The Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19 and Quality of Life in Physiotherapists

Objective: This study was planned to evaluate the relationship between Physiotherapists' fear of COVID-19 and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Physiotherapists aged between 18-65 years, working in any institution (private or public), were included in the study. The questionnaires were combined into a form on Google forms and sent to the participants via e-mail and they were asked to fill out the questionnaires. After first filling out their demographic information, they completed the COVID-19 Fear Scale to assess their COVID-19 fear level. The Nottingham Health Profile was used to assess health-related quality of life. Results: It was observed that the mean total score of the cases from the COVID-19 Fear Scale was 17.19+-5.38, while the average total score of the Nottingham Health Profile was 80.14+-82.57, obtained from 416 physiotherapists. In our study, the fear of COVID-19 was lower in physiotherapists who had the disease. While there was a significant relationship between fear of COVID-19 and Nottingham Health Profile energy level, emotional reaction, social isolation and sleep sub-dimensions and total score, no significant relationship was found in other sub-dimensions. Conclusions: As a result of our study, it was determined that Physiotherapists' fear of COVID-19 was moderate level, and it was observed that their fear was related to quality of life

a review of methodological design choices

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.This systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the characteristics and methods used in studies applying the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) concept for infectious diseases within European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA)/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and the United Kingdom. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched for articles reporting the assessment of DALY and its components. We considered studies in which researchers performed DALY calculations using primary epidemiological data input sources. We screened 3,053 studies of which 2,948 were excluded and 105 studies met our inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 22 were multi-country and 83 were single-country studies, of which 46 were from the Netherlands. Food- and water-borne diseases were the most frequently studied infectious diseases. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of burden of infectious disease studies was 1.6 times higher compared to that published between 2000 and 2014. Almost all studies (97%) estimated DALYs based on the incidence- and pathogen-based approach and without social weighting functions; however, there was less methodological consensus with regards to the disability weights and life tables that were applied. The number of burden of infectious disease studies undertaken across Europe has increased over time. Development and use of guidelines will promote performing burden of infectious disease studies and facilitate comparability of the results.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

Burden of infectious disease studies in Europe and the United Kingdom: a review of methodological design choices.

This systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the characteristics and methods used in studies applying the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) concept for infectious diseases within European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA)/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and the United Kingdom. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched for articles reporting the assessment of DALY and its components. We considered studies in which researchers performed DALY calculations using primary epidemiological data input sources. We screened 3053 studies of which 2948 were excluded and 105 studies met our inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 22 were multi-country and 83 were single-country studies, of which 46 were from the Netherlands. Food- and water-borne diseases were the most frequently studied infectious diseases. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of burden of infectious disease studies was 1.6 times higher compared to that published between 2000 and 2014. Almost all studies (97%) estimated DALYs based on the incidence- and pathogen-based approach and without social weighting functions; however, there was less methodological consensus with regards to the disability weights and life tables that were applied. The number of burden of infectious disease studies undertaken across Europe has increased over time. Development and use of guidelines will promote performing burden of infectious disease studies and facilitate comparability of the results

Effects of Maqams in Music on Anxiety: A Preliminary, Randomized Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION: Music is widely used to reduce anxiety, and the beneficial effects of music on anxiety are well established. Maqams represent a system of melodic modes used in traditional Turkish music. Different maqams may have different effects on anxiety. OBJECTIVE: The current study intended to investigate the effects of Hicaz and Huseyni maqams on anxiety and to evaluate whether a difference in effects exists. DESIGN: The research team performed a preliminary, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: The study took place in the Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Music, Faculty of Fine Arts, at Izmir Democracy University in Izmir, Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 87 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 27, who were students studying at the university. INTERVENTION: The participants were randomly divided into three groups, with 29 participants in each group. One intervention group listened to the music in the Hicaz maqam-the Hicaz group-and the second listed to the music in the Huseyni maqam-the Huseyni group-for 30 minutes a day for a week. The control group received no intervention. OUTCOME MEASURES: The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to measure participants\u27 level of anxiety. RESULTS: No significant differences existed between the three groups in the BAI scores at baseline (P = .97). For the Hicaz and Huseyni groups, a significant decrease was found in the mean BAI scores between baseline and postintervention (P \u3c .001), but no statistically significant difference was found for the control group (P = .29). No statistically significant difference in the BAI scores existed postintervention between the Hicaz and the Huseyni groups (P = .66) or between the Hicaz group and the control group (P = .06), but a statistically significant difference did exist between the Huseyni and the control groups (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Listening to music is an effective auxiliary method for reducing anxiety. The type of music to which an individual listens can affect this benefit, with some types having a greater positive effect than others

