It isn't over ‘till it’s over: A continuing concern of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, and miRNAs targeting the S protein as a probable absolute cure

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak which still continues to affect the general population, has mutated day by day and new variants have emerged. More than 40 variants, usually caused by mutations in the spike (S) protein, have been recorded. Observation of S protein mutations in the development of t herapeutic agents will increase success rates. As we identify the three-dimensional (3D) conformation of viruses, it is more and more possible to work on models for understanding molecular interactions. Development of agents for arrays and 3D sequencing of proteins paves the way for potential therapeutic studies against variants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) seemingly act as a potentially important group of biomolecules in combating uncontrolled cytokine release. Besides antiviral response, miRNAs promise to be  powerful therapeutic agents against infections. Studies have shown that miRNAs are able to inhibit the genome directly by miRNA-based treatments as they are sprecific to the SARS-CoV-2 genome. In order to expose this potential, in silico studies before continuing with lab studies are helpful. In our bioinformatics analysis, we proposed to compare the S protein similarities of Delta and Omicron, two of the most common variants, and to detect miRNAs targeting the S protein. The S proteins and coding sequences were compared between the two variants, and differences were determined. Within our analysis, 105 and 109 miRNAs for the Delta and Omicron variants, respectively, were detected. We believe that our study will be a potential guide for deciding on the miRNAs that may most likely have an effect on the management of the infection caused by both variants

Atomik absorpsiyon spektrofotometresinde hidrür ve soğuk buhar yöntemi

TEZ438Tez (Yüksek Lisans) -- Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana, 1987.Kaynakça (s. 56-61) var.vii, 61 s. 30 cm.

Impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Multidimensional Hand Hygiene Approach, over 8 years, in 11 cities of Turkey

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Multidimensional Hand Hygiene Approach in Turkey and analyse predictors of poor hand hygiene compliance. Design: An observational, prospective, interventional, before-and-after study was conducted from August 2003 to August 2011 in 12 intensive care units (ICU) of 12 hospitals in 11 cities. The study was divided into a baseline and a follow-up period and included random 30-minute observations for hand hygiene compliance in ICU. The hand hygiene approach included administrative support, supplies availability, education and training, reminders in the workplace, process surveillance, and performance feedback. Results: We observed 21,145 opportunities for hand hygiene. Overall hand hygiene compliance increased from 28.8% to 91% (95% CI 87.6–93.0, p 0.0001). Multivariate and univariate analyses showed that several variables were significantly associated with poor hand hygiene compliance: males vs. females (39% vs. 48%; 95% CI 0.79–0.84, p 0.0001), ancillary staff vs. physicians (35% vs. 46%, 95% CI 0.73–0.78, p 0.0001), and adult vs. pediatric ICUs (42% vs. 74%, 95% CI 0.54–0.60, p 0.0001). Conclusions: Adherence to hand hygiene was significantly increased with the INICC Hand Hygiene Approach. Specific programmes should be directed to improve hand hygiene in variables found to be predictors of poor hand hygiene compliance

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC)

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a threat to patient safety; however, there were no available data on SSI rates stratified by surgical procedure (SP) in Turkey.Methods: Between January 2005 and December 2011, a cohort prospective surveillance study on SSIs was conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) in 20 hospitals in 16 Turkish cities. Data from hospitalized patients were registered using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) methods and definitions for SSIs. Surgical procedures (SPs) were classified into 22 types according to International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision criteria.Results: We recorded 1879 SSIs, associated with 41,563 SPs (4.3%; 95% confidence interval, 4.3-4.7). Among the results, the SSI rate per type of SP compared with rates reported by the INICC and CDC NHSN were 11.9% for ventricular shunt (vs 12.9% vs 5.6%); 5.3% for craniotomy (vs 4.4% vs 2.6%); 4.9% for coronary bypass with chest and donor incision (vs 4.5 vs 2.9); 3.5% for hip prosthesis (vs 2.6% vs 1.3%), and 3.0% for cesarean section (vs 0.7% vs 1.8%).Conclusions: In most of the 22 types of SP analyzed, our SSI rates were higher than the CDC NHSN rates and similar to the INICC rates. This study advances the knowledge of SSI epidemiology in Turkey, allowing the implementation of targeted interventions. Copyright (C) 2015 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Thalassemia-free and graft-versus-host-free survival: outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for thalassemia major, Turkish experience

We report the national data on the outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for thalassemia major (TM) patients in Turkey on behalf of the Turkish Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation Group. We retrospectively enrolled 1469 patients with TM who underwent their first HSCT between 1988 and 2020 in 25 pediatric centers in Turkey. The median follow-up duration and transplant ages were 62 months and 7 years, respectively; 113 patients had chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) and the cGVHD rate was 8.3% in surviving patients. Upon the last visit, 30 patients still had cGvHD (2.2%). The 5-year overall survival (OS), thalassemia-free survival (TFS) and thalassemia-GVHD-free survival (TGFS) rates were 92.3%, 82.1%, and 80.8%, respectively. cGVHD incidence was significantly lower in the mixed chimerism (MC) group compared to the complete chimerism (CC) group (p < 0.001). In survival analysis, OS, TFS, and TGFS rates were significantly higher for transplants after 2010. TFS and TGFS rates were better for patients under 7 years and at centers that had performed over 100 thalassemia transplants. Transplants from matched unrelated donors had significantly higher TFS rates. We recommend HSCT before 7 years old in thalassemia patients who have a matched donor for improved outcomes