Search

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate access to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up in patients with viral hepatitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: Patients who started treatment for hepatitis B and hepatitis C were included in the study and analyzed in two periods: before-pandemic and during-pandemic. Indication for treatment and frequency of laboratory follow-up was obtained from hospital records. A telephone survey was administered to evaluate treatment access and compliance. Results: Four centers with 258 patients were included in the study. Of these 161 (62.4%) were male, median age was 50 years. The number of patients, admitted to outpatient clinics was 134647 in the before-pandemic period and 106548 in the during-pandemic period. Number of patients who started treatment for hepatitis B were significantly high during-pandemic period compared with before-pandemic (78 (0.07%); 73 (0.05%) respectively; p = 0.04). The number who received treatment for hepatitis C was similar in both periods: 43 (0.04%); 64 (0.05%), respectively (p = 0.25). Prophylactic treatment for hepatitis B, due to immunosuppressive agents was significantly higher in during-pandemic period (p = 0.001). In the laboratory follow-ups at 4th, 12th and 24th weeks of treatment, worse adherence was detected in during-pandemic (for all p < 0.05). Access to treatment and compliance of all patients was over 90% and did not differ in the two periods. Conclusions: During-pandemic, hepatitis patients' access to diagnosis, treatment initiation and follow-up had worsened in Turkey. The health policy implemented during the pandemic had a positive impact on patients' access to and compliance to treatment.

2019 yılının son günlerinde, Çin’in Hubei eyaletinden etiyolojisi bilinmeyen ardışık pnömoni vakaları bildirilmeye başlanmış ve daha sonra SARS-CoV2 olarak adlandırılacak olan bu yeni tip Coronavirüs kısa sürede tüm dünyaya hızla yayılarak bir pandemiye dönüşmüştür. Bu süreçte tedavide birçok yeni molekül ile birlikte steroidlerin de kullanım sıklığı artmıştır. Steroidlerin pek çok yan etkisi bulunmaktadır ve femur başı avasküler nekrozu steroidlerin uzun süreli kullanımı sonucu görebildiğimiz önemli yan etkilerinden biridir. Bu yazıda COVID-19 pnömonisi nedeniyle yoğun bakım ünitesi ve ardından serviste izlenen bir hastada kısa süreli steroid kullanımı sonucu gelişen bilateral femur başı avasküler nekrozu olgusu sunulmuştur.

After the declaration Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis by the World Health Organization in 2016, the Turkish Government defined a national strategy covering 2018-2023 to reach goals by 2030. Following a participatory decision process and a series of workshops, the strategy was built on eight separate subheadings. Apart from the official Prevention and Control Program, two separate road maps for hepatitis B and C were developed to obtain targets accessible with the cooperation of the Viral Hepatitis Society and the Turkish Association for the Study of the Liver in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Up to 2023, achievements and the current situation of the National Viral Hepatitis Prevention and Control Program and the hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus road maps were assessed in detail on June 28th, 2022, by the subject matter experts in Turkey. Besides the officially reported achievement rate (42\%) of the Program in 2021, participants mentioned undesirable effects of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, unregulated migration, low levels of professional and public awareness, and barriers to access to anti-viral treatment. Recommendations focused on increasing the efficiency of screening and surveillance by integrating the viral carrier identity of individuals into the national health information system, simplifying the drug supplement and treatment initiation process and insisting on education to raise awareness.

This study aimed to evaluate the influencing variables for outcomes in patients with septic shock having culture-proven carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. It included 120 patients (mean age 64.29 ± 1.35 years and 58.3% female). The mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score during septic shock diagnosis was found to be 11.22 ± 0.43 and 9 ± 0.79 among the patients with mortality and among the survivors, respectively (P = 0.017). The logistic regression analysis showed that empirical treatment as mono Gram-negative bacteria-oriented antibiotic therapy (P = 0.016, odds ratio (OR) = 17.730, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.728-182.691), Charlson Comorbidity Index2 (P = 0.032, OR = 7.312, 95% CI: 5.7-18.3), and systemic inflammatory response syndrome score 3 or 4 during septic shock diagnosis (P = 0.014, OR = 5.675, 95% CI: 1.424-22.619) were found as independent risk factors for day 30 mortality. Despite early diagnosis and effective management of patients with septic shock, the mortality rates are quite high in CRGNP-infected patients.

