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Objective: To investigate the symptoms of lung cancer in Turkey and to evaluate approaches to alleviate these symptoms.Subjects and Methods: This study included 1,245 lung cancer patients from 26 centers in Turkey. Demographic characteristics as well as information regarding the disease and treatments were obtained from medical records and patient interviews. Symptoms were evaluated using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and were graded on a scale between 0 and 10 points. Data were compared using the χ2, Student t, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Potential predictors of symptoms were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.Results: The most common symptom was tiredness (n = 1,002; 82.1%), followed by dyspnea (n = 845; 69.3%), appetite loss (n = 801; 65.7%), pain (n = 798; 65.4%), drowsiness (n = 742; 60.8%), anxiety (n = 704; 57.7%), depression (n = 623; 51.1%), and nausea (n = 557; 45.5%). Of the 1,245 patients, 590 (48.4%) had difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep. The symptoms were more severe in stages III and IV. Logistic regression analysis indicated a clear association between demographic characteristics and symptom distress, as well as between symptom distress (except nausea) and well-being. Overall, 804 (65.4%) patients used analgesics, 630 (51.5%) received treatment for dyspnea, 242 (19.8%) used enteral/parenteral nutrition, 132 (10.8%) used appetite stimulants, and 129 (10.6%) used anxiolytics/antidepressants. Of the 799 patients who received analgesics, 173 (21.7%) reported that their symptoms were under control, and also those on other various treatment modalities (dyspnea: 78/627 [12.4%], appetite stimulant: 25/132 [18.9%], and anxiolytics/antidepressants: 25/129 [19.4%]) reported that their symptoms were controlled.Conclusion: In this study, the symptoms progressed and became more severe in the advanced stages of lung cancer, and palliative treatment was insufficient in most of the patients in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amebiasis is a severe illness caused by Entamoebachistolytica. The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vitro amebicidal activity of the rhizomes and aerial parts of Allium sivasicum, an endemic plant species from the flora of Turkey. Both extracts showed a time- and dose-dependent amebicidal action on the trophozoites. Among the extracts tested, rhizomes of A. sivasicum showed the strongest amebicidal effect on the trophozoites. In the presence of the rhizome extract at 2.0 mg/ml concentration, all of the trophozoites available in media have completely been killed within the 72nd hour. At 4.0 mg/ml extract concentration, all of the trophozoites available in media have completely been killed by the rhizome extract from the time of 24th hour. At 32.0 mg/ml extract concentration, 73.7% of the trophozoites were successfully killed by the extract within the first experimental hour. Aerial part extract at 4.0 mg/ml concentration completely killed the trophozoited within the 48th hour of the experimental procedure. At 8.0 mg/ml extract concentration, all of the trophozoites available in media have completely been killed by the aerial part extract from the time of 24th hour. At 32.0 mg/ml extract concentration, 67.7% of the trophozoites were successfully killed by the extract within the first experimental hour. These results suggest that the plant species evaluated here is a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of Entamoeba infections, but it still needs to be evaluated quantitatively for determining the active phytochemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonology is one of the branches that frequently receive consultation requests from the emergency department. Pulmonology consultation (PC) is requested from almost all clinical branches due to the diagnosis and treatment of any respiratory condition, preoperative evaluation, or postoperative pulmonary problems. The aim of our study was to describe the profile of the pulmonology consultations received from emergency departments in Turkiye. A total of 32 centers from Turkiye (the PuPCEST Study Group) were included to the study. The demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data of the consulted cases were examined. The final result of the consultation and the justification of the consultation by the consulting pulmonologist were recorded. We identified 1712 patients, 64% of which applied to the emergency department by themselves and 41.4% were women. Eighty-five percent of the patients had a previously diagnosed disease. Dyspnea was the reason for consultation in 34.7% of the cases. The leading radiological finding was consolidation (13%). Exacerbation of preexisting lung disease was present in 39% of patients. The most commonly established diagnoses by pulmonologists were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (19%) and pneumonia (12%). While 35% of the patients were discharged, 35% were interned into the chest diseases ward. The majority of patients were hospitalized and treated conservatively. It may be suggested that most of the applications would be evaluated in the pulmonology outpatient clinic which may result in a decrease in emergency department visits/consultations. Thus, improvements in the reorganization of the pulmonology outpatient clinics and follow-up visits may positively contribute emergency admission rates., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with life-threatening features due to uncomfortable symptoms such as dyspnea decreases satisfaction with life. This study aims to determine the effect of religious coping methods on satisfaction with life in patients with COPD in Turkey. