The COVID-19 pandemic is progressing rapidly, sending the world into a great panic. Healthcare professionals have
responded by embarking on a concerted search for therapies to cure and prevent COVID-19. Recently, interferon (IFN) has emerged as a
potential therapy as it is associated with reducing lung inflammation and suppressing viral replication. This research paper assessed the
efficacy of high-dose nebulized IFN α 2b in severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
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This study evaluated the relationship between end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) measured with a portable capnometer and
PaCO2 in respiratory disease patients.
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It has been suggested that Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD) worsens lung functions and COPD lowers vitamin D levels, but this
has not been proven yet.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out between January 2014 and September 2015. All the COPD patients with 25 (OH)
D3 measurements were included in this study. The patients < 40-year-old, or with a smoking history of less than 10 package-year, or with
asthma, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, cancer, were excluded from the study. Medical records about age, gender, pulmonary
function test, body mass index (BMI), annual exacerbations/hospitalizations, modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) level
and serum 25 (OH) D3 were obtained.
RESULTS: The data of 216 (83.8% male) patients were examined in the study. The mean age was 66.88 ± 10.3 years. The mean vitamin
D level was 21.1 ± 13.73 ng/mL. Of the patients, 57.9% had VDD, and even 19.9% were in severe VDD. Only 26.4% had adequate
vitamin D level. There was a significant in BMI, FEV1, FVC, annual exacerbation and hospitalisations between the patients with vitamin
D levels > 20 ng / mL and ≤ 20 ng / mL. Vitamin D level of patients with mMRC level 1 was significantly higher than those with mMRC
2, 3, 4 (respectively P = .03; P = .026; P = .014).
CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that lung function was worse in COPD patients with VDD and VDD increased with increasing
severity of COPD.
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OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious pathology with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Studies regarding the efficacy of
new inflammatory markers as a predictor of mortality in PE have thus far been limited. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value
of platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/mean platelet volume (PLT/MPV), and C-reactive protein
(CRP) on short-term and long-term mortality in patients with PE.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective, observational cohort study was carried out in a tertiary teaching hospital. Patients with PE
hospitalized in the pulmonology ward were enrolled. Their characteristics, hemogram parameters, PLR, NLR, CRP levels, PLT/MPV on
admission, and mortality were recorded. The predictive accuracies of inflammatory markers were determined through receiver operating
characteristic curves. The risk factors for mortality were further analyzed with Cox regression analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 828 patients with PE were included in the study. The 1-month mortality was 1%, and the 1-year mortality was 8.5%.
An NLR value above 6 was associated with an almost 13-fold increase in short-term (30-day) mortality. We found that an NLR above 3.15
and age were independent risk factors for long-term (1-year) mortality. The other inflammatory markers, namely PLR and CRP, were not
found to be associated with long-term mortality.
CONCLUSION: PE is a serious condition in the elderly. Elevated NLR values appear to be a good and feasible predictor of inflammation,
which can be correlated with higher mortality over both the short-term and long-term periods.
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OBJECTIVE: There is no consensus on a certain drug therapy for COVID-19 infection. Growing reports argue about the potential
benefits of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in reducing morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but with inconsistent results.
This study aimed to assess the potential benefits of HCQ on viral conversion, reducing the need for ICU or mechanical ventilation, and
its impact on mortality.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted enrolling confirmed SARS-CoV2 patients. They were
subjected to plain CXR (HRCT of chest if needed), routine laboratory tests for COVID-19 (including CBC, CRP, LDH, D-Dimer, ferritin,
and blood sugar), ECG, and blood gases. They were allocated to either HCQ or non-HCQ groups. Both groups were followed-up for
symptoms resolution, need for ICU admission, non-invasive or invasive ventilation, duration till conversion, and mortality.
RESULTS: A total of 202 patients with moderate COVID-19 were enrolled with a mean age of 55.05±10.15, out of whom 80% were male
patients. The most common presenting symptom was fever (87.38% in the control group versus 92% in the HCQ group), followed by
cough (82.52% versus 89.9%). In total, 24.27% of patients in the control group versus 28.3% in the HCQ group deteriorated and necessitated ICU admission (p=0.52), 13.6% of the control group versus 19.2% in the HCQ group required mechanical ventilation (p=0.28),
and 69.9% of the control group versus 68.9% in the HCQ group converted negative on day 7 (p=0.85). No significant mortality difference
between both groups was observed (4.9% versus 6.1%, p=0.47).
CONCLUSION: This work did not support any benefits of using HCQ in patients with COVID-19, neither in reducing the need for ICU,
mechanical ventilation, nor mortality
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Modulation of human lung airway physiology by commensal microbiota has become one of the key mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of adult asthma. Recent evidence suggests that the composition of respiratory microbiota plays a significant role in the manifestation of adult asthma; however, scientific evidence about the relationship between airway microbial diversity and phenotypes of adult
asthma is limited. Further research is needed to understand the interactions between the airway microbiota and host immune response to
develop microbiota-based strategies in management of adult asthma. This study reviews the advances in culture-independent methods
for detection of airway microbiome, the current data about airway microbiota in healthy individuals and in adult patients with asthma
with a focus on bacterial communities, and the future research directions in airway microbiome.
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Nur YAPAR,
Eyüp Sabri UÇAN ,
Fırat BAYRAKTAR ,
Necati GÖKMEN , Arzu SAYINER, Ziya KURUÜZÜM,
Başak BAYRAM ,
Sema ALP ÇAVUŞ ,
Oğuz KILINÇ ,
Vildan Avkan- OĞUZ ,
Yusuf SAVRAN ,
Semih KÜÇÜKGÜÇLÜ ,
Murat CELİLOĞLU
In December 2019, in Wuhan, China, scientists observed a sudden and sharp increase in the number of cases of pneumonia and acute
respiratory distress syndrome of an unknown origin. By the end of January 2020, the outbreak had spread to Asia, Europe, America, and
Australia. In this article, we have outlined the pandemic action plan of our university hospital.
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Compassion fatigue is representative of the cost of caring and is reported to have significant negative effects. Compassion
fatigue needs to be better understood in order to define, prevent, and intervene. The aim of this study is to determine the level of compassion fatigue and possible predictors (demographics, vocational features, satisfaction, and psychological capital) in physicians and nurses
working in chest diseases and thoracic surgery hospital.
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Despite the negative aspects of cigarette use on pregnant, the level of smoking is extremely high among low-income women
during pregnancy.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study which has been conducted using an in-depth individual interview method, qualitatively explores
and describes the characteristics of smoking behavior among poor pregnant women in Izmir, Turkey. A conventional content analysis
method was used in the data analysis. Twelve pregnant women who smoked at least 1 cigarette a day and had $4 daily income were chosen as participants in this study. Interviews were recorded using a voice recorder, and the average duration of the interviews was 31 min.
RESULTS: The smoking behavior of poor pregnant women is classified under 2 themes: “Individual attitudes and behavior” and
“Interpersonal factors.”
CONCLUSION: Public health nurses should include smoking/non-smoking criteria in their routine check-ups and follow up with pregnant women while undertaking the role of educator and counseling regarding smoking cessation.
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