Background CoronaVac, an inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, has been shown to be well tolerated with a good safety profile in individuals aged 18 years and older in phase 1/2 trials, and provided a good humoral response against SARS-CoV-2. We present the interim efficacy and safety results of a phase 3 clinical trial of CoronaVac in Turkey. Methods This was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Volunteers aged 18-59 years with no history of COVID-19 and with negative PCR and antibody test results for SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled at 24 centres in Turkey. Exclusion criteria included (but were not limited to) immunosuppressive therapy (including steroids) within the past 6 months, bleeding disorders, asplenia, and receipt of any blood products or immunoglobulins within the past 3 months. The K1 cohort consisted of health-care workers (randomised in a 1:1 ratio), and individuals other than health-care workers were also recruited into the K2 cohort (randomised in a 2:1 ratio) using an interactive web response system. The study vaccine was 3 mu g inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virion adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide in a 0.5 mL aqueous suspension. Participants received either vaccine or placebo (consisting of all vaccine components except inactivated virus) intramuscularly on days 0 and 14. The primary efficacy outcome was the prevention of PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 at least 14 days after the second dose in the per protocol population. Safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04582344) and is active but no longer recruiting. Findings Among 11 303 volunteers screened between Sept 14, 2020, and Jan 5, 2021, 10 218 were randomly allocated. After exclusion of four participants from the vaccine group because of protocol deviations, the intention-to-treat group consisted of 10 214 participants (6646 [65.1%] in the vaccine group and 3568 [34.9%] in the placebo group) and the per protocol group consisted of 10 029 participants (6559 [65.4%] and 3470 [34.6%]) who received two doses of vaccine or placebo. During a median follow-up period of 43 days (IQR 36-48), nine cases of PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 were reported in the vaccine group (31.7 cases [14.6-59.3] per 1000 person-years) and 32 cases were reported in the placebo group (192.3 cases [135.7-261.1] per 1000 person-years) 14 days or more after the second dose, yielding a vaccine efficacy of 83.5% (95% CI 65.4-92.1; p, TUSEB, We are grateful to all participants who volunteered to be part of this study and to all members of the clinical research teams of the participating sites. We thank TUSEB for funding the study and Omega-CRO for the statistical analyses and production of figures, and providing the study protocol. We also thank the members of the data and safety monitoring board for their contributions in the safe execution of this study.

Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi’nde salgın döneminde uzaktan öğretim sürecinde kararlar, öğretim üyeleri ve öğrencilerin katılımı ile kurul ve komisyonlarca alınmıştır. Alt komisyon ve kurullarda alınan kararlar, Eğitim Komisyonunda görüşülüp kabul edildikten sonra fakültenin ve üniversitenin ilgili kurullarının onayı ile yürürlüğe girmiştir. Salgının gidişatına göre eğitimle ilgili tüm değişiklikler iç paydaşlarla dinamik bir şekilde paylaşılarak yürürlüğe konmuştur. Tüm kararlar, Fakülte ve Dönem Temsilcileri, Ege Tıp Öğrenci Kurulu ile yapılan toplantılar, öğrenci ve öğretim üyelerinin geri bildirimleri doğrultusunda “öğrenen merkezli” olacak şekilde alınmış ve yürütülmüştür. Uzaktan öğretim kapsamında, öğrenme materyalleri Fakültemizin Öğrenme Kaynakları Merkezi (ÖKM) sunucusuna yüklenmiş; senkron dersler ise Üniversitemizin sağlamış olduğu çevrimiçi alt yapı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Eğitim programımızda yatay ve dikey entegrasyonu güçlendiren multidisipliner entegre oturum/panellerin tamamı ve bazı teorik dersler blok yürütme kurullarının organizasyonuyla senkron olarak yapılmıştır. Çevrimiçi Ölçme Değerlendirme Usul ve Esasları oluşturulmuş, sınavlar ödev şeklinde planlanarak ÖKM üzerinden uygulanmıştır. Mezuniyet sonrası uzmanlık eğitiminin sürekliliği çevrimiçi ortamda yapılan seminer, olgu tartışmaları, konseyler ve devam eden sağlık hizmeti ile sağlanmıştır. Öğretim elemanlarına yönelik sürekli mesleksel gelişim etkinlikleri çevrimiçi ortamda sürdürülmüştür. Sonuç olarak, salgın döneminde Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi’nde “tıp eğitimi”, tüm paydaşların katılımıyla, eğitim programının kazanımları doğrultusunda, “öğrenen merkezli” ve dinamik bir çalışma süreci ile yürütülmüştür., During the epidemic period in the Ege University Faculty of Medicine, decisions were taken by the boards and commissions with the participation of faculty members and students. The decisions taken in the sub-commissions and boards, after being discussed and accepted by the Education Commission, entered into force with the approval of the relevant boards of the faculty and the university. All educational changes have been dynamically shared with internal stakeholders. All decisions were taken and carried out in a “learner-centered” manner in line with the meetings held with the Faculty and Term Representatives, Medical Student Council, and the feedback of the students and faculty members. Within the scope of distance education, learning materials were uploaded to the server of our Faculty's Learning Resources Center (OKM); Synchronous lessons were carried out with the online infrastructure provided by our university. In our education program, all of the multidisciplinary integrated sessions/panels that strengthen horizontal and vertical integration and some theoretical courses were held synchronously with the organization of the block executive committees. Online Measurement and Evaluation Procedures and Principles were established; exams were planned as homework and applied over the OKM. Continuity of postgraduate residency training was provided by online seminars, case discussions, councils, and ongoing healthcare services. Continuous professional development activities for lecturers continued online

İnsan immünyetmezlik virüsü (HIV) ile infekte olan hastalarda malignite görülme riski artmıştır. Hodgkin dışı lenfomalar, Kaposi sarkomu ve servikal kanser kazanılmış immünyetmezlik sendromu (AIDS) tanımlayıcı hastalıklar içinde yer almaktadır. Hodgkin dışı lenfomalar içinde en sık difüz büyük B hücreli lenfoma görülmektedir. AIDS ilişkili hodgkin dışı lenfoma tanılı hastanın tedavisinin planlanmasında, kombine antiretroviral tedavi alıyor olması iyi prognoz yönünden oldukça yararlıdır. Bu nedenle yukarıdaki tanıları alan hasta gruplarında HIV tarama testi yapılmalıdır. Farklı bir bakış açısı ile değerlendirilecek olursa HIV ile infekte hastalar pek çok bölüme farklı kliniklerle başvurabilmektedir. Bu nedenle tüm hekimlerin AIDS tanımlayan hastalıklar açısından bilgi ve farkındalık sahibi olması gereklidir. Erken tanı ile tedavi başarısı yüksek olan bu hastalıkta hekimlerin bilinci büyük önem taşımaktadır. Ne yazık ki halen geç tanı almış olgularla karşılaşılmaktadır. Bu yazıda, difüz büyük B hücreli lenfoma tanısıyla dört aydır kemoterapi tedavisi gören ve febril nötropeni tablosunda konsülte edilen, geç HIV infeksiyonu tanısı alan bir olgu sunulmuştur., Malignancy risk is increased in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Non-Hodgkin lymphomas, Kaposi’s sarcoma and cervical cancer are among the AIDS-defining diseases. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Taking combined antiretroviral therapy is associated with good prognosis in the treatment of AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Therefore, HIV screening test should be requested in patient groups with the above-mentioned diagnoses. If evaluated from a different perspective, HIV-infected patients can apply to many departments with different clinics. For this reason, all physicians should have knowledge and awareness in terms of AIDS-defining diseases. The awareness of physicians is of great importance in this disease, which has a high success rate with early diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, cases with late diagnosis are still encountered. In this article, a patient treated with chemotherapy for four months with the diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, who consulted us as febrile neutropenia and was diagnosed with late HIV infection is presented.

