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Finansal piyasalarda oluşabilecek fiyat hareketlerinin yönü hakkında bilgi sahibi olmak yatırımcılar, portföy yöneticileri ve riskten korunmak isteyenler için oldukça önemlidir. Finansal piyasalar hakkında tahminlerde bulunabilmek için çeşitli öncü göstergelerden faydalanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada küresel göstergelerden olan Baltık Kuru Yük Endeksi, petrol fiyatları, altın fiyatları, Dolar Endeksi, MSCI Dünya Endeksi arasındaki volatilite yayılımı ilişkisi 02.01.2015-23.12.2021 dönemi verileri kullanılarak Antonakakis ve Gabauer (2017) tarafından geliştirilen TVP-VAR yöntemiyle araştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda Baltık Kuru Yük Endeksi, Brent petrol fiyatı ve MSCI Dünya Endeksinin volatiliteyi yayan değişkenler olduğu, altın ons fiyatı ile Dolar Endeksinin volatiliteyi alan değişkenler olduğu görülmüştür. Volatiliteyi en çok yayan değişken Brent petrol fiyatı iken volatiliteyi en çok alan değişken de Dolar endeksi olmuştur. Brent petrol fiyatlarında meydana gelebilecek fiyat hareketleri takip edilerek incelenen finansal göstergelerin fiyat değişimleri hakkında bilgi sahibi olunabilecektir. Petrol fiyatlarında meydana gelen değişmelerin dünya ticaret hacmini ve sermaye hareketlerini etkilediği söylenebilmektedir. Ayrıca Covid-19 pandemisi gibi yaşanan olayların volatilitenin yönünü değiştirebileceği gözlemlenmiştir.

Objective:This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep quality, stress levels, and oral health-related quality of life of university students with self-reported sleep/awake bruxism in Turkey.Materials and Methods:Four anonymous questionnaires [Self-reported bruxism, perceived stress scale (PSS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and oral health impact profile-14 [(OHIP-14)] were administered to 310 university student volunteers that were randomly selected from the various provinces of Turkey. The participants were required to respond independently to the questionnaires at home and were encouraged to contact the authors for further assistance if needed.Results:Among the study participants, 56.8% were from the school of dentistry and 43.2% from other departments. Of all the participants, 29% had self-reported awake bruxism and 42.3% had self-reported sleep bruxism. A positive correlation was found between the PSS and OHIP-14 results (23.5%) and between the PSQI and PSS (24.6%) results in the students with self-reported awake bruxism (p=0.235, p=0.246; p

Abstract Background Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer for which there is currently no targeted therapy. Tumor-infiltrating B-cells (TIB) have been observed in tumor tissues of TNBC patients, but their functional role is unclear. IgG4 is one of four antibody subclasses of IgG expressed and secreted by B cells. Unlike other IgG isotypes, IgG4 has an immunosuppressive function and is induced by Th2-type cytokines. In cancers such as melanoma, IgG4 has been linked with advanced disease and poor patient survival. Therefore, we sought to determine if IgG4 + B cells are present and determine the mechanisms driving isotype switching in TNBC. Methods We performed co-culture assays to examine expression of Th2 cytokines by TNBC cells with and without the presence of B cells. We also performed in vitro class switching experiments with peripheral B cells with and without co-culture with TNBC cells in the presence or absence of an IL-10 blocking antibody. We examined expression of CD20+ TIB, IgG4 and Th2 cytokines by immunohistochemistry in 152 TNBC samples. Statistical analysis was done using Log-Rank and Cox-proportional hazards tests. Results Our findings indicate that B cells interact with TNBC to drive chronic inflammatory responses through increased expression of inflammatory cytokines including the TH2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-10. In vitro class switching studies show that interactions between TNBC cell lines and B cells drive isotype switching to the IgG4 isotype in an IL-10 dependent manner. In patient tissues, expression of IgG4 correlates with CD20 and tumor expression of IL-10. Both IgG4 and tumor IL-10 are associated to shorter recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in TNBC. In a multi-variant analysis, IL-10 was associated with poor outcomes indicating that tumor IL-10 may drive immune escape. Conclusions These findings indicate that interactions between TIB and TNBC results in activation of chronic inflammatory signals such as IL-10 and IL-4 that drive class switching to an IgG4 + subtype which may suppress antibody driven immune responses. The presence of IgG4 + B cells may serve as a biomarker for poor prognosis.

