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Copyright of Journal of Social & Cultural Research (SKAD) is the property of Journal of Social & Cultural Research (SKAD) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is limited data on surgical site infection (SSI) in developing countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of SSI following general surgical operations in Türkiye. This multicenter cohort study was conducted at 10 centers. Patients who underwent thyroid/parathyroid, breast, hernia and abdominal surgery between September 2017 and March 2018 were included in the study. Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2016 (CDC-2016) criteria was used for the diagnosis of SSI. Patients were followed for 30 days (90 days for mesh patients). Out of 1871 patients included, SSI occurred in 181 (9.7%) patients. Of these SSI, 101 (55.8%) were superficial, 41 (22.7%) deep, and 39 (21.5%) organ/space SSI. SSI incidence was seen to be high (>15.0%) following some surgeries (40.0% in pancreas, 39.1% in biliary duct, 30.3% in small bowel, 27.9% in colorectal, 27.3% in esophagus, 24.1% in liver, 15.7% in gastric). SSI incidences were generally ˂5.0% after some surgeries (4.4% in hernia, 4.2% in gallbladder, 3.3% in morbid obesity, 1.4% in breast, 0.8% in thyroid/parathyroid, and zero in spleen and surrenal). In univariate analysis, age ≥60 years, female sex, preoperative weight loss, presence of comorbidities, preoperative albumin ˂3.5 g/dL and hemoglobin ˂12 g/dL, wound classification, ASA score, general anesthesia, emergency surgery, open surgery, operation time ≥4 hours, intraoperative blood loss ≥400 ml, perioperative blood transfusion, drain placement, distant infection and malignant disease were associated with SSI. In multivariate analysis preoperative weight loss, clean-contaminated wound, general anesthesia, emergency surgery, open surgical technique, prolonged operation duration (≥4 hours), drain placement, and distant infection were found to be independent variable for SSI risk. In order to reduce the incidence of SSI, patients with a weight loss of 10% or more in six months preoperatively should be identified, and nutritional status of the patients should be corrected preoperatively, laparoscopic technique should be preferred in abdominal surgeries, and drain placement should be avoided, especially in clean-contaminated wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The propeller flap taken from the nasolabial flap is well suited for the medial canthal reconstruction. The propeller flap used in one-stage reconstruction is suitable for maintaining the normal concavity of the medial canthus; however, sometimes, the use of the propeller flap can lead to various complications. Aim: In this research article, we aimed to investigate the results of repairing the medial canthus defect using a propeller flap from the nasolabial fold. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive and cross-sectional research. We performed this retrospective study with the participation of 37 patients with medial canthal defects who underwent surgical treatment at a research and training hospital in the past 3 years. Data were obtained from the electronic medical records. In patients with medial canthal defects, the results of patients reconstructed with a propeller flap taken from the nasolabial fold were observed. Results: Of the patients, 37.8% were between 65 and 74 years old, and 59.5% were male. 83.8% of the medial defects resulted from the excision of basal cell carcinoma. After repair of the medial canthal defect, venous stasis developed in 8.1% of patients and trapdoor deformity in 13.5% of patients. Patients who developed venous stasis recovered without intervention, and those with trapdoor deformity underwent surgical intervention again. Smokers had a higher risk of venous stasis, and women had a higher risk of developing trapdoor. Conclusion: Successful patient outcomes after surgery are very important in the repair of medial canthal defects. The use of the propeller flap has produced excellent results. However, it is very important to stop smoking during the perioperative process. We recommend more detailed studies in larger sample groups on the development of the trapdoor in women. We conclude that the propeller flap taken from the nasolabial fold is effective and safe in the medial canthal reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of infection in burns is well-known. In recent decades, the antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from burn patients has increased. For this reason, a retrospective study was conducted at Van Training and Research Hospital to analyze the bacterial isolates from the wounds of patients admitted to the Burn Unit and to determine the susceptibility patterns of the commonly cultured organisms over a 3-year period, January 2009 to December 2011.A total of 250 microorganisms were isolated from burn wounds of 179 patients. Our results revealed that the most frequent isolate was Acinetobacter baumannii (23.