Knowledge, Attitudes and Perspectives of Anesthesiologists on Artificial Intelligence

Objectives: The use of AI in medicine is increasing every passing day. However, there is still debate in the literatureamong specialists about several aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). The objective of this study was to evaluate andanalyze knowledge, attitudes and perspectives of anesthesiologists on AI through an online survey.Methods: An online survey was conducted in order to reveal knowledge, attitudes and perspectives of anesthesiologists on AI in Turkey. The survey consisted of 29 questions about participants’ demographic data, professional data, andopinions on AI. After physicians other than anesthesiology and reanimation specialists were excluded, responses of theremaining 68 anesthesiologists were evaluated and analyzed.Results: The rate of anesthesiologists that have sufficient knowledge of AI was found as 36.8%. Of the respondents,58.8% considered that AI offers useful applications in the field of medicine. 64.7% of the participants think that AI willcreate drastic changes in all fields of medicine. Only 2.9% of the anesthesiologists consider that AI will completely replace physicians in the near future. 5.9% of the participants reported that they are worried about developments in AI.Conclusion: AI is not expected to completely replace physicians. We believe that further similar survey studies shouldbe conducted in order to take physicians’ opinions into account in the development of using AI in medicine.Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI), anesthesia, anesthesiologis

Risk Factors of Mortality from Acinetobacter Baumannii Infection in Intensive Care Units

Objectives: The incidence of Acinetobacter baumannii pathogen is high especially among patients hospitalized inintensive care units. The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors affecting mortality in patients hospitalizedin the intensive care units due to various reasons in whom AB infection was detected.Methods: A total of 28 patients hospitalized in the intensive care units of our hospital who have AB infection detectedwith culture tests were included in the study. Patients’ demographic data such as age and gender, admission diagnosis,duration of hospitalization, and infection types and comorbidities were obtained from the hospital records.Results: Of all patients, 39.3% were female and 60.7% were male. The mean duration of hospitalization was found as57.9±48.0 days. We found that previous antibiotic use, the need for mechanical aspiration, advanced age, the use ofa nasogastric catheter and isolation of AB pathogen from tracheal aspirate were the risk factors for mortality from ABinfection.Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of this pathogen especially in intensive care units and its resistance againstmultidrug antibiotics, we believe that further studies should be continuously conducted studies on this pathogen willprovide contribution to the development of new treatment strategies and antibiotic

Some Biochemical Responses in Cigarette Addicts who Receive Royal Jelly Supplement

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartateaminotransferase, urea and creatine kinase in cigarette addicts of Royal Jelly supplementatio.Methods: Cigarette addict control group (n=10) and cigarette addict supplement group (n=10) were divided into twogroups. The supplementation group was given liquid royal jelly (n=10/1000 mg/day), which was at the same time everymorning for three weeks. In order to determine AST, ALT, urea and creatine kinase levels in both groups, blood sampleswere analyzed. SPSS 22.0 package program was used for statistical analysis. Paired Sample t-Test was used for the comparisonof the pre and post tests of the groups and Independent t-test was used for the comparison of the two groups.Results: In the analysis of AST, ALT and urea levels between the pre-test and post-test of the experimental group receivingroyal jelly supplementation and the control group, no statistical significance was found (p>0.05); creatine kinaselevel was found statistically significant in favor of posttest in experimental group (p<0.05).Conclusion: As a result of this study, royal jelly supplementation at a dose of 1000 mg/day for three weeks did not affectAST, ALT and urea levels in cigarette addicts; creatine kinase level positively