Objectives: It is not always possible to determine a clear relationship between the DNA level of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and histology. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between HBV-DNA level and liver histopathology in patients with chronic hepatitis. Materials and Methods: Between 2008 and 2016, 361 patients diagnosed with chronic HBV infection were retrospectively examined with age, sex, hepatitis B e antigen status, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and HBV-DNA levels and liver biopsy scores according to modified Ishak criteria. Patients were divided into five groups (, Amaç: Hepatit B virüs (HBV)-DNA düzeyi ile histoloji arasında her zaman net bir ilişki saptamak mümkün olmamaktadır. Bu çalışmada kronik hepatit tanılı hastalarda HBV-DNA düzeyi ile karaciğer histopatolojisi arasındaki ilişkinin ortaya konması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: 2008-2016 yılları arasında kronik hepatit B tanılı 361 hastanın; yaş, cinsiyet, hepatit B e antijeni durumu, alanin aminotransferaz (ALT) ve HBV-DNA düzeyleri ile modifiye Ishak kriterlerine göre karaciğer biyopsi skorları retrospektif olarak incelenmiştir. HBV-DNA düzeyi ile grade/stage skorları arasındaki istatistiksel ilişkinin araştırılması açısından hastalar, HBV-DNA düzeyine göre 5 gruba (

Aim: Occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious body fluids, and sharp injuries, poses a significant risk to blood-borne infections for healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the serology of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV infection and determine the knowledge level of healthcare workers about the risk of occupational exposure.Materials and Methods: 89 healthcare workers who applied to Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital Infectious Diseases outpatient clinic were evaluated with a questionnaire about knowledge levels of occupational injury and attitudes though screening their status by serological test along with Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV infection.Results: 66 of the participants (74%) were female and 23 (26%) were male. The mean age was 39.94 ± 12.54 years (min-max; 24-66 years). 41 people (46%) who defined occupational injuries were identified with a history of 56 injuries. Of these, 19 (34%) had needlestick injury, 22 (39%) had penetrating stab wounds, and 15 (27%) had blood/patient excretion on the eye. As a result of injuries, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV transmission were not observed.Conclusion: Due to the possibility of mucosal contact with blood or body fluids, we think that it is important to inform healthcare workers in terms of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV transmission and raise awareness through practices aimed at reducing these injuries., Amaç: Kesici delici alet yaralanmaları yanında kan ve diğer potansiyel enfekte vücut sıvılarıyla her türlü mesleki maruziyet sağlık çalışanları için kan yoluyla bulaşan enfeksiyonlar açısından önemli bir risk teşkil etmektedir. Bu çalışmada sağlık çalışanlarının bilgi düzeyleri ve mesleki maruziyet riski nedeniyle Hepatit A, Hepatit B, Hepatit C ve HIV enfeksiyonu yönünden serolojik değerlendirilmesi amaçlandı.Gereç ve Yöntem: Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hastanesi Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları polikliniğine başvuran 89 sağlık çalışanının 10 soruluk bir anket ile mesleki yaralanma, bilgi düzeyleri ve tutumları ile birlikte Hepatit A, Hepatit B, Hepatit C ve HIV enfeksiyonu yönünden durumları serolojik testle değerlendirildi.Bulgular: Çalışanların 66’sı (%74) kadın, 23’ü (%26) erkek olup, yaş ortalaması 39.94± 12.54 yıl (min-maks;24-66) idi. Mesleki yaralanma tanımlayan 41 kişi (%46) 56 yaralanma öyküsü tanımlandı. Bunların 19’u (%34) iğne batması, 22’si (%39) kesici delici alet yaralanması, 15’i (%27) göze kan/ hasta çıkartısı sıçraması şeklindeydi. Bu yaralanmalar sonucu hepatit B, hepatit C ve HIV bulaşı olmadığı test sonuçları ile görüldü.Sonuç: Kan ya da vücut sıvılarıyla mukozal temas ihtimali olması nedeniyle hepatit B, hepatit C ve HIV bulaşı açısından sağlık çalışanlarının bilgilendirilmesi ve bu yaralanmaları azaltmaya yönelik uygulamalarla farkındalık yaratılmasının önemli olduğunu düşünmekteyiz.

