The impact of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on the corrected qt interval in patients with the novel Coronavirus disease 2019

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continuing to spread all over the world, although there is no specific treatment until now, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have been reported to be effective in recent studies. Although long-term use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin has been reported to cause QT prolongation and malign arrhythmia, there is not enough data about the effect of short-term use on arrhythmia. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of hydroxychloroquine alone and hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin on corrected QT (QTc). METHODS: A baseline electrocardiogram and on-treatment baseline electrocardiogram were retrospectively collected in COVID-19 patients who received hydroxychloroquine and/or azithromycin. The QTc interval was calculated, and the baseline and peak QTc intervals were compared. In addition, the peak QTc intervals of monotherapy and combination therapy were compared. RESULTS: Of the 155 patients included, 102 (65.8%) patients were using hydroxychloroquine, and 53 (34.2%) patients were using hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin combination. The use of both hydroxychloroquine alone and hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin combined therapy significantly prolonged the QTc, and the QTc interval was significantly longer in patients receiving combination therapy. QTc prolongation caused early termination in both groups, 5 (4.9%) patients in the monotherapy group and 6 (11.3%) patients in the combination therapy group. CONCLUSION: In this study, patients who received hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 were at high risk of QTc prolongation, and concurrent treatment with azithromycin was associated with greater changes in QTc.

Psychometric Properties of Turkish Version of Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS-T)

PURPOSE: The aim of the research was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale-Turkish Version (PDSS-T). METHODS: The researchers chose a study sample of 522 grade 5e11 students. Data were collected using a demographic data collection form and the PDSS-T. RESULTS: Cronbach a for the scale was .79 and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient was .78. Item-total correlations for the scale varied between .53 and .73 (p < .001). The indices of model fit were determined to be the root mean square error of approximation at .07, the goodness of fit index at .97, and the comparative fit index at .97. CONCLUSIONS: The study's results showed that PDSS-T is a valid and reliable instrument for detecting Turkish-speaking children's and adolescents' daytime sleepiness. PDSS-T is convenient for professionals to prevent and manage daytime sleepiness.

Developing the Scale for Quality of Life in Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 13-18: Adolescent Form and Parent Form

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop the Scale for Quality of Life in Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 13-18: Adolescent Form and Parent Form. METHODS: We used the child and parent information form, Visual Quality of Life Scale, and our own scale, the Scale for Quality of Life in Pediatric Oncology Patients Aged 13-18: Adolescent Form and Parent Form.We finalized the 35-item scale to determine the items, received opinions from 14 specialists on the scale, and pilot-tested the scale in 25 children and their parents. We used Pearson correlation analysis, Cronbach α coefficient, factor analysis and receiver operating characteristics analysis to analyze the data. RESULTS: The total Cronbach α of the parent form was .97, the total factor load was .60-.97 and the total variance was 80.4%. The cutoff point of the parent formwas 85.50. The total Cronbach α of the adolescent form was .98, the total factor load was .62-.96, and the total variance explained was 83.4%. The cutoff point of the adolescent form was 75.50. As a result of the parent form factor analysis, we determined the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient as .83, the Barlett test χ2 as 12,615.92; the factor coefficients of all items of the parent form ranged from .63 to .98. The factor coefficients of all items of the adolescent form ranged from .34 to .99. As a result of the adolescent form factor analysis, we determined the KMO as .79, and the Barlett test χ2 as 13,970.62. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusively, we found that the adolescent form and the parent formwere valid and reliable in assessing the children's quality of life.

Psychometric Properties of Turkish Version of the Dutch Objective Burden Inventory

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Dutch Objective Burden Inventory (DOBI) for the Turkish society. METHODS: This is a descriptive, methodological study. The sample was composed of 230 heart failure patients' caregivers. RESULTS: The DOBI was translated using translation and back-translation. The translated Turkish version was submitted to eight experts who analyzed it for its content validity. Scores from the experts were evaluated using the Kendall W analysis, and no statistically significant difference was found among the scores (Kendall W = .13, p = .338). In the confirmatory factor analysis, factor loading was found to be between 0.75 and 1.00 for all subscales. Thus, the DOBI demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (the components displayed alpha scores from .96 to .99), good test-retest reliability (no statistically significant differences were found, p > .050). CONCLUSIONS: The Turkish version of the DOBI scale is a valid and reliable tool for the Turkish population. It can be used in nursing practices and research.

Association of Personality Traits and Risk of Internet Addiction in Adolescents

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional, descriptive study analyzes the association between personality traits and internet addiction in adolescents. METHODS: The study was conducted with 328 adolescents attending two high schools in the Aegean region of Turkey. The data were collected using a sociodemographic information questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Scale and the Adjective Based Personality Scale from students who gave their informed consent to participate. Data were assessed by descriptive statistics, t tests, and logistic regression analysis, using SPSS software. RESULTS: The students had an average age of 16.43 +/- 1.47 years and 40.5% were female. The percentage of subjects at risk of internet addiction was 15.9% (n = 52), and 42.4% (n = 22) of them reported that the amounts of time they spent online was acceptable. We found statistically significant differences in the average subdimensional scores for extraversion (t = 2.310, p < .050) and openness to experience (t = 3.35, p < .001), and between students at risk of internet addiction (n = 52) and those who were not (n = 276). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who were found to be at risk of internet addiction nevertheless reported on the survey questionnaires that the amount of time they spent online was acceptable. The study determined that participants' risk of internet addiction was associated with their levels of extraversion and openness to experience.