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with patients who had COPD for at least a year (n = 149). The positive religious coping levels of the patients were high while their negative religious coping levels were low and their levels of satisfaction with life were below average. A positive correlation was found between the positive religious coping levels and satisfaction with life of the patients (p < 0.05). The patients' age, general health levels, economic status, state of meeting their daily needs and usage of positive religious coping were the factors that significantly affected their levels of satisfaction with life, and these factors explained 38% of the total variance in the patients' satisfaction with life. It is important to evaluate religious coping in increasing the satisfaction with life of COPD patients who receive treatment in health institutions., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Sleep quality is known to be associated with the distressing symptoms of cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of cancer symptoms on insomnia and the prevalence of sleep-related problems reported by the patients with lung cancer in Turkey., Materials and Methods: Assesment of Palliative Care in Lung Cancer in Turkey (ASPECT) study, a prospective multicenter study conducted in Turkey with the participation of 26 centers and included all patients with lung cancer, was re-evaluated in terms of sleep problems, insomnia and possible association with the cancer symptoms. Demographic characteristics of patients and information about disease were recorded for each patient by physicians via face-to-face interviews, and using hospital records. Patients who have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (DIMS) is associated with daytime sleepiness/fatigue were diagnosed as having insomnia. Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and lung cancer symptoms were recorded and graded using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale., Result: Among 1245 cases, 48.4% reported DIMS, 60.8% reported daytime sleepiness and 82.1% reported fatigue. The prevalence of insomnia was 44.7%. Female gender, patients with stage 3-4 disease, patients with metastases, with comorbidities, and with weight loss > 5 kg had higher rates of insomnia. Also, patients with insomnia had significantly higher rates of pain, nausea, dyspnea, and anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients with moderate to severe pain and dyspnea and severe anxiety had 2-3 times higher rates of insomnia., Conclusions: In conclusion, our results showed a clear association between sleep disturbances and cancer symptoms. Because of that, adequate symptom control is essential to maintain sleep quality in patients with lung cancer.

One of the most significant diseases related to environmental asbestos exposure is malignant mesothelioma (MM). Sivas province is located in the Central Anatolia where asbestos exposure is common. We aimed to study clinical, demographical and epidemiologic features of the patients with MM in Sivas, along with the history of asbestos exposure. In total, 219 patients with MM who were diagnosed in our hospital between 1993 and 2010 were retrospectively analyzed in terms of demographical and clinical features. Rock, soil and house plaster samples were taken from the habitats of those patients and were evaluated with optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The age of the patients ranged between 18 and 85 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.4:1. Most of the patients confirmed an asbestos exposure history. The most frequent symptoms of the patients were chest pain (60 %) and dyspnea (50 %). The gap between the start of first symptoms and the diagnosis date was approximately 4 months in average. The plaster materials used in most of the houses were made up of mainly carbonate and silicate minerals and some chrysotile. Ophiolitic units contained fibrous minerals such as serpentine (clino + orthochrysotile) chiefly and pectolite, brucite, hydrotalcite and tremolite/actinolite in smaller amounts. MM is not primarily related to occupational asbestos exposure in our region, and hence, environmental asbestos exposure may be indicted. Yet, single or combined roles and/or interactions of other fibrous and non-fibrous minerals in the etiology of MM are not yet fully understood and remain to be investigated.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vitro amoebicidal activity of the aqueous extracts of Pastinaca armenea and Inula oculus-christi from Turkey. In the presence of aqueous extracts (ranging from 1.0 to 32.0 mg/ml), numbers of the viable Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites and cysts were decreased during the experimental process. Both extracts showed a time- and dose-dependent amoebicidal action on the trophozoites and cysts. Among the extracts tested, I. oculus showed the strongest amoebicidal effect on the trophozoites and cysts. In the presence of 32.00 mg/ml extract solution in the media, no viable trophozoites were determined from the time of 24 h. Moreover, in the presence of 16.00 mg/ml I. oculus-christi extract, no viable trophozoites were detected in 72 h of the experiment. Effectiveness of I. oculus-christi extract was found moderate against the cysts. In the presence of 32.00 mg/ml extract, only 25.3% of the total cysts were killed effectively. In the case of P. armenea, 40.3% and 23.0% of the trophozoites and cysts were killed in the presence of 32.00 mg/ml extract at the end of the experimental process (72 h), respectively.