Introduction: People who inject drugs (PWID) should be treated in order to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare direct acting antivirals (DAAs) treatment of HCV for PWID and non-PWID in real life setting. Materials and methods: We performed a prospective, non-randomized, observational multi-center cohort study in 37 centers. All patients treated with DAAs therapy between April 1, 2017 to February 28, 2019 were included. In total, 2,713 patients were included in the study among which 250 were PWID and 2,463 were non-PWID. Besides patient characteristics, treatment response, follow-up and side effects of treatment were also analyzed. Results: Genotype 1a and 3 were more prevalent in PWID infected patients (20.4% vs 9.9% and 46.8% vs 5.3%). The number of naïve patients was higher in PWID (90.7% vs 60.0%), while the number of patients with cirrhosis was higher in non-PWID (14.1% vs 3.7%). The loss of follow up was higher in PWID (29.6% vs 13.6%). There was no difference in the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after treatment (98.3% vs 98.4%), but the end of treatment response was lower in PWID (96.2% vs 99.0%). In addition, the rate of treatment completion was lower in PWID (74% vs 94.4%). Conclusion: DAAs were safe and effective in PWID. Primary measures should be taken to prevent the loss of follow-up and poor adherence in PWID patients in order to achieve World Health Organization’s objective of eliminating viral hepatitis.

Objectives: Paritaprevir/Ritonavir/Ombitasvir/Dasabuvir (PrOD) seems to be highly effective and safe in chronic haemodialysis (CHD) patients. We presented our experiences of treatment with PrOD in CHD patients.

In this study, we aimed to investigate retrospectively the patients with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the terms of demographic findings, antibiotic sensitivity patterns and clinical features along with the treatment options. This study was performed at a tertiary-care educational university hospital. Adult (>18 years old) patients diagnosed with culture proven UTI due to carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (between December 2016 to December 2017) were included in the study. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed with the VITEK 2 system (bioMerieux). Resistance to imipenem, ertapenem, and meropenem was tested by E-test (bioMerieux). the results were interpreted according to the EUCAST criteria. A total number of 100 patients (34% female, mean age 61.69 +/- 1.65 years) were included in this study. One month all-cause mortality rate was 19%. Microbiologic eradication rate was 88.7% while it was significantly higher in combination therapy (65/70 vs. 14/19, p = 0.019) and carbapenem long-lasting (4 h) infusion subgroups (54/56 vs. 2/56, p = 0.005). Relapse and reinfection rates were 61.7 and 29.7%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis for mortality risk factors resulted as history of ertapenem usage (OR: 4.74, 95% CI: 0.678-33.201, p = 0.117), lack of microbiologic eradication (OR: 21.7, 95% CI: 1.906-247.375, p = 0.013) and ICU stay (OR: 54.8, 95% CI: 4.145-726.324, p = 0.002). Combination, carbapenem long-lasting infusion and double carbapenem therapies seem to result in higher microbiologic eradication rates and thus may effect the mortality rates of these group of patients. Randomized-controlled studies should be performed in this critical patient group to confirm these results.

WOS: 000488951800014, Primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection generally occurs during childhood/early adolescence and is usually an asymptomatic or mild and self-limiting disease in immunocompetent patients. Mononucleosis-like syndrome due to primary CMV may occur in middle-aged or advanced-aged adults, though rare. Three middle-aged patients from the same family admitted to our clinic with acute CMV infection. Two of the three cases were hospitalized, CMV antibodies were examined and at the same time the third case had an acute CMV infection. CMV transmission among middle-aged family members Is very rare. This study reports three cases of acute CMV infection and it's transmission from person to person in the same family.

