sequencing analysis revealed 4843 DEGs and 1056 DElncRNAs in “C vs. NP”, 1651 DEGs and 577 DElncRNAs in “C vs. SP”, and 954 DEGs and 148 DElncRNAs in “NP vs. SP”, with 291 DEGs and 70 DElncRNAs shared across all groups, respectively. We identified 14 hub genes from 291 DEGs, with functional enrichment analysis showing upregulated DEGs mainly linked to inflammation and osteoclast differentiation and downregulated DEGs to viral infections and immune responses. The analysis showed that 291 common and 14 hub genes were associated with pneumonia and that these genes could be regulated by the transcription factors JUN and NFκB1 carrying the NFκB binding site. We also revealed unique immune cell signatures across DEG categories indicating that the upregulated DEGs were associated with neutrophils and monocytes, while downregulated DEGs were associated with CD4 memory effector T cells. The comparative transcriptomic analysis of NP and SP groups with 52 gene signatures suggestive of IPF risk showed a lower risk of IPF in the SP group than the NP patients. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 may cause long term pathologies by modulating the expression of various DEGs, DeLncRNAs, and hub genes at the cellular level.
Objective: Our study aims to evaluate the nasal mucociliary clearance (NMC) in Covid-19 patients who have been recently diagnosed and not been treated yet and investigate how Covid-19 affects NMC. Methods: A total of 120 participants, who applied to Düzce Atatürk State Hospital between September and November 2020, were included in our study. 60 of them were the participants, diagnosed with Covid-19. And 60 of them were the control group. The age range was 18 to 66. 60 participants, diagnosed with Covid-19 and not yet treated, were included in our study. Those with taste disorders were excluded from the study. The control group consisted of 60 healthy volunteers. NMC was evaluated using a saccharin test. The results were compared in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The study group, which consisted of 60 Covid-19 participants of whom treatment was not yet started, and the 60-participant healthy control group were evaluated in our study. The average age of the study group was 40,72±12,96 and 39,16 in the control group. The average NMC was 15,95±3,37 in the study group, and 8,38±1,03 in the control group. When evaluated statistically, it was found higher in the study group (p
Long-COVID-19 manifests as a multisystemic condition with varied symptoms lingering beyond three weeks of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, though its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Aiming to decipher the long-term molecular impacts of COVID-19, we conducted a transcriptomic analysis on PBMCs from 1-year post-covid patients, including individuals without pneumonia (NP, n=10), those with severe pneumonia (SP, n=11), and healthy controls (C, n=13). Our extensive RNA sequencing revealed 4843 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 1056 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DElncRNAs) in “C vs NP,” 1651 DEGs and 577 DElncRNAs in “C vs SP,” 954 DEGs and 148 DElncRNAs in “NP vs SP,” with 291 DEGs and 70 DElncRNAs shared across all groups. We identified 14 hub genes from 291 DEGs, with functional enrichment analysis showing upregulated DEGs mainly linked to inflammation and osteoclast differentiation, and downregulated DEGs to viral infections and immune responses. These hub genes play central roles in inflammatory and immune processes and are significantly associated with pneumonitis and diverse lung diseases. Investigations revealed unique immune cell signatures across DEG categories, associating upregulated DEGs with neutrophils and monocytes, and downregulated DEGs with CD4 memory effector T cells. Analysis of 14 hub genes showed notable upregulation in the no pneumonia group versus healthy controls, displaying complex patterns in the severe pneumonia group. Our study uncovered potential idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis signals in Long-COVID-19 patients’ PBMC transcriptome, highlighting the urgency for thorough monitoring and extended research to understand COVID-19’s lasting effects. This study sheds light on COVID-19’s transcriptomic changes and potential lasting effects, guiding future research and therapeutic approaches for Long-COVID-19. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study was funded by the Research Support Fund of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTD). ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethics committee of Cukurova University School of Medicine gave ethical approval for this work (Approval number: 356/22.05.2021) I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors. FASTQ sequences of the PBMC samples have been deposited in NCBI Short Read Archive (SRA) under BioProject PRJNA895325.