Myelosuppression in Patients with Prolonged use of Piperacillin/Tazobactam

Objectives: The use of piperacillin-tazobactam in hospital acquired infections requiring long treatment periods maycause adverse effects including myelosuppression. Myelosuppression results in rare, but potentially serious clinic manifestations such as neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, leukemia and anemia. The objective of this study was to investigatethe incidence and characteristics of myelosuppression in patients with prolonged use of piperacillin-tazobactam.Methods: Inpatients followed-up and treated in Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Medical Faculty Hospital andMMT Gaziantep American Hospital between April 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 were included in the study. Patients’demographic data, biochemical laboratory outcome, duration and dose of antibiotic treatment, comorbidities, sideeffects of antibiotic therapy were recorded and analyzed.Results: A total of 34 inpatients who received antibiotic therapy with piperacillin-tazobactam due to various diagnoseswere included in the study. The mean duration of PTZ use was found as 11.9±6.31 days. Of all patients, 19 (55.9%) usedantibiotics for longer than 10 days, while 15 (44.1%) used PTZ for 10 days or shorter. The mean duration of antibioticuse was found as 12.2 days in patients aged 65 years and over, while this duration was 11.5 days in patients aged under65 years. Five patients (14.7%) developed neutropenia. Neutropenia was developed in 14.8 days of PTZ treatment onaverage. The mean duration of returning to normal values was found as 1.8 days in these patients. Neutropenia wasdeveloped at the 4th week of the treatment in 60% of these patients.Conclusion: It should be kept in mind that myelosuppression may be encountered especially during prolonged PTZtherapy, and full blood count monitoring should be performed carefully and closely in these patients

Strategies to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting seen within the post-operative recovery room or 24 hours following the operation remain one of the most common complications in the postoperative period. Nausea and vomiting decrease the patient's postoperative satisfaction, which may lead to complications, such as aspiration of gastric contents, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, hemorrhage, it may also bring about economic losses, prolongs recovery time and length of hospital stay. Therefore, in the preoperative process, it is very important to investigate the risks correctly for each patient concerning postoperative nausea and vomiting and to identify and apply risk-reducing pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment methods. In this review, the importance of postoperative nausea and vomiting, risk factors, strategies to reduce risks and the treatment algorithm used in prophylaxis are presented. © 2020, Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology

Effect of royal jelly supplementation on aerobic power output and anaerobic power output

This study with a placebo-controlled experimental design intends to investigate the effect of Royal Jelly (RJ) on the aerobic and anaerobic power output of sedentary men at a dose of 1000 mg/day. For this purpose, a total of 20 adult sedentary men aged 21 to 23 years were included in this study. The subjects visited the laboratory every day for 15 days between 08:00 and 10:00 to get their portion of royal jelly. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, namely the experimental group (n = 10 individuals, 1000 mg/day Royal Jelly) and the placebo (n = 10 individuals, corn starch mixed with 1000 mg/day water) group and they took royal jelly in glass bottles at the same hour during these visits. In both groups, aerobic and anaerobic power measurements were performed in the laboratory one day before and after the 15-day period. 2×2 mixed factor ANOVA and LSD tests were used to analyze data obtained from the experimental and the placebo group. No significant difference was found in the analysis performed between the pre- and post tests for anaerobic power outputs of the placebo group (p > 0.05). Concerning the anaerobic power output of the experimental group, there was a significant difference in the fatigue index value in favor of the post-test (p 0.05). A significant difference was found in the pre- and post-test analysis of the experimental group in favor of the post-test in terms of aerobic power output (p < 0.05). The intergroup analysis of the difference between pre- and post-test showed a significant difference in favor of the experimental group in terms of aerobic power outputs (p< 0.05). Consequently, it can be argued that royal jelly supplementation taken daily for 15 days at 1000 mg has a positive effect on the aerobic capacity of sedentary men. © Mattioli 1885

Evaluation and comparison of tick detachment techniques and technical mistakes made during tick removal

BACKGROUND: Tick is among the important ectoparasites of humans and animals. Ticks may transmit disease-causing pathogens to humans. Tick contact may be resulted in several viral and bacterial infections, including Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. Timely removal of ticks with appropriate methods is important in prevention of disease transmission. There are many methods reported for tick detachment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate two of them, suture lassoing and freezing and to compare both methods and to examine technical mistakes with these techniques. METHODS: This study was designed as a prospective cross-sectional study, and included the ticks detached by healthcare professionals or directly by patients who presented to the emergency department due to tick contact. The ticks were recorded as larvae, nymphs, and adults according to their growth period. Ticks detachment types with surgical sutures and removal mistakes were recorded. RESULTS: The majority (77.4%) of the ticks were removed by healthcare professionals and a lower rate by patients themselves with hand (22.6%). No technical mistake was found in 72 (77.4%) patients, and the tick was detached as a whole, while detached broken in 15 (16.1%) patients, and the tick was detached as a whole, but the sutures were attached wrong in six (6.5%) patients. Tick broken off due to technical mistakes was most commonly seen in the ticks removed by the individuals themselves. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that when appropriately and correctly used, both suture lassoing and tweezers are effective in tick removal. Public awareness-raising and training programs should be increased on this issue. © 2020, Turkish Association of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. All rights reserved