WOS: 000471726700008, PubMed ID: 30989418, Brucellosis in pregnant women is reported to be associated with obstetric complications (OCs), and adequate data for human brucellosis during pregnancy are largely lacking. We performed this multicenter retrospective cross-sectional study to evaluate the epidemiology, clinical course, treatment responses, and outcomes of brucellosis among pregnant women. The study period comprised a 14-year period from January 2002 to December 2015. All consecutive pregnant women diagnosed with brucellosis in 23 participating hospitals were included. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, therapeutic, and outcome data along with the assessment data of the neonate were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Data of 242 patients were analyzed. The OC rate was 14.0% (34/242) in the cohort. Of the 242 women, 219 (90.5%) delivered at term, 3 (1.2%) had preterm delivery, 15 (6.2%) aborted, and 5 (2.1%) had intrauterine fetal demise. Seventeen (7.0%) of the newborns were considered as low birth weight. Spontaneous abortion (6.1%) was the commonest complication. There were no maternal or neonatal deaths and pertinent sequelae or complications were not detected in the newborns. Splenomegaly (p=0.019), nausea and/or vomiting (p41IU/L; p=0.025), oligohydramnios on ultrasonography (p=0.0002), history of taking medication other than Brucella treatment during pregnancy (p=0.027), and Brucella bacteremia (p=0.029) were the significant factors associated with OCs. We recommend that pregnant women with OC or with fever should be investigated for brucellosis if they live in or have traveled to an endemic area.

Aim Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) changed the delivery of medical education in Turkey by moving to an emergency remote teaching system and led to many challenges for future doctors. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on medical students, to assess their anxiety level and their main anxiety sources related to this pandemic. Methods A Google Form was distributed to medical students using the virtual snowball sampling method. The form included the Beck Anxiety Inventory and additional 19 questions on sociodemographic characteristics, perceived level of knowledge about the epidemic, self‐risk perceptions of COVID‐19 and their anxiety levels about some other topics related to COVID‐19. Results Overall, 3105 medical students with a mean age of 22.37 ± 2.46, took the survey. Amongst the participants, only 32% of the students defined their knowledge about the precautions that should be taken during an epidemic disease as acceptable. Students reported highest anxiety level for the continuing spread of COVID‐19 in Turkey and transmitting coronavirus to another person. Clinically significant anxiety prevalence was 23.2%. Regression analysis revealed that factors that increased the risk of being anxious included being female, being other than a 5th‐year student, thinking that being a medical student would increase the risk of coronavirus transmission or being uncertain about it, being exposed to a patient with COVID‐19 or being uncertain about it, being anxious about the continuing spread of COVID‐19 in Turkey, being anxious about acquiring COVID‐19, being anxious for graduating and being on active duty, being anxious about a medical training interruption. Conclusion Our results suggest that anxiety is prevalent amongst Turkish medical students during the COVID‐19 pandemic and they have a weak preparedness for a pandemic such as COVID‐19. Based on our results, new strategies should be implemented for medical education and for alleviating students’ anxiety levels.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of risk factors in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Materials and Methods: Patients who were aged >18 years visiting outpatient clinics and diagnosed as having HCV infection were enrolled in this cross-sectional, multicenter study conducted in 71 cities. Patient data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and pre-defined risk factors were collected. Results: Among 1,018 patients, 53.0% were women. The mean age was 57.2 +/- 14.3 years and 34.8% had been diagnosed as having HCV infection >10 years before enrollment. Almost half of the patients (45.5%) were diagnosed during their regular check-up visits, and only 16.8% were diagnosed because of signs or symptoms of HCV. Genotype 1 and sub-genotype 1 b were detected in 87.9% and 73.7% of the patients, respectively. At least one risk factor was present in 94.8% of the patients. The most frequently reported risk factor was major dental procedures (79.2%), followed by major surgical operations (56.9%) and minor surgical interventions (42.3%). Conclusion: Our results revealed that most of the patients with HCV infection underwent major dental procedures., AbbVie Inc. (North Chicago, IL, USA); AbbVie, This study was funded in full by AbbVie Inc. (North Chicago, IL, USA). Statistical analysis, writing support, and editing services in the development of this manuscript were provided by MONITOR CRO (Istanbul, Turkey) and funded by AbbVie. The authors also acknowledge the other participants of the EPI-C Study (protocol number 10-989) Team.

Background/aim: The aim of this descriptive article is to share the experience in Ege University, Turkey with favipiravir in the treatment of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Materials and methods: This retrospective descriptive study included patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who presented with or developed severe pneumonia. Results: Forty patients who completed a full course (at least 5 days) of favipiravir were included in the study. At baseline, 30 (75%) patients required treatment for respiratory distress. Thirty-three patients (82.5%) were discharged from the hospital with full recovery, 6 patients (15%) died and 1 case (2.5%) was still at the intensive care unit (ICU) when this paper was written. Conclusion: This study provides relevant information for the treatment of COVID-19, suggesting that favipiravir was associated with significant clinical and laboratory improvements in the majority of the patients, is a safe drug with no serious side effects and would merit further investigation.

