Skin prick test results in patients from thrace region presenting with pulmonary symptoms

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Pulmoner semptomlarla başvuran hastalarda alerjen duyarlılığı profilinin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Ekim 1999-Nisan 2005 tarihleri arasında pulmoner yakınmalarla başvuran 196 hastada (136 kadın, 60 erkek; ort. yaş 34.7±11.7) yapılan deri testi sonuçları, total IgE sonuçları ve alerji bilgi formları geriye dönük olarak incelendi. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan hastaların IgE medyan değeri (%25-75) 202 U/ml (118-530) idi. En sık görülen semptom %65.3 ile nefes darlığı iken ikinci sıklıkta başvuru nedeni %63.8 ile öksürüktü. Bu semptomlar %46.9 hastada toz alırken artmaktaydı. Hastaların %59.7'sinde en az bir alerjene duyarlık saptandı. Tek alerjen ile duyarlılık %18.9 iken çok alerjene duyarlılık %40.8 olarak tespit edildi. En sık %39.8 ile ev tozu akarlarına karşı alerji tespit edilirken ikinci sıklıkta %26 ile ağaç polenlerine karşı saptandı. D. Farinea'ya %33.7, D. Pteronyssinus'a %32.7 duyarlık saptandı. Sonuç: Trakya Bölgesi'nden alerjik semptomlarla başvuran hastalarda en sık ev tozu akarlarına karşı duyarlılık saptandı. Olguların %46.9'unda da semptomların evde, toz alırken artması bu bulguyu destekler nitelikteydi.Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the profile of allergen sensitization in patients presenting with pulmonary symptoms. Patients and Methods: Skin test results of 196 patients (136 females, 60 males; mean age 34.7±11.7 years) presenting with pulmonary complaints between October 1999 and April 2005; total IgE results and allergy information forms were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Median value of IgE was (%25-75) 202 U/ml (118-530) in the patients enrolled. The most frequent symptom was shortness of breath (65.3%), and the second was cough (63.8%). These symptoms aggravated while patients were dusting. Sensitivity to at least one allergen was observed in 59.7% of the patients. Sensitivity to a single allergen was present in 18.9% and to multiple allergens in 40.8% of all patients. The most frequent allergy was determined to house dust mite (39.8%) and was followed by allergy to tree pollens (26%). Sensitivity rate to D. Farinea was 33.7% and 32.7% to D. Pteronyssinus. Conclusion: House dust mite were the primary causes of sensitization in patients presenting with allergic symptoms in the Thrace region. The fact that the symptoms aggravated in 46.9% of the patients while they were dusting at home, seemed to support this finding

Pulmonary involvement in brucellosis: Case report

Bruselloz, Gram-negatif bakteri ailesinden Brusella türü bakterilerle oluşan zoonotik bir hastalı ktır. Bakteri başta retiküloendotelyal sistem olmak üzere eklem, kalp, böbrek gibi multisistemik tutulum gösterir. Bulaşma yollarından biri inhalasyon olmasına rağmen akciğer tutulumu nadirdir. Göğüs ağrısı, nefes darlığı şikayetiyle başvuran 72 yaşındaki kadın hasta pnömoni öntanısıyla yatırıldı. Yakınmaların antibiyotik tedavisiyle geçmemesi üzerine hastaya, pulmoner emboli düşünülerek çekilen bilgisayarlı tomografide trombüs saptanmadı; ancak, sol akciğer lingular segment, sağ orta lob ve iki taraflı alt loblarda buzlu cam opasitesi izlendi. Kan kültürlerinde Brusella üremesi üzerine spesifik antibiyoterapiye başlandı. Hastanın takiplerinde yan ağrısı düzeldi ve venöz tromboemboliyi düşündürecek herhangi bir gelişme olmadı.Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a Gramnegative bacillus of the Brucella gender. Involvement is multisystemic primarily affecting the reticuloendothelial system, joints, heart, and kidneys. Although the disease can be spread by inhalation, pulmonary involvement is rare. A 72-year-old female patient presented with complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath. She was admitted with a preliminary diagnosis of pneumonia. She did not respond to antibiotic therapy. Computed tomography performed for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary embolism showed no evidence for thrombus, but ground glass opacities in the lingular segment of the left lung, the right middle lobe, and bilateral lower lobes. Specific antibiotic therapy was started upon detection of Brucella spp. by hemoculture. The patient's pain disappeared and no sign of venous thromboembolism was observed

Smoking prevalence and related factors among the medical students of Trakya University