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12%), Staphylococcus aureus (11.2%), Escherichia coli (10%) respectively. Multidrug-resistance has emerged as an important concern in our burn unit. Tigecycline, and colistin were found to be the most active drugs against Acinetobacter baumannii. Carbapenems and amikacin, were found to be the most active drugs against other gram negative bacteria. Vancomycin and linezolid were active against gram positive bacteria.Aggressive infection control measures should be applied to limit the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Dyspnea is often the main symptom that limits exercise; however, the vicious cycle of dyspnea limiting exercise participation is also an important contributor to the reduced exercise capacity. The aim of our study was to investigate the reliability and validity of Turkish Breathlessness Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD). Seventy-seven COPD patients were included in the study. Sociodemographic and physical characteristics were recorded. Turkish version of BBQ, Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were applied. Second evaluation of BBQ was conducted via telephone calls with no drop-outs. Reliability of the questionnaire was explored by calculating the internal consistency and test–retest analysis. Construct validity was assessed calculating correlation coefficients of BBQ with HADS and SGRQ scores. Known group validity was also explored. Cronbach alpha coefficients for total score of BBQ were 0.78, indicating that the questionnaire has 'good' internal consistency. Initial and test–retest BBQ total scores were 41.42 ± 6.47 and 41.18 ± 6.24, respectively. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) values of BBQ and its sub-scales varied between 0.973 and 0.983, indicating strong test–retest reliability. Correlation coefficient between BBQ total and SGRQ-Activity (0.619) was highest among the variables of interest, followed by BBQ total and SGRQ total (0.611). There was a significant correlation between BBQ total and HADS (0.390). One-way analysis of variance revealed that BBQ total and BBQ-Activity Avoidance scores were significantly differ in disease stages. Turkish version of BBQ was found to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring dysfunctional beliefs related to the dyspnea in patients with COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and objectives To assess frequency and significance of enlarged nonpalpable supraclavicular lymph nodes with routine ultrasound (US) evaluation and US-guided fineneedle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for the diagnosis and staging of patients with lung cancer. Materials and methods 106 consecutive patients with lung cancer and nonpalpable supraclavicular lymph nodes were evaluated with cervical US for the presence of pathological lymph nodes. FNAB was performed in patients with nodes with short-axis > 5 mm, rounded shape and missing echogenic hilum. Results 27 (25.5%) patients had enlarged supraclavicular lymph nodes on US. Fourteen patients (13.2%) had cytologically proven lymph node involvement. Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis was more frequent in patients with mediastinal invasion (p = 0.0001) and patients with enlarged lymph nodes on upper paratracheal stations on thorax CT (p = 0.0001). No relation was found between supraclavicular lymph node involvement and T stage (p = 0.27), distant metastasis (p = 0.50) or histological type (p = 0.80). Three patients were upstaged from IIIA to IIIB status. US-guided FNAB was the only diagnostic method in 2 patients. Conclusion US-guided FNAB is a simple and safe procedure which can document N3 stage of disease in lung cancer patients. Thereby more invasive and expensive diagnostic procedures can be avoided in selected lung cancer patients.

Purpose This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of the serum biomarkers osteopontin and mesothelin in discriminating mesothelioma patients from those with other, benign conditions and whether levels of the biomarkers differed in subjects who had inhaled naturally occurring asbestos compared with a non-exposed control group. Methods This cross-sectional study studied 24 subjects with mesothelioma, 279 subjects with pleural plaques, 123 'healthy exposed,' and 120 control subjects. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare mesothelin and osteopontin levels of the groups, and receiver operating characteristics curves were generated to determine diagnostic yields of both biomarkers. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify associated covariates with osteopontin and mesothelin levels. Results Serum osteopontin and mesothelin levels were higher in mesothelioma than in benign asbestos-related diseases and healthy exposed subjects. Both biomarker levels were independently associated with mesothelioma, age and smoking pack years. Mesothelin levels were also associated with body mass index. The sensitivity and specificity of osteopontin in distinguishing mesothelioma from the three other groups were 75 and 86 %, respectively; those of mesothelin were 58 and 83 %, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity to discriminate mesothelioma from pleural plaques and healthy subjects were 93 and 73 %, respectively, if osteopontin and mesothelin levels were higher than their optimal cut off levels. Conclusions The combination of serum osteopontin and mesothelin levels can help to distinguish mesothelioma from benign asbestos-related diseases and asbestos-exposed subjects., Author(s): Mehmet Bayram[sup.1] , Isa Dongel[sup.2] , Ali Akbas[sup.3] , Ismail Benli[sup.3] , Muhammed Emin Akkoyunlu[sup.1] , Nur Dilek Bakan[sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Pulmonology, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, [...]