BackgroundNew mutational detection techniques like next-generation sequencing have resulted in an increased number of cases with uncommon mutation and compound mutations [3%–14% of all epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations]. In rare exon 18 mutations (3%–6%), G719X and E709X represent the majority, but CMut associating these exon 18 points mutations are even rarer, making the understanding of the impact of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors still limited. Three generations of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are available to target EGFR mutations, but according to the types of mutations, the sensitivity to TKI is different. Afatinib, osimertinib, and neratinib have showed some effectiveness in single exon 18, but no report has precisely described their efficiency and acquired mechanism of resistance in a CMut of exon 18–18 (G719A and E709A).Case presentationWe report a case of a 26-year-old woman with bilateral advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung harboring a compound mutation associating G719A and E709A in exon 18, who developed an EGFR amplification as resistance mechanism to osimertinib. She presented a significant clinical and morphological response under sequential TKIs treatment (afatinib, osimertinib, and then neratinib).ConclusionA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with rare compound mutation exon 18–exon 18 (G719A and E709A) and EGFR amplification can be overcome with adapted sequential second- and third-generation TKIs. This report has potential implications in guiding decisions for the treatment of these rare EGFR mutations.

INTRODUCTION[|]This study aims to provide data from dental patients about their oral health attitudes, dental visits, oral cancer predisposing factors and general knowledge about early signs of oral cancer.[¤]METHODS[|]This study was conducted on dental examination patients, involving both genders with an age range of 12–77 years. All questions were asked through a written questionnaire.[¤]RESULTS[|]This study included 254 cases with a mean age of 31.8+-16.4 years. One hundred and fifty three (60.2%) of the study group consisted of females and 101 (39.8%) were males. Smoking and alcohol consumption were frequent among the working group and males (p=0.001). Regarding general knowledge about early cancer signs, there was no significance among genders. Considering attitudes of the last dental visits of individuals according to their occupation, the working group displayed significance (p=0.005). The total rate for information about oral cancer, causes and symptoms 20 (7.9%) individuals had positive knowledge. Only 5 (0.02%) of the participants would refer to a dentist for neck swelling.[¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|]General knowledge of signs and symptoms of oral cancer are low in Turkish dental patients, most declare that early diagnosis is important. The main predisposing factors of oral cancer (smoking and alcohol) are statistically more consumed by the working group but showed no gender predisposition.[¤]

Bu araştırmanın amacı, ortaokul öğrencilerinin ters yüz öğrenme hazırbulunuşlukları ile araştırma/sorgulamaya yönelik tutumları arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemektir. İlişkisel tarama modelinde desenlenen bu araştırma, Van ilinde öğrenim gören 362 ortaokul öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veri toplama araçları olarak “Ortaokul Öğrencileri için Ters Yüz Öğrenme Hazırbulunuşluk Ölçeği” ve “Ortaokul Öğrencileri için Araştırma/Sorgulamaya Dönük Tutum Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde betimsel istatistikler, fark analizleri ve Pearson Çarpım Momentler Korelasyon Katsayısı kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda, ortaokul öğrencilerinin ters yüz öğrenme hazırbulunuşluklarının ve araştırma sorgulamaya yönelik tutumlarının yüksek düzeyde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Araştırmada, evinde internet bağlantısı olan ve yüksek sosyo-ekonomik gelişmişlik düzeyine sahip okullarda öğrenim gören öğrencilerin ters yüz öğrenme hazırbulunuşluklarının ve araştırma sorgulamaya yönelik tutumlarının daha yüksek olduğu saptanmıştır. Ayrıca, ortaokul öğrencilerinin araştırma sorgulamaya yönelik tutumları ile ters yüz öğrenme hazırbulunuşlukları arasında orta düzeyde, pozitif ve anlamlı bir ilişkinin olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Abstract Pfs48/45 is a leading antigen candidate for a transmission blocking (TB) vaccine. However, efforts to produce affordable, safe and correctly folded full-length Pfs48/45 using different protein expression systems have not produced an antigen with satisfactory TB activity. Pfs48/45 has 16 cysteines involved in disulfide bond formation, and the correct formation is critical for proper folding and induction of TB antibodies. Moreover, Pfs48⁄45 is not a glycoprotein in the native hosts, but contains potential glycosylation sites, which are aberrantly glycosylated during expression in eukaryotic systems. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that full length, Endo H in vivo enzymatic deglycosylated Pfs48/45 antigen is produced at a high level in plants and is structurally stable at elevated temperatures. Sera from mice immunized with this antigen showed strong inhibition in SMFA. Thus, Endo H in vivo enzymatic deglycosylated Pfs48/45 is a promising candidate for the development of an affordable TB vaccine, which may have the potential to save millions.

