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BACKGROUND: Early studies have revealed the psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on healthcare workers (HCWs). Burnout and psychological outcomes of different medical professions during the pandemic have not yet been addressed. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the burnout, depression, anxiety, and psychological distress levels of HCWs, and to determine the predictive factors of burnout in different professions of frontline HCWs during the pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 253 HCWs (79 physicians, 95 nurses, and 79 other-HCWs). The Maslach Burnout Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and Sociodemographic Form were used. RESULTS: Emotional exhaustion was significantly higher in physicians and nurses than in other frontline HCWs. While depersonalization was significantly higher in physicians than nurses / other HCWs, levels of avoidance, hyperarousal and intrusion were found to be higher in other HCWs / nurses than physicians. Depression was the most effective predicting variable for burnout, following age, quarantine, supervisor’s/team leader’s attitude, hyperarousal and avoidance. CONCLUSIONS: It has been observed that depending on the uncertainty and life risk of the pandemic in HCWs involved in the treatment of COVID-19, physicians who are the decision-making authorities in the treatment process used more depersonalization than nurses and other HCWs. Nurses and other-HCWs had significantly higher distress symptoms than physicians. Both future research and psychosocial services should address those with high depressive symptoms as a potentially fragile subgroup for burnout among HCWs, and investigate and develop evidence-based interventions that can provide mental well-being, and prevent burnout.

Background The SF-8200 is a new coagulation analyzer developed by Beijing Succeeder Technology Inc., China. The SF-8200 is able to perform clotting, chromogenic, and immunoturbidimetric tests. System capability is a throughput of up to 360 tests per hour, 60 sample tubes can be loaded at any time, and its reaction cuvette capacity is 1,000. The analyzer also has an optional cap piercing module to reduce manual sampling time. We aimed to perform an analytical performance comparison study between Succeeder SF-8200 and Stago Compact Max3 because fully automated coagulation analyzers have become one of the most essential components of clinical laboratories. Methods Routine coagulation tests were assessed, which are the most ordered in laboratories such as PT, aPTT, and fibrinogen. Stago Compact Max-3 was accepted as the reference instrument in the comparison study. The assay precisions were assessed using fresh and pooled plasma samples or consumer internal quality controls. Hemolysis, lipemia, and icterus interferences were also verified. Results The coefficients of variation assessed in the intra and inter-assay precision analyses were below 5% representatively for assessed parameters. The inter-analyser comparison demonstrated good results. Results obtained by the SF-8200 showed high comparability predominantly to used reference analyzers, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.953 to 0.976. In our routine laboratory setting, SF-8200 reached a sample throughput rate of 360 tests per hour. No considerable influence on tests was found for elevated levels of free hemoglobin, bilirubin, or triglycerides. Conclusions In conclusion, the SF-8200 was an accurate, precise, and reliable coagulation analyzer in routine testing. According to our study, the results demonstrated excellent technical and analytical performance.

Background Obesity is an important cause of morbidity, and it has an increasing frequency in childhood. Studies have reported that 33% of adults and 20–27% of children and adolescents are obese. Recently, it has been shown that the prevalence of obesity in the childhood group is higher than the past years. Omentin-1 is an adipokine which is synthesized from the visceral fat tissue but not synthesized in the subcutaneous fat tissue. Omentin-1 has been shown to increase insulin-mediated glucose uptake, especially in the adipose tissue. Studies have shown that plasma omentin-1 levels, which play an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, are significantly lowered in obese, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity and omentin-1 levels in children. Methods The study included obese children with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile and healthy children with a BMI lower than the 85th percentile. Obese and healthy individuals had similar age and sex distributions. Glucose, insulin, lipid profiles, thyroid panels and metabolic markers were evaluated. Results The levels of omentin-1 in obese children were significantly lower than in the control group (p Conclusions Our findings indicate that serum omentin-1 levels are lower in obese children than in non-obese individuals. Omentin-1 can be used as a metabolic biomarker in children and adolescents.

Introduction: Lung cancer is characterized by an aggressive phenotype with a high mortality rate, early metastasis, and proliferation rate. Treatment options and prognosis differ significantly at each stage. Various noninvasive imaging studies and invasive tests are available. However, the diagnosis of the disease is in the late stage. Therefore, it is essential to find biomarkers for the early detection of lung cancer. Material and Methods: Between 2018 and 2020, 73 lung cancer patients and 71 healthy volunteers with the same demographic characteristics were included in our study. DR-70 level was measured by a photometric method in serum samples taken from all volunteers. Results: A total of 144 volunteers (110 male, 34 female) were included in the study. DR-70 levels in the lung cancer group (2.53±2.64 µg/mL) were found to be statistically significantly higher than the healthy control group (0.56±1.23 µg/mL). Clinical sensitivity and specificity of DR-70 for lung cancer were found to be 87.67% and 88.73%. Conclusion: In patients with lung cancer, the high sensitivity and specificity DR-70 can be a biomarker for rapid diagnosis from the blood. Compared with other tumor biomarkers, DR-70 seems to have a better sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of lung cancer.