Background:The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has contributed to work-related psychosocial risks in healthcare workers.Aims:To evaluate the perceived need for mental health services and related factors in Turkish healthcare workers practicing in pandemic hospitals.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Methods:Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with healthcare workers at 19 pandemic hospitals in 13 provinces between September and November 2021. The study survey included the evaluation of the perceived need for and utilization of mental health services in the previous year, as well as sociodemographic, health-related, and work-related characteristics, the General Health Questionnaire-12, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQoL-BREF) questionnaire, and the Fear of coronavirus disease-2019 scale (FCV-19S).Results:Of 1,556 participants, 522 (33.5%) reported a perceived need for mental health services, but only 133 (8.5%) reported receiving these services. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the perceived need for mental health services revealed significant relationships with lower age, female sex, being a current smoker, having a chronic disease, having a mental disorder, coronavirus disease-2019 contact within the last three months in settings other than the home or workplace, a positive coronavirus disease-2019 vaccination history, being a physician, being a non-physician healthcare professional, and coronavirus disease-2019 contact within the last three months at work. After adjustment for these characteristics, higher General Health Questionnaire-12 and FCV-19S scores and lower WHOQoL-BREF domain scores were related to the perceived need for mental health services in logistic regression analyses.Conclusion:The findings indicate a substantial need for mental health services amongst Turkish healthcare workers during the pandemic and outline participants’ characteristics regarding high-priority groups for the intervention. Future research may focus on developing actions and evaluating their efficiency.
Objective: To evaluate long-term effects of COVID-19, and to determine the risk factors in long-COVID in a cohort of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS)-TURCOVID multicenter registry. Methods: Thirteen centers participated with 831 patients; 504 patients were enrolled after exclusions. The study was designed in three-steps: (1) Phone questionnaire; (2) retrospective evaluation of the medical records; (3) face-to-face visit. Results: In the first step, 93.5% of the patients were hospitalized; 61.7% had a history of pneumonia at the time of diagnosis. A total of 27.1% reported clinical symptoms at the end of the first year. Dyspnea (17.00%), fatigue (6.30%), and weakness (5.00%) were the most prevalent long-term symptoms. The incidence of long-term symptoms was increased by 2.91 fold (95% CI 1.04-8.13, P=0.041) in the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and by 1.84 fold (95% CI 1.10-3.10, P=0.021) in the presence of pneumonia at initial diagnosis, 3.92 fold (95% Cl 2.29-6.72, P=0.001) of dyspnea and 1.69 fold (95% Cl 1.02-2.80, P=0.040) fatigue persists in the early-post-treatment period and 2.88 fold (95% Cl 1.52- 5.46, P=0.001) in the presence of emergency service admission in the post COVID period. In step 2, retrospective analysis of 231 patients revealed that 1.4% of the chest X-rays had not significantly improved at the end of the first year, while computed tomography (CT) scan detected fibrosis in 3.4%. In step 3, 138 (27.4%) patients admitted to face-to-face visit at the end of first year; at least one symptom persisted in 49.27% patients. The most common symptoms were dyspnea (27.60%), psychiatric symptoms (18.10%), and fatigue (17.40%). Thorax CT revealed fibrosis in 2.4% patients. Conclusions: COVID-19 symptoms can last for extended lengths of time, and severity of the disease as well as the presence of comorbidities might contribute to increased risk. Long-term clinical issues should be regularly evaluated after COVID-19.
Objectives: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused a pandemic, which has been going on for about 1 year.How long the pandemic will continue remains uncertain.Determining the etiology of pneumonia is the most important point for the treatment approach.In this study, it was aimed to determine the parameters that might be useful in the differentiation of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) from COVID-19 pneumonia.Materials and Methods: CAP group consisted of 53 people who applied to the infectious diseases polyclinic and chest diseases polyclinic between 01.12.2019 and 30.01.2020 in our country, including the periods when the incidence of CAP increased and influenza peaked, and were hospitalized after being diagnosed with pneumonia.For the COVID-19 pneumonia group, 37 patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 detected by polymerase chain reaction from the combined nasal throat swab and with computed tomography showing lesions consistent with COVID-19 were included.Results: Age, leukocyte count, neutrophil count, monocyte count and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in pneumonia patients in the CAP group.In receiver operating characteristic analysis, positive predictive value of age CRP monocyte count formula was 0.83 and negative predictive value was 0.75. Conclusion:The age difference between the groups was used in different studies on the etiology of pneumonia.It has been thought that the detection of monocytes in the tissues in postmortem studies in COVID-19 pneumonia may be due to consumption.Higher CRP detection in CAP compared to covid pneumonia was found to be similar to the literature.Our study has shown that the formulation containing monocytes, CRP and age factors, which were found to be statistically significantly different, is suitable for use in diagnostic differentiation.
