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Introduction: For Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 infections, whose transmission modes and preventive measures are similar, compliance with preventive measures and treatment is closely related to Health Literacy (HL) levels. This study aimed to evaluate the HL levels, and COVID-19 awareness of TB patients treated and followed up in TB Dispensaries serving under the Çankaya District Health Directorate of Ankara Province., Methodology: A questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 knowledge level questions, and Health literacy scale-European union-Q16 questions were applied face-to-face to the registered TB patients. Mann-Whitney U and Spearman Correlation tests were used in the analysis., Results: The mean age of the 107 participants (response rate: 89.1%) was 48.4 years; 42.1% were women. 56.5% of the patients were newly diagnosed, and 11.1% had resistant TB. 43.5% of the participants have had COVID-19; 23.1% thought they had disruptions in their TB treatment period due to the pandemic. The HL level of 23.1% was adequate. There was a moderate positive correlation between the HL scale score and the COVID-19 knowledge level questions (r = 0.468; p < 0.001). COVID-19 knowledge level was higher in those with adequate HL levels (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The higher level of knowledge about COVID-19 in TB patients with sufficient HL levels suggests the importance of increasing the HL order in the effective fight against the pandemic and possible new outbreaks., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2024 Gülsüm Öztürk Emiral, Seher Musaonbaşıoğlu, Hüsna Sarıca Çevik, Seda Kalaycıoğlu, Emrah Emiral, Yunus Emre Bulut, Asiye Çiğdem Şimşek.)

Objective: This study aimed to determine the depression, anxiety, and stress levels of healthcare workers (HCWs) working actively in different health services during the pandemic., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ankara at the Provincial Health Directorate Numune Campus between January and April 2022. The depression, anxiety, and stress levels of HCWs working actively in different health services during the pandemic were evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to analyze the data., Results: The study included 381 healthcare workers, 272 (71.4%) of whom were female. The mean age was 40.0±9.9 (21-63) years, and 44.9% (n=171) of the HCWs had a COVID-19 infection at some point. While 28.6% of HCWs needed psychological support before the pandemic, the rate increased to 36.2% during the pandemic ( p <0.001). DASS-21 results showed that the frequency of depression was 31.0%, anxiety 47.2%, and stress 22.8% among participants during the pandemic., Conclusion: One out of three HCWs reported experiencing mental health problems. It is essential to improve the working conditions of HCWs to help them cope with the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and to provide psychosocial support., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology.)

In the 10th month of the pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination was given first to healthcare workers in Turkey after receiving emergency use approval from the Ministry of Health. This study, which was performed at the COVID-19 reference center in Ankara (the capital of Turkey) aimed to evaluate the seroconversion rate of the CoronaVac vaccine. The anti-spike immunoglobulin G response to the two-dose vaccination was retrospectively examined in healthcare workers who had no previous history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The postvaccine seroconversion rate was investigated by measuring the antibody levels of healthcare workers who had received CoronaVac. Vaccination was administered as 600 SU in 28-day intervals. The healthcare workers' anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G levels were used to determine the seroconversion rate 2 months after the second dose of the vaccine. Of the healthcare workers, 22.9% (n = 155) were seronegative. The younger the age of the participant, the higher the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G. Furthermore, anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G levels were much higher in women than men., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: Chronic otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the middle ear. The airflow in the nasal passage affects the development of mastoid air cells through the eustachian tube.Nasal and paranasal pathologies and their anatomical variations cause chronic sinonasal inflammation and affect the middle ear mucosa. This study aims to reveal whether the nasal and paranasal sinus variations in pediatric patients are a factor in developing chronic otitis media., Materials and Methods: Eighty patients, with unilateral chronic otitis media, who were admitted to the otorhinolaryngology clinic between May 2015 and July 2019, were included in this retrospective study. The control group (Group 2) consisted of a total of 51 patients. None of the patients in Group 2 had otorrhea history and no signs of chronic otitis in their otoscopic examination, middle ear pathologies. The patient's anatomical variations of the nasal cavity and sinuses were evaluated with CT by a radiologist Results: Nasal septum deviation was found to be 53% in children with chronic otitis media. It was found 31.4% in the control group. Since the P value was found to be .04, this rate was considered as significant. Inferior concha hypertrophy was found to be 17.6% in the control group and 38.8% in the group with chronic otitis media, and this rate was considered significant since the P value was .035 Conclusion: We detected that septum deviation and inferior concha hypertrophy increased chronic otitis media formation in children. All these studies show that cases causing nasal obstruction, such as septum deviation, have a negative effect on middle ear pressure and increase the rate of ear diseases.

Elevated levels of heavy metals like cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn) are known to lead to oxidative damage-related oto-toxicity and decreased levels of chromium (Cr) and selenium (Se) are known to lead to oto-toxicity due to reduced anti-oxidant activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum levels of Cd, Mn, Cr, and Se and their relationship with tinnitus. A total of 48 patients with tinnitus (Group 1) and 40 healthy controls (Group 2) were included in the study. All participants were applied audiology tests. Severity of tinnitus was measured with Tinnitus Severity Index Questionnaire (TSIQ) in group 1. Serum Mn, Cd, Cr, and Se measurements were done by using The Agilent ICP-MS system consisted of a 7700 coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Serum Cd, Mn, and Cr levels were higher in group 1 and Se level was lower in group 1 than that of group 2. We may conclude that Cd, Mn, Cr, and Se levels could play an important role in etio-pathogenesis of tinnitus, and thereby supplementation or reduction of these elements could be considered as novel therapeutic goals.

