A Case of Brucellosis with a Rare Complication: Pericarditis

Objectives: To describe brucellosis and its possible complications according to clinical, laboratory and radiological findings. Methods: We describe a case of Brucella pericarditis visualized at transthoracic echocardiography with clinical manifestations. Results: Clinical manifestations, imaging and laboratory findings provided the correct diagnosis of Brucella pericarditis. The patient recovered fully following doxycycline and rifampin therapy. Conclusion: Brucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of disorders that affect the pericardium in endemic areas

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 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%

The Validity of Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) for Nutritional Screening in Hemodialysis Patients

Objective: Wasting and malnutrition are problems frequently encountered in patients undergoing hemodialysis that may increase morbidity and mortality. The malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) is a quick and easy-to-use nutritional screening tool. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of MUST by comparing two accepted nutritional screening methods in hemodialysis patients

Atrial electrical activity parameters of the study populations.

<p>Atrial electrical activity parameters of the study populations.</p

Relationship between atrial EMD values and fibrosis.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Differences between each EMDs in NFP and FP groups have been clearly shown in the box and whisker diagram. (<b>B</b>) Correlation analysis between atrial EMD values and AST/ALT ratio (AAR).</p

Atrial electrical activity parameters of the study populations.

<p>Atrial electrical activity parameters of the study populations.</p

Demographic characteristics of the study populations.

<p>Demographic characteristics of the study populations.</p