Introduction: Early experience with favipiravir in the treatment of COVID-19 is promising, but no clinical data have been published in medical journals. This study aimed to review the experience with favipiravir treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia and to examine whether there are any predictors of treatment response. Methodology: Fifty-six patients with severe or progressive pneumonia associated with COVID-19 who were treated with favipiravir monotherapy for at least five days were included in this retrospective study. Treatment response was defined as clinical recovery without any need for admission into the intensive care unit and/or anti-cytokine therapy. The demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiographic features of the patients were compared between favipiravir-responders and non-responders. Results: Of the 56 patients, 34 patients (60.7%) responded to treatment and recovered. There was no difference in the demographic, clinical, and radiographic findings between the responders and non-responders. The inflammatory biomarkers were also similar except for the CRP levels on the day favipiravir was started [74 (36-111) vs. 118.5 (46.5-203) mg/L, respectively, p = 0.043]. There was also a significant difference in the median time to defervescence [1 (1-2) vs. 3.5 (1.75-9.25) days, respectively]. Of clinical interest, 27 (79.4%) and 31 (91.2%) of the responders became afebrile within two and four days, respectively. The response rate was lower in patients who presented severe pneumonia associated with respiratory failure. Conclusions: Patients with non-severe pneumonia at admission and whose fever resolved within two days of treatment are more likely to improve with favipiravir.

Background/Aims: Despite surgical advances in liver transplantation and effective prophylactic strategies, posttransplant infections are the most important cause of morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and management of infections because of developing immunosuppression is difficult and adversely affects mortality. This study aimed to review bacterial and fungal infections in patients after liver transplantation and to reveal the resistance rates. Materials and Methods: A total of 107 patients who underwent liver transplantation between January 2017 and February 2018 were evaluated retrospectively with regard to demographic characteristics, causes of transplantation, conditions that may lead to infection, postoperative infections, pathogens, and resistance patterns. Results: of the 107 patients who underwent liver transplantation, 48 (44.8%) had an infection. Bacterial infections were detected in 41% of the patients, and fungal infections were found in 13%. When we compared living and cadaveric transplants in terms of infection development, these rates were found to be 53% and 33%, respectively (p=0.034). No statistically significant results could be obtained when evaluating conditions such as sex, presence of underlying primary disease, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease MELD score, diabetes status, total parenteral nutrition, and risk factors for infection. Conclusion: After liver transplantation, infections are often seen in the first month of the postoperative period. Knowing the most common pathogens and resistance states in this process reduces infection-related deaths by providing appropriate treatment regimens at the right time., Infect Dis & Clin Microbiol Special Soc Turkey

Malignancy risk is increased in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Non-Hodgkin lymphomas, Kaposi’s sarcoma and cervical cancer are among the AIDS-defining diseases. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Taking combined antiretroviral therapy is associated with good prognosis in the treatment of AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Therefore, HIV screening test should be requested in patient groups with the above-mentioned diagnoses. If evaluated from a different perspective, HIV-infected patients can apply to many departments with different clinics. For this reason, all physicians should have knowledge and awareness in terms of AIDS-defining diseases. The awareness of physicians is of great importance in this disease, which has a high success rate with early diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, cases with late diagnosis are still encountered. In this article, a patient treated with chemotherapy for four months with the diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, who consulted us as febrile neutropenia and was diagnosed with late HIV infection is presented.

