A New Area to Fight: Electronic Cigarette

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is spreading like an epidemic that threatens the public health. Last one year, e-cigarette use increased by 2 times in both adults and children, and just as the cigarette ads of 1950s and 1960s, e-cigarette ads are taking place in the television, radio, internet, magazines and in the all kinds of advertising media. E-sigara should be recognized as a serious health threat, and should be fought against it. The aim of this review is to show the effects of e-cigarette on health by the scientific evidences

Investigation of knowledge of asthma and inhaler devices in pharmacy workers

Objective: Effective management of asthma requires the development of a partnership between the patient and his or her health care professionals. In a number of countries, including Turkey, pharmacy workers are the last link in the asthma therapy chain and usually give information to their patients about the use of these drugs and asthma. As a result, we investigated knowledge of asthma and the use of inhaler devices in pharmacy workers in Istanbul pharmacies. Methods: The study was performed with 266 pharmacists and 261 pharmacist assistants selected from 4221 pharmacies in Istanbul by random sampling, with a 90% confidence interval. Each patient was asked to fill out a questionnaire that measured their knowledge of asthma. They were also asked to demonstrate how to use the inhaler devices. Results: The high number of incorrect answers to the 11th question, that "the majority of upper respiratory tract infections triggering asthma are viral'', may be a contributor to the unnecessary use of antibiotics in Turkey (incorrect answers from 41.2% of pharmacists and 34.5% of pharmacist assistants). Scores for inhalation device techniques for the pharmacists were as follows: metered-dose inhaler (MDI), 4.9 +/- 3.9; discus, 4.4 +/- 3.7; aerolizer, 4 +/- 3.1; and turbuhaler, 3.8 +/- 2.9. Conclusions: Istanbul pharmacy workers have limited knowledge about asthma and inhaler devices and need further education, which may contribute to improved asthma control in Turkey

Annual FEV1 Loss in Patients with Noncystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis and Affecting Factors

Objectives Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by sputum production, cough, and several bronchial infections. Lung function is an important parameter to evaluate and study in patients with bronchiectasis. This study aimed to evaluate the annual changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and related factors in patients with with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Methods A total of 529 patients who were diagnosed as having bronchiectasis using computed tomography and followed at the bronchiectasis unit of the Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty at Istanbul University between 1996 and 2018 were included in this retrospective study. A total of 153 patients were included in the study. Results The mean age of the patients was 58.6 +/- 16.8 years and 61% (n = 93) were female. The annual change of FEV1 and forced vital capacity was -39 +/- 82 (minimum: -585, maximum: 355, median: -26) mL and - 44 +/- 91 (minimum: -517, maximum: 303, median: -31) mL, respectively. There was no correlation in FEV1 decline between those with and without Pseudomonas colonization (P = 0.65). No correlation was found between the etiologic factors and the decline of FEV1. A correlation existed only between the first FEV1 and the decline of FEV1 (for the first FEV1%, P = 0.038 [R = -0.17]; for the first FEV1 [mL] P = 0.026 [R = -0.18]). Conclusions An annual mean FEV1 loss of 39 mL was found in adult patients with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. The annual mean FEV1 decline was found to be associated with the baseline FEV1 value. Physicians should exercise caution in this regard in patients with bronchiectasis with low FEV1 values

Bronchus Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Presenting with Immunodeficiency and Multiple Pulmonary Nodules

Bronchus Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma (BALTOMA) is a rare subgroup of pulmonary non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs) comprising less than 1% of all cases. It constitutes 3.6% of all extranodal lymphomas and only 0.5–1% of primary pulmonary malignancies. They are usually low grade B-cell lymphomas and are considered to originate from the mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of the bronchi. Here, we represent a rare case of BALTOMA presenting with immunodeficiency and multiple pulmonary nodules