Frequency And Factors Associated With Adverse Reactions After Administration of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine Among Health Workers

ABSTRACT Background: The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) has precipitated a significant public health crisis. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors associated with adverse reactions to the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine. Methods: The study involved voluntary health workers who received CoronaVac vaccine. We documented the sociodemographic information of 2,019 participants who volunteered for our study. Of these, 1,964 and 1,702 participants were interviewed by phone 1 month after the first and second dose, respectively, during which they were queried about any adverse reactions. Results: Within the first week after the first dose, adverse reactions were observed in 856 (43.3%) participants, with 133 (6.7%) experiencing them during the second week, and 96 (4.9%) people at the end of the first month. For the second dose, 276 individuals (16.2%) reported adverse reactions. The prevalence of both local and systemic adverse events ranged from 9.5-11.2% overall. Fatigue was the most common adverse reaction overall, while pain at the injection site was the most frequent local adverse reaction. Conclusions: The evaluation of both systemic and local side effects revealed no significant adverse reactions to the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine (Sinovac Life Sciences, Beijing, China). Our study found that the incidence of systemic and local adverse responses to the CoronaVac vaccination was lower than the rates reported in studies involving the recombinant adenovirus type-5, BNT162b1, and ChAdOx1nCoV-19 COVID-19 vaccines, all of which underwent the World Health Organization LULUC/PQ evaluation process.

O Nível de Endocan Sérico pode ser Usado como Biomarcador para Prever Aterosclerose Subclínica em Pacientes Pré-Diabéticos? / Can the Serum Endocan Level Be Used as a Biomarker to Predict Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients with Prediabetes?

Resumo Fundamento Pacientes pré-diabéticos têm um risco aumentado de doença cardiovascular aterosclerótica, e, portanto, a detecção precoce é importante. Objetivo Nosso estudo teve o objetivo de revelar a usabilidade dos níveis de endocan sérico como biomarcador no diagnóstico de aterosclerose subclínica em pacientes pré-diabéticos, com base em medições de EIMC. Métodos Os participantes foram classificados de acordo com a presença (n=42) ou ausência (n=42) de pré-diabetes. Os valores de endocan sérico, glicemia em jejum, insulina em jejum e hemoglobina glicada (HbA1c) dos pacientes foram examinados e a EIMC foi medida. O nível de significância para a análise estatística foi 0,05. Resultados Apesar de se ter determinado que os níveis de endocan sérico são mais baixos em pacientes pré-diabéticos em comparação com o grupo de controle (p=0,042), determinou-se que os valores de EIMC são mais altos (p=0,046). A avaliação do endocan sérico por análise regressiva multivariada detectou que seu nível estava associado à EIMC, independentemente de outros parâmetros (p=0,007). Encontramos uma correlação negativa entre insulina plasmática em jejum e níveis de endocan (r=-0,320, p=0,001). Conclusões Este estudo demonstrou que a espessura íntima-média de carótida é mais alta e o nível de endocan sérico é mais baixo em pacientes pré-diabéticos. Os níveis de endocan sérico diminuídos em pacientes pré-diabéticos podem ser um fator que contribui para os mecanismos de formação de aterosclerose.

Abstract Background Patients with prediabetes have an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; therefore, early detection is important. Objective The present study aimed to reveal the usability of serum endocan levels as a biomarker in the diagnosis of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with prediabetes, based on CIMT measurements. Methods Participants were classified according to the presence (n=42) or absence (n=42) of prediabetes. Serum endocan, fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values of patients were examined, and CIMT was measured. The level of significance for statistical analysis was 0.05. Results While serum endocan levels were found to be lower in patients with prediabetes, when compared to the control group (p=0.042), CIMT values were found to be higher (p=0.046). When evaluated by multivariate regression analysis, the serum endocan level was found to be associated with CIMT, regardless of other parameters (p=0.007). A negative correlation was found between plasma fasting insulin and endocan levels (r=-0.320, p=0.001). Conclusions Carotid intima media thickness was found to be high and the serum endocan level was low in patients with prediabetes. Decreased serum endocan levels in patients with prediabetes may be a contributing factor to atherosclerosis formation mechanisms.

Diagnostic costs: a research in a family medicine outpatient clinic

The aim of this study is to evaluate the direct diagnostic costs for disease groups and other variables (such as gender, age, seasons) that are related to the direct diagnostic costs based on a 3-year data. The population of the study consisted of 31,401 patients who applied to family medicine outpatient clinic in Turkey between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2018. With this study, we determined in which disease groups of the family medicine outpatient clinic weremost frequently admitted. Then, total and average diagnostic costs for these disease groups were calculated. Three-year data gave us the opportunity to examine the trend in diagnostic costs. Based on this, we demonstratedwhich diseases' total and average diagnostic costs increased or decreased during 3 years. Moreover, we examined how diagnostic costs showed a trend in both Turkish liras and USA dollars' rate for 3 years. Finally, we analysedwhether the diagnostic costs differed according to variables such as age, gender and season. There has been relatively little analysis on the diagnostic costs in the previous literature. Therefore, we expect to contribute to both theoristsand healthcare managers for diagnostic costs with this study.

Results of Influenza Vaccination: Short Follow-Up Study of a Turkish Population

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine was approved for use in Turkey during the 2018-2019 influenza season. We evaluated beliefs regarding the vaccine and vaccination outcomes in a Turkish population. METHODS: Individuals who were vaccinated with the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine between November 1 and December 31, 2018, at the Sisli Hamidiye Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, were included in this study. A 15-item questionnaire was completed by a physician during a face-to-face interview with the participants. All participants were followed during the 2018-2019 influenza season through May 2019. The participants were instructed to consult the same physician in case of sudden illness. Participants' beliefs and outcomes were assessed by their vaccination status for the 2017-2018 influenza season. RESULTS: A total of 150 participants were recruited. Their median age was 66 (range, 22-88) years. During the 2017-2018 influenza season, 4.1% had been hospitalized, 53.5% had developed an upper respiratory disease (URD), and 16.2% had been diagnosed with pneumonia. There were no cases of influenza, pneumonia, or hospitalization in the 2019 season; 49.3% of the participants developed a URD (n = 74). Among participants who had been vaccinated during both influenza seasons, 47.5% had had and/or developed a URD, with a higher number of cases during the 2018-2019 season. CONCLUSIONS: After vaccination, no cases of influenza, hospitalization, and pneumonia were observed and the incidence of URD decreased compared with that of the previous season.