Emerging technologies for COVID-19, diagnosis, prevention, and management

Virus-related respiratory epidemics have been the most common cause of infectious disease worldwide for the past century. SARS-CoV-2 has been a threat to humanity all across the world from the beginning of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic can only be controlled by identifying and isolating the new cases, thereby interrupting community transmission. Policymakers, health care providers, and interdisciplinary scientists must collaborate to ensure pandemic preparedness utilizing cutting-edge technology. Nonetheless, the development of novel nanotherapeutic and vaccination techniques is critical. To address these issues, further research about the SARS-CoV-2 structure as well as the precise immunological response it elicits in the human body is needed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digital Transfer of Traditional Games During the Covid-19 Epidemic: There is Game at Home!

This article focuses on the work named "Games at Home" which deals with how kids and teenagers transfer their traditional games to the digital world. The work "Games At Home" applied because it is believed that this work will solve the problems on cultural transmission in covid-19 pandemic time period. Work performed on kids that are between 4-14 ages, in total of 259 participant children and their parents. Gathered data is created by content analysis and by assesment forms given to the participants end of the training. At the same time researcher's observations during the work and includes them detachedly. During the work participants are informed about the purpose of the work and the usage of the data and by that parents are informed about the importance of cultural transmission and researches aims to raise awareness towards the cultural games, at the same time it avoids the outrun of the scientific ethics. The work leads to some discussions which are if the digital world is proper for this task, is the cultural transmission can be done with these methods, is there a need of an instructor during the process and sustainability of the project. In conclusion, altough it is not possible to exactly distinguish games between traditional and digital and the contents which created are experienced during the covid-19 pandemic and it is manifested that it has a sustainability. © 2022 Cyprus International University. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the pain in COVID-19 patients with musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional study

Aim: There is no study that have assessed face-to-face using the multidimensional pain scale in COVID-19 patients with musculoskeletal pain. This study aimed to reveal the pain region, character and severity in COVID-19 patients with musculoskeletal pain. Material(s) and Method(s): This cross-sectional study was carried out in 214 patients who had a positive result of the polymerase chain reaction test within the last five days and at least one musculoskeletal pain symptom, such as fatigue, myalgia, and arthralgia/polyarthralgia. The cases were divided into groups as clinically severe and non-severe. Evaluations were made on the first day of admission. Myalgia symptoms were classified as diffuse and local. The McGill Pain Questionnaire was used for pain regions and caharacters while the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was for pain intensity. Result(s): The frequency of involvement was myalgia (96.3%), fatigue (77.6%) and polyarthralgia (62.6%), respectively. The diffuse myalgia was (53.3%) in all patients. The mean myalgia VAS score in the non-severe group was 5.88+/-1.83 and 6.25+/-1.24 in the severe group (p=0.192). The most common pain areas were the back, feet, and knees respectively, and throbbing (40.7%), aching (30.8%), and pricking (26.1%) were the most common characteristics. The suffocating character of the pain was significantly higher in the severe group (p<0.05). Discussion(s): Defining disease-specific pain regions, character and severity in COVID-19 patients with musculoskeletal pain is important in managing possible chronic pain.Copyright © 2022, Derman Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.

Reactivation of Tuberculosis and COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients

Objective Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an immobile aerobic bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB) disease. We aimed to evaluate the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), COVID-19-related drugs, TB reactivation, and TB incidence during the pandemic. Methods Eight patients who were diagnosed as having TB in Meram Medical Faculty, Necmettin Erbakan University between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, at the beginning of the pandemic, were enrolled in this study. The presence of COVID-19 infection was confirmed using COVID-19 antibody tests and the patients' COVID-19 history. We evaluated the demographic data, laboratory findings, imaging tests, and pathology results of all patients. Results We checked all our patients with TB using COVID-19 antibodies (immunoglobulin [Ig]G + IgM) or polymerase chain reaction. Seven of the eight patients were female (87.5%). The median age was 16 years. Family screening of all patients was negative, and they had bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine scars. Two patients had chronic diseases. One was diagnosed as having primary ciliary dyskinesia in our department (patient no. 8) and the second was under follow-up by the rheumatology department with a diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion There has been an increase in the incidence of TB in children, especially in adolescents, during the pandemic period. This may be due to the pathogenic structure of the COVID-19 virus with an unknown mechanism. In addition, lifestyle changes and changes in health care policies during the pandemic may have caused this. Further research should be performed on this topic.Copyright © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy and Vaccine Hesitancy Level Among Healthcare Professionals in Turkiye, Their Relationship and Influencing Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Healthcare professionals (HP) play a role in vaccine acceptance as they influence people's decisions by sharing their personal experiences. The study was aimed to determine the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine literacy (VL) and vaccine hesitancy (VH) level among HP in Turkiye, their relationship and influencing factors. Material(s) and Method(s): This cross-sectional online study was applied to 1,111 HP between 15.02.2022-15.03.2022. The sociodemographic data form, COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy Scale (CVLS), and Vaccine Hesitancy Scale-long form (VHS) were used. Sociodemographic characteristics, questions about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines were considered as independent variables, while VL and VH were considered as dependent variables. Result(s): Of the participants, 33.8% (n=376) were physicians, 25.2% (n=280) were nurses/midwives and 41.0% (n=455) were other HP. The CVLS functional mean score of HP was 2.6+/-0.7 and the interactivecritical mean score was 3.0+/-0.6. The VHS mean score was 44.6+/-16.3. Being a physician (p<0.001 for functional, p=0.002 for interactive-critical) and thinking that the origin of the coronavirus is a natural source from animals (p=0.029 for functional, p<0.001 for interactive-critical) were the factors that increased VL. Being a physician (p<0.001) and having high CVLS mean scores (p<0.001 for functional and interactive-critical) were the factors that decreased the VH. There was a weak negative correlation between VL and VH levels (r=-0.223 for functional, r=-0.323 for interactive-critical) (p<0.001). Conclusion(s): Considering that high VL level decreased VH level, it is obvious that the knowledge level of HP about COVID-19 vaccines should be increased.Copyright © 2023 by Turkiye Klinikleri.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the orthopaedics outpatient clinic

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted orthopaedic practice since it started. In our study, we aimed to examine these effects on outpatient services. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients who applied to the orthopedic outpatient clinic (n=1,518) in six months period under the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2020-March 2021) and patients (n=1,207) who applied during the same period before the pandemic (September 2019-March 2020) were analyzed according to the demographic characteristics (age, gender), reasons for admission, duration of complaints, treatments applied, surgical acceptance rate, and compliance with treatment. RESULTS: The m ean age in the pre-pandemic outpatient clinic admissions was 39.1 years (1-91 years), the gender ratio was 635/572 (Female/Male), the mean age of the patients was 38.1 years (1-95), and the sex ratio was 793/ 725 (F/M) during the pandemic. Admissions of patients with acute complaints decreased after the pandemic, and applications for subacute or chronic complaints increased. Applications for sports medicine, pediatrics, and hand surgery increased, applications for trauma, foot and ankle surgery decreased, and applications for oncology and spine did not change. Conservative treatment recommendations decreased, the surgical treatment recommendation did not change, and the rate of patients who were given only follow-up decisions increased. There was no significant difference in the treatment rejection and surgical acceptance rate. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that the number of traumas decreased, and the hospital admission duration extended. The increase in the consultation rate and follow-up preference indicates that the treatment is more conservative in this period. In this process, patients should be adequately informed about the precautions taken, and their treatment should not be interrupted.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes of Coronavac Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Older Adults with Hospitalized Covid-19

