Experience of Lung Surgery in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: During the pandemic, elective cases other than those requiring emergency thoracic surgery were postponed. Depending on the magnitude of the impact the pandemic posed on hospitals and clinics, there have been changes in the number and variety of cases of thoracic surgery. The intention behind conducting this study was to share the experiences gained by a thoracic surgery clinic during the pandemic period. Methods: Altogether, 214 patients were included in the study. Patient data that were recorded included those on age, gender, lung pathology, duration of hospital stay, positivity for COVID-19, survival, and causes of death. Results: Of the 214 patients operated on, 12 died during the postoperative period. Eight of these patients died due to their primary disease and one died due to gastrointestinal bleeding, whereas the remaining three patients died due to COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: If opportunities and facilities favorable for the administration of surgical treatment are made available, surgical treatment services can be offered safely to all patients

An educational mobile health application for pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia

There is an urgent need for individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia to learn and apply the recommended interventions for pulmonary rehabilitation. In the health literature, various studies showed that mobile health (m-health) applications play an important support role in managing health and coping with diseases. However, there is no m-health application yet for pulmonary rehabilitation specifically designed for COVID-19 patients. This chapter reports the development of "Covid Breathe" and its evaluation in terms of feasibility, safety, and effectiveness. A hundred patients with mild to moderate pneumonia were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. While 88% of the patients reported being very satisfied with the m-health application, no statistical difference in patient satisfaction between the groups was reported. Nevertheless, there was a statistically significant improvement in Modified Borg Scale, Dyspnea Score, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale parameters. The usage of this m-health app is therefore recommended for pulmonary rehabilitation. © 2023, IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Admission troponin levels were associated with disease severity and recent cardiac injury shown by MRI in Covid-19 inpatients

Background and Aim: Troponin and some inflammation biomarkers were associated with Covid-19 severity and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions related with cardiac injury. But cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) remains to be the gold standard for revealing myocardial involvement. In this study, we aim to investigate whether admission troponin levels were associated with both clinical severity and cardiac injury shown using CMRI. Method(s): The study sample consisted of 51 recovered patients who had needed in-hospital follow-up, either in COVID-19 ICU (Group 1, n=16) and COVID-19 clinics (Group 2, n=35). Hs-cTnT, CRP, PCT, NLR, D-dimer, ferritin levels and SII and were measured at admission to hospital. All of these participants were referred to electrocardiography (ECG), transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and CMRI simultaneously on an average of 4-6 weeks after discharge. Study groups were compared according to these findings. Result(s): Among study population, 25 patients (49%) had SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Alpha variant [n=16, (31%)], the Beta [n=5, (10%)] and the Delta variant [n=4, (8%)]. Respiratory distress as initial symptom was higher in group 1 compared to group 2. Group 1 had higher respiratory rate, lower SpO2 levels and higher supplemental oxygen requirement compared with group 2, which would explain respiratory distress. Hs-cTnT levels and inflammatory biomarkers were significantly higher in ICU patients (p<0.05). ROC curve revealed significant correlation between Hs-cTnT, NLR, D-dimer, ferritin, CRP, SII levels and ICU admission (p<0.05) (Figure 1). ECG and TTE features of groups were similar. Functional parameters were also similar for both groups in CMRI findings. But, a total of 32 patients had any kind of injury on CMRI, including at least one of the following: myocardial oedema (n=7), pericardial effusion (n=13) and right ventricular failure (n=12), ischemic (n=8) or non-ischemic fibrosis (n=27) on late gadolinium enhancement imaging. CMRI images of various myocardial injury patterns were shown in Figure 2. There was a significant difference between patients who followed up in Group 1 vs. Group 2 for non-ischemic fibrosis [n=12 (75%) vs. n=15 (43%);p=0.03]. ICU patients had more common non-ischemic fibrosis on CMRI (p=0.03). ROC curve exposed a significant correlation between Hs-cTnT and SII levels with any injury shown on CMRI (p<0.05) (Figure 3). Conclusion(s): Admission troponin and SII levels were associated with disease severity and cardiac injury shown by CMRI even if echocardiographic evaluation is normal. Both of them could be used to have an idea about both the need of ICU and serious cardiac involvement. (Figure Presented).