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Tıp Fakültesi öğrencilerinde sigara içme prevalansları ve ilişkili faktörleri saptamak amaçlandı. Yöntem: Fakültemizde 1998-1999 döneminde eğitim gören 1117 öğrenciden 515'ine (%46) (E/K=275/240) önceden denenmiş anket uygulandı. Bulgular: Öğrencilerin %30.5'inin her gün en az. bir sigara içtiği (günlük içici); % 1.7'sinin günde birden az haftada en az bir sigara içtiği (haftalık içici); %7.6'sının sigarayı bıraktığı, %8.5'inin sigarayı denediği ve % 51.7'sinin hiç içmediği saptandı. Erkeklerin kızlara göre yaklaşık 2 kat daha fazla günlük içici olduğu (%40.4'e karşılık %21.8; Pearson ?2=20.92, p<0.001) saptandı. Dönem 1'de %6.7, Dönem 2'de %30.4, Dönem 3'te %41.7, Dönem 4'te %51.5, Dönem 5'te %26.8, Dönem 6'da %18 günlük içicilik olduğu, dönemin sigara içme davranışını anlamlı derecede etkilediği (Pearson ?2=41.47, p<0.001); Dönem 1'de en az. olan içme oranının Dönem 4'e doğru giderek arttığı ve Dönem 5 ve 6'da yeniden giderek azaldığı saptandı. Bekar evinde kalanlarda (%37.5) yurtta (%13.4) veya ailesinin (%18) yanında kalanlara göre, günlük içicilik belirgin şekilde daha yüksekti (Pearson ?2=27.38,p<0.001). Sonuç: Sigara içme davranışının Dönem 1 'de çok düşük oranlarda iken giderek artması ve Dönem 3 ve 4'te en üst düzeye çıkması Dönem 1'de eğitim çalışmalarına başlanması gerektiğini düşündürdü. Dönem 5 ve 6'da sigara içiminin azalması bu dönemlerdeki eğitimin yoğun olmasına ve kısmen de olsa başarılı olmasına bağlandı.Aims: In this study, we aimed to investigate smoking prevalence and some related factors amongst the medical students. Methods: In our faculty, we surveyed 515 of 1117 (46%) students (M/F=275/240) in curriculum year 1998-1999 with a pre-examined questionnaire. Results: It was found that 22% of the students were daily smoker, 1.7% was weekly smoker (occasional smoker). 7.6% were exsmokers, 8.5% had experienced the smoking and 51.7% had never smoked. Smoking prevalence was nearly twice more in males than females (40.4% vs. 21.8, Pearson &amp;chi;2=20.92, p&lt;0.001). Daily smokers were 6.7% in the first year of the school, 30.4% in the 2nd year, 41.7% in the 3rd year, 51.5% in the 4th year, 26.8% in the 5th year and 18% in the 6th year. The curriculum year was important in smoking prevalence's of the students (Pearson &amp;chi;2=41.47, p&lt;0.001). The smoking prevalence was the least in the 1st year, increasing towards to 4th year and then decreasing towards to 6th year. Daily smoking was significantly higher in living with friends (37.5%) than living with family (18%) or staying in the hostels (13.4%; Pearson &amp;chi;2=27.38, p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Low smoking prevalence in the first year increasing towards to 4th year and decreasing towards to 6th year suggested us that the smoking education must be started in the first year immediately. Decreasing smoking prevalence in the last two years right now suggested us that the education in these years was effective

The Influence of the Turkish Anti-Tobacco Law on Primary School Children in Edirne

Objective: The Turkish anti-tobacco law was accepted and effectuated in 1996. All forms of cigarette advertising, the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 18 and smoking in public institutions were all restricted. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate the influence of the Turkish anti-tobacco law on children for the periods before the law, after three years and after 10 years. Material and Methods: A self-completed questionnaire was distributed among primary school children. This included questions about the children’s smoking habits, their opinions of parents’ and teachers’ smoking habits, tobacco use in public places and the recognition rate of 16 food, drink, cigarette and toothpaste logos and brand names. The first, second and third applications of the questionnaire were performed with students who attended the same classes in the same primary schools, accounting for 772 children in June 1996, 1,157 children in February 1999 and 719 children in June 2006.Results: When these three periods were evaluated, it could be seen that the prevalence of having smoked significantly decreased (13.9%, 4%, 2.2%, p<0.001), as did the rate of purchasing cigarettes within the past week (36.6%, 29.1%, 15.8%, p<0.001). The disagreement with parents’ and teachers’ smoking habits and tobacco usage in public places increased significantly (p<0.001), while the recognition rates of some cigarette brand names and logos significantly decreased, specifically with regards to Marlboro, Camel and Samsun (p<0.001). Conclusion: The Turkish anti-tobacco law has had a positive effect on primary school children in Edirne, and therefore could be a model for other countries

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

BackgroundWe previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15-20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in similar to 80% of cases.MethodsWe report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded.ResultsNo gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5-528.7, P=1.1x10(-4)) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70[95%CI 1.3-8.2], P=2.1x10(-4)). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65[95%CI 2.1-2635.4], P=3.4x10(-3)), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR=4.40[9%CI 2.3-8.4], P=7.7x10(-8)). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P=1.68x10(-5)).ConclusionsRare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old