Evaluation of the Severity of Sleep Complaints According to the Stages of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective: Impairment of continuity of the sleep due to arousals and stage changes commonly experienced by the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause sleep problems associated with insomnia or hypersomnia. These resultant sleep problems lead to impaired quality of life in the patients with COPD. The aim of this study was to evaluate complaints related to sleep-alertness in the patients with COPD in the setting in which subjective sleep tests and polysomnography investigation using scales of quality of life are unavailable. Materials and Methods: The present study included 70 patients with COPD (33 were men and 37 were women). First, the patients with symptoms of COPD were evaluated clinically and COPD was staged based on degree of restriction of airflow (GOLD 2011). Sleep-alertness situation of all patients was evaluated using Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Scale of Seep Quality (PSSQ). Results: No statistically significant relationship was observed between stage of COPD and results of subjective sleep tests. Conclusion: Although these results indicate that stage of disease does not impact sleepiness and quality of sleep in the patients with COPD, they support the fact that presence of COPD alone negatively affected quality of sleep

Characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients and parameters associated with severe pneumonia

Background: After the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in China in December 2019, it caused a global pandemic, including Turkey. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients and assess the parameters related to severe pneumonia. Methods: Included in the study were hospitalised COVID-19 patients with positive naso-oropharyngeal swabs. Patients’ demographics, admission symptoms, laboratory and radiological findings were recorded retrospectively. Results: Of 1013 patients, 583 were males (57.6%) and 430 were females (42.4%), with a mean age of 53.7 ± 17.9. More than half of the patients had at least one comorbidities, the most common of which were hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Cough (59.8%), fatigue (49.5%) and fever (41.2%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients, 84.9% had pneumonia and 83.5% had typical radiological COVID-19 appearances (94.5%: ground-glass areas). The most common laboratory findings were high C-reactive protein (CRP) (73.6%) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (46.2%) levels, as well as lymphopenia (30.1%). Severe pneumonia was present in 28.1% of COVID-19 patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that advanced age, hypotension, anaemia and elevated CRP and LDH serum levels were independent risk factors for the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia (P = .011, .006, .017, .003 and .001, respectively). Conclusion: This study, as one of the first multicentre studies about characteristics of COVID-19 in Turkey, may guide about disease-related parameters and severity of pneumonia. Age, blood pressure, complete blood count and routine biochemical tests (including CRP and LDH) would appear to be important parameters for the evaluation of the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia

Plevral sıvı kolesterol düzeyinin eksüda ve transüda ayırımındaki rolü Role of pleural fluid cholesterol level in discrimination of transudates and exudates

Amaç: Plevral sıvıların tanısında, transüda (T)–eksüda (E) ayrımının yapılması önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Light kriterleri ile plevral sıvı kolesterol düzeyini içeren tekli, ikili ve üçlü testlerin, T- E ayırımındaki duyarlılık ve özgüllüğünü belirlemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya plevral sıvı nedeniyle başvuran 145 hasta dâhil edildi. Plevral sıvı kolesterol düzeyi (PSKD) ?45 mg/dL (tekli test); PSKD ?45 mg/dL veya plevral sıvı LDH düzeyi >kan normal LDH’sının %45 (ikili test); plevral sıvı protein >2,9 g/dL, PSKD ?45 mg/dL, plevral sıvı LDH düzeyi >kan normal LDH’sının %45 (üçlü test) olarak tanımlandı. Kesin tanıya uygun beklenen plevral sıvı tipi altın standart olarak değerlendirmeye alındı. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan 139 hastada, kesin tanıya uygun beklenen plevral sıvı tipi olguların %81’inde eksüda; %19’unda transüda olarak belirlendi. Eksüdatif plevral sıvıyı saptamada, tekli testin kesin tanıya uygun beklenen plevral sıvı tipi ile karşılaştırılmasında iki grup arasında sınırda anlamlılık saptandı (p=0.05). İkili ve üçlü test değerlendirmelerinde ise iki grup arasında istatistiki anlamlı fark saptandı (p<0.001). Tekli testin duyarlılığı %88,5, özgüllüğü %84,6; ikili ve üçlü testin ise duyarlılığı %100 olmasına karşın, özgüllükleri düşüktü (sırasıyla, %46,1 ve %42,3). Sonuç: Hasta grubumuzdaki bulgular, eksüdatif plevral sıvının saptanmasında plevral sıvı kolesterol düzeyini içeren tekli, ikili veya üçlü testlerin, Light kriterlerinin yerine kullanılabilmesini desteklememiştir