Background: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an insidious tumor with poor prognosis, arising from mesothelial surfaces such as pleura, peritoneum and pericardium. We here aimed to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and radiological features of patients with MM followed in our center as well as their survival., Methods: The study included 228 patients (131 male, 97 female) who were followed up in our institution between 1993 and 2010 with the diagnosis of MM., Results: The mean age was 59.1 years in men and 58.7 years in women and the sex ratio was 1.4:1 in favor of males. Environmental asbestos exposure was present in 86% of the patients for a mean duration of 40±20 years (range: 3-70). Pleural effusion and thoracic/abdominal pain were the most common presenting signs and symptoms (70.2% and 57.8%, respectively). One hundred-thirteen (66%) patients were treated with platinum-based combination chemotherapy (PBCT) plus supportive care (SC) and 67 (34%) patients received SC alone. The median follow-up time was 10.0 months. The median overall survival was significantly improved with PBCT plus SC compared to SC alone (11.4 vs. 5.1 months; p=0.005). The 6, 12, 18, and 24-month survival rates were significantly improved with PBCT plus SC compared to SC alone (72%, 43%, 19%, and 2% vs. 49%, 31%, 11%, and 1%)., Conclusion: The survival of patients with MM improved in patients treated with PBCT. The survival advantage continued 12- and 24-month after the initial time of combination chemotherapy.

Amoebic keratitis is difficult to treat without total efficacy in some patients because of cysts, which is less susceptible than trophozoites to the usual treatments. The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vitro amoebicidal activity of the methanolic extracts of Peucedanum caucasicum, Peucedanum palimbioides, Peucedanum chryseum, and Peucedanum longibracteolatum, which are endemic in Turkish flora except P. caucasicum. Extracts were evaluated for their amoebicidal activities using an inverted light microscope. In the presence of methanolic extracts (ranging from 1.0 to 32.0 mg/ml), numbers of the viable Acanthamoeba castellani trophozoites and cysts were determined during the experimental process (72nd hour). All of the extracts showed a time and dose-dependent amoebicidal action on the trophozoites and cysts. Among the extracts tested, P. longibracteolatum showed the strongest amoebicidal effect on the trophozoites and cysts. In the case of 32 mg/ml concentration of extract, no viable trophozoites or cysts were determined between 24th and 72nd hour. Similar results were obtained from the extract at 16.0 mg/ml concentration against trophozoites. At this concentration value, number of viable cysts was determined as 10.6 ± 2.1 in the 24th hour. In the presence of 8.0 mg/ml extract solution, no viable trophozoites were determined in the 48th hour. At the same concentration, 51% of the cysts were killed by the extract in the 72nd hour. As expected, cysts were found more resistant to the extracts than the trophozoites.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exposure to different substances on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)., Methods: The case group consisted of 74 housewives. These were female patients who never smoked who had a diagnosis of COPD and were seen at the Cumhuriyet University Hospital in Sivas, Turkey, between January 1, 2001, and March 31, 2002. The control group consisted of 74 housewives; this group consisted of healthy women who never smoked who came to the hospital as visitors and who did not have the diagnosis of COPD. The control group was chosen by group matching of the age distribution of the women in the case group and the regions and the neighborhoods where they lived. All of the women in the case and control groups were evaluated with a questionnaire for exposure to wood ashes, biomass, and cigarette smoke in closed areas., Results: No difference was found in the groups for exposure to wood ashes (p > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis resulted in the following odds ratio of COPD estimate for women with > or = 30 years biomass exposure, 6.61 (95% Confidence interval [CI]: 2.17-20.18); for women with > or = 30 years cigarette smoke exposure, 4.96 (95% CI: 1.65-14.86)., Conclusion: A statistically significant correlation was found between the effect of > or = 30 years of exposure to biomass and cigarette smoke exposure and the development of COPD.