Novel Inflammatory Prognostic Markers in Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Definitive Chemoradiotherapy

Primary lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and is an increasingly common problem. The primary endpoint of this study was; to investigate the effect of radiotherapy dose and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). We retrospectively examined 99 patients who were stage III A and stage III B at the time of diagnosis, who did not receive surgical treatment, and who received definitive chemoradiotherapy. Data of patients such as sex, age, ECOG status, tumor location, pathological subtype, radiotherapy dose, type of chemotherapy, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and some biochemical parameters and PFS and OS were included in the study by scanning the patient's files. The radiotherapy cut-off value was accepted as 60 Gray. OS was statistically better in patients who received radiotherapy at doses of 60 Gray and above. When the patients with radiotherapy dose less than 60 Gy and patients with more than 60 Gray were evaluated in two groups, the overall survival was 8,569 ± 1,404 / month and 14,326 ± 1,209 / month, respectively. (p <0.05). When we evaluate the patients based on NLR; It was observed that the overall survival of patients below NLR 4 at the time of diagnosis was statistically significantly better. The overall survival of patients with NLR <4.0 and NLR> 4 was 14.32 ± 1.30 / month and 10.54 ± 1.16 / month, respectively. (p <0.05

Electrochemical detection of calf thymus double-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA by using a disposable graphite sensor

WOS: 00031080920006

A New Prognostic-Predictor Marker Of Cardiovascular Disease For Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Pentraxin 3

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by intermittent complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep causing hypoxia, sleep disruption, daytime sleepiness, mental and physical effects is the second most common respiratory condition; affecting 0.3- 4% of the middle- aged population (1). OSAS is strongly associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including an increased risk of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis (2). The increased prevalence of hypertension and atherogenesis among OSAS patients has been attributed to sympathetic activation and endothelial dysfunction, likely resulting from initiation and propagation of inflammatory responses within the microvasculature (3). There is increasing evidence that OSAS associated with inflammatory cytokines and markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, fibrinogen, tumor necrosis factor alpha which are closely-involved in atherosclerosis, plaque formation and rupture (4). OSAS, a potent activator of inflammation, inreases CRP which has been used as an inflammatory biomarker for prediction of cardiovascular events;CRP is named as classical short pentraxins and is a acute phase protein produced from the liver in response to inflammatory mediators (5). Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a new defined member of the pentraxin family, is produced from the major cell types involved in atherosclerotic lesions, including vascular endothelial-smooth muscle cells, macrophages, and neutrophils in response to inflammatory stimuli, however CRP is produced only from liver (6,7). Furthermore, CRP represents a systemic response to local inflammation, whereas PTX3 is rapidly produced directly from damaged tissues and directly reflects only the inflammatory state of the vasculature. The last but not the least PTX3 levels have been reported to be significantly elevated in acute myocardial infarction (7). In the light of these knowledge, PTX3 is able to reflect ACS condition better than CRP, it is highly possible that PTX3 is a superior biomarker to predict future cardiovascular events. Therefore, we speculate that OSAS, directly or indirectly, induces a persisting systemic and vascular inflammation and may cause PTX3 secretion. Since high PTX3 level is a sign of vascular inflammation which is the trigger point for many diseases that may occur secondary to OSAS, might also be a good marker of cardiovascular disease in OSAS. Screening of PTX3 level in OSAS patients may be a useful marker for evaluating the prognosis of OSAS. To address this hypothesis, further prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the role of PTX3 in patients with OSAS

Comparison of extraperitoneoscopic and transperitoneoscopic techniques for the treatment of bilateral varicocele

Background and Purpose: Laparoscopic varicocelectomy has been performed in patients with bilateral varicocele. This procedure could be performed either transperitoneally or extraperitoneally. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and morbidity of the two approaches