Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in pregnancy: A systematic review and case series from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey.

Background Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is acute viral infection and a major emerging infectious diseases threat, affecting a large geographical area. There is no proven antiviral therapy and it has a case fatality rate of 4–30%. The natural history of disease and outcomes of CCHF in pregnant women is poorly understood. Objectives To systematically review the characteristics of CCHF in pregnancy, and report a case series of 8 CCHF cases in pregnant women from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Methods A systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement protocol. PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Citation Index (SCI) were searched for reports published between January 1960 and June 2016. Two independent reviewers selected and reviewed studies and extracted data. Results Thirty-four cases of CCHF in pregnancy were identified, and combined with the case series data, 42 cases were analyzed. The majority of cases originated in Turkey (14), Iran (10) and Russia (6). There was a maternal mortality of 14/41(34%) and fetal/neonatal mortality of in 24/41 cases (58.5%). Hemorrhage was associated with maternal (p = 0.009) and fetal/neonatal death (p < 0.0001). There was nosocomial transmission to 38 cases from 6/37 index pregnant cases. Conclusion Cases of CCHF in pregnancy are rare, but associated with high rates of maternal and fetal mortality, and nosocomial transmission

Bell’s palsy and choreiform movements during peginterferon α and ribavirin therapy

Neuropsychiatric side effects of long-term recombinant interferon-α therapy consist of a large spectrum of symptoms. In the literature, cranial neuropathy, especially Bell’s palsy, and movement disorders, have been reported much less often than other neurotoxic effects. We report a case of Bell’s palsy in a patient with chronic hepatitis C during peginterferon-α and ribavirin therapy. The patient subsequently developed clinically inapparent facial nerve involvement on the contralateral side and showed an increase in choreic movements related to Huntington’s disease during treatment

Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Co-infection: An Evaluation of Eighty-Two Patients

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics and treatment results of 82 co-infected patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)

Which method is the most effective for preventing postoperative infection in spinal surgery?

Our study suggests that rifamycin application to the surgical area in spinal operations with instrumentation is an effective method to prevent S. aureus infections

Significance of IL-1Ra and IL-6 gene variants in Turkish patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Objective: To investigate the association between IL-1Ra variable number of tandem repeat (rs2234663), IL-6 -597GA (rs1800797), IL-6 -572GC (rs1800796) and the risk of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in the Turkish patients. Methods: This study included 50 patients infected with CCHF and 50 healthy controls. These variants were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and/or restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: The distribution of the IL-6 -572GC genotypes and alleles varied significantly between the patients and the controls. The subjects carrying IL-6 -572GC GG genotype and G allele had increased risk of developing CCHF compared to the control group (P=0.006, P=0.014, respectively). IL-6 -572GC GC genotype was higher in the controls than the patients (P=0.006). For the triple genotype combinations, the 1/2-GC-GG genotype combination was detected more frequently in the control group than CCHF patients (P=0.016). IL-6 (-572/-597) GG-GG genotype was significantly higher in the patient group (P=0.015), while the GC-GG genotype was significantly lower in the patient group (P=0.005). Additionally, the G-G haplotype was significantly higher in the patient group (P=0.042), whereas C-G was found to be significantly lower in the patients than the control group (P=0.037). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest the IL-6 -572GC variant might be genetic markers of sensitivity to CCHF in the Turkish population and may facilitate greater protection against the disease

Real-world efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir +/- dasabuvir +/- ribavirin combination therapy in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 infection: The Turkey experience experience

Background/Aims: mbitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OMV/PTV/r) +/- dasabuvir (DSV) +/- ribavirin (RBV) combination has demonstrated excellent rates of sustained virologic response (SVR) and a very good safety profile in patients with the chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 or 4 infections. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of OMV/PTV/r +/- DSV +/- RBV combination regimen in a real-world clinical practice

Multi-center prospective evaluation of discharge criteria for hospitalized patients with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Introduction: The information of discharge criteria in patients with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is limited. In this study, we aimed to determine the clinical and laboratory parameters used in discharging the patients by the experienced centers