Clinical Characteristics and Transmission Routes of COVID-19 in the Early Period of the Pandemic in a Non-Covid Ward of Chest Diseases Hospital

Objective: In the early stages of the outbreak, Covid patients were followed-up in isolated Covid Wards, and the examinations of other pulmonary diseases continued in Non-Covid wards. Differential diagnosis between COVID-19 and infections caused by other pathogens is not adequately recognized. For this reason, it is even more difficult to identify patients who are infected with SARS-CoV2 or other pathogens. In the present study, the clinical characteristics and transmission routes of the Covid-19 cases in Non-Covid Wards within approximately 2 months’ time after the onset of the pandemic were analyzed speculatively. Method: In the early periods of the pandemic, quarantine wards were created for Covid patients in Chest Diseases Hospital, but there were also changes in Non-Covid patients and new Non-Covid hospitalizations. The clinical characteristics and transmission routes of the Covid cases in Non-Covid Ward were examined retrospectively and observationally between 10.03.2020 and 30.04.2020. Results: During this period, a total of 35 Covid cases were detected as a patient, companion and healthcare employees. The median age of the patients was 50 years (min-max 25-85). There were 17 patients (48.6%) who were not severe, and 18 severe patients (51.4%), and 10 (28.6%) patients died. A total of 25 (71,4%) of infected cases were verified with the SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Test, and 10 (28,6%) were diagnosed clinically and radiologically as possible COVID-19 cases. Being 65 years old or over, having comorbid diseases, especially COPD, the presence of dyspnea as a symptom and involvement on chest radiography were found to be significantly associated with survival (p0.027, 0.009, 0.038, 0.000 and 0.033, respectively). Lymphopenia, increase in neutrophil count, CRP and NLR value were found to be statistically related to survival (p 0.005, 0.001, 0.014 and 0.000, respectively). We found 4 super spreaders, one of whom was a companion, and 3 patients. Conclusion: Potential “super spreaders” can be the source of infection before the quarantine conditions are applied and comprehensive protection is implemented. For this reason, quarantine, use of personal protective equipment, application of social distancing, and the implementation of comprehensive preventive measures, such as disinfection, are crucial in controlling nosocomial infection

Clinical Effects of T790M Mutation in EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistant NSCLC Patients

INTRODUCTION: To compare patient characteristics between the T790M-positive and T790M-negative populations, and to analyze the post-progression survival (PPS) after initial tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) failure in order to investigate the prognosis in patients undergoing rebiopsy. METHODS: We investigated the patient characteristics, including the initial EGFR-TKI response and T790M status at the time of rebiopsy or liquid biopsy, subsequent treatment after resistance to the initial EGFR-TKI (the presence of EGFR-TKI re-challenge), treatment just before biopsy and/or rebiopsy (EGFR-TKIs or chemotherapy), the timing of the rebiopsy (just after the initial EGFR-TKI failure or others). RESULTS: No difference was found between the two groups with T790M mutation positive and negative in terms of age, gender, and metastasis location. Only patients with positive T790M mutation had higher progression after TKI use compared to negative ones (p: 0.000). The progression-free median survival in patients using TKI was 19.33 months in the group with T790M mutation and 22.25 months in the negative group. Overall survival was found to be 75 months and 27.5 months in the T790M positive and negative group, respectively, and this was statistically significant. (p: 0.009). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Overall survival was significantly longer in the T790M positive group than in the T790M negative group. In addition, liquid biopsy can be performed several times for patients with progression after EGFR-TKI use and who do not want to undergo tissue biops

