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Introduction The human population is aging at an astonishing rate. The aim of this study is to capture a situation snapshot revealing the proportion of individuals aged 65 years and over among inpatients in healthcare institutions in Turkey and the prevalence and type of infections in this patient group in order to draw a road map. Materials and Methods Hospitalized patients over 65 years at any of the 62 hospitals in 29 cities across Turkey on February 9, 2017 were included in the study. Web-based SurveyMonkey was used for data recording and evaluation system. Results Of 17,351 patients 5871 (33.8%) were ≥65 years old. The mean age was 75.1 ± 7.2 years; 3075 (52.4%) patients were male. Infection was reason for admission for 1556 (26.5%) patients. Pneumonia was the most common infection. The median length of hospital stay was 5 days (IQR: 2–11 days). The Antibiotic therapy was initiated for 2917 (49.7%) patients at the time of admission, and 23% of the antibiotics prescribed were inappropriate. Healthcare-associated infections developed in 1059 (18%) patients. Urinary catheters were placed in 2388 (40.7%) patients with 7.5% invalid indication. Conclusion This study used real data to reveal the proportion of elderly patients in hospital admissions. The interventions done, infections developed during hospitalization, length of hospital stay, and excessive drug load emphasize the significant impact on health costs and illustrate the importance of preventive medicine in this group of patients.

OBJECTIVE: Turkey is one of the latest countries that COVID-19 disease was reported, with the first case on March 11, 2020, and since then, Istanbul became the epicenter of the pandemic in Turkey. Here, we reveal sequences of the virus isolated from three different patients with various clinical presentations. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swab specimens of the patients were tested positive for the COVID-19 by qRT-PCR. Viral RNA extraction was performed from the same swab samples. Amplicon based libraries were prepared and sequenced using the Illumina NextSeq platform. Raw sequencing data were processed for variant calling and generating near-complete genome sequences. All three genomes were evaluated and compared with other worldwide isolates. RESULTS: The patients showed various clinics (an asymptomatic patient, patient with mild disease, and with severe pulmonary infiltration). Amplicon-based next-generation sequencing approach successfully applied to generate near-complete genomes with an average depth of 2.616. All three viral genomes carried the D614G variant (G clade according to GISAID classification) with implications for the origin of a spread first through China to Europe then to Istanbul. CONCLUSION: Here, we report the viral genomes circulating in Istanbul for the first time. Further sequencing of the virus isolates may enable us to understand variations in disease presentation and association with viral factors if there is any. In addition, the sequencing of more viral genomes will delineate the spread of disease and will guide and ease the necessary measures taken to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

© 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Protective neutralizing antibody titers reduce in time after COVID-19 vaccinations, as in individuals who have had COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of CoronaVac and TURKOVAC vaccines used as a booster dose after CoronaVac primary vaccination. This double-blind, randomized, controlled, phase II, multicenter study included healthy male and female adults (18–60 years) who were vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac vaccine and did not exceed the duration of at least 90 days and a maximum of 270 days from the second dose of vaccination. Among 236 eligible volunteers, 222 were recruited for randomization between July 12, 2021 and September 10, 2021; 108 and 114 were randomized to the TURKOVAC and CoronaVac arms, respectively. The primary endpoint was adverse events (AEs) (ClinicalTrials.gov; Identifier: NCT04979949). On day 28, at the neutralizing antibody threshold of 1/6, the positivity rate reached 100% from 46.2% to 98.2% from 52.6% in the TURKOVAC and CoronaVac arms, respectively, against the Wuhan variant and the positivity rate reached 80.6% from 8.7% in the TURKOVAC arm vs. 71.9% from 14.0% in the CoronaVac arm against the Delta variant. IgG spike antibody positivity rate increased from 57.3% to 98.1% and from 57.9% to 97.4% in the TURKOVAC and CoronaVac arms, respectively. The TURKOVAC and CoronaVac arms were comparable regarding the frequency of overall AEs. Both vaccines administered as booster yielded higher antibody titers with acceptable safety profiles.

