Evaluation of Malnutrition Statuses in Systolic Heart Failure Patients

DergiPark: 539664tmsjAims: The aim of this study is to determine the malnutrition statuses of patients with systolic heart failure in Trakya University Hospital and Edirne Sultan 1st Murat State Hospital.Methods: Mini Nutritional Assessment was used to determine the patients’ malnutrition statuses. In addition, patients’ transthoracic echocardiography results, biochemistry tests, hemograms, medications and habits were evaluated with patients’ nutritional scores. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparing the results and Pearson?2 test and Fischer’s exact test were used to obtain categorical data. Results: The total number of subjects in the study was 66 (61 patients from Trakya University Hospital; 5 patients from Edirne Sultan 1st Murat State Hospital). The mean age of all subjects was 65.3 ± 11.1. Out of all patients, 17 of them were female, while 49 of them were male. The mean Mini Nutrition Assessment score was 21.9 ± 4.7. In total, 34 patients had an adequate nutritional status, 25 patients were at risk of malnutrition and 7 patients were malnourished. Conclusion: Although malnourished patients were detected, well – nourished patients were higher. Therefore, it could be said that patients with heart failure are conscious of their health and diet. It is crucial for the health care providers to maintain giving advices on healthy living and nutrition to keep this elderly population well–nourishe

Investigation of the Parameters That May Predict Hemodialysis Frequency

DergiPark: 819242tmsjAims: This study investigates the relationship between the clinical parameters at the beginning of hemodialysis therapy and the changing in the frequency of weekly hemodialysis sessions in ongoing treatment. Methods: The study population was composed of all of the patients that were started chronic hemodialysis treatment between January 2015 and January 2020. The patients were classified as twice-weekly (2/7) and thrice-weekly (3/7) groups according to the hemodialysis schedule at the start of treat- ment. The 3/7 group is additionally subdivided according to the dialysis schedule switches to the thrice-weekly program. Basal demographics and biochemical parameters were obtained from medical records at the start of hemodialysis. Results: The total number of subjects in the study was 433 (141 in the twice-weekly program, 292 in the thrice-weekly program). Forty-six (32.6%) patients in twice-weekly hemodialysis program were shifted to a thrice-weekly program during the follow-up. The female/ male ratio in the 2/7 program is different from the 3/7 program. Serum creatinine and C-reactive protein levels were higher in patients on the 3/7 program. Serum calcium and albumin levels were higher in patients on a 2/7 program. The statistically sig- nificant increments were found in calcium, hemoglobin, hematocrit, urea, creatinine, and potassium levels between the before and after switch results of the 3/7 group which switched from 2/7. Conclusion: Urea, creatinine, and potassium levels can guide the decision to compose a hemodialysis schedule. However, patients' future weekly treatment schedules cannot be predicted by biochemical parameters obtained at the start of hemodialysis

Distance Education in Medical Schools: the Experience and Opinions of Academicians and Students

DergiPark: 819194tmsjAims: This study aims to identify the thoughts and opinions of medical schools’ students and academicians about the distance medical education and examination system that has been rapidly applied during the COVID-19 pandemic Methods: A ques- tionnaire was prepared via Google Forms which consisted of a total of 3 sections. Informed consent was obtained in the first section and participants were directed to “student” or “academician” section. There were 28 questions for the students and 24 questions for the academicians. Categorical variables were demonstrated as numbers and percentages, whereas continuous variables were presented as minimum, maximum, and mean values. Chi-squared test was used to compare preclinic and clinic year students, and the academicians in preclinic, medical, and surgical fields. Results: A total of 321 participants completed the questionnaire. The mean participant ages were 21.4 years and 41.68 years for the students and the academicians, respectively. Only 30% of the students thought the distance education lessons were beneficial while it was 35.5% for the academicians. 25.8% of the academicians and 29.6% of the students were indecisive on the matter. When the examination process was taken into account 67.7% of the academicians and 56.9% of the students thought the online examinations were not reliable. Conclusion: It is predicted that the pandemic process will continue in the next academic years. Considering the current situation, distance education seems to be the best option to ensure that the learning process can continue while protecting the health of students and academicians. Although distance education is not sufficient by itself in medical education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a method that should be used in almost every field of medical education, especially in the preclinical phase. Both the distance education, and online examination process require improvements and they are needed to be supported with face to face lectures and practices

Evaluating the Effects of Night Shifts on Attention and Executive Function of Trakya University Residents Using the Tower of Hanoi Test

DergiPark: 700193tmsjAims: This study aims to evaluate the effects of night shifts on attention and executive function among residents working atTrakya University Hospital. Methods: This prospective study was performed between November 2019 – January 2020 on 83residents working at Trakya University Hospital. The Tower of Hanoi test was used to measure the attention and function level oftwo different groups of residents. The first group being residents working with night shifts and the other group being residentswith regular working hours. After the participants finished solving the puzzle, the number of moves and the finishing time wererecorded. The demographic data about smoking, coffee intake, sleep hours, departments, and hand dominance were also recorded. Results: The participants were composed of 36 (43.4 %) female and 47 (56.6 %) male residents. The difference in smokingrate and sleep time between the two groups were found to be statistically significant whereas the difference between the completion time and moves was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Smoking and duration of sleep may affect the Tower of Hanoipuzzle performance. Although residents working with night shifts did not under-perform, the importance of sleep for cognitiveskills such as attention and coordination cannot be underestimated. Stress caused by night shifts may affect reaction time forproblem-solving, but further studies are needed. Keywords: Nightshift, attention, Tower of Hanoi tes