Utilization of different aspects of digital health among pulmonology residents in Turkey during the pandemic

Introduction: Pulmonology residents are at the forefront of COVID-19 patient care and have had significant changes in their clinical practices during the pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the use of online education and telemedicine and regarding residents' perspectives. Method(s): An online survey link, questioning use of online education, and perceptions of changes in education, was sent to 486 pulmonology residents in Turkey via e-mail and messages. Result(s): Based on assumptions of 200 participants, with a response rate of 41%, online education was quite limited in the first wave of the pandemic (generally <10%). In the last one year of their training, nearly half of the residents stated that the online education was beneficial;while 67% thought that online lessons/meetings were less effective than face-to-face activities. Residents mostly preferred intermittent use of online education after pandemic (Table 1). Only a quarter of them had telemedicine (TM) experience;while nearly half of them thought that it had a positive effect on their clinical experience. Conclusion(s): During pandemic era, online education requirement increased in Turkey. While online-education or telemedicine cannot replace the hands-on training and clinical practice, respectively;the combination of online and onsite modules may be a viable alternative.

Stress and workload impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pulmonology residents

Introduction: The pandemic has changed regular pattern of work in clinics. We aimed to evaluate the COVID-19 related workload and psychosocial burden, as well as the possible associated factors among the pulmonology residents in Turkey. Method(s): An online survey was sent to pulmonology residents through e-mails and messages. Result(s): Out of 200 participants, majority was female (67%), between 24-29 years (72%) of age, from university hospitals (59%), and under training in 1st wave of Covid-19 (69%). Most of the residents trained during 1st wave (86%) expressed their stress and anxiety levels as more than moderate and nearly 1/3 considered resigning. Most of the residents were unsatisfied with their jobs and job conditions, and feeling stressed, anxious, worried about contamination (Table 1). Stress and anxiety was associated with gender, residency level, previous experience in Covid-19 wards, stress level during 1st wave, resigning desire, workload, and insufficient knowledge (p<0.05). On the other hand;age, hospital type, living with kids, workload, tiredness, stress level, resigning desire were associated with depressive mood. Conclusion(s): Residents were mostly affected psychosocially by the Covid-19 crisis. Considering the modifiable factors, pulmonology residency programs should be aware of and closely monitor these effects.

Comparison of COVID-19 patients who underwent thrombectomy with those in the pre-pandemic period in terms of etiology and prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at determining the effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with major vessel occlusion and infected with COVID-19, evaluating its clinical outcome and comparing it with non-COVID patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the pandemic, 729 patients who underwent MT in stroke centers due to Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion were evaluated. This study included 40 patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis by a positive PCR test between March 11, 2020, and December 31, 2020. These patients were compared to 409 patients who underwent MT due to major vessel occlusion between March 11, 2019, and December 31, 2019. RESULTS: Of the patients with AIS who are infected with COVID-19, 62.5% were males, and all patients have a median age of 63.5 ± 14.4 years. The median NIHSS score of the COVID-19 group was significantly higher than that of the non-COVID-19 groups. Dissection was significantly more in the COVID-19 group. The mortality rates at 3 months were higher in the COVID-19 groups compared to non-COVID-19 groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed an increased frequency of dissection in patients with COVID-19. COVID-19-related ischemic strokes are associated with worse functional outcomes and higher mortality rates than non-COVID-19 ischemic strokes.

Neutralizing antibody response and associated factors in Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) up to one month

Background: There is a knowledge gap about the characteristics of neutralizing antibody (NAb) response in patients who recovered COVID-19. In this study, it is aimed to elucidate the factors affecting the presence and titers of antibodies up to 30-days after onset. Material and methods: A total of 129 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled. Clinical data were obtained retrospectively. SARS-CoV-2 specific NAb, IgM, and IgG antibody responses were analyzed. Results: SARS-CoV-2 specific NAb, IgM and IgG, were detected at the time of hospital discharge in 60.5%, 30.2%, and 51.9% of the patients, respectively. The median time for obtaining serum samples for antibody tests after symptoms' onset was 11 days. The median titer of neutralizing antibody (SN50) was significantly higher in severe patients (25 vs. 7.5, p=0.009). Of the 23 severe patients, 52.2% (n=12) had higher NAb titers (i.e., SN50≥1:25) when compared to that in non-severe patients (OR=2.89;95%CI=1.15-7.28, p=0.021), yet, the potential effect of follow-up time on NAb status and titers could not be ruled out. Conclusions: The presence of antibody response is not the only determinative factor for recovery. The presence and higher titers of NAb were detected more in severe patients than their non-severe counterparts. Survival analysis suggested that this difference could at least be partially explained by the length of follow-up through antibody testing (at discharge) after symptoms' onset. © 2022 Aliye Bastug et al.

The role of bio-detection dogs in the prevention and diagnosis of infectious diseases: A systematic review

Infectious diseases have been lately considered as one of the most important global risks, which negatively impact not only the health but also the socioeconomic conditions of countries. Globalization influences the spread of infectious diseases as a result of increased travelling and interaction in humans. Thus, it is highly important to prevent and diagnose new infectious diseases by using accurate and quick diagnostic methods. Bio-detection dogs have a great potential to accurately diagnose infectious disease as they have a great ability to sense disease-specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originate from infectious agents and/or pathophysiological processes in the human body. The use of these dogs to detect infectious diseases has come to focus in particular after the recent global health crisis due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. This review discusses the potential use of bio-detection dogs in the prevention and diagnosing of infectious diseases. Moreover, factors affecting the scent of the disease, e.g. VOCs, are tried to be highlighted. © 2021, Chartered Inst. of Building Services Engineers. All rights reserved.