No Relationship Between Blood Groups and Psoriatic Arthritis

Purpose: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease. The exact causes of PsA have not been identified. ABO and Rh blood groups continue to be an area of interest for various diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether there is any difference in the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups in PsA. Materials and Methods: 233 PsA patients (PsA group) consecutively referred to the adult rheumatology outpatient clinics of a tertiary care hospital of central Anatolia between January 2019 and June 2020 were enrolled. The blood groups of the PsA group were compared with the blood groups of 6280 individuals who tested before elective operations at the same hospital between 1 January 2019 and 31 June 2020 (Control Group). Fourteen of the control group were excluded due to the presence of psoriasis/PsA in their medical records. In addition, the blood groups of 38.416 people who voluntarily donated blood to the Turkish Red Crescent Kayseri Blood Center between January 1, 2019 and July 1, 2020 (donor group) were compared with the blood groups of the control group. Results: There was no significant difference between the PsA patients and the control group in any blood group, both in women, men and also cumulatively. Conclusion: The result of the study shows there is no significant difference in the blood groups between patients with PsA and the control group

The effect of internal marketing activities on employee satisfaction in hotel establishments

Turizm sektörü işgörenlerin de ürünün bir parçası olduğu eşsiz sektörlerden biridir. Bu sektörde işgörenlerin tatmin edilmesinin bir yolu da içsel pazarlama faaliyetlerini uygulamaktır. Modern pazarlama anlayışının temel parçalarından biri olan içsel pazarlama, işletmelerin kendilerini çalışanlarına nasıl pazarladıklarıyla ilgilenir. İşgören tatmini ise işgörenlerin işlerinden duydukları memnuniyet olarak tanımlanabilir. Başarılı içsel pazarlama faaliyetleri işgören tatmininde önemli bir etkendir. Hizmeti sunan personel hizmetin pazarlamasında önemli bir role sahiptir. Dış müşterilerin tatmini kadar iç müşterilerin yani işgörenlerin tatmini de önemlidir. İnsan gücüne en fazla ihtiyaç duyulan sektörlerden biri olan turizm sektöründe, içsel pazarlama faaliyetlerin önemi daha da belirginleşmektedir. Konaklama işletmelerinde başarılı bir şekilde yürütülecek olan içsel pazarlama faaliyetleri ile işgören tatmini ve dolayısıyla dış müşteri tatmini sağlanabilecektir. Bu araştırmada ana amaç, otel işletmelerinde içsel pazarlama faaliyetlerinin ne derece yürütüldüğünü belirlemek ve bunun işgören tatminini nasıl etkilediğini ortaya çıkarmaktır. Çalışmada ayrıca içsel pazarlama, iç müşteri ve işgören tatmini kavramlarına yönelik literatür taraması yapılarak çeşitli boyutlarda ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın uygulama kısmında Antalya il sınırları içerisinde 5 yıldızlı otellerde 405 kişiye anket uygulanmıştır. Anketin ilk bölümü içsel pazarlama faaliyetlerini ölçmeye yönelik ifadelerden oluşmaktadır. İkinci bölümde ise Maslow?un ihtiyaçlar hiyerarşisi teorisi ile işgören tatminini ölçmeye yönelik ifadeler kullanılmıştır. Son bölümde elde edilen bulgulara göre içsel pazarlama faaliyetleri Maslow?un ihtiyaçlar hiyerarşisindeki beş basamağı da olumlu etkilediği görülmüştür. Bu nedenle otel işletmeleri içsel pazarlama faaliyetlerini uygulayarak işgörenlerinin tatmin olmasını sağlayabilirler.Tourism sector is one of the unique sectors in which employees are parts of whole. In this sector, one of the methods to satisfy employees is the implementation of internal marketing activities. Internal marketing which is one of the basic components of modern marketing deals with how establishments market themselves to employees. Besides, employee satisfaction can be defined as the pleasure felt by employees while working.Employee satisfaction is the natural outcome of successful internal marketing activities. The personnel offering the service have a significant role in marketing of the service. Satisfaction of internal customers (employees) are important as well as the satisfaction of external customers. As a matter of fact, there is a lineer relationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction.In tourism sector which is one of the sectors mostly needing manpower, the importance of internal marketing activities is getting clear. With the help of internal marketing activities successfully performed in accommodation establishments, employee satisfaction and thus satisfaction of external customers will be ensured.The main purpose of this study is to determine to what extent internal marketing activities are performed in hotel establishments and to find out how this condition affect employee satisfaction. Additionally, literature review was made in terms of internal marketing, internal customer and employee satisfaction concepts and these were examined in various aspects. In the practice section of the study, totally 405 people in 5 star hotels within Antalya?s provincial borders were interviewed. The first section of questionnaire contains statements aiming at measuring internal marketing activities. In the second section, statements aiming at measuring employee satisfaction with Maslow?s hierarchy of needs teory.In the lights of findings acquired in last chapter, it is founded that internal marketing activities positively affect all 5 matters in Maslow?s hierarchy of needs teory. Therefore, hotel establishments can satisfy their employees with the help of internal marketing activities

Gastric Foregut Duplication Cyst as a Rare Cause of Abdominal Pain

Gastric foregut cyst is a rare congenital disease. In this report, a gastric foregut cyst in a 22-year-old male patient is presented. Fluid-filled gastric ultrasonography and computed tomography demonstrated a cystic, calcified lesion attached to the anterior gastric wall. The same lesion was observed using upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. An exploratory laparotomy revealed a non-communicating cyst. The cyst was excised surgically, and pathology confirmed the diagnosis

Codeine-Induced Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone: Case Report