Objective: There is a positive and significant relationship between severity and viral load in some viral diseases. Studies on the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load at diagnosis and severity of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) have yielded conflicting results. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between viral load and the clinical status of patients with COVID-19. Methods: Data of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to our center between May 01 and June 31, 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups according to their clinical characteristics as mild-moderate and severe. The demographic, laboratory, clinical, and radiological data were retrieved from electronic folders. Results: The entire cohort included 285 patients; 254 had a mild-moderate clinical course, and 31 had a severe course. Statistical analyses revealed that SARS-CoV-2 viral load was not associated with symptom duration and clinical status (p>0.05). According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, only ferritin, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase elevations were positively correlated with severe clinical course. (p<0.05). Conclusion: We do not recommend using viral load to predict disease severity in COVID-19. We also found that only ferritin, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase accompanied severe clinical course.
Respiratory tract infections are common in Down syndrome.A 24-year-old male patient with Down syndrome with concurrent diabetes mellitus underwent antibiotic treatment with a diagnosis of lung abscess in an external center with complaints of fever and vomiting, but was referred to us after his symptoms did not regress.Despite the improvement in the lung abscess noted in a radiological examination, the patient was identified with a brain abscess upon an examination due to the continuation of fever, vomiting and the onset of headache.Particular attention should be paid to additional abscess foci such as brain abscess in cases with lung abscess with an underlying comorbidity.
In this article, Early Career Task Force Group members of the Turkish Thoracic Society summarize the European Respiratory Society 2020 virtual congress. Current developments in the field of respiratory diseases were compiled with the addition of sessions specific to coronavirus disease 2019 this year. Almost all of the congress sessions were examined, and the important and striking results of the congress were highlighted. Congress sessions were attended by expert researchers, and the prominent messages of each session were highlighted in short summaries. They were then grouped under relevant titles and ranked in order of meaning and relation. It was finalized by a team of researchers.
Background and objectivesAlthough several repurposed antiviral drugs have been used for the treatment of COVID-19, only a few such as remdesivir and molnupiravir have shown promising effects. The objectives of our study were to investigate the association of repurposed antiviral drugs with COVID-19 morbidity.MethodsPatients admitted to 26 different hospitals located in 16 different provinces between March 11–July 18, 2020, were enrolled. Case definition was based on WHO criteria. Patients were managed according to the guidelines by Scientific Board of Ministry of Health of Turkey. Primary outcomes were length of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) requirement, and intubation.ResultsWe retrospectively evaluated 1,472 COVID-19 adult patients; 57.1% were men (mean age = 51.9 ± 17.7years). A total of 210 (14.3%) had severe pneumonia, 115 (7.8%) were admitted to ICUs, and 69 (4.7%) were intubated during hospitalization. The median (interquartile range) of duration of hospitalization, including ICU admission, was 7 (5–12) days. Favipiravir (n = 328), lopinavir/ritonavir (n = 55), and oseltamivir (n = 761) were administered as antiviral agents, and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ, n = 1,382) and azithromycin (n = 738) were used for their immunomodulatory activity. Lopinavir/ritonavir (β [95% CI]: 4.71 [2.31–7.11]; p = 0.001), favipiravir (β [95% CI]: 3.55 [2.56–4.55]; p = 0.001) and HCQ (β [95% CI]: 0.84 [0.02–1.67]; p = 0.046) were associated with increased risk of lengthy hospital stays. Furthermore, favipiravir was associated with increased risks of ICU admission (OR [95% CI]: 3.02 [1.70–5.35]; p = 0.001) and invasive mechanical ventilation requirement (OR [95% CI]: 2.94 [1.28–6.75]; p = 0.011).ConclusionOur findings demonstrated that antiviral drugs including lopinavir, ritonavir, and favipiravir were associated with negative clinical outcomes such as increased risks for lengthy hospital stay, ICU admission, and invasive mechanical ventilation requirement. Therefore, repurposing such agents without proven clinical evidence might not be the best approach for COVID-19 treatment.