To investigate relationships among urinary biomarkers [kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAG)], neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels and renal tubular injury in childhood urolithiasis. Seventy children [36 girls, mean age: 7.3 ± 5.0 years (0.5–18.2)] with urolithiasis/microlithiasis and 42 controls [18 girls, mean age: 8.5 ± 3.8 years (0.9–16.2)] were included in this multicenter, controlled, prospective cohort study. Patients were evaluated three times in 6-month intervals (0, 6 and 12th months). Anthropometric data, urinary symptoms, family history and diagnostic studies were recorded. Urine samples were analyzed for metabolic risk factors (urinary calcium, uric acid, oxalate, citrate, cystine, magnesium, and creatinine excretion), and the urinary KIM-1, NAG, and NGAL levels were measured. Stones were mostly located in the upper urinary system (82.9%), and six patients (8.6%) had hydronephrosis. Thirty patients (42.9%) had several metabolic risk factors, and the most common metabolic risk factor was hypocitraturia (22.9%). Urinary KIM-1/Cr, NAG/Cr and NGAL/Cr ratios were not significantly different between patients and controls. Furthermore, no significant changes in their excretion were shown during follow-up. Notably, the urinary KIM-1/Cr, NAG/Cr, and NGAL/Cr levels were significantly higher in children under 2 years of age (p = 0.011, p = 0.006, and 0.015, respectively). NAG/Cr and NGAL/Cr ratios were significantly increased in patients with hydronephrosis (n = 6, p = 0.031 and 0.023, respectively). The results of this study suggest that none of the aforementioned urinary biomarkers (KIM-1, NAG and NGAL levels) may be useful for the early detection and/or follow-up of renal tubular injury and/or dysfunction in childhood urolithiasis.

Background/aim: To assess whether osteocytes have an effect on reflex myoelectrical activity during whole-body vibration (WBV) in postmenopausal women. Materials and methods: Participants were classified into 2 groups: the low bone mineral density (BMD) group (n = 37) and normal BMD group (n = 43). Hip BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Surface electromyography data recorded from the adductor longus muscle were processed to obtain vibration-induced reflex myoelectrical activity. Changes in plasma sclerostin (SOST) levels with WBV were expressed as a standardized vibration-induced SOST index. Results: The standardized vibration-induced SOST index was 1.03 +/- 0.24 in the low BMD group and 0.99 +/- 0.33 in the normal BMD group. For plasma SOST levels, no group-by-time interaction was found. The resting myoelectrical activities of adductor muscles increased significantly during WBV in both groups. However, there was no significant difference in the main effects of WBV on resting myoelectrical activity between the groups. The standardized vibration-induced plasma SOST index was found to be a significant independent predictor of the standardized vibration-induced reflex myoelectrical activity of the adductor muscle in both groups. Conclusion: This study suggests that osteocytes serve as mechanoreceptors of reflex electromyography during WBV.

To determine whether plasma sclerostin levels are affected by applying whole-body vibration treatments. Materials and methods: Following a pilot study, the present prospective, randomized, controlled single-blind study was performed on 16 healthy volunteer women (ages 20 to 40 years). Subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups, and whole-body vibration was applied to the treatment group but not to the controls. The plasma sclerostin levels were measured before the treatment and at the 10th minute after whole-body vibration on the 1st, 2nd, and 5th days of application. Results: The plasma sclerostin level measured at 10 min after the whole-body vibration treatment increased 91% (P = 0.024) on the 1st day and decreased 31.5% (P = 0.03) on the 5th day in the whole-body vibration group. In the control group, there was no change in the plasma sclerostin level at any time. A progressive increase in baseline plasma sclerostin levels during the 5 days of vibration sessions was also found. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that whole-body vibration can change plasma sclerostin levels, and that this change is detectable 10 min after whole-body vibration treatments.