Background: The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone was first described in 1957 by Schwartz, and is characterised by hyponatraemia, inappropriately increased urine osmolality and urine sodium, and decreased serum osmolality in a euvolemic patient without edema. A patient with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone should have normal cardiac, renal, adrenal, hepatic, and thyroid functions and should not take any diuretics. Case Report: We present a case of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone caused by codeine and associated with reduced urine volume, increased urine sodium, and decreased serum sodium concentration. Conclusion: The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone is a disease that can lead to morbidity and even mortality. Clinicians should measure serum electrolytes intermittently in order to avoid missing the diagnosis of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone in patients using opioid. (Balkan Med J 2014;31:107-109)

Antiphospholipid antibodies in COVID-19-associated pneumonia patients in intensive care unit

Objective

Hepatitis B and C Seroprevalence in Solid Tumors - Necessity for Screening During Chemotherapy

Background: Hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of liver diseases worldwide. For hematological and solid malignancy patients undergoing chemotherapy, increases in HBV DNA and HCV RNA levels can be detected which may result in reactivation and hepatitis-related morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Hbs ag and Anti HCV positivity in patients with solid malignancies undergoing chemotherapy and consequences during follow-up. Materials and Methods: The files of 914 patients with solid malignancies whose hepatitis markers were determined serologically at diagnosis were reviewed retrospectively. All underwent adjuvant/palliative chemotherapy. For the cases with HBV and/or HCV positivity, HBV DNA and HCV RNA levels, liver function tests at diagnosis and during follow-up and the treatment modalities that were chosen were determined. Results: Of 914 cases, Hbs Ag, anti Hbs and anti HCV positivity were detected in 40 (4.4%), 336 (36.8%) and 26 (2.8%) of the cases respectively. All of the Hbs ag positive patients received prophylactic lamuvidine before the start of chemotherapy. In the Hbs ag and anti HCV positive cases, liver failure was not detected during chemotherapy and a delay in chemotherapy courses because of hepatitis was not encountered. Conclusions: Just as with hematological malignancies, screening for HBV and HCV should also be considered for patients with solid tumors undergoing chemotherapy. Prophylactic antiviral therapy for HBV reduces both the reactivation rates and HBV related mortality and morbidity. The clinical impact of HCV infection on patients undergoing chemotherapy is still not well characterized

Cytokine Levels and Severity of Illness Scoring Systems to Predict Mortality in COVID-19 Infection

Various scoring systems and cytokines have been cited as predicting disease severity in COVID-19 infection. This study analyzed the link between mortality rate, levels of cytokines, and scoring systems such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Charlson Comorbidity Index in patients infected with COVID-19. Adult patients infected with COVID-19 were followed up in the intensive care unit (ICU) and analyzed prospectively. We measured serum cytokine levels (Interleukin-10 (IL-10), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and High mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1)) and recorded GCS, APACHE II, SOFA, and Charlson comorbidity index scores on admission to the ICU. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was performed to predict mortality from IL-1β, IL-6 IL-10, IL-8, TNF-α, and HMGB-1 values. Study participants were grouped as follows: Group A, survivors, and Group B, deceased, during the 28-day follow-up. The mean age was 65.69 (±13.56) in Group A (n = 36) and 70.85 (±10.06) in Group B (n = 27). The female/male ratio was 23/40. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), comorbid illnesses, GCS, APACHE II, SOFA, and Charlson scores, duration of hospitalization or ICU admission, therapeutic choices, and lymphocyte, PMNL, NLR, platelet, D-dimer, fibrinogen, GGT, CRP, procalcitonin, and lactate levels were similar between the groups. The frequency of acute kidney injury (AKI) was higher in Group B (p = 0.005). Serum IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, HMGB-1, ferritin, and LDH values were higher, and PaO2/FiO2 was lower in Group B than in Group A. ROC analysis showed that there was an association between serum IL-1β (>1015.7), serum IL-6 (>116.7), serum IL-8 (>258.4), serum IL-10 (>247.5), serum TNF-α (>280.7), and serum HMGB-1 (>23.5) and mortality. AKI gave rise to a greater risk of mortality (odds ratio: 7.081, p = 0.014). Mortality was associated with serum IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and HMGB-1 but not with GCS, APACHE II, SOFA, or Charlson comorbidity index scores. AKI increased the risk of mortality by seven times. Our findings suggest that cytokine levels (serum IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and HMGB-1) were predictors of mortality in COVID-19 infection. In addition, our results might give an opinion about the course of COVID-19 infection

Acute Pancreatitis Caused By Mushroom Poisoning:A Report of Two Cases

Of the more than 5000 species of mushrooms known, 100 types are toxic and approximately 10% of these toxic types can cause fatal toxicity. A type of mushroom called Amanita phalloides is responsible for 95% of toxic mushroom poisonings. In this article, we report 2 cases of mushroom poisonings caused by Lactarius volemus, known as Tirmit by the local people. The patient and his wife were admitted to the emergency room with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting 20 hours after consuming Lactarius volemus, an edible type of mushroom. The patients reported that they had been collecting this mushroom from the mountains and eating them for several years but had never developed any clinicopathology to date. Further examination of the patients revealed a very rare case of acute pancreatitis due to mushroom intoxication. The male patient was admitted to the intensive care unit while his wife was followed in the internal medicine service, because of her relative mild clinical symptoms. Both patients recovered without sequelae and were discharged. In this article, we aimed to emphasize that gastrointestinal symptoms are often observed in mushroom intoxications and can be confused with acute pancreatitis, thus leading to misdiagnosis of patients. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can improve patients’ prognosis and prevent the development of complications.PubMedScopu