Introduction: We aimed to compare the COVID-19 outcomes in unvaccinated and CoronaVac vaccinated older adults. Material(s) and Method(s): In this single-center study, patients aged >=65 years who were hospitalized for COVID-19 were retrospectively analyzed in two groups: unvaccinated and vaccinated. Result(s): A total of 742 patients were included. The mean age was 76.6+/-7.6 years. Of these, 46.1% (n=342) were male, 76.0% (n=564) were vaccinated. Among patients who were transferred to the intensive care unit (n=217), 206 (27.8%) received invasive mechanical ventilation support and 194 (26.1%) were died. In the multivariate analysis, advanced age (OR=1.03, 95%CI=1.01-1.06, p<0.01) and a high Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.12-1.38, p<0.01) were predictors of mortality, while being vaccinated (OR=0.75, 95%CI=0.62-0.91, p<0.01) was associated with survival. Vaccination reduced the need for intensive care by 26.5% and mortality by 24.9 %. When the vaccinated group was evaluated, high Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR=1.428, 95%CI=1.14-1.64, p<0.01) was an independent predictor for mortality. However, booster vaccination in the last 130 days was the only protective factor that reduced mortality (p=0.04, 95%CI=0.43-0.99, OR=0.66) in multivariate analysis. Booster dose vaccination in the last 130 days reduced mortality by 33.8%. Conclusion(s): CoronaVac vaccination improved survival in hospitalized older adult patients (>=65 years old) with COVID-19. However, delaying the booster dose for more than 130 days were significantly associated with decreased survival. Therefore, older adults who completed their primary vaccination series with CoronaVac should not delay their booster dose to reduce the risk of death. Copyright © 2022, Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the orthopaedics outpatient clinic.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted orthopaedic practice since it started. In our study, we aimed to examine these effects on outpatient services. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients who applied to the orthopedic outpatient clinic (n=1,518) in six months period under the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2020-March 2021) and patients (n=1,207) who applied during the same period before the pandemic (September 2019-March 2020) were analyzed according to the demographic characteristics (age, gender), reasons for admission, duration of complaints, treatments applied, surgical acceptance rate, and compliance with treatment. RESULTS: The mean age in the pre-pandemic outpatient clinic admissions was 39.1 years (1-91 years), the gender ratio was 635/572 (Female/Male), the mean age of the patients was 38.1 years (1-95), and the sex ratio was 793/725 (F/M) during the pandemic. Admissions of patients with acute complaints decreased after the pandemic, and applications for subacute or chronic complaints increased. Applications for sports medicine, pediatrics, and hand surgery increased, applications for trauma, foot and ankle surgery decreased, and applications for oncology and spine did not change. Conservative treatment recommendations decreased, the surgical treatment recommendation did not change, and the rate of patients who were given only follow-up decisions increased. There was no significant difference in the treatment rejection and surgical acceptance rate. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that the number of traumas decreased, and the hospital admission duration extended. The increase in the consultation rate and follow-up preference indicates that the treatment is more conservative in this period. In this process, patients should be adequately informed about the precautions taken, and their treatment should not be interrupted.

The Asset Allocation Preferences of Mutual Fund Managers in the Pre-Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Periods

The popularity of mutual funds, which entered the Turkish capital market in the 1980s, has been increasing rapidly, especially in recent years, and mutual funds are preferred as a standard investment tool. A wide variety of mutual funds are traded in Turkey. These mutual funds are grouped under different umbrella funds. Each of the funds in an umbrella fund is managed by a fund manager, and these funds have different asset allocations. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the whole world since the end of 2019, may have also affected investment preferences. To reveal the existence of such an effect, in this study, two different key dates before and after the pandemic were determined, and the change in the preferences of the mutual fund managers regarding the fund asset allocation was examined. For this purpose, with the help of the data obtained from TEFAS (Electronic Fund Transfer Platform in Turkey), mutual funds were first clustered according to their asset allocation in pre-pandemic and post-pandemic key dates. Then the change in these clusters was analyzed and interpreted. The k-means method was used for clustering, and the elbow method was used to find the optimal number of clusters. © Peter Lang GmbH.