Usnic acid, as active dibenzofuran derivative, isolated and characterized from some lichen species. The aim of manuscript was to evaluate antioxidant, anticholinergic and antidiabetic potentials of usnic acid as an important natural product. Antioxidant profile of usnic acid determined by eight distinguishes bioanalytical antioxidant methods including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS·+), superoxide anion radical (O2·−) and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD·+) scavenging activities, cupric ion (Cu2+), ferric ion (Fe3+) and Fe3+-TPTZ reducing abilities and ferrous ion (Fe3+) chelating activity. Usnic acid was found as potent DPPH· (IC50: 49.50 μg/mL), DMPD·+ (IC50: 33.00 μg/mL), O2·− (IC50: 18.68 μg/mL), and ABTS·+ (IC50: 10.41 μg/mL) scavenging effects. Also, the inhibition effects of usnic acid were tested against some metabolic enzymes including acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Both enzymes play important roles in cholinergic transmission by hydrolyzing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in cholinergic synapses, central nervous system, neuromuscular junctions and autonomic ganglia. Their inhibitors were used for clinical treatment of some neurodegenerative conditions including myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer's disease, apathy, glaucoma, postural tachycardia syndrome and dementia. Furthermore, usnic acid showed the potent inhibition profiles against AChE (IC50: 1.273 nM) and BChE (IC50: 0.239 nM) enzymes. The results clearly showed that usnic acid is an important natural product with antioxidant and anticholinergic potentials. Keywords: Usnic acid, Antioxidant activity, Acetylcholinesterase, Butyrylcholinesterase, Enzyme inhibition

Abstract Background Immunotherapy represents a new therapeutic approach in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) with the potential for prolonged benefits. Because of the systemic nature and heterogeneity of tumoral diseases, as well as the immune restoration process induced by immunotherapy, the assessment of therapeutic efficacy is challenging, and the role of FDG PET is not well established. We evaluated the potential of FDG PET to monitor NSCLC patients treated with a checkpoint inhibitor. Results This was a retrospective analysis of 28 NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab, a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blocker. All patients underwent a PET scan before treatment (SCAN-1) and another scan 2 months later (SCAN-2). Disease progression was assessed by immune PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (iPERCIST), which was adapted from PERCIST; and the immune Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST). iPERCIST is a dual-time-point evaluation of “unconfirmed progressive metabolic disease” (UPMD) status at SCAN-2. UPMD at SCAN-2 was re-evaluated after 4 weeks with SCAN-3 to confirm PMD. Patients with complete/partial metabolic response (CMR or PMR) or stable metabolic disease (SMD) at SCAN-2 or -3 were considered responders. Patients with UPMD confirmed at SCAN-3 were considered non-responders. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival. At SCAN-2, we found 9/28 cases of PMR, 4/28 cases of SMD, 2/28 cases of CMR, and 13/28 cases of UPMD. Four of the 13 UPMD patients were classified as responders at SCAN-3 (PMR n = 1, SMD n = 3). The remaining nine UPMD patients were classified as non-responders due to clinical degradation, and treatment was stopped. The median follow-up was 16.7 months [3.6–32.2]. Responders continued treatment for a mean of 10.7 months [3.8–26.3]. Overall survival was longer for responders than that for non-responders (19.9 vs. 3.6 months, log rank p = 0.0003). The 1-year survival rates were 94% for responders and 11% for non-responders. A comparison with iRECIST showed reclassification in 39% (11/28) of patients with relevant additional prognostic information. Conclusions iPERCIST dual-time-point evaluation might be a powerful tool for evaluating anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy, with the ability to identify patients who can benefit most from treatment. The prognostic value of iPERCIST criteria should be confirmed in large prospective multicentric studies.

