Seasonality of Tuberculosis in Tekirdağ City, 2007-2011

AimIt is well known that the incidence of many respiratory infections shows seasonal variability. Unlike other respiratory infections, in many studies tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses increase in summer and the mechanism underlying this fluctuation remains unknown. We aimed to examine whether TB has an annual seasonal pattern in Tekirdağ.Materials and MethodsData were obtained from TB dispensaries in Tekirdağ retrospectively. There were 1311 cases of TB notified between January 2007 and December 2011. TB notifications show a seasonal pattern, with a peak in spring and summer, which is present in both pulmonary and extra pulmonary tuberculosis.ResultsTB notification was found highest in summer with the value of 28,4 %.ConclusionTB incidence in Tekirdağ showed seasonality like previous studies held in different countries. There is a need for large longitudinal studies to clarify the underlying mechanisms that may provide a better disease control

The Trend of Tuberculosis in Tekirdağ

AimThe incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) is estimated by the World Health Organization as 128/100.000 worldwide. The main principles of TB control are early case detection and diagnosis, followed by directly observed treatment of patients. The aim of this study was to analyse the dynamics of TB between 2007 and 2011 in Tekirdağ.Material and MethodsData were obtained from TB dispensaries and separated into oneyear categories. Case notification rates were analysed by different age groups (0–14, 15–24, 25–44, 45–64, 65 and above). The patients were divided into two groups according to involved organs: pulmonary (smear/culture positive=PSP and smear/culture negative/unknown=PSN/U) and extrapulmonary. Antibiotic susceptibility tests to major antituberculosis drugs were performed on M. tuberculosis strains that were grown in culture and suspected of being resistant. Resistance to both INH and rifampicin were accepted as multiple drug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB).ResultsA total of 162.291 patients were examined, and out of this population, 1311 (0.8%) tuberculosis patients were evaluated. The distribution of case notification rates by year were 44.6%, 34.6%, 33.4%, 28.6%, and 27.6%from 2007 to 2011, respectively. Pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB rates were 74.5%(46.0%PSP and 28.5%PSN/U) and 25.5%, respectively. Extrapulmonary TB rates were 42.3% and 17.6% in men and women, respectively. Resistance rates against INH, rifampicin, ethambutol, and streptomycin were 21.6%, 8.8%, 1.6%, and 6.4%, respectively. The MDR-TB rate was 6.4%.ConclusionSystematic implementation of directly observed treatment programs plays an important role in decreasing TB incidence. Because the TB rates in our region are above the average for Turkey, screening and follow-up procedures must be conducted more stringently and regularly

Fuzzy Triple Controlled Metric Spaces and Related Fixed Point Results

In this study, we introduce fuzzy triple controlled metric space that generalizes certain fuzzy metric spaces, like fuzzy rectangular metric space, fuzzy rectangular b-metric space, fuzzy b-metric space, and extended fuzzy b-metric space. We use f,g,h, three noncomparable functions as follows: mqμ,η,t+s+w≥mqμ,ν,t/fμ,ν∗mqν,ξ,s/gν,ξ∗mqξ,η,w/hξ,η. We prove Banach fixed point theorem in the settings of fuzzy triple controlled metric space that generalizes Banach fixed point theorem for aforementioned spaces. An example is presented to support our main results. We also apply our technique to the uniqueness for the solution of an integral equation

Role of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in children with community-acquired pneumonia in Istanbul, Turkey

Background: To investigate the role of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in pediatric pneumonia, in Istanbul, Turkey, we conducted a prospective study covering all the children between 2 months and 15 years hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia

Establishing a covert communication channel in RF and mm-wave circuits

A method is proposed to implement a hardware Trojan that can be used to leak confidential information in RF and mm-wave circuits. The method modifies the input impedance matching network of a power amplifier by using a single nMOS transistor. Input matching of the power amplifier changes with digital data that is covertly transmitted and this slight change (0.63 dB) is observed at the output gain of the power amplifier, which ultimately changes the power level of the signal that arrives at the receiver. The inserted nMOS transistor and interconnections are hidden under transmission lines and ground planes, making them invisible to the user. The efficacy of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by using full EM simulations of a 77 GHz power amplifier that was previously fabricated and measured. Performance parameters of the power amplifier remain within expected process variations, as verified via Monte Carlo simulations. To the best of authors' knowledge, the proposed work demonstrates the first hardware Trojan method that enables covert communication, designed specifically for mm-wave circuits

A REVIEW OF 43 CASES OF TETANUS NEONATORUM

Forty-three patients with neonatal tetanus admitted to the infectious Diseases Ward of the istanbul University Faculty of Medicine Children's Hospital at Capa from 1982-1989 are presented. Thirty-two (74.4%) of the subjects were boys

Pneumococcal Meningitis in Children: Evaluation of 46 Cases

A retrospective study was performed to review the clinical features, laboratory findings and the outcome of 46 children with pneumococcal meningitis hospitalized in a 10-year period. The median age of the cases was 3 years (range 1.5 months-11 years). Forty-eight percent of the cases were younger than two years of age. Nine out of the 46 children (19.5%) had underlying conditions. All of the strains isolated were susceptible to penicillin. Thirty-six patients were treated with crystallized penicillin, 8 patients with ceftriaxone and 2 patients with vancomycin plus ceftriaxone. A mortality rate of 10.8% was observed. At discharge, 13 survivors (28%) had neurologic sequelae as developmental delay, hearing loss, spasticity and/or paresis, and seizure disorder. The importance of early diagnosis and treatment of pneumococcal meningitis was emphasized

Prevalence of childhood asthma in Istanbul, Turkey

In order to determine the asthma prevalence in 6-12-year-old schoolchildren in Istanbul, we issued 2350 questionnaires, according to ISAAC criteria, in six randomly selected city primary schools to be completed at home by parents. A total of 2232 of the questionnaires were completed, an overall response rate of 94.9%, and 2216 questionnaires were taken into consideration. The prevalence of asthma was found to be 9.8% and wheezing 15.1%. To investigate the effect of socioeconomic status on the prevalence of asthma, we evaluated the heating system at home, the place of residence, the educational levels of the mother and father, the number of people living in the house, the sharing of bedrooms, and the annual family income. In conclusion, the prevalence of childhood asthma was not affected by any of these factors. Atopic family history, food allergy, eczema, and frequent otitis media and sinusitis attacks were evaluated and found to be significant in asthma prevalence