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We evaluated the cost and efficacy of radiobasilic and brachiobasilic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) methods in terms of forearm autogenous arteriovenous access in hemodialysis patients. We used a decision tree to compare the cost-effectiveness of proximal radiobasilic AVF (pRBAVF) and brachiobasilic AVF (BBAVF), considering the mean direct medical costs and patency rates. The overall mean cost of pRBAVF per patient (1767.59 Turkish lira [TL]) was lower than that of BBAVF (1877.99 TL). Also, the mean patency duration per patient was higher for pRBAVF (25.72 months) than BBAVF (20.21 months). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) showed that pRBAVF was 20.04-fold more effective than BBAVF. The monthly ICERs also favored pRBAVF, which was less costly and more effective. The pRBAVF provided clinical and economic benefits for hemodialysis patients requiring forearm autogenous arteriovenous access. pRBAVF was more effective in terms of patency than BBAVF, and was also less expensive. WOS:000654045000001 2-s2.0-85106444740 PubMed: 33973703

Background COVID-19 infection is severe in the presence of older age, male gender and risk factors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the level of anxiety created by immensely spreading COVID-19-related information and age, gender and the presence of risk factors. Material and Methods The data used in this study were obtained by collecting a 25-question questionnaire created through Google forms with various communication tools. Results The data of 929 people who answered the questionnaire were used. The level of anxiety increased with age significantly, upon hearing that a person from their age group was harmed by the virus (P < .001). The feelings of being depressed and hopeless significantly increased as the age increased (P < .001). There was no significant difference between the genders in terms of feeling depressed and feeling of lack of joy in life (P = .066, P = .308, respectively). Participants with chronic diseases stated that they felt more depressed and hopeless and a lack of joy in life more frequently (P < .001). Conclusion Our results indicated that individuals with older age and having risk factors were more vulnerable to the stress caused by the pandemic. It is necessary for healthcare providers to identify high-risk groups by considering these situations, in order to make early psychological interventions. WOS:000631038200001 2-s2.0-85102838679 PubMed: 33720469

Background This study compared selective head cooling (SHC) and whole-body cooling (WBC) in newborns with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods We conducted a prospective randomized small-scale pilot study in newborns with HIE, born after >35 weeks of gestation. The patients were randomly assigned to receive SHC or WBC. Results The SHC group consisted of 17 patients, and the WBC group, 12 patients. There was no significant difference in adverse effects related to cooling therapy between the two groups. During the 12 month study period, seven patients in the SHC group and four in the WBC group died, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.667). Among the patients alive at 12 months after treatment, six in the SHC group and four in the WBC group had severe disabilities; the difference was not significant (P = 0.671). When the composite outcome of death or severe disability was evaluated, the difference between the SHC group (77%, n = 13) and the WBC group (67%, n = 8) was not significant (P = 0.562). Moreover, the number of survivors without disability at 12 months after treatment did not differ significantly between the SHC group (n = 3) and the WBC group (n = 4; P = 0.614). Conclusions There were no significant differences in adverse effects, 12 month neuromotor development, or mortality rate between SHC and WBC in newborns with HIE, born after >35 weeks of gestation.

Aktas Sukuroglu, Ayca/0000-0003-3069-7905; Battal, Dilek/0000-0003-1935-5330 WOS: 000325465200008 PubMed: 23759069 Sertraline, a leading antidepressant in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) group of medicine, is the most frequently prescribed drug. In this study, the alkaline comet assay and the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay were used to investigate genotoxicity potential of sertraline in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of acute and chronic sertraline-treated Wistar albino rats. Male Wistar albino rats (n=48) were administered low, medium and high doses of sertraline (10, 40, 80mg/kg) for acute and chronic treatment by employing the gavage method to investigate genotoxicity of the administered drug. The data (tail length, tail intensity and tail moment) were analysed and indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between sertraline-treated groups and the negative control group with respect to DNA damage (p>0.05). However, it was observed that acute sertraline administration had caused much more DNA damage in comparison with chronic treatment (p