Ethanolic (EEC) and aqueous (WEC) extracts of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) were evaluated for their antioxidant profiles by eight distinguished bioanalytical antioxidant methods. Their inhibitory effects were tested against some enzymes including acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, α-glycosidase and α-amylase, which linked to different diseases. Additionally, the antioxidant properties were determined and polyphenolic compositions of the both extracts were evaluated by LC-MS/MS analysis. According to the LC-MS/MS experiments, thirteen compounds were found in WEC and EEC. Also, p-hydroxybenzoic acid (321.1 mg/kg extract), p-coumaric acid (291.4 mg/kg extract), and pyrogallol (142.4 mg/kg extract) were found to be the most abundant ingredients in the WEC. On the other hand, pyrogallol (264.3 mg/kg extract), ferulic acid (224.7 mg/kg extract) and p-coumaric acid (170.2 mg/kg extract) were found as the most plentiful chemicals in the EEC. For the estimation of the antioxidant capacities of the both extracts (WEC and EEC), DPPH· and ABTS•+ scavenging activities, as well as Fe3+-Fe2+, and Cu2+-Cu+ reducing assays were studied. The IC50 values of the WEC and EEC indicated that they were potent effective DPPH· (21. 25 and 15.71 μg/mL) and ABTS•+ (6.52 and 5.79 μg/mL) scavengers, as well as AChE (221.33 and 110.26 μg/mL), BChE (461.69 and 94.93 μg/mL), α-glycosidase (206.86 and 220.00 μg/mL) and α-amylase (189.86 and 200.86 μg/mL) inhibitors. As a conclusion, both EEC and WEC had rich phenolic contents and demonstrated effective anticholinergic, antidiabetic and antioxidant effects.

Introduction: Platin-based chemotherapy (CT) has long been the first-line standard-of-care for patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES–SCLC). Adding immune-checkpoint inhibitor(s) to CT (ICI+CT) in this setting is an option of interest, although its benefit is apparently modest. Methods: This meta-analysis was conducted on randomized trials comparing first-line ICI+CT versus CT alone for ES–SCLC. Outcomes included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), response at 12 months and adverse events (AEs). Subgroup analyses were computed according to the immunotherapy used, performance status (PS), age, platinum salt, liver metastases and brain metastases at diagnosis. Results: The literature search identified one randomized phase II (ECOG-ACRIN-5161) and four phase III trials (CASPIAN, IMPOWER-133, KEYNOTE-604 and Reck et al. 2016) that included 2775 patients (66% males, 95% smokers, median age: 64 years, PS = 0 or 1). ICI+CT was significantly associated (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]) with prolonged OS [0.82 (0.75–0.89); p

A plant expression platform with eukaryotic post-translational modification (PTM) machinery has many advantages compared to other protein expression systems. This promising technology is useful for the production of a variety of recombinant proteins including, therapeutic proteins, vaccine antigens, native additives, and industrial enzymes. However, plants lack some of the important PTMs, including furin processing, which limits this system for the production of certain mammalian complex proteins of therapeutic value. Furin is a ubiquitous proprotein convertase that is involved in the processing (activation) of a wide variety of precursor proteins, including blood coagulation factors, cell surface receptors, hormones and growth factors, viral envelope glycoproteins, etc. and plays a critical regulatory role in a wide variety of cellular events. In this study, we engineered the human furin gene for expression in plants and demonstrated the production of a functional active recombinant truncated human furin in N. benthamiana plant. We demonstrate that plant produced human furin is highly active both in vivo and in vitro and specifically cleaved the tested target proteins, Factor IX (FIX) and Protective Antigen (PA83). We also demonstrate that both, enzymatic deglycosylation and proteolytic processing of target proteins can be achieved in vivo by co-expression of deglycosylating and furin cleavage enzymes in a single cell to produce deglycosylated and furin processed target proteins. It is highly expected that this strategy will have many potential applications in pharmaceutical industry and can be used to produce safe and affordable therapeutic proteins, antibodies, and vaccines using a plant expression system.