This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with sarcoidosis and related clinical factors. Consecutive patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis in our clinic were evaluated for OSA risk during sleep using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Stanford Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Berlin questionnaire, STOP and STOP-BANG questionnaires, and polysomnography (PSG). A total of 60 sarcoidosis patients (mean age: 50 ± 11 years, 45 (75
Objective: To determine post-discharge mortality and associated factors of the first-wave multicenter Turkish Thoracic Society (TTD)-TURCOVID study. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed the data of 18 of 26 centers included in the first TTD-TURCOVID study, and 1 112 cases diagnosed with COVID-19 between 11 March and 31 July 2020 participated in the study. All causes of death after COVID-19 discharge were recorded. Results: The mean age of the patients was (51.07±16.93) years, with 57.6% male patients. In the cohort group, 89.1% of COVID-19 treatment locations were hospital wards, 3.6% were intensive care units (ICUs), and 7.2% were community outpatients. In the longterm follow-up, the in-hospital mortality rate was 3.6% (95% CI 2.64.8), the post-discharge mortality rate was 2.8% (95% CI 1.9-3.9), and the total mortality was 6.3% (95% CI 5.0-7.8). After discharge, 63.3% of mortality overall occurred during the first six months. Mortality rates in post-discharge follow-ups were 12.7% (95% CI 8.0-30.6) in cancer patients, 10.8% (95% CI 6.3-22.9) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, 11.1% (95% CI 4.4-22.7) in heart failure patients, 7.8 (95% CI 3.8-14.3) in atherosclerotic heart disease patients, and 2.3% (95% CI 0.8-5.6) in diabetes mellitus patients. In smokers/ex-smokers, the all-mortality rates were higher than in non-smokers. Conclusions: This multicenter study showed that patients over 65 years of age, males, former/active smoker, ICU stay, lung, heart disease, and malignancy should be followed up for at least the first six months after discharge due to COVID-19.
Objective Vaccination is the most efficient way to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccination rates remain below the target level in most countries. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of hospitalized patients and compare two different booster vaccine protocols. Setting Inoculation in Turkey began in mid-January 2021. Sinovac was the only available vaccine until April 2021, when BioNTech was added. At the beginning of July 2021, the government offered a third booster dose to healthcare workers and people aged > 50 years who had received the two doses of Sinovac. Of the participants who received a booster, most chose BioNTech as the third dose. Methods We collected data from 25 hospitals in 16 cities. Patients hospitalized between August 1 and 10, 2021, were included and categorized into eight groups according to their vaccination status. Results We identified 1401 patients, of which 529 (37.7%) were admitted to intensive care units. Nearly half (47.8%) of the patients were not vaccinated, and those with two doses of Sinovac formed the second largest group (32.9%). Hospitalizations were lower in the group which received 2 doses of Sinovac and a booster dose of BioNTech than in the group which received 3 doses of Sinovac. Conclusion Effective vaccinations decreased COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The efficacy after two doses of Sinovac may decrease over time; however, it may be enhanced by adding a booster dose. Moreover, unvaccinated patients may be persuaded to undergo vaccination.
To evaluate the effects of Caspase‐3 (CASP3) gene expression and serum levels on preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. A total of 41 individuals (male: 21; female: 20) with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were included in the current study. Hemograms were examined from patient blood samples, and CASP3 gene expression levels were detected. Also, human CASP3 levels were determined from the serum samples of patients. The mean age of patients was 56.220 ± 18.937 years. Significant differences were detected among all groups for CASP3 2−ΔΔCt (p = 0.014) and CASP3 concentration (p = 0.024). The relationship between CASP3 2−ΔΔCt levels and hemoglobin (p = 0.023), between CASP3 2−ΔΔCt levels and C‐reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.001), between CASP3 2−ΔΔCt levels and ferritin (p = 0.003), between CASP3 2−ΔΔCt levels and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.001), and between CASP3 2−ΔΔCt levels and SpO2 (p = 0.006) were statistically significant. Also, the relationship between CASP3 concentration levels and SpO2 was statistically significant (p < 0.046). The CASP3 gene and/or its products have an important function to prevent injury caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. They play crucial roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and viability. Perhaps CASP3 levels may provide information about the severity of the disease.
