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Background/aim: This study aims to evaluate of olfactory and gustatory functions of COVID-19 patients and possible risk factors for olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study included adult patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Gazi University Hospital between April 2020 and June 2020. Volunteered patients participated in a survey in which olfactory and gustatory functions and various clinical information were questioned. Sinonasal Outcome Test-22 was also administrated to all patients. Results: A hundred and seventy-one patients participated in this study. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions rates were 10.5% (n: 18) and 10.5% (n: 18), respectively. Patients without any symptom other than smell and taste dysfunctions were clustered as group 1 and patients who are clinically symptomatic were clustered as group 2. Olfactory dysfunction occurred in 8% of group 1 and 17.4% of group 2 (p = 0.072). Gustatory dysfunction rate of smokers was 19.7% and significantly higher than gustatory dysfunction rate of nonsmokers (5.5%) (p = 0.007). Twenty-seven-point-eight percent of the patients with olfactory dysfunction (n = 5) were male and 72.2% (n: 13) were female. Sex did not show significant effect on rate of olfactory dysfunction. Twenty-five patients participated in psychophysical olfactory function test. No participant reported olfactory dysfunction at the time of test. Of the participants, 64% (n: 16) were normosmic and 36% (n: 9) were hyposmic according to Sniffin' Stick test. Conclusion: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions are more common in patients who are clinically symptomatic than those diagnosed during contact tracing. Objective tests may show that frequency of olfactory dysfunction is greater than frequency of self-reported olfactory dysfunction.

Background/aim Pneumonia is the most serious clinical presentation of COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings that can properly predict COVID-19 pneumonia. Materials and methods This study was conducted in the Gazi University hospital. All hospitalized patients with confirmed and suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection between 16 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. COVID-19 patients were separated into two groups, pneumonia and nonpneumonia, and then compared to determine predicting factors for COVID-19 pneumonia. Variables that had a P-value of less than 0.20 and were not correlated with each other were included in the logistic regression model. Results Of the 247 patients included in the study 58% were female, and the median age was 40. COVID-19 was confirmed in 70.9% of these patients. Among the confirmed COVID-19 cases, 21.4% had pneumonia. In the multivariate analysis male sex (P = 0.028), hypertension (P = 0.022), and shortness of breath on hospital admission (P = 0.025) were significant factors predicting COVID-19 pneumonia. Conclusion Shortness of breath, male sex, and hypertension were significant for predicting COVID-19 pneumonia on admission. Patients with these factors should be evaluated more carefully for diagnostic procedures, such as thorax CT.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/Angiotensin (Ang) II pathway has crucial regulatory effects on circulatory hemostasis and immune responses. This pathway has a major role in the development of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is a devastating complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the serum ACE activity and its correlation with clinical features and the disease severity in patients with COVID-19. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 by detecting SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid RT-PCR were included in the study. Demographic data, clinical features, laboratory and radiologic investigations were recorded. Patients were classified by disease severity; asymptomatic, mild, and severe pneumonia. The serum ACE activity was evaluated with an autoanalyzer based on a spectrophotometric method. Fifty-five patients (50.9% female) and 18 healthy subjects (33.3 % female) were enrolled in the study. The median age of patients was 40 years, ranging from 22 to 81 years. Eighteen healthy subjects were served as the control group. The baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. The median serum ACE activity of patients and controls (38.00 [IQR 21] U/L and 32.00 [IQR 24] U/L, respectively) and of between patients grouped by disease severity (38.5 [IQR 19], 36 [IQR 25], and 38 [IQR 22] U/L, asymptomatic, mild and severe pneumonia group, respectively) were similar. There was no correlation between the serum ACE activity and conventional inflammatory markers. In this study, we did not find an association between serum ACE activity and COVID-19 and serum ACE activity on admission did not reflect disease severity.

Highlights • Coronovirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection induces cytokine storm causing mortality. • Interleukin (IL)-18 is one of the key cytokines in the macrophage activation syndrome. • IL-18 elevated in COVID-19 patients and might be a therapeutic target., Background The effectual immune response is crucial to defeat viral infections. However, exuberant immune response with features of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) lead detrimental consequences in COVID-19 patients. Interleukin (IL)-18 is one of the leading cytokines in MAS which has not been studied in COVID-19. Objective To investigate the association of IL-18 with the other inflammatory markers and disease severity in COVID-19 for predicting disease prognosis. Methods Patients with COVID-19 who had confirmed diagnosis with SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid RT-PCR were enrolled into the study. Data on demographic and clinical characteristics, and laboratory values of CRP, ferritin, d-dimer and procalcitonin were measured on admission. Patients were followed up prospectively with a standardized approach until hospital discharge or death. Individuals were classified as asymptomatic, mild and severe pneumonia according to their clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics. Worse outcome was defined as requirement of intensive care unit (ICU) admission or death. Blood samples were collected at enrollment and serum levels of IL-6 and IL-18 were determined by ELISA. Association between IL-18 and other inflammatory markers and prognosis were analyzed. Results There were 58 COVID-19 patients (50% male) with a median age of 43 (min 22-max 81) years. Twenty age and sex matched healthy subjects were served as control group. The study population was divided into three groups according to disease severity: asymptomatic (n = 20), mild pneumonia group (n = 27) and a severe group (n = 11). During follow up nine (15.5%) patients required ICU admission and three of them were died eventually. Serum IL-18 were correlated with other inflammatory markers and biochemical markers of organ injury; creatinine, liver enzymes and troponin. Serum IL-18 levels were remarkably higher in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy subjects with being highest in severe pneumonia group (p

Background/aim The aim of this study was to investigate the microbiological profile and resistance rates of diabetic foot infections (DFIs) and to determine the effect of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) on the microbiology, clinical condition, and treatment outcomes. Materials and methods Characteristics, laboratory and imaging data, and the treatment modalities of patients admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of DFI (PEDIS classification 3–4) during 2005–2016 were analyzed according to the presence of PAD. Results Of 112 patients who were included in this study, 86 (76.8%) had PAD. Patients with PAD were older and had higher amputation rates (P < 0.05). A microbiological profile of patients revealed a predominance of gram-positive bacteria (57.1%). Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. were the most frequently encountered bacteria. Incidence of Pseudomonas spp. infection was higher in the PAD group (P < 0.05). Of all patients, 24.1% had multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms in their wound cultures. Presence of MDR bacteria in patients with PAD was 4.9-fold higher than that in patients without PAD (P < 0.05). Conclusion This retrospective study indicates that PAD has a significant role, especially in elderly patients with DFIs. Patients should be promptly evaluated and treated for PAD to prevent infections with resistant microorganisms and limb loss.