Lyme disease is a zoonosis that arises from Borrelia burgdorferi spp belonging to the Spirochaetales family, transmitted by Ixodes-type ticks. In the course of the disease, the heart, skin, nervous and musculoskeletal system may be affected. Central nervous system involvement, defined as neuroborreliosis, may be similar to Guillain- Barré syndrome (GBS), an immune-mediated acute neuropathy. In this article, a case that was followed up in the neurology clinic with GBS due to facial paralysis, muscle weakness and widespread muscle pain was shared. Neuroborreliosis was considered in the differential diagnosis of the patient whose clinical findings did not improve due to the presence of tick contact in history, and the diagnosis was confirmed by clinical and laboratory findings. In this case, it was emphasized that neuroborreliosis should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of the GBS.

INTRODUCTION[|]Influenza is a disease that causes mortality, morbidity, and workforce productivity losses, especially in high-risk patients. Healthcare workers are among those at risk for exposure to the flu and for transmission of the virus to the patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes and behavior of physicians at one hospital regarding the influenza vaccine. [¤]METHODS[|]A questionnaire comprising 11 questions was used to evaluate the attitudes and behaviors of the physicians working in one hospital with respect to the influenza vaccine. [¤]RESULTS[|]A total of 105 physicians participated in the study, and 74.3% of the respondents were not vaccinated for influenza virus. The most common reasons given were that it was viewed as unimportant and remissness (64%). The results indicated that 39% of the physicians surveyed did not recommend an influenza vaccine to their patients. Vaccination was most frequently recommended to the patients with chronic lung disease (83.9%). It was also observed that 94.3% of the physicians had not received any education on influenza in previous year. [¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|]The most important step in reducing the mortality due to influenza is to increase the rate of influenza vaccination. Awareness of physicians should be increased in order for vaccination programs to be successful throughout the country.[¤]

Background: As the Modified Anticoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation Risk Score (M-ATRIA-RS) encompasses prognostic risk factors of novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19), it may be used to predict in-hospital mortality. We aimed to investigate whether M-ATRIA-RS was an independent predictor of mortality in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and compare its discrimination capability with CHADS, CHA2DS2-VASc, and modified CHA2DS2-VASc (mCHA2DS2-VASc)-RS. Methods: A total of 1,001 patients were retrospectively analyzed and classified into three groups based on M-ATRIA-RS, designed by changing sex criteria of ATRIA-RS from female to male: Group 1 for points 0–1 (n = 448), Group 2 for points 2–4 (n = 268), and Group 3 for points ?5 (n = 285). Clinical outcomes were defined as in-hospital mortality, need for high-flow oxygen and/or intubation, and admission to intensive care unit. Results: As the M-ATRIA-RS increased, adverse clinical outcomes significantly increased (Group 1, 6.5%; Group 2, 15.3%; Group 3, 34.4%; p

Objective: This study aimed to identify the effect of tocilizumab (TCZ) on clinical outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients. Material and Methods: We included hospitalized COVID-19 patients with an initial WHO scale ≥4. We matched the patients with baseline characteristics by using propensity scores. Then, we selected patients with C-reactive protein levels above 30 and showing an upward trend. We assessed the effect of TCZ in patients on clinical outcomes by using Mann – Whitney U and Chi-square tests. Results: Of 200 patients who had an initial WHO scale ≥ 4, 42 (21%) were given TCZ in addition to standard of care (SOC). Twentyfive patients (50%) needed mechanical ventilation (MV) in the TCZ group, compared with 35 (21%) of 158 patients with SOC (p

To describe the change in the epidemiology of health care-associated infections (HAI), resistance and predictors of fatality we conducted a nationwide study in 24 hospitals between 2015 and 2018. The 30-day fatality rate was 22% in 2015 and increased to 25% in 2018. In BSI, a significant increasing trend was observed for Candida and Enterococcus. The highest rate of 30-day fatality was detected among the patients with pneumonia (32%). In pneumonia, Pseudomonas infections increased in 2018. Colistin resistance increased and significantly associated with 30-day fatality in Pseudomonas infections. Among S. aureus methicillin, resistance increased from 31 to 41%. WOS:000617831800002 2-s2.0-85101454721 PubMed: 33586014