The COVID-19-related death rate varies between countries and is affected by various risk factors. This multicenter registry study was designed to evaluate the mortality rate and the related risk factors in Turkey. We retrospectively evaluated 1500 adults with COVID-19 from 26 centers who were hospitalized between March 11 and July 31, 2020. In the study group, 1041 and 459 cases were diagnosed as definite and highly probable cases, respectively. There were 993 PCR-positive cases (66.2%). Among all cases, 1144 (76.3%) were diagnosed with non-severe pneumonia, whereas 212 (14.1%) had severe pneumonia. Death occurred in 67 patients, corresponding to a mortality rate of 4.5% (95% CI:3.5–5.6). The univariate analysis demonstrated that various factors, including male sex, age ≥65 years and the presence of dyspnea or confusion, malignity, chronic obstructive lung disease, interstitial lung disease, immunosuppressive conditions, severe pneumonia, multiorgan dysfunction, and sepsis, were positively associated with mortality. Favipiravir, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin were not associated with survival. Following multivariate analysis, male sex, severe pneumonia, multiorgan dysfunction, malignancy, sepsis and interstitial lung diseases were found to be independent risk factors for mortality. Among the biomarkers, procalcitonin levels on the 3rd-5th days of admission showed the strongest associations with mortality (OR: 6.18; 1.6–23.93). This study demonstrated that the mortality rate in hospitalized patients in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic was a serious threat and that those patients with male sex, severe pneumonia, multiorgan dysfunction, malignancy, sepsis and interstitial lung diseases were at increased risk of mortality; therefore, such patients should be closely monitored.
As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads across the world, the ongoing clinical trials are leading to a big race worldwide to develop a treatment that will help control the pandemic. Unfortunately, COVID-19 does not have any known effective treatment with reliable study results yet. In this pandemic, there is not a lot of time to develop a new specific agent because of the rapid spread of the disease. The process of developing a vaccine is long and requires hard work. Although the pathophysiology of the disease is not fully understood, some of the proposed treatment alternatives are based on old evidence and some have been used with the idea that they might work owing to their mechanism of action. The efficacy, reliability, and safety of the currently available treatment alternatives are therefore a matter of debate. Currently, the main therapies used in the treatment of COVID-19 are antiviral drugs and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine. Other proposed options include tocilizumab, convalescent plasma, and steroids, but the mainstay of the treatment in intensive care units remains supportive therapies.
Objective: The aim of this present study was to investigate the eating attitudes of sarcoidosis patients. Method: 50 patients with sarcoidosis and 45 healthy individuals without chronic disease were included to study. All participants evaluated for metabolic syndrome (MetS) according to National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria. Eating Attitude Test (EAT) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were applied to all participants. All participants evaluated for metabolic syndrome (MetS). The cut-off scores of the tests were 30 for BDI and 17 for BDI. Results: When sarcoidosis cases and control group were evaluated according to EAT and BDI cut-off scores; it was found that the prevalence of deterioration in eating behavior was higher in patients with sarcoidosis than healthy controls but the prevalence of depression was not higher (p=0.018, p=0.874 respectively). We found that total EAT scores were significantly higher in sarcoidosis patients who has MetS. MetS(-); EAT: 15±7, MetS(+); EAT: 27±10 p<0.001. Conclusion: This study is important to show connection between the sarcoidosis and disordered eating attitudes. It is not adequate to establish the presence of comorbidities alone. Defining risk factors leading to comorbidities is also important in patients with sarcoidosis. If causative factors are detected, controlling them by a multidisciplinary approach will prevent the onset of comorbidities and also provide satisfactory management of sarcoidosis.