Covid-19 phobia in prehospital emergency medical services workers in Turkey.

Background: The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) outbreak has its social, economic, and political effects on wider society, as well as physical and mental health effects on individuals. The psychological and social impacts are more apparent and common on emergency health care workers who have close contact with patients. Aim: Our study aims to investigate coronaphobia in emergency health care workers. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in July 2020 with 253 people working under the Bingöl 112 Provincial Ambulance Service Chief of Staff. The data of the study were collected using a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, pandemic process, and the Coronavirus-19 Phobia Scale. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean total score of COVID-19 phobia in 112 employees was 58.03 ± 18.78. The sub-dimension scores are psychological 21.92 ± 6.19, somatic 10.83 ± 5.68, social 15.98 ± 5.60, and economic 9.28 ± 4.18. Psychological and social sub-dimension scores and total COVID-19 phobia score of women, the somatic sub-dimension score of married people, all sub-dimension scores, and total COVID-19 phobia score of those who had contact with COVID-19-positive patients were found to be significantly higher (P < .05). Conclusions: Close contact with patients, working conditions, and the heavy schedule of nightshifts increase psychological and social fear in emergency health care workers. It is important to provide psychosocial support to emergency health care workers during the pandemic period.

Evaluation of Clinical Follow-Up of The Patients Monitored at Home Due To COVID-19 Pandemic

Aim: The most valuable approach to prevent the spread of the novel COVID-19, which is a pandemic today, is to detect, isolate, and treat patients. The majority of patients are mild or asymptomatic cases. These cases are followed up and isolated at home in many countries. With a governmental decision issued in Turkey, it has been deemed appropriate to follow up the suspected, contact or definitive diagnosis patients who do not indicate inpatient treatment, have a mild clinical course, or do not have a risk factor that may lead to a severe course of COVID-19, at home by the family practice units. In this study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of the patients with COVID-19 who were being monitored at home. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional observational study. In this study, 321 people who were registered at the Education and Family Health Centers of our hospital and followed up as COVID-19 suspects, contacts, or definitive cases were identified. Home follow-up data of these patients between April 1-30 were obtained retrospectively from the records of family health centers. Data, such as the presence and course of symptoms of people followed at home, their isolation status, medicine usage status, and test results were recorded electronically for further analysis. Results: In this study, 321 patients, 163 (50.28%) males, and 158 (49.22%) females were included. Among 321 patients, 287 (89.41%) were contact patients, 54 (16.82%) were suspected patients, and 28 (8.72%) had a definitive diagnosis. The mean age of the patients was 40.00±20.68. Among the patients included in this study, 27 (8.41%) were hospitalized, symptoms worsened in 8 (2.49%), 5 (1.56%) were re-applied to the hospital, 5 (1.56%) were re-hospitalized, and 28 people (8.72%) were administered medication. Conclusion: The mean age of patients who complied with the measures of isolation was higher than patients who did not. The mean age of hospitalized patients was higher than in non-hospitalized patients. The frequency of observed symptoms was consistent with the previous studies in the literature. © 2021, Eurasian Society of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

Covid-19: Predictors of depression and anxiety among high school students

Although it is thought that Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection does not clinically affect children as severely as adults, the short and long-term psychological effects on adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic are quite significant. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and related factors in high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June and July 2020, 506 high school students from two different provinces were included in the present study. A questionnaire form including sociodemographic characteristics, 'Child Depression Scale' and 'State-Trait Anxiety Scale' were applied online. Univariate and multivariate analyzes were used in data analysis, and p<0.05 was accepted as significance level. Depression prevalence was 22.9 %, median trait anxiety score was 44, and median state anxiety score was 39. Low-income level, think of themselves or the household was at risk, using information sources other than health professionals, high screen time, high mother coronavirus stress score and low family communication score were shown to increase depression. Higher school grades, not regularly exercising, think of themselves or the household were at risk, staying alone at home, high mother's and father's coronavirus stress scores and low family communication score were shown to increase state anxiety. Adolescents highly suffer from psychological outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to involve the family in planning and implementing early mental health interventions during the pandemic, especially as parent-related factors affect children's psychological state. During the social isolation period, it is recommended to organize indoor exercise programs for children and adolescents, limit the time spent in front of the screen, and improve communication with family members. © 2021 The Author(s).