Anti-nucleocapsid Antibody Response After Two Doses of CoronaVac (R) Among Healthcare Workers

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that started over two years ago has led to high mortality and morbidity. Vaccine studies have been initiated worldwide to end the pandemic, and the CoronaVac (R) vaccine was first administered to healthcare workers at high risk of COVID-19 in Turkey. In our study, we aimed to investigate serum antibody levels after vaccination. Materials and Methods: Volunteer healthcare workers without COVID-19 disease who received two doses of CoronaVac (R) vaccine 28 days apart and were at least 14 days after the last dose of vaccine were included in this study. Assessment of antibodies against Severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in blood samples from participants was performed using the Elecsys (R) anti-SARS-CoV-2 electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Samples with a cut-off index (COI) (COI;signal sample/cut-off) <1.0 were considered negative;whereas samples with COI >= 1.0 were deemed positive. Results: A total of 269 healthcare workers, 168 women (62.5%), were included in our study. The mean age of the participants was 37.7 +/- 8.6 (minimum-maximum: 21-62). Antibody levels were positive in 188 (69.9%) of the participants. The median antibody level was 9.2 COI (interquartile ranges=3-34.7). In terms of mean age, the mean age of participants with negative antibodies was higher with a statistically significant difference (p=0.001). The antibody positivity rate of women was higher than that of men (p<0.001). No statistically significant association was found between the time elapsed after vaccination, presence of comorbidities, development of post-vaccine side effects, and antibody levels. It was found that one or more side effects developed in 45.7% of the participants after vaccination. Conclusion: Our study showed that seropositivity developed significantly in healthcare workers after the CoronaVac (R) vaccine. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining infection prevention and control measures and administering the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for healthcare workers at high risk.

Molecular docking and dynamics simulations study of selected phytoconstituents of "Pangi" (Pangium edule Reinw) leaf as anti-SARS-CoV-2

Herbal plants are often used as alternative medicine because they contain active compounds for the treatment of diseases and disorders with minimal side effects, and are easily obtained from the surrounding environment. Some of them have antiviral activity. This study aimed to analyze the potential of phytochemical compounds in the leaf of "pangi" (Pangium edule Reinw) as anti-SARS-CoV-2 using molecular docking study. The drug- and lead-likeness properties of the selected compounds were obtained from the Swiss ADME and admetSAR online server tools. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the selected ligand was carried out to validate the stability of the interaction. The results suggested that pangi leaves contain three compounds with remarkable binding affinities with Mpro (main protease) and RBD (receptor binding domain) were (5.beta.)pregnane-3,20.beta.-diol, 14.alpha.,18.alpha.-[4-methyl-3-oxo-(1-oxa-4-azabutane-1,4-diyl)]-, diacetate (PD), ethyl cholate (EC), and bis(3,5,5-trimethylhexyl) phthalate. Because EC will be metabolized in the body into cholic acid (Cho), this compound was then docked and validated using MD simulation. The compound has the best free binding energy (G) with SARS-CoV-2 (-7.1 kcal/mol with Mpro and -6.0 kcal/mol with RBD). Moreover, the compound is bound strongly to the active cavity of Mpro on Thr24, Thr26, His41, and Cys145 residues. The MM-GBSA calculation showed that the interaction of Cho with Mpro was higher than with RBD. According to the RMSD (root mean square deviation), RMSF (root mean square fluctuation), the radius of gyration (Rg), and intermolecular hydrogen bond (H-bond) analysis obtained from 50 ns MD simulations, Cho formed stable interactions with Mpro and RBD. The finding of this study indicated that Cho showed good anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. The potential of the compound to inhibit the virus can serve as a starting point in the process of developing COVID-19 therapeutic natural medicine.