A folk remedy: Royal jelly improves lung capacity in smokers

Background and Aim: Royal jelly (RJ) is one of the natural, valuable curative bee productdue to its promising health-beneficial and nutritional properties. This healthy diet possesses anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidants, antitumor, and immunomodulatory functions which benefit in humans health and welfare,resulting in its widespread medical use. The aim of this randomized case controlled study was to determine the effect of royal jelly on the lung capacity of sedentary male smokers. Materials and Methods: The study was approved by the ethics committee of the university and consisted of 83 sedentary male and single participants aged 25-30 years without any health problems. Participation was voluntary. This case controlled design study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined by the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from participants. The sample was divided into four groups: smoker experimental (Group I: 22), non-smoker experimental (Group II: 21), smoker control (Group III: 20), and non-smoker control (Group IV: 20). The experimental groups consumed 1000 mg/day pure royal jelly between 08.00 and 10.00 am for 21 days. The control groups consumed a placebo liquid between 08.00 and 10.00 am for 21 days. Pre- and post-pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed. Results: Group I had significantly higher mean posttestforced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1) (1.86±0.19 L) than mean pretest FEV1 (1.76±0.05 L) while Group II had significantly higher mean posttest FEV1 (2.25±0.27 L) than mean pretest FEV1 (2.18±0.17 L) (p < 0.000). No statistically significant difference was observed in the control groups. Conclusion: PFT results before and after 1000mg/day royal jelly supplement revealed positive and significant differences. © Mattioli 1885

The effect of short-term royal jelly supplement on testosterone levels in sedentary and healthy individuals

This study with a placebo-controlled experimental design intends to investigate the effect of shortterm Royal Jelly (RJ) on the testosterone levels in sedentary men at a dose of 1000 mg/day. For this purpose, a total of 20 adult sedentary men aged 21 to 23 were included in this study. The subjects visited the laboratory every day for 15 days between 08:00 and 10:00 to get their portion of royal jelly. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, namely the experimental group (n = 10 individuals, 1000 mg/day of Royal Jelly) and the placebo group (n = 10 individuals, corn starch mixed with 1000 mg/day of water) and they took royal jelly in glass vials at the same time. Blood samples were taken from both groups of subjects one day before and one day after the study and analyzed to determine their testosterone levels. 2x2 mixed factor ANOVA and LSD tests were used to analyze data obtained from the experimental and the placebo group. A sharp increase in the testosterone levels of the experimental group that took RJ for a short time was found to be statistically significant (p0.05). The study shows that a short-term 1000 mg/day dose of RJ supplements was effective in increasing testosterone levels in sedentary, healthy men. © Mattioli 1885

Is there a link between pre-existing antibodies acquired due to childhood vaccinations or past infections and COVID-19? A case control study

Background: There is growing evidence indicating that children are less affected from COVID-19. Some authors speculate that childhood vaccinations may provide some cross-protection against COVID-19. In this study, our aim was to compare the circulating antibody titers for multiple childhood vaccine antigens, as an indicator of the state of immune memory between patients with COVID-19 and healthy controls, with a specific aim to identify the association between disease severity and antibody titrations which may indicate a protective function related to vaccine or disease induced memory. Methods: This study is a case-control study including 53 patients with COVID-19 and 40 healthy volunteers. COVID-19 severity was divided into three groups: asymptomatic, mild and severe. We measured the same set of antibody titers for vaccine antigens, and a set of biochemical and infection markers, in both the case and control groups. Results: Rubella (p = 0.003), pneumococcus (p = 0.002), and Bordetella pertussis (p 0.0001) titers were found to be significantly lower in the case group than the control group. There was a significant decline in pneumococcus titers with severity of disease (p = 0.021) and a significant association with disease severity for Bordetella pertussis titers (p = 0.014) among COVID patients. Levels of AST, procalcitonin, ferritin and D-dimer significantly increased with the disease severity Discussion: Our study supports the hypothesis that pre-existing immune memory, as monitored using circulating antibodies, acquired from childhood vaccinations, or past infections confer some protection against COVID-19. Randomized controlled studies are needed to support a definitive conclusion. © 2021 PeerJ Inc.. All rights reserved