In 2018, dosing regimens of the two most prescribed immune check point inhibitors (ICI), nivolumab (Opdivo®) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), in the treatment of lung cancer were changed from weight-based dosing to fixed dosing. The aim of this study was to compare the economic impact of this change in our university hospital group and then across Ile-de-France, the most inhabited French region. A budget impact analysis (BIA) has been performed on the French public health insurance data. The duration of treatment and the weight of the patients were calculated using data from the patients treated at our health facility and from clinical studies. The cost of treatment was calculated at the local level of our health facility and then for Ile-de-France. Our model demonstrates an additional cost of €550,115 in our hospital and €9,704,778 in Ile-de-France for a fixed dose prescription in 2018. In 2019, the BIA concluded an additional cost, according to the respective low and high assumptions, of €556,969 and €756,544 locally and € 10,201,027 to €14,486,141 for Ile-de-France for an equivalent efficacy between the two different drug dosing regimens of nivolumab and pembrolizumab. The adoption of the fixed dose regimen would lead, according to the least expensive hypothesis, to an additional cost of 26% for the ICI. These results encourage reflection on the strict adoption of this dosage modification. The option of maintaining the free choice between a prescription adapted to weight or in a fixed dose seems a relevant option and should be considered.

O artigo trata dos movimentos sociais pelo transporte coletivo no Brasil, enfatizando suas trajetórias, agendas e estratégias de luta pelo acesso ao transporte, entendido como condição imprescindível não apenas para a democratização do espaço urbano, mas também para o acesso aos direitos civis, políticos, sociais, econômicos, culturais e ambientais. A revisão de literatura revela que na trajetória analisada os movimentos pelo transporte recorreram a diferentes estratégias: de manifestações espontâneas como os quebra-quebras e interdição de vias públicas à organização em coletivos abertos e descentralizados; de reivindicações contra o aumento no preço das passagens e protestos contra as péssimas condições de manutenção dos veículos à luta pela gratuidade e estatização do sistema, revelando assim o caráter radical e anticapitalista que adquiriram as lutas desencadeadas nos últimos anos.

A plant transient expression system, with eukaryotic post-translational modification machinery, offers superior efficiency, scalability, safety, and lower cost over other expression systems. However, due to aberrant N-glycosylation, this expression system may not be a suitable expression platform for proteins not carrying N-linked glycans in the native hosts. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a strategy to produce target proteins in a non-glycosylated form while preserving their native sequence, conformation and biological activity. Previously, we developed a strategy for enzymatic deglycosylation of proteins in planta by co-expressing bacterial peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F). Though PNGase F removes oligosaccharides from glycosylated proteins, in so doing it causes an amino acid change due to the deamidation of asparagine to aspartate in the N-X-S/T site. Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EC3.2.1.96, Endo H), another deglycosylating enzyme, catalyzes cleavage between two N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine residues of the chitobiose core of N-linked glycans, leaving a single N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine residue without the concomitant deamidation of asparagine. In this study, a method for in vivo deglycosylation of recombinant proteins in plants by transient co-expression with bacterial Endo H is described for the first time. Endo H was fully active in vivo. and successfully cleaved N-linked glycans from glycoproteins were tested. In addition, unlike the glycosylated form, in vivo Endo H deglycosylated Pfs48/45 was recognized by conformational specific Pfs48/45 monoclonal antibody, in a manner similar to its PNGase F deglycosylated counterpart. Furthermore, the deglycosylated PA83 molecule produced by Endo H showed better stability than a PNGase F deglycosylated counterpart. Thus, an Endo H in vivo deglycosylation approach provides another opportunity to develop vaccine antigens, therapeutic proteins, antibodies, and industrial enzymes.

PURPOSE:Texture indices (TI) calculated from 18F-FDG PET tumor images show promise for predicting response to therapy and survival. Their calculation involves a resampling of standardized uptake values (SUV) within the tumor. This resampling can be performed differently and significantly impacts the TI values. Our aim was to investigate how the resampling approach affects the ability of TI to reflect tissue-specific pattern of metabolic activity. METHODS:18F-FDG PET were acquired for 48 naïve-treatment patients with non-small cell lung cancer and for a uniform phantom. We studied 7 TI, SUVmax and metabolic volume (MV) in the phantom, tumors and healthy tissue using the usual relative resampling (RR) method and an absolute resampling (AR) method. The differences in TI values between tissue types and cancer subtypes were investigated using Wilcoxon's tests. RESULTS:Most RR-based TI were highly correlated with MV for tumors less than 60 mL (Spearman correlation coefficient r between 0.74 and 1), while this correlation was reduced for AR-based TI (r between 0.06 and 0.27 except for RLNU where r = 0.91). Most AR-based TI were significantly different between tumor and healthy tissues (pvalues