Background/Aims: Previous studies on the effects of estrogen on sclerostin regulation were conducted in postmenopausal women in humans or animals following estrogen treatment or induced estrogen deficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sex hormones on serum sclerostin levels in premenopausal women with normal menstrual cycles. Methods: A prospective observational clinical study. 80 voluntary premenopausal women were recruited for the study. Data from 31 patients were available for the statistical analysis. Serum sclerostin, free estradiol, free testosterone, and progesterone levels were measured during the menstruation, late follicular and mid-luteal phases. The unique protocol IDs were BEAH FTR-4 and NCT01418924 at ClinicalTrials.gov ID. Results: Serum sclerostin values were 1.03 ± 0.58 ng/ml during the menstruation phase, 1.0 ± 0.36 ng/ml during the late follicular phase, and 1.18 ± 0.67 ng/ml during the mid-luteal phase (p = 0.543). There was no significant relationship between serum levels of sex steroids and sclerostin. Conclusions: Previous studies have not investigated the impact of sex hormone fluctuations on serum sclerostin levels during the menstrual cycle. The present study shows that serum sclerostin levels were not affected by sex steroids in premenopausal women with normal menstrual cycles.

BACKGROUND: Correlation of increased copeptin levels with various cardiovascular diseases has been described. The clinical use of copeptin levels in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has not been investigated before. HYPOTHESIS: In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of copeptin levels in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS: HCM was defined as presence of left ventricular wall thickness ≥15 mm in a subject without any concomitant disease that may cause left ventricular hypertrophy. Levels of copeptin and plasma N‐terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) were evaluated prospectively in 24 obstructive HCM patients, 36 nonobstructive HCM patients, and 36 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects. Blood samples were collected in the morning between 7 and 9 am after overnight fasting. Patients were followed for 24 months. Hospitalization with diagnosis of heart failure/arrhythmia, implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator implantation, and cardiac mortality were accepted as adverse cardiac events. RESULTS: Copeptin and NT‐proBNP levels were higher in the HCM group compared with controls (14.1 vs 8.4 pmol/L, P < 0.01; and 383 vs 44 pg/mL, P < 0.01, respectively). Copeptin and NT‐proBNP levels were higher in the obstructive HCM subgroup compared with the nonobstructive HCM subgroup (18.3 vs 13.1 pmol/L, P < 0.01; and 717 vs 223 pg/mL, P < 0.01, respectively). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, copeptin and NT‐proBNP levels remained as independent predictors of heart failure (P < 0.01 for both) and adverse cardiac events (P < 0.01 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Copeptin and NT‐proBNP levels were significantly higher in patients with obstructive HCM, and higher levels were associated with worse outcome.

To assess whether osteocytes have an effect on reflex myoelectrical activity during whole-body vibration (WBV) in postmenopausal women.Participants were classified into 2 groups: the low bone mineral density (BMD) group (n = 37) and normal BMD group (n = 43). Hip BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Surface electromyography data recorded from the adductor longus muscle were processed to obtain vibration-induced reflex myoelectrical activity. Changes in plasma sclerostin (SOST) levels with WBV were expressed as a standardized vibration-induced SOST index.The standardized vibration-induced SOST index was 1.03 ± 0.24 in the low BMD group and 0.99 ± 0.33 in the normal BMD group. For plasma SOST levels, no group-by-time interaction was found. The resting myoelectrical activities of adductor muscles increased significantly during WBV in both groups. However, there was no significant difference in the main effects of WBV on resting myoelectrical activity between the groups. The standardized vibration-induced plasma SOST index was found to be a significant independent predictor of the standardized vibration-induced reflex myoelectrical activity of the adductor muscle in both groups.This study suggests that osteocytes serve as mechanoreceptors of reflex electromyography during WBV.

Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) induces reflex muscle activity and leads to increased muscle strength. However, little is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of whole-body vibration on muscular performance. Tonic vibration reflex is the most commonly cited mechanism to explain the effects of whole-body vibration on muscular performance, although there is no conclusive evidence that tonic vibration reflex occurs. The bone myoregulation reflex is another neurological mechanism used to explain the effects of vibration on muscular performance. Bone myoregulation reflex is defined as a reflex mechanism in which osteocytes exposed to cyclic mechanical loading induce muscle activity. Aims: The aim of this study was to assess whether bone tissue affected vibration-induced reflex muscle activity and vibration-induced muscle strength gain. Study Design: A prospective, randomised, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial. Methods: Thirty-four participants were randomised into two groups. High-magnitude whole-body vibration was applied in the exercise group, whereas low-magnitude whole-body vibration exercises were applied in the control group throughout 20 sessions. Hip bone mineral density, isokinetic muscle strength, and plasma sclerostin levels were measured. The surface electromyography data were processed to obtain the Root Mean Squares, which were normalised by maximal voluntarily contraction. Results: In the exercise group, muscle strength increased in the right and left knee flexors (23.9%, p=0.004 and 27.5%, p