This study aimed to determine the association between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and serum Clara cell protein (CC16) levels in non-smoking patients with OSA. This prospective study included non-smoking patients who presented with sleep-related disturbances and underwent polysomnography (PSG). The serum CC16 level was measured and its relationship to PSG parameters was investigated. The study included 128 patients (83 men) with a mean age of 48.4 ± 11.9. OSA was detected in 66 men (70%) and 29 women (30%) (p = 0.051). The severity of OSA was mild in 32 (25%), moderate in 28 (22%), and severe in 35 (27%) of the patients. There was no significant difference in CC16 levels between the OSA group (1746 ± 1006) and the OSA negative group (1721 ± 1201, p = 0.91) levels. There was no significant difference between the CC16 levels of the each four groups. Mean serum CC16 levels were significantly lower in OSA negative men than OSA positive men (777 vs 1462, p = 0.005). No significant difference was observed in CC16 values according to OSA severity in women. The serum CC16 level does not differ between non-smoking OSA patients and OSA negative patients.
The novel coronavirus pandemic poses a major global threat to public health. Our knowledge concerning every aspect of COVID-19 is evolving rapidly, given the increasing data from all over the world. In this narrative review, the Turkish Thoracic Society Early Career Taskforce members aimed to provide a summary on recent literature regarding epidemiology, clinical findings, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of COVID-19. Studies revealed that the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus showed significant identity to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor is an important target of the SARS-CoV-2 while entering an organism. Smokers were more likely to develop the disease and have a higher risk for ICU admission. The mean incubation period was 6.4 days, whereas asymptomatic transmission was reported up to 25 days after infection. Fever and cough were the most common symptoms, and cardiovascular diseases and hypertension were reported to be the most common comorbidities among patients. Clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic and mild disease to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Several patients showed typical symptoms and radiological changes with negative RT-PCR but positive IgG and IgM antibodies. Although radiological findings may vary, bilateral, peripherally distributed, ground-glass opacities were typical of COVID-19. Poor prognosis was associated with older age, higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and high D-dimer level. Chloroquine was found to be effective in reducing viral replication in vitro. Likewise, protease inhibitors, including lopinavir/ritonavir, favipiravir, and nucleoside analogue remdesivir were proposed to be the potential drug candidates in COVID-19 management. Despite these efforts, we still have much to learn regarding the transmission, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19.
Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı akciğer kanseri tanılı hastalarda; yatış nedenlerini, yatış sürelerini ve mortaliteyi etkileyen faktörleri incelemektir Gereç ve Yöntemler: Hastanemiz göğüs hastalıkları kliniğine 2013-2018 tarihleri arasında akciğer kanseri tanısı ile başvurup yatışı yapılan 151 hasta geriye yönelik değerlendirildi. İnceleme sırasında hastaların patoloji raporları, ICD–10 tanı kodları, laboratuvar sonuçları ve anamnez arşivine kaydedilen bilgilerinden yararlanıldı. Bulgular: Vakaların %90,1’i erkek (n=136), %9,9’u (n=15) kadındı. Yaş ortalaması 65±10 (minimum: 45, maksimum: 86 yıl) idi. En sık tanı Küçük Hücre Dışı Akciğer Kanseri (KHDAK) idi (%84). Hastalarda görülen en sık semptom nefes darlığı (%77,5), en sık yatış nedeni pnömoni idi (%54,3). Sigara öyküsü sorgulandığında; hastaların %44,2’si halen sigara içmeye devam ediyordu. Taburculuk durumu değerlendirildiğinde gruplar arasında hücre tanısı (p=0,008) açısından anlamlı istatistiksel fark vardı. Yatış süreleri göz önünde bulundurulduğunda gruplar arasında; diyabet bulunan hastalarda yatış süresi anlamlı olarak kısaydı (p=0,023). Diğer komorbiditelerden KOAH ve kalp yetmezliği olanlarda yatış süresi uzun olsa da istatistiksel olarak anlamlılığa ulaşmadı (sırasıyla; p=0,455 p=0,519). Sonuç: Bu çalışmada akciğer kanseri tanısı almış hastaların yatış nedenlerini retrospektif olarak inceledik. Kanser hastalarının takibinde gelişebilecek pnömoni açısından koruyucu önlemler almak hastane yatış ve hasta maliyetlerini, morbidite ve mortaliyeyi azaltabilir. Sigara konusunda verilecek eğitim ve tedaviler hastalığın prognozunda önem arz etmektedir.