Impact of Nosocomial COVID-19 Infection Among Hospitalized Patients with Respiratory Diseases

Objective: There are very few studies concerning the frequency and course of nosocomial Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection among patients hospitalized having diseases other than COVID-19. In our study, patients who were admitted to the pulmonology inpatient clinic from the emergency room due to non-COVID-19 diseases and later diagnosed with COVID-19 (index cases) and the nosocomial transmission caused by these patients and the clinical outcomes were analyzed. Method: This study was carried out on 44 inpatients without COVID-19 at a pulmonology inpatient clinic during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Oro-nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken at the time of hospitalization to detect COVID-19 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. The test results of four patients were found to be positive. Due to the risk of nosocomial transmission, the remaining patients were re-evaluated for COVID-19 disease by clinical, radiological, and RT-PCR tests (1 to 3 times, and/or if symptoms developed). All patients were followed up for 30 days after discharge. Results: Thirty-six males (81%) and 8 females (19%) with a mean age of 65.6±13.6 (31-93) years were included in the study. Twenty-five of these patients had cancer, six had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, four had an aggravation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, three had infected bronchiectasis, two had pulmonary embolisms, and four had other disorders. The RT-PCR test results were found positive in 4 patients. In about two weeks, COVID-19 infection emerged in 16 of the remaining 40 patients, and 10 of them (63% of the infected) died. The RT-PCR test results of patients with COVID-19 infection were found to be positive on day 8.2 averagely (6-13). Conclusion: Nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 may create a risk of severe illness and death among vulnerable patients. It is crucial to take necessary measures in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in hospitals

T wave peak-to-end interval in COPD

Introduction: The interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic (ECG) T wave (Tp-Te) can estimate cardiovascular mortality and ventricular tachyarrhythmias

Primary Tracheal B-cell Lymphoma Causing Recurrent Central Airway Obstruction

WOS: 000341804000010PubMed ID: 24766730

Serum alkaline phosphatase may play a role in the differential diagnosis of sarcoidosis and tuberculosis

Background: Reaching the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis and sarcoidosis can be difficult due to granulomatous inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in serum for the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. Methods: This study comprised 242 subjects: 105 acid-fast bacilli (AFB) positive and/or culture-positive patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 90 patients with biopsyproven sarcoidosis and a control group consisting of 47 healthy controls were included. ALP activity was measured in serum at the first admission of the patients. Results: The mean serum ALP was 112.74 +/- 55.14 IU/L in pulmonary tuberculosis, 76.14 +/- 34.23 IU/L in sarcoidosis, and 66.87 +/- 18.49 IU/L in the control group, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the patient population and the control group (P = 0.03). Also, there was a statistically significant difference between the tuberculosis and sarcoidosis groups (P = 0.034). According to the comparison of tuberculosis and sarcoidosis, the cut-off value was determined as 71.50 IU/L, which had sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 51%, PPV of 66%, NPV of 69%, accuracy of 67%, and the AUC was 0.728. Conclusion: ALP, as a little-known marker for tuberculosis and sarcoidosis, was significantly increased in the pulmonary tuberculosis group compared with the sarcoidosis group. As such, it may be a useful tool for the differentiation of tuberculosis and sarcoidosis

Relationship between Sarcopenia and Respiratory Functions in Geriatric Male COPD Patients

Introduction: Sarcopenia can be defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, especially with aging. In total, 21.6% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have sarcopenia. In our study, we investigated whether the evaluation of respiratory muscles can be correlated with peripheral muscle measurement and what kind of relationship is between sarcopenia and pulmonary function tests. Methods: A retrospective observational study conducted in a single center included 75 male COPD patients admitted to the pulmonary rehabilitation unit. The data were obtained from the hospital information management system and patient files. Results: The mean age of 75 male patients included in the study was 65±9 years, 76% had a history of smoking, and 46% had comorbidities. Sarcopenia was detected in 20 patients, 16 of whom were over 65 years of age. While the mean Handgrip was 50, Quadriceps 36, and Pinchmeter 17 in all age groups, it was 58, 38, and 17 in the over 65 age group, and 21, 21, and 12 in the 65 age group with cachexia, respectively. There was no statistical relationship between sarcopenia and forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1), forced vital capacity, FEV1/FEV, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stages, modified Medical Research Council, and COPD assessment test scores in patients over 65 years of age (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although it was observed that the frequency of malnutrition and sarcopenia was higher than normal in the COPD patient group over 65 years of age, a decrease in pulmonary function tests and a decrease in effort capacity due to sarcopenia were observed, a statistically significant result was reached due to the insufficient number of cases

Malignant mesothelioma, are neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and platelet/lymphocyte ratio prognostic indicator parameters as reliable?

WOS: 000451979406213

A Basic Question: Are Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Aware of Their Disease?

OBJECTIVES: Increased awareness and understanding of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is important for its management, but there are limited data regarding the basic knowledge among patients with COPD. This study aimed to evaluate the basic information and knowledge of patients who were specifically provided with a medical exemption certificate for COPD

The Role of Serum Galectin-3 Levels in Patients with Sarcoidosis

Introduction: Galectin-3 is a multifunctional protein, the levels of which increase in the presence of diseases that progress with pulmonary fibrosis. This study investigated the role of galectin-3 levels in the staging and assessing of the severity of sarcoidosis. Methods and Subjects: Seventy-three subjects were studied; 25 were healthy individuals and 48 patients had pathologically confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis in which other potential causes had been ruled out. Galectin-3 levels were measured and compared in terms of such parameters as hemogram, biochemistry, age, body mass index, and smoking status. Results: The mean galectin-3 levels of the sarcoidosis patients (14.87 +/- 5.57) were significantly higher than those in the healthy subjects (11.81 +/- 2.67), and the mean galectin-3 levels differed significantly among different stages of the disease (p < 0.05). The serum galectin-3 level in patients with stage 2, 3, and 4 sarcoidosis was found to be higher than in patients with stage 0 and 1 sarcoidosis and the control group. In addition, serum galectin-3 levels in the sarcoidosis patients had significant positive correlations with blood urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphatase, white blood cells, red blood cell, hemoglobin, and neutrophil levels (34.9% [p < 0.05]; 40.1% [p < 0.05]; 41.2% [p < 0.01]; 43.3% [p < 0.01]; 34.7% [p < 0.05]; and 40.6% [p < 0.01], respectively) and a significant negative correlation with the platelet distribution width levels (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum galectin-3 levels are significantly elevated in sarcoidosis patients with parenchymal involvement at stage 2 or higher, suggesting that serum galectin-3 levels can be used to estimate disease severity in sarcoidosis. (C) 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Base

Potential Failure of Novel-generation Oral Anticoagulants in Preventing Pulmonary Embolism: A Case Report and Current Literature Review

In this case report, we evaluated the risk of pulmonary embolism in patients using new-generation anticoagulant drugs. Laboratory tests for follow-up and effective dose measurement of new-generation oral anticoagulants, which are very popular in the medical community today, are not available. Therefore, patients can be at risk for effective doses and drug selection. Although our cases received novel oral anticoagulant treatment, it was determined that they had thromboembolism. We emphasized that we do not have enough information about the complications and effective use of these drugs, which are advantageous in terms of use and side effects. This situation may lead us to negative situations that we cannot manage in the future