The level of knowledge of, attitude toward and emphasis given to HBV and HCV infections among healthcare professionals: Data from a tertiary hospital in Turkey

Objectives: To evaluate the level of knowledge of, to investigate the attitudes toward, and to determine the emphasis given to the national prevalence of HBV/HCV infections among healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: A total of 206 healthcare professionals (mean (SD) age: 37.0 (6.3) years; 86.9% – females) including medical laboratory technicians (N = 54) and nurses (N = 152) employed in the Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey. Laboratory (N = 53), operating room (N = 41) and in-patient clinic (N = 112) staff were included in this descriptive study. A 33-questionnaire composed of questions related to their level of knowledge and attitudes toward HBV/HCV infections, the sources of their knowledge of HBV/HCV infections and the emphasis given to the national and global importance of the diseases was administered via a face–to-face interview method with each subject; participation was volunteer based. Results: The participants working in the in-patient clinic (18.0 (3.2)) had the highest mean (SD) knowledge level compared to the laboratory (16.4 (3.1), p < 0.05) and operating room (17.0 (2.8), p < 0.05) staff. The participants from the in-patient clinic (44.6%) had a more advanced level of knowledge compared to the participants working in the laboratory (27.8%, p < 0.05) and the operating room (30.0%, p < 0.05). Most of the subjects (60.7%) had education concerning HBV/HCV infections in the past. There was no signifi cant difference between the hospital units in terms of the attitudes of healthcare workers (HCWs) toward HBV/HCV infections and the level of education concerning them. Conclusions: Our fi ndings revealed a moderate level of knowledge in most HCWs, regardless of their exposure to risk. While the highest knowledge scores and vaccination rates were noted among the in-patient clinic staff, there was no signifi cant difference between the hospital units in terms of the attitudes of HCWs towards a patient or a colleague with an HBV/HCV infection

The level of knowledge of, attitude toward and emphasis given to HBV and HCV infections among healthcare professionals: Data from a tertiary hospital in Turkey

Objectives: To evaluate the level of knowledge of, to investigate the attitudes toward, and to determine the emphasis given to the national prevalence of HBV/HCV infections among healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: A total of 206 healthcare professionals (mean (SD) age: 37.0 (6.3) years; 86.9% – females) including medical laboratory technicians (N = 54) and nurses (N = 152) employed in the Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey. Laboratory (N = 53), operating room (N = 41) and in-patient clinic (N = 112) staff were included in this descriptive study. A 33-questionnaire composed of questions related to their level of knowledge and attitudes toward HBV/HCV infections, the sources of their knowledge of HBV/HCV infections and the emphasis given to the national and global importance of the diseases was administered via a face–to-face interview method with each subject; participation was volunteer based. Results: The participants working in the in-patient clinic (18.0 (3.2)) had the highest mean (SD) knowledge level compared to the laboratory (16.4 (3.1), p < 0.05) and operating room (17.0 (2.8), p < 0.05) staff. The participants from the in-patient clinic (44.6%) had a more advanced level of knowledge compared to the participants working in the laboratory (27.8%, p < 0.05) and the operating room (30.0%, p < 0.05). Most of the subjects (60.7%) had education concerning HBV/HCV infections in the past. There was no signifi cant difference between the hospital units in terms of the attitudes of healthcare workers (HCWs) toward HBV/HCV infections and the level of education concerning them. Conclusions: Our fi ndings revealed a moderate level of knowledge in most HCWs, regardless of their exposure to risk. While the highest knowledge scores and vaccination rates were noted among the in-patient clinic staff, there was no signifi cant difference between the hospital units in terms of the attitudes of HCWs towards a patient or a colleague with an HBV/HCV infection

<it>Blastocystosis</it> in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms: a case–control study