Objectives: Turkey is one of the countries that has the most cases of CCHF in recent years among the endemic countries. The disease also poses an important health threat with high mortality rate. The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of CCHF in adults aged ≥20 years in Tokat in the endemic region, Turkey., Methods: In this population-based cross-sectional study, a total of 85 Family Medicine Units (FMUs), from over 170 in Tokat, were randomly selected using 50% sampling. The sample size was determined among the subjects aged ≥20 who registered with the FMUs, due to gender, age group, and the urban/rural population size of Tokat using the stratified cluster sampling method. Subjects were invited to the FMUs. A questionnaire was performed face to face. The blood samples were taken, and anti-CCHFV IgG antibodies were measured with ELISA method., Results: 1272 (54.9%) out of 2319 participants were female, and the mean age was 47.3 ± 15.3. Anti-CCHFV IgG seropositivity was 5.6% ( n  = 130). Seropositivity rates in terms of adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were higher 2.53 times (95% CI: 1.57-4.08; p =0.001) in males; 4.05 (95% CI: 2.14-7.65; p < 0.001) in age group ≥65; 0.33 (95% CI: 0.14-0.76; p < 0.001) in graduates of high school and above; 0.71 (95%CI: 0.33-1.52; p < 0.001) in ones with good income; 1.84 (95%CI: 1.18-2.86; p < 0.001) in farmers; 1.64 (95% CI: 1.04-2.27; p < 0.001) in people dealing with animal husbandry; and 1.02 (95% CI: 1.03-2.29; p < 0.001) in those with history of tick contact., Conclusions: CCHF seroprevalence is still a common public health problem in Tokat, Turkey. Male gender, advanced age group, low-educated, low-income, farmers, animal husbandry, and history of tick contact were found to be risk factors for CCHF. The importance of this kind of community-based studies to identify the seroprevalence in regional and national level increases even more., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Rıza Çıtıl et al.)

Purpose: We aimed to determine the effect of a cartilage shoe graft placed between the foot of the TORP and the stapes footplate on hearing improvement and long-term displacement rates., Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent TORP ossiculoplasty were divided into two groups. The TORP-alone group consisted of 32 patients who underwent TORP placement without cartilage shoe graft and served as the control group. The study group consisted of 56 patients who underwent placement of cartilage shoe graft together with TORP. Pure-tone audiometry was administered to all patients before and 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Indications for surgery, surgical technique used, postoperative complications, and air and bone conduction thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz were recorded for all patients., Results: No significant difference in postoperative air-bone gaps was observed between the groups. The number of patients with air-bone gaps less than 20 dB was 14 (25%) in the study group and 8 (25%) in the control group. There was no significant difference in changes in air-bone gaps between the groups. Dislocation of the prosthesis was observed in 3 patients in the study group (5.3%) and 4 in the control group (12.5%). There was less dislocation of the prosthesis in the study group, but the difference was not statistically significant., Conclusion: Placement of a cartilage graft between the footplate of the stapes and the foot of the prosthesis may have positive effects on long-term hearing improvement and rates of prosthesis displacement. Further research with larger patient numbers is needed to identify the advantages of shoe graft., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Sleep is a vital function for human beings, which can be affected by several factors. Chronic pain is one of these factors where it is the most frequent cause for seeking medical care in combination with insomnia. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and relationship between sleep disturbance and chronic pain., Patients and Methods: After approval, a total of 85 Family Medicine Units from over 170 in Tokat were randomly selected using a 50% sampling. A sample of 2635 subjects, over the age of 19 years, who were registered with the selected Family Medicine Units, were assessed due to gender, age group, and the urban/rural population size of Tokat using the stratified sampling method. The sample size distribution was calculated as 1515 urban subjects, 1120 rural subjects; 1345 female subjects, 1290 male subjects; 1123 subjects between 20-39 years of age, 1103 subjects between the ages of 40-64, and 409 subjects over 64 years of age. After sampling, subjects were invited to participate in the study via an invitation letter, and agreeing individuals were taken to the Family Medicine Unit for face-to-face meetings. Written, informed consent was obtained, along with demographic data. The presence of chronic pain was recorded. According to the presence of chronic pain, all subjects were separated into two groups as Group Chronic Pain and Group Non-Chronic Pain. The visual analog scale for pain intensity, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for sleep quality, were performed with all subjects. A multiple linear regression model was used to assess the predictors of sleep quality. Analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), version 20.0. The statistical significance for all analyses was set at p < 0.05., Results: The mean global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of Group Chronic Pain (5.30 ± 4.29) was significantly higher than in Group Non-Chronic Pain (3.22 ± 3.30; p < 0.01). The mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores of females (5.69 ± 4.40) were significantly higher than males (4.54 ± 3.96) in Group Chronic Pain (p = 0.000045). A total of 40.7% of patients in Group Chronic Pain, and 21.9% in Group Non-Chronic Pain demonstrated poorer sleep quality according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, with a cut-off level > 5. A moderate positive correlation was found between the global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Visual Analog Scale scores (r = 0.310, p < 0.01). A multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, gender, income, Visual Analog Scale, and presence of depression were the significant predictors for Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score., Conclusions: The current study revealed that chronic pain and pain intensity are important predictors of sleep quality.