Correlation between chest CT severity scores and clinical and biochemical parameters of COVID‐19 pneumonia

Abstract Background The COVID‐19 pandemic, which first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and spread rapidly around the globe, continues to be a serious threat today. Rapid and accurate diagnostic methods are needed to identify, isolate and treat patients as soon as possible because of the rapid contagion of COVID‐19. In the present study, the relation of the semi‐quantitative scoring method with computed tomography in the diagnosis of COVID‐19 in determining the severity of the disease with clinical and laboratory parameters and survival of the patients were investigated along with its value in prognostic prediction. Material and method A total of 277 adult patients who were followed up in the chest diseases clinic because of COVID‐19 pneumonia between 11.03.2020 and 31.05.2020 were evaluated retrospectively in the present study. Both lungs were divided into five regions in line with their anatomical structures, and semiquantitative radiological scoring was made between 0 and 25 points according to the distribution of lesions in each region. The relations between semiquantitative radiological score and age, gender, comorbidity, and clinical and laboratory parameters were examined. Results A significant correlation was detected between advanced age, lymphopenia, low oxygen saturation, high ferritin, D‐dimer, and radiological score in the univariate analysis performed in the present study. The cut‐off value of the semiquantitative radiology score was found to be 15 (AUC: 0.615, 95% CI: 0.554–0.617, p = 0.106) in ROC analysis. The survival was found to be better in cases with a radiology score below 15, in Kaplan–Meier analysis (HR: 4.71, 95% CI: 1.43–15.46, p < 0.01). In the radiological score and nonparametric correlation analyses, positive correlations were detected between CRP, D‐dimer, AST, LDH, ferritin, and pro‐BNP, and a negative correlation was found between partial oxygen pressure and oxygen saturation (p = 0.01, r = 0.321/0.313/0.362/0.343/0.313/0.333/−0.235/−0.231, respectively) Conclusion It was found that the scoring system that was calculated quantitatively in thorax HRCTs in Covid‐19 patients is a predictive actor in determining the severity and prognosis of the disease in correlation with clinical and laboratory parameters. Considering patients who have a score of 15 and above with semiquantitative scoring risky in terms of poor prognosis and short survival and close follow‐up and early treatment may be effective to reduce mortality rates

Is the Effect of Pulse Corticosteroid Different From the Lower Dose on Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia?

Introduction: The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a disease with high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic effect of pulse corticosteroid therapy in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Materials and Methods: Patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia between June 2020 and December 2020 were included in the study. All data were retrospectively obtained. Age, gender, smoking history, presence of chronic disease, and laboratory parameters of the patients were recorded. Information about radiological involvement, respiratory failure, corticosteroid treatment/ pulse corticosteroid treatment status, transfer to the intensive care unit, and mortality was obtained. Results: Two-hundred and sixty-one patients were included in the study. There were 231 patients in the lower dose and 30 patients in the pulse dose corticosteroid group. The median age of the patients was similar in both pulse corticosteroid and lower dose corticosteroid groups [respectively; median 59 years (IQR= 19 years) vs. 60 years (IQR= 20 years), p= 0.66]. CRP levels were significantly higher and blood lymphocyte count was significantly lower in the pulse dose corticosteroid group (p= 0.01, p= 0.02). Eight patients (3.5%) died in the lower dose corticosteroid group and five patients (16.7%) died in the pulse dose corticosteroid group; the difference was statistically significant (p= 0.01). Propensity score matching according to age, sex, respiratory failure, CRP, ferritin, and LDH levels, revealed no difference in mortality between pulse dose or lower dose corticosteroid therapy (p= 0.71). Conclusion: In the context of COVID-19 treatment, the administration of pulse-dose corticosteroid therapy does not appear to confer a beneficial effect on mortality when compared to lower-dose therapy