Comparison of trace element (selenium, iron), electrolyte (calcium, sodium), and physical activity levels in COVID-19 patients before and after the treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a worldwide health problem, is the cause of 2019 coronavirus disease. This study aimed to compare the trace element (selenium and iron), electrolyte (calcium and sodium), and physical activity levels of COVID-19 patients before and after COVID-19 treatment. METHOD: This prospective study was conducted in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (n = 15). Trace element (selenium and iron), electrolyte (calcium and sodium), and physical activity levels of the patients were compared before and after the treatment. RESULT: Most of patients had selenium deficiency (86.7 %), iron deficiency (73.3 %), calcium deficiency (66.7 %) and sodium deficiency (46.7 %) before COVID-19 treatment. The most important improvements were seen in iron deficiency (from 73.3 % to 26.7 %) and sodium deficiency (from 46.7 % to 13.3 %) after the treatment. Selenium, iron, calcium, and sodium levels of the patients were significantly higher after the treatment (p < 0.05). The patients had low physical activity before and after COVID-19 treatment. In addition, no statistically significant difference was found in the comparison of physical activity levels (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that selenium, iron, calcium, and sodium levels and deficiencies might improve after treating patients with COVID-19. However, the results of this study showed that the physical activity levels of COVID-19 patients might remain stable and low throughout the treatment process.

What are the Differences Between Smoker and Non-smoker COPD Cases? Is it a Different Phenotype?

OBJECTIVE: The most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is smoking. However, more than 25% of patients do not have a history of smoking. The intent of this study is to identify characteristics of COPD patients that are non-smokers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of patients with COPD were retrospectively reviewed. Smoking history, comorbidities, exacerbations, biomass, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures were identified. Also, age, gender, pulmonary function test (PFT) values, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scores were recorded. Non-smokers exposed to any of the COPD risk factors above were grouped and the data were analyzed to determine the specific characteristics of COPD that applied to them. RESULTS: A total of 706 COPD patients were analyzed with a mean age of 67.2 ± 9.4. Of these patients, 93 (13.2%) were female and 613 (86.8%) were male. Of the 706 patients, 128 (18.1%) were non-smokers. The percentage of male patients having COPD was significantly lower in the non-smoker group (P < .001). However, biomass, ETS exposure in childhood, and a history of previous respiratory infection were significantly higher in the non-smoker group (P < .001). The mean body mass index (BMI) was greater in non-smokers than smokers. CONCLUSION: Non-smokers with COPD have more biomass, ETS exposure, and infection history in childhood. They also have less impairment of airflow limitation, better symptom scores, and greater BMIs. Smoking history can be used to determine a different phenotype.

Angiographic Findings and Outcomes of Bronchial Artery Embolization in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the angiographic findings and outcomes of bronchial artery embolization in tuberculosis patients and to compare them with those of non-tuberculosis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent bronchial artery embolization in a single interventional radiology department with hemoptysis were reviewed. A total of 89 patients (66 males and 23 females; mean age 52.71±15.37) were incorporated in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: tuberculosis group (n=36) and non-tuberculosis group (16 malignancy, 22 bronchiectasis, 6 pulmonary infection, 5 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 4 idiopathic; n=53). Angiography and embolization procedure were performed by interventional radiologists with 5, 10, and 20 years of experience. Angiographic findings were classified as tortuosity, hypertrophy, hypervascularity, aneurysm, bronchopulmonary shunt, extravasation, and normal bronchial artery. Chi-square test was used to compare angiographic findings between tuberculosis and non-tuberculosis patient groups. RESULTS: Bronchopulmonary shunt was found to be significantly higher in the tuberculosis group as compared to that in the non-tuberculosis group (p=0.002). Neither of the groups showed a statistically significant difference with respect to recurrence (p=0.436). CONCLUSION: Bronchial artery embolization is a useful and effective treatment method of hemoptysis in tuberculosis. Evaluation of bronchopulmonary shunts in patients with tuberculosis is critical for the reduction of catastrophic complications.

Contribution of Cell Block Obtained by Thoracentesis in the Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Effusion.

AIM: The aim of this study wass to compare the cytological features of pleural exudative fluids by conventional smear (CS) method and cell block (CB) method and also to assess the utility of the combined approach for cytodiagnosis of these effusions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 113 pleural exudative fluid samples were subjected to evaluation by both CS and CB methods over a period of 2 years. Cellularity, architecture patterns, morphological features, and yield for malignancy were compared, using the two methods. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for diagnosis of malignancy were calculated for both the methods, using histology as a gold standard. RESULTS: CB method provided higher cellularity, better architectural patterns, and additional yield for malignancy when compared with CS method. For 22 (40%) patients, histologic subtype was determined with CB especially for adenocarcinoma. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of cytology and CB were 48%, 100%, 100%, 67.8% and 59.2%, 100%, 100%, 72.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: CB technique definitively increased detection of malignancy in pleural fluid effusion when used as an adjunct to CSs. Also, CB provides material suitable for molecular genetic analysis for targeted therapies especially in the treatment of adenocarcinoma.