#NotHolidayButDistance Education: a study on social media use for K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This study aims to explore Twitter posts of Turkish government agencies and the public under a specific hashtag, #NotHolidayButDistanceEducation, specifically related to online distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a thematic analysis on 22,547 original tweets posted by 6,970 users during the first month of online distance education in Turkish K-12 schools. Based on like and retweet counts, the study further explored the extent of stakeholders’ engagement with the observed themes. Findings: The findings showed that government agencies and citizens used Twitter to provide technical and psychological support, appreciate and motivate stakeholders, demonstrate sample distance education activities, share information and offer suggestions about the ongoing online distance education. It was also observed that the hashtag has been used for expressing negative views about online distance education and for political purposes. A positive relationship was found between social media engagement and providing technical support or sharing information for online distance education. Practical implications: This study highlights the role of social media in providing practical and emotional support to education stakeholders in times of crisis. Thus, governments can use social media to provide evidence-based psychological and physical health support to their citizens during a pandemic. Social media can serve to improve education practices in schools through the interactions between the public and policymakers. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study can be considered unique because it demonstrates the civic use of social media for educational crisis management. This study highlights the influence of social media in educational policy and practice development in the contemporary era. © 2022, Ismail Celik, Muhterem Dindar and Hanni Muukkonen.

THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON AUDIOLOGY STUDENTS IN TURKEY: E-LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE OF TELEAUDIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL STATUS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The aim of the study is to examine the different effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Audiology students in Turkey in terms of e-learning, tele-Audiology education, psychological-social situations and personal development. The study was carried out using an online survey created on Google Forms. The survey included 4 demographic questions, and 29 questions about the effects of COVID-19 on Audiology students. Study sample: A total of 518 undergraduate and graduate Audiology students participated in the study. The majority of the participants indicated that the pandemic had a negative effect on the practical knowledge and professional competence acquired through the online education system implemented due to the restrictions. A great majority of the participants indicated that their theoretical and practical knowledge about teleaudiology was "too insufficient". During this period, the level of anxiety in students and damage to their social relationships were obtained as "too much". In addition, a negative effect was observed in the personal development of the students. The study concluded that strategies and approaches should be developed for the current pandemic period and similar situations that may occur in the future.

Evaluation of the clinical and laboratory findings of asthmatic children with SARS CoV-2 infection

Background: There are a limited number of studies about the clinical findings of coronavirus infection in pediatric patients with asthma. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of pediatric patients with asthma and healthy children without chronic disease who were infected with SARS-CoV-2. Method: This is a retrospective, case-control study comparing the children diagnosed with asthma and healthy children who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in our hospital between March,11 and November,10 2020. Results: During the study period, 6205 children were diagnosed with COVID-19 in our hospital. Only 54 (0.87%) patients had a diagnosis of asthma. The mean of the age was 10.7 years and 53.7% (n:29) of the patients with asthma were male. Cough, shortness of breath, emesis and diarrhea were found to be significantly higher in asthma group than in the control group (respectively p = 0.002,0.000, 0.002, 0.019, 0.015). Patients who were given SABA were significantly higher in asthma diagnosed patients (p = 0.000). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of oxygen treatment and hospitalization requirement. There was no significant difference in laboratory findings between groups. Conclusion: This study revealed that pediatric patients diagnosed with asthma were in mild clinic state and the clinic of COVID-19 was not different between the groups. According to these findings, asthma may not be a risk factor for the development of COVID-19 and may not affect the course of the disease in children. (Table Presented).

Evaluation of contacts of the patients with negative covid rt-pcr and thorax ct findings compatible with covid-19 pneumonia

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the test results of patients whose RT-PCR test result was negative, but thorax CT findings were compatible with COVID-19 and their infectiousness in terms of contacts. Materials and Methods: The study was designed as cross-sectional, descriptive research. In the first group, thorax CT revealed findings compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia, and the RT-PCR test result was negative. In the second group, thorax CT revealed findings compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia, and the RT-PCR test result was positive. Data collected were assessed with SPSS 21.0 software program. The significance level was accepted as 5%. Results: Of the participants, 54.41% were male, and 45.59% were female. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of contact environment and status of being a healthcare worker and exitus. There was no difference between the first and second groups in terms of the number of contacts. The rate of sample collection was higher in the second group. The number of people who had contact with the patients and positive RT-PCR test results was higher in the first group. Conclusion: Even if patients have negative RT-PCR test results for COVID-19, they are still infectious. © 2021 Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University. All rights reserved.