ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Results from cohort studies evaluating the severity of respiratory viral co-infections are conflicting. The aim of this study to describe the frequency of viral pathogens in patients hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of these patients. Another aim of the study was to characterize the distribution of viral pathogens in patients admitted to the PICU due to seasonal viral infections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD(S): This single-center study included patients who were hospitalized in our PICU for LRTI caused by viral pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 between November 1, 2019 and April 1, 2021 (17 months). Based on their date of admission, the patients included in the study were divided into the pre-pandemic group (November 1, 2019 to March 10, 2020) and pandemic group (March 11, 2020 to March 31, 2021). RESULT(S): Of the 84 patients who presented with signs of LRTI and were tested for seasonal viruses, the 67 (79.7%) patients with positive respiratory viral panel were included in the study. Apart from some important differences, we found that in general, clinical outcomes did not differ between pediatric pneumonia patients with single and multiple viruses. CONCLUSION(S): The detection of single or multiple viruses in the respiratory tract samples of children does not impact the clinical management or outcome of these patients. Our results demonstrate that admissions to the PICU for LRTIs caused by seasonal viruses decreased during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
In this study, to determine the effect of the lockdown applied in Samsun, Turkey, between 1 March to 31 May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concentration of air pollutants parameters (PM10, SO2, NO2 and O-3) were measured at the same time interval of before lockdown and during the lockdown were compared. In addition, the relationship between the concentration of air pollutants and meteorological parameters such as wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, dew point and pressure was analysed statistically. The lockdown caused the most significant reduction in the concentration of NO2, followed by SO2, O-3 and PM10. Unlike SO2 and NO2, PM10 was less affected by lockdown since it also has natural sources. Between the meteorological parameters interested, wind speed and temperature showed a strong correlation with the air pollutants due to their transportation and conversion effects, while relative humidity, dew point and pressure showed a very weak correlation.
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic period, measures taken to control the spread of the virus worldwide;caused a decrease in social, economic and commercial activities. This situation inevitably affected the environmental components directly or indirectly. With the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions, it has been observed that air quality has improved significantly, greenhouse gas emissions have decreased, water pollution and noise levels have slowdown, surface and ground water quality has enhanced and traffic density has reduced in different cities of the world. However, despite these positive effects on the environment, the new corona virus epidemic also caused negative effects such as low indoor air quality, increased use of disposable plastics and medical waste such as masks and gloves, and decreased amount of recycling waste. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on environment by reviewing the scientific literatures.
ABSTRACT
Governments have taken various countermeasures to slow down the effect of the Covid-19 virus, which has affected the whole world since the beginning of 2020. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of the countermeasures taken by the government on travel behavior in Istanbul, Turkey, through a large-scale survey (approx. 150.000 respondents), remote traffic microwave sensor (RTMS) and transit system electronic toll collection (ECT) data. The countermeasures have been taken by the governments were all day on weekends and between 9 pm and 5 am on weekdays, closure of the restaurants, cafes except take away, stepwise working hour measure and determination of the working hour between 10 am and 4 pm. The survey was developed to allow electronic surveys to be designed on a word processor, sent to, and conducted on standard entry level mobile phones. As a result of the survey, it is estimated that there is a 9% increase in the use of private vehicles, and the road traffic congestion is expected to be increased accordingly. Despite the stepwise working hour measure of the government, the morning and evening peak hours of the traffic did not change. Also, the number of vehicles before and during the pandemic passing through the Bosporus via two bridges which connect the two continents and are the main transportation corridor of Istanbul, is analyzed. According to the November, 2020 data, the number of the vehicles has decreased by almost 14% on weekdays in comparison with the data of November, 2019 for both bridges. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we aim to examine the effect of health information orientation on attitudes toward using digital health services and explore the mediating role of e-health literacy in this relationship. We also tested the impact of attitudes toward using digital health services on digital health service use intention. We collected data through an online survey method. A total of 520 respondents participated, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that people who are health information oriented and capable of finding and utilizing e-health information have positive attitudes and intention toward using digital health service. Variables in the model explain 60% of the variance in digital health service use intention. This study confirmed the partial mediating role of e-health literacy on the relationship between health information orientation and attitudes toward using digital health services. Future research is needed to explore whether these relationships are confirmed in a specific health context. Furthermore, comparing the digital health service usage attitudes and intentions of people who have and do not have chronic illnesses can also be insightful. Cross-cultural comparisons may also add to the knowledge related to the adoption of digital health services. We conducted this study during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey and explored the digital health service use intention partly within the Theory of Reasoned Action framework. We have also tried to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals with our research results. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.