Abstract Background Blastocystosis is a frequent bowel disease. We planned to to evaluate the prevalence of Blastocystis spp. in patients who applied to the same internal medicine-gastroenterology clinic with or without gastrointestinal complaints to reveal the association of this parasite with diagnosed IBS and IBD. Methods A total of 2334 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms composed the study group, which included 335 patients with diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease and 877 with irritable bowel syndrome. Patients without any gastrointestinal symptoms or disease (n = 192) composed the control group. Parasite presence was investigated by applying native-Lugol and formol ethyl acetate concentration to stool specimens, and trichrome staining method in suspicious cases. Results Blastocystis spp. was detected in 134 patients (5.74%) in the study group and 6 (3.12%) in the control group (p = 0.128). In the study group, Blastocystis spp. was detected at frequencies of 8.7% in ulcerative colitis (24/276), 6.78% in Crohn’s disease (4/59), 5.82% in irritable bowel syndrome (51/877), and 4.9% in the remaining patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (55/1122). Blastocystis spp. was detected at a statistically significant ratio in the inflammatory bowel disease (odds ratio [OR] = 2.824; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.149-6.944; p = 0.019) and ulcerative colitis (OR = 2.952; 95% CI: 1.183-7.367; p = 0.016) patients within this group compared to controls. There were no statistically significant differences between the control group and Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome patients in terms Blastocystis spp. frequency (p = 0.251, p = 0.133). Conclusions Blastocystosis was more frequent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, especially those with ulcerative colitis. Although symptomatic irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease patients had higher rates of Blastocystis spp. infection, the differences were not significant when compared to controls.</p

The Role of Helicobacter pylori and NSAIDs in the Pathogenesis of Uncomplicated Duodenal Ulcer

Background/Aim. To identify the etiological role of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcers (DUs). Methods. Patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy in two major hospitals in Antalya and Adiyaman were included in this study and assigned as duodenal ulcer (n=152; median age: 41.0 (16–71) years; 58.6% males) or control group (n=70; median age: 41.0 (18–68) years; 57.1% males). Patient demographics, risk factors, and NSAID/acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) use were recorded. Results. HP was more commonly located in the corpus (75.0 versus 50.0%; odds ratio [OR] = 3.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.66–5.44; P<0.001), incisura (75.7 versus 60.0%; OR=2.07; 95% CI: 1.13–3.79; P=0.017), and antrum (80.3 versus 60.0%; OR=2.71; 95% CI: 1.45–5.05; P=0.001) among DU patients than controls. Hp positivity was 84.9% while Hp was negative in 15.1% of patients including those accompanied with NSAID and/or ASA use (9.2%), and those were negative for all three etiological factors (5.9%). Conclusion. Our findings indicate the substantial role of Hp in the pathogenesis of DU disease as identified in 84.9% of DU patients compatible with the background prevalence of 61.4% among age-matched control subjects. Hp was the single causative factor in 44.1% of our patients, while NSAID/ASA exposure was in 9.2%

Apelin hormone level and its role in the etiology of sudden hearing loss

Sudden hearing loss (SHL) is a significant problem requiring emergency intervention; however, consensus on its diagnosis and treatment remains to be determined. Although several factors could cause SHL, its cause can only be determined in 10% of patients. Several approaches have been described for its treatment. The primary aim of treatment is to prevent cochlear hypoxia by increasing the partial O2 pressure in the perilymph. Apelin is an oxidative stress mediator. If apelin level changes are associated with SHL etiology, the protective and therapeutic effects of apelin can be beneficial. This study aimed to investigate the extent of influence of apelin hormone level changes in the SHL etiology. A total of 27 patients diagnosed with SHL and 26 healthy volunteers were evaluated as the patient and control groups, respectively. Apelin levels, biochemical parameters, and hemoglobin levels were measured. No difference was found between the patient and control groups in respect of apelin and other parameters. Although the study results did not show a statistically significant difference, the degree of hearing loss increased with decreased apelin levels in patients with SHL. Although not statistically significant, Apelin level was lower as the level of hearing loss increased in patients presenting with SHL. According to studies, it can be thought that patients with low apelin levels can be assumed to be less likely protected against inflammatory diseases related to oxidative stress. Therefore, further comprehensive and extensive clinical studies to examine apelin effect mechanisms should be performed. According to studies, the Apelin hormone shows a protective effect against inflammatory diseases caused by oxidative stress. In our study, there was no significant difference when Apelin hormone levels were compared with the patients with sudden hearing loss in the control group. However, due to the low number of patients to investigate the mechanisms of action of Apelin, more extensive and larger studies are needed. [Med-Science 2020; 9(3.000): 704-7

Evaluation of the BD Phoenix System for detection of Methicilin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in comparison to BD GeneOhm MRSA Assay

Background: In order to identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates quickly, automated and semiautomated systems, commercial media, and identification kits are widely used. The Phoenix system (BD, Sparks, MD, USA) has been available since 2004 in our laboratory. This study evaluated the reliability of the Phoenix system for the detection of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolates in comparison to BD GeneOhm MRSA assay (Becton Dickinson Diagnostics GeneOhm, CA, USA)