COVID-19 seroprevalance in a university hospital health workers

Introduction: Healthcare workers are at the forefront in the Pandemic war against COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2). In this struggle, they have become high-risk by keeping in close contact with patients during their diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up with long working hours. The aim of this study was to contribute to epidemiological data of our country by examining the antibody status of our hospital healthcare workers. Materials and Methods: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM, COVID-19 ELISA kits were studied from sera samples of healthcare workers in Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty Hospital between June 1 and November 30, 2020. Nasopharyngeal swab samples of these persons were also tested with the Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method. Results: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 741 healthcare workers included in our study was found to be 17%. Seropositivity was detected in 6.4% (33/515) of the healthcare workers with negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test and in 3.9% (5/130) of the healthcare workers who did not have PCR test. Among the healthcare workers, the highest seroprevalence was observed in nurses (39.6%) followed by doctors (%23). Conclusion: It was evaluated that SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers is higher than in the population. This study shows that occupational exposure is a risk factor. 3.9% seropositivity was found in healthcare workers who never had a test. Considering that these workers have an asymptomatic or subclinical infection, there is a possible risk for nosocomial transmission. Therefore, healthcare professionals should use personal protective equipment and apply hygiene rules correctly and effectively in infectious diseases, especially during pandemic periods, while working in the hospital.

Comparison of Clinical and Laboratory Findings and Computed Tomography Findings of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients Followed-up in a Tertiary University Hospital

Introduction: The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a pandemic, a major global health concern. In this study, it was aimed to compare the clinical, laboratory and computed tomography (CT) findings of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection followed up in our hospital. Materials and Methods: In this study, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive patients hospitalized between 01.03.2020-31.05.2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Computed tomography images of the patients were grouped as typical, indeterminate, atypical, and no pneumonia based on the Radiological Society of North America. After recording patient information on SPSS, clinical and laboratory findings of the patients were analyzed by comparing them to CT findings. Results: Among 237 RT-PCR positive patients, 104 (43.9%) were female and 133 (56.1%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 50.46 +/- 17.26 (18-92) years and the mean symptom onset time of the patients was 3.75 +/- 2.72 (median: 3) days. Eighty-seven of the patients (36.7%) had contact stories. Twenty-three (9.7%) patients were healthcare professionals. Of the patients, 49.8% had a comorbid disease. The most common referral complaint was cough with 66.7%. The most common treatment that patients received was hydroxychloroquine (96.2%). Anemia was detected in 61 (25.7%) patients, leukopenia in 104 (43.9%), lymphopenia in 25 (10.5%) and thrombocytopenia in 14 (5.9%). High rates were detected for C-reactive protein (CRP) in 221 (84%) patients, ferritin in 190 (80.2%) patients, D-dimer in 144 (60.8%) patients, fibrinogen in 147 (62%) patients and sedimentation (SED) in 172 (72.6%) patients. Headache was detected higher in patients with typical pneumonia findings in thorax CT (p=0.006). A statistically significant difference wasn't detected between other symptoms and CT findings. Leukocyte and neutrophil counts, SED, CRP, ferritin, D-dimer, fibrinogen, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase (p=0.001) levels were observed to be higher in patients with typical pneumonia findings on thorax CT. Conclusion: Some laboratory parameters, especially acute phase reactants, were found to be higher in patients with typical pneumonia on thorax CT compared to patients without pneumonia. In this viral infection, patients should be evaluated together with clinical, laboratory and CT findings.

Evaluation of index of cardiac electrophysiological balance in COVID-19 patients.