Background. Physical activity (PA) reduces incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). Its influence on cancer-specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS) is controversial. Methods. We performed a literature-based meta-analysis (MA) of observational studies, using keywords “colorectal cancer, physical activity, and survival” in PubMed and EMBASE. No dedicated MA was found in the Cochrane Library. References were cross-checked. Pre- and postdiagnosis PA levels were assessed by MET. Usually, “high” PA was higher than 17 MET hour/week. Hazard ratios (HRs) for OS and CSS were calculated, with their 95% confidence interval. We used more conservative adjusted HRs, since variables of adjustment were similar between studies. When higher PA was associated with improved survival, HRs for detrimental events were set to

Background: The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Turkey and to study related factors., Methods: This multicenter study was carried out between January 01 and April 15, 2015 in Turkey in 57 centers. Adults were enrolled and studied in three groups. Group 1: Inactive HBsAg carriers, Group 2: CHB patients receiving antiviral therapy, Group 3: CHB patients who were neither receiving antiviral therapy nor were inactive HBsAg carriers. Study data was collected by face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Hepatitis B Quality of Life (HBQOL). Values equivalent to p < 0.05 in analyses were accepted as statistically significant., Results: Four thousand two hundred fifty-seven patients with CHB were included in the study. Two thousand five hundred fifty-nine (60.1 %) of the patients were males. Groups 1, 2 and 3, consisted of 1529 (35.9 %), 1721 (40.4 %) and 1007 (23.7 %) patients, respectively. The highest value of HRQOL was found in inactive HBsAg carriers. We found that total HBQOL score increased when antiviral treatment was used. However, HRQOL of CHB patients varied according to their socio-demographic properties. Regarding total HBQOL score, a higher significant level of HRQOL was determined in inactive HBV patients when matched controls with the associated factors were provided., Conclusions: The HRQOL score of CHB patients was higher than expected and it can be worsen when the disease becomes active. Use of an antiviral therapy can contribute to increasing HRQOL of patients.

Background: In this study, we aimed to determine knowledge levels regarding Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) among emergency healthcare workers (HCWs) in an endemic region., Methods: A questionnaire form consisting of questions about CCHF was applied to the participants., Results: The mean age was 29.6 ± 6.5 years (range 19 - 45). Fifty-four (49.5%) participants were physicians, 39 (35.8%) were nurses and 16 (14.7%) were paramedics. All of the participants were aware of CCHF, and 48 (44%) of them had previously followed CCHF patients. Rates of the use of protective equipment (masks and gloves) during interventions for patients who were admitted to the emergency service with active hemorrhage were 100% among paramedics, 76.9% among nurses and 61.1% among physicians (P = 0.003). Among 86 (78.9%) HCWs who believed that their knowledge regarding CCHF was adequate, 62 (56.9%) declared that they would prefer not to care for patients with CCHF (P = 0.608)., Conclusions: The use of techniques to prevent transmission of this disease, including gloves, face masks, face visors and box coats, should be explained to emergency room HCWs, and encouragement should be provided for using these techniques.

Aim: To investigate the interrelationships between pre- and postoperative microbiological changes by taking samples from both eyes of 40 patients who underwent septoplasty due to septal deviation., Materials and Methods: Forty patients diagnosed with septal deviation who underwent a septoplasty operation under general anesthesia were enrolled in this study. The study was conducted on 40 patients who met the inclusion criteria and attended follow-up visits. One day before the operation and 48 h after the operation, cultures were taken individually from the conjunctivas and puncta of both eyes and sent to the microbiology laboratory., Results: Patients who were candidates for nasal surgery due to their symptoms and clinical examination results were randomly selected and 40 of these completed the study. No statistically significant differences in bacterial growth were observed between the eyes before the operation (P > 0.05). There were, however, statistically significant differences between the eyes in terms of bacterial growth in the postoperative period (P < 0.05). Pathogenic bacterial cultures were grown in 47 eyes in the postoperative period, and this finding was statistically significant. In the eye cultures, the most commonly isolated pathogens were S. epidermidis, and S. aureus., Conclusion: Although the indicated microorganisms isolated from the patient groups were grown in cultures, there were neither clinical symptoms nor signs related to ocular infections.