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OBJECTIVES: In the recent years, it has been observed that the use of hookah, a tobacco product, has increased in children and young people in Turkey. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cigarette and hookah use in children and young people specific to age and gender and to define the factors relevant to the use of hookah. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted with secondary/high school students between 11 and 17 years of age (Survey 1, n=4718) and with university students between 18 and 23 years of age (Survey 2, n=1588) as two groups, which made a total of 6306 students. The students were asked to fill in a questionnaire which consisted of questions about socio-demographic data and the use of tobacco and tobacco products. RESULTS: It was determined that the use of cigarette and hookah was high in males, and it increased as the age increased in both genders (p<0.05). It was also determined that parents and friends using cigarette and hookah affected the use of cigarette and hookah in the study groups in both surveys (p<0.05). Additionally, it was determined that the educational level of the parents and being of a high social class were the social determiners of hookah use (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It is important that we fight against the use of all tobacco products, especially in young people. Education about the damages of tobacco and applying tobacco products should start at an early age, and accurate tobacco control models may provide support in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the additional diagnostic value of endobronchial biopsy (EBB) in the diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 59 patients with a preliminary diagnosis of sarcoidosis who were admitted to the Pulmonary Diseases Outpatient Clinic of a tertiary healthcare center between January 2005 and October 2012. The socio-demographic characteristics of the patients as well as clinical and radiological findings were recorded. All patients, irrespective of the presence of an endobronchial lesion (EBL), underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB); two to four specimens were taken using EBB from the carina of the right middle lobe in the patients with EBL. RESULTS: Of the patients, 39 (66.1%) had normal bronchoscopic findings, while 5 had EBL. Diagnosis was based on EBB in 11 patients (18.6%). Six patients (15.3%) with normal bronchial mucosae were pathologically diagnosed by EBB. There was no statistically significant relationship between the diagnostic ratio of EBB and disease stage, extrapulmonary involvement, FOB findings, elevated lymphocyte rate in bronchoalveolar lavage (≥ 13%), a CD4/CD8 ratio of ≥ 3.5, and serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) level (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: EBB not only offers the advantage of a high diagnostic ratio in patients with mucosal abnormalities but also contributes to pathological diagnosis in patients with normal mucosa. We recommend using EBB to support diagnosis with a low complication rate for patients undergoing FOB with a preliminary diagnosis of sarcoidosis in healthcare centers, where endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is unavailable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Airway inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers increase in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and this is thought to be related to faster decrease in lung functions. Systemic markers of oxidative stress include nitric oxide (NO) and malonyl dialdehyde (MDA), while antioxidant markers are erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthathionperoxidase (GSH-Px). We investigated the relationship between levels of systemic oxidative/antioxidant markers and functional parameters. Material and Method: Fifty-one COPD patients without any systemic inflammation were included in the study. Pulmonary function test parameters were evaluated. 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and dyspnea severity were recorded. Twelve healthy persons in a control group were also included in the study. Venous blood specimens of the patients and the control group were collected and serum NO, MDA and erythrocyte SOD, GSHPx levels were measured. Results: Mean age of the patients were 62.94±10.56 years. When the control group and COPD patients were compared; MDA (p<0.001), NO (p=0.012) and GSH-Px (p=0.012) were significantly higher in the control group than COPD patients. However, when the age factor was controlled, only MDA(p=0.017) was found higher in the control group. As forced expiratory volume in 1st second (FEV1) decreased; NO, SOD, MDA and GSH-Px increased, although there was no statistical significance. Like FEV1, 6MWT and dyspnea severity by VAS did not show any statistical significance with the parameters investigated. Conclusion: From the results, we could not observe the reflections of oxidant/antioxidant imbalance on functional parameters in COPD. This may be due to incomplete systemic response to local disorders as well as the attempts of antioxidant systems to maintain an equilibrium resembling that in healthy individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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