AIM: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the index of Cardiac Electrophysiological Balance (iCEB) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients receiving Hydroxychloroquine / azithromycin (HCQ / AZ) combination therapy to determine the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia among these patients. METHOD: Sixty-seven COVID-19 patients admitted to the ward were included in the study. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were obtained from all patients before the initiation of treatment and on treatment day 5. QT/QRS (iCEB) and QTc/QRS (iCEBc) ratios were calculated. RESULTS: QRS, QT and QTc intervals were significantly prolonged on day 5 measurements compared to pre-treatment period (p <0.05). Overall, mean iCEB was 3.6±0.4 before treatment and 3.8±0.4 on day 5 in the study population (p <0.001). Considering the iCEBc values, a significant increase was observed in patients receiving HCQ/AZ treatment compared to pre-treatment period (4.1±0.5 vs 4.4±0.6; p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to investigate iCEB and iCEBc parameters in patients with COVID-19 on HCQ/AZ therapy. In this study, we demonstrated significantly increased iCEB and iCEBc values following HCQ/AZ treatment in COVID-19 patients. iCEB and iCEBc may serve as a noninvasive, simple, and novel biomarker for detecting increased pro-arrhythmia risk in COVID-19 patients (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 36).

Uncommon Presentation of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients: Anosmia

Objective The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Although the complaint of anosmia is well described in adult patients, there is limited knowledge in pediatric patients. We aim to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics and clinical findings of children with anosmia in COVID-19-positive pediatric patients. Materials and Methods Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection at 1 month to 18 years of age, who admitted to Meram Faculty of Medicine of Necmettin Erbakan University between March and June 2020, were retrospectively reviewed, and the patients who had anosmia or developed anosmia during follow-up were then included in the study. The diagnosis was established by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results A total of 71 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 14 (19.7%) of them had anosmia. Mean patient age was 14.07 (range: 10-16) years. Six of our 14 (42.8%) patients had anosmia at the time of diagnosis and anosmia developed in the follow-up among eight patients. The mean duration of anosmia in our patients was 6.9 ± 3.8 days. Recovery time was 1 to 4 days in four patients (28.5%), 5 to 8 days in four patients (28.5%), and 9 to 14 days in six patients (42.8%). Conclusion In this article, it was emphasized that anosmia can be the sole manifestation or concomitant with other symptoms in children with COVID-19 disease. Care and attention is important to identify COVID-19 patients at an early stage of the disease and limit the spread of the virus.

Containment measures established during the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on lipid profile and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio.

OBJECTIVE: Almost all countries announced social restrictions and distancing measures which could unintentionally lead to a decline in admissions to hospital for acute disorders other than signs of pneumonia. We aimed to evaluate lipid profile, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and cardiovascular admissions to the coronary care unit (CCU) of a tertiary center in Turkey during the COVID-19 era and to compare these results with admissions in the same time interval of the previous year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed CCU admissions due to new-onset atrial fibrillation, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) and acute heart failure during the COVID-19 outbreak and the same time interval of the past year. Laboratory measurements including lipid profile and NLR values were retrieved from the institutional digital database. RESULTS: Compared to the same time interval of 2019 (March-April, 2019), the number of patients admitted to the CCU with acute cardiovascular disorders (atrial fibrillation, STEMI, NSTEACS and acute heart failure) were lower in the COVID-19 period. The levels of NLR, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were significantly higher and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly lower in subjects admitted to the CCU during March-April 2020 compared to subjects admitted in March-April 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that subjects admitted to the CCU in the COVID-19 era have an unfavorable lipid profile and elevated NLR compared to those admitted in 2019. These patients appear to be at high risk for future cardiovascular events.

