Adipokines levels in hospitalized patients for COVID-19 and their role in prognosis

Introduction and Aim: Adipokines, both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory ones, play an important role in regulation of inflammatory responses toward infections including COVID-19. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of chemerin, adiponectin and leptin concentrations in prognosis and clinical features of hospitalized COVID19 patients. Method(s): Serum levels of 3 adipokines were measured upon admission of 77 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients who were followed up for 6 months and grouped into 2 according to prognosis. Result(s): A total of 77 patients were included in the study. 58.4% of patients were male and the average age was 63.2+/- 18.3 years (R: 21-96). 51 patients (66.2%) had a good prognosis based on 6-month follow-up. Leucocyte number, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, GGT, ALP, D-Dimer, ferritin, CRP, prokalsitonin, CK, troponin, oxygen saturation at admission, presence of comorbidities or another infection were all signifactly related with prognosis of disease (p<0.05). Among adipokines only Chemerin was significantly higher in the bad prognosis group (p=0.044) and the serum levels showed a negative correlation with age (p=0.037). Leptin levels were correlated negatively with GGT levels which were significantly higher in bad prognostic group (p=0.036). The ratio of adipokines had no relation with the prognosis and the other clinical features. Conclusion(s): Higher Chemerin levels, an anti-inflammatory adipokine, were related with a worse prognosis, whereas GGT levels especially higher in bad prognostic group were shown to be inversely correlated with leptin levels (a pro-inflammatory adipokine). Anti-inflammatory response predominance at admission might be a bad prognostic clue.

Has the pandemic changed the test quality of the pulmonary function test laboratory?

Introduction and Aim: Pulmonary function tests are used in the evaluation of the respiratory system. Maneuvers during spirometry can create aerosols and cause the spread of microbiological agents such as SARS-CoV-2 virus. The measures taken due to the pandemic can negatively affect both the number and the quality of the spirometry. There are no comparative studies on this subject. Method(s): The tests conducted in the spirometry laboratory of Baskent University Hospital during November 2019 and November 2021 were evaluated and compared by 2 chest specialists. Result(s): A total of 440 patients were included in the study. 50.5% of patients were male and the average age was 61.8+/-16.5 years. The age, gender, height and weight of the patients were similar. 75.2% (331) of the tests were evaluated as successful. The most common errors in tests evaluated as erroneous were early termination (84.1%), uncooperative patients (29%) and poor effort (22.4%). The median number of tests performed for each patient was 6. Test numbers were 262 and 178 for 2019 and 2021 (p=0.011), but test success remained unchanged over the years (p=0.513). The type of errors were not different between the two periods. There was no significant difference between the 3 operators who conducted the tests and the test success (p=0.909), which was similar for both periods. However, the number of tests performed between the two periods until the successful maneuver varied significantly (p=0.009) and fewer maneuvers were required in 2021. Conclusion(s): As a result, the spirometry quality did not change with the measures of pandemic,but the decrease in number of patients significantly reduced the number of tests performed until the successful maneuver.

Experiences of Social Work Academics in Turkey during the Covid-19 Pandemic

This study aims to explore and understand the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on personal and professional lives of social work academics. Phenomenological approach was used in the study, which was designed with qualitative research method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 social work academics who had lecturing experience before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis method was used for the analysis of data. The following five main themes were determined as a result of the analysis: social work academics' perception of Covid-19, effects of the pandemic on personal lives of social work academics, the challenges faced by social work academics in their professional lives due to the pandemic, the opportunities they found in their professional lives, and their search for new methods in field practicum. It is observed that the experiences of social work academics in their personal lives during the Covid-19 cannot be considered independent of their professional experiences, and that both aspects are intertwined. As a result of the research, it was concluded that social work academics faced many challenges due to the pandemic such as adaptation problems to the use of technology, reduced interaction with students, inability to make classroom practices in classes, encountering technical problems and they had advantages such as the elimination of physical barriers and the opportunity to keep up to date.

Ct-severity analysis of covid-19 pneumonia in rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases

Objectives: This study aims to focus on the radiological severity of covid-19 pneumonia in patients with rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (RMD). Materials and Methods: A total of 342 Polymerase Chain Reaction positive patients were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups in terms of the presence of RMD. Chest Computed Tomography (CT) severity scores, demographic characteristics, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) requirement, length of stay at the hospital were compared between RMD and non-RMD groups. Typical and atypical findings on CT images were identified with their incidence in both groups of patients. Results: Age and female gender were significantly higher in the RMD group (p=0.001, p=0.041). The average CT-severity score was higher in the RMD group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.081). ICU transfer and mortality rates were higher in the RMD, whereas no difference was found in hospitalization rates and length of stay (p=0.002, p=0.036, p=0.280, p=0.168). Ground glass opacities, superimposed consolidation, and crazy paving patterns were the most common typical findings seen on both groups. Atypical CT findings for covid-19 pneumonia were found to be higher in the RMD group than in the non-RMD group. Conclusion: Chronic inflammation and the use of immunosuppressive drugs constitute a vulnerability to infections in RMD patients. In this study, mortality and ICU requirements were found to be higher in patients with RMD. Similarly, the higher rate of atypical chest CT findings in the RMD group may be of particular importance in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of covid-19 pneumonia in this patient group. © 2021 Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University. All Rights Reserved.