In silico, 6lu7 protein inhibition using dihydroxy-3-phenyl coumarin derivatives for SARS-CoV-2

The new emerging coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global health problem with very rapid transmission from person to person, causing severe acute respiratory problems. In the circumstance, the discovery of vaccines or drugs to eradicate or reduce the impact of the COVID-19 has made it imperative to develop new approaches. In the current situation, many drugs on the drug bank have been researched computationally, and there has not been an emphasis on synthetic effort. We tested 42 coumarin derivatives (1a-14c) containing 14 different substituents, which are secondary metabolites of plants, and the anticoagulant Coumadin (warfarin) drug as a reference by Molecular Docking calculation technique on 6LU7 main protease of the coronavirus. Optimized geometries, electron motions and energy values of all coumarins were also determined using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method. The drug properties of coumarins were estimated using the ADME-Tox test method. Coumarins formed strong interactions with HIS41, CYS145, and other amino acids in the active site of the main protease. In general, 6,7-dihydroxy-3-phenylcoumarin derivatives gave relatively higher scores, and for all coumarins, biphenyl (for 10a,-8.6 kcal/mol;10b,-8.3 kcal/mol;10c,-7.9 kcal/mol) and 4-trifluoromethylphenyl (for 13a,-8.1 kcal/mol;13b,-8.1 kcal/mol;13c-8.3 kcal/mol) substituted coumarin had the highest score. The coumarins data reported in this study serves as a stepping stone for in vitro and in vivo experimental research for vaccine development purposes. © 2020, Turkish Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

The cultural change of the perception of elderliness during coronavirus outbreak

The existence of global problems in the world and the increase in the speed of these problems in com-parison to centuries cause fluctuations in the world population. While the events directly affecting the world population are concentrated on certain masses, the perception of the society is also affected in this direction and creates cultural changes. One of these global problems is Covid-19 pandemic, which began to spread from Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. WHO declared covid-19 caused by corona virus as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. It spreads rapidly through the respiratory tract and is declared to result in death, especially in patients with chronic diseases and the elderly. It is supported by cultural codes that pandemic is a respiratory disease that increases the risk of death of the elderly population and follows different policies around treatment, care, prevention and protection according to the development level of the countries. Being under direct risk, the elderly population over the age of 65 and those with chronic illnesses in Turkey faced curfew on March 22 and protection approaches are intended to be taken for the elderly population. It is predicted that the risk of transmission will increase compared to the density of the elderly population and measures have been taken accord-ingly. It should be emphasized that the epidemic process and the measures taken affect the aging culture, and cultural changes should be determined by taking into consideration the rate of increase in the population. In this way, revealing the value gains and losses of the elderly in the society and the change experienced by the culture of the aging through the epidemic process will be evaluated in terms of folklore. When the policies of the state are analyzed, the viewpoint of the society towards the elderly and the vital value of the elderly can change. For this reason, it is necessary to reveal the difference between the policies pursued by the state from the policies followed in other world states and to determine the culture-based approaches. Policies on health, economy, socialization, physical isolation, social support and the protection and preventive measures implemented in this context have enabled the change of the culture of elderliness and the change in the society’s perception of elderly in remembering, longing, belonging, fear and anxiety arising from the loss of their value attract attention. How the elderly perceive the epidemic, how they reflect their feelings and perceptions on social media, and their attitude towards the reactions have been directly influential in the regaining of their social roles. The obligatory contact of the elderly group with technology took place in this period and acquiring the right information through the media has gained importance in terms of ease of access to information. Since the prevention of socialization with the curfew only covers the physical distance, communication with people continued remotely through technology, neighbors, friends, balconies, building spaces, etc. and it is thought that communication has been used more intensively with the change of size. When those who comply with the decisions implemented by the state within the scope of health measures and those who do not comply are evaluated, it can be concluded that the perception of aging in the society gains value. It can be said that the approach established by the state on protection and trust is based on respect and love for the elderly in culture. With being a risk group, following precautions, using warnings that appeal to emotions and using appropriate language, the state has modeled the behavior of the elderly with the methods it has followed and it is understood that social memory is an example in recalling cultural codes. © 2020, Milli Folklor Dergisi. All rights reserved.