Objectives: the aim of this study was to compare the antibacterial activity of ceftaroline versus vancomycin in the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) meningitis in an experimental rabbit meningitis model. Methods: the antibacterial activity of ceftaroline was compared with vancomycin in the treatment of meningitis induced by MRSA strain ATCC 43300 in an experimental rabbit meningitis model. Quantitative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures were performed at the beginning of antibiotic treatment and 24 h and 73 h after the first antibiotic dose. Furthermore, in vitro time-kill data were investigated at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 h in sterile human serum. Results: the difference between the control group versus both treatment groups was significant when comparing the decrease in colony counts in CSF both at 24 h and 73 h after the first antibiotic dose (P < 0.05). At the end of the experiment, there was a significant difference in survival between both the ceftaroline-treated group and the vancomycin-treated group versus the control group, but not between the two treatment groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that the antibacterial activity of both ceftaroline and vancomycin are similar in the treatment of MRSA meningitis in an experimental rabbit meningitis model. (C) 2020 the Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy., Ege University (Izmir, Turkey)Ege University, This study was funded by Ege University (Izmir, Turkey).

Background/Aims: Ledipasvir (LDV) and sofosbuvir (SOF) as single-tablet regimen (STR) has been approved for treatment of chronic HCV infection (CHC) for treatment-naive or experienced cirrhotic or non-cirrhotic patients. Our aim was to analyse the effectiveness and safety of 12-24 weeks treatment of LDV/SOF (90mg/400 mg)+/- ribavirin in a real-life setting in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Between May-Dec 2016, 104 treatment-naive or experienced adult patients with CHC and with or without cirrhosis (including decompensated cirrhosis) were included in this observational study. Patients were administered LDV/SOF STR +/- ribavirin once daily for 12-24 weeks. SVR12 rates and effects of the baseline characteristics on SVR12 rates were assessed. Results: Out of 104 enrolled patients (61.5% female, mean age 62.0 years); 60.6% were cirrhotic, 76.0% previously used peg-IFN, 94.2% had GT1. At the end of the treatment, 77.8% (77/99, no data for 21 patients) had undetectable HCV-RNA and 98.9% (94/95) had SVR12. in the baseline characteristics subgroups, the SVR12 rates varied between 94.4% and 100%, and none of the baseline characteristics had a significant effect on the SVR12 rates. During the study, 6 (5.8%) patients died and none of the deaths was suspected to be related to the LDV/SOF. No treatment-emergent adverse event was reported. Conclusion: in conclusion, LDV/SOF +/- ribavirin yielded very high SVR12 rates, without any safety or tolerability concern in Turkey. the effectiveness of the LDV/SOF treatment was not affected by the patient demographics or medical characteristics such as fibrosis level, cirrhosis status, previous treatment status, HCV-RNA level or HCV genotype., Gilead Sciences, TurkeyGilead Sciences, This study was supported by Gilead Sciences, Turkey for editorial support in the preparation of this manuscript.

WOS: 000449010500007, PubMed ID: 30381274, Background/Aims: Liver transplantation (LT) is now the standard of care for most end-stage liver diseases. Over the next 30 years, advances in medicine and technology will greatly improve the survival rates of patients after this procedure. The aim of the present study was to analyze retrospectively the results of 1001 patients withLT. Materials and Methods: Medical reports of 989 patients were analyzed retrospectively. Data were obtained from the patient's data chart. Descriptive statistics were used to describe continuous variables (mean, median, and standard deviation). Results: A total of 1001 LTs for 989 recipients were performed at Ege University Organ Transplantation and Research Center between 1994 and 2017. Therewere 639 male and 350 female recipients. Among 1001 LTs, there were 438 deceased donors and 563 living donors. The age interval of the patients was 4 months to 71 years old. The median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score was 20. There were 12 deceased liver donors using the split method. There were 12 cases subject to retransplantation. In living donor LT grafts, 423 right lobes, 46 left lobes, and 94 left lateral sectors were used. In the first monitoring, the total annual mortality rate was 130 cases (13%). The mortality rate in retransplantation was found to be 66%. A 1-year survival rate of 87% was generally established. Conclusion: LThas been improving consistently over the last two decades. Ege University is one of the biggest liver transplant centers in Turkey for both technical and educational perspective.

Background Herein we aimed to evaluate osteomyelitis cases in our setting. Methods We evaluated the hospital records of patients with osteomyelitis between January 2013 and December 2020 retrospectively. Osteomyelitis was confirmed by direct radiography or magnetic resonance imaging or pathology. Demographic features, risk factors, clinical/laboratory findings, treatment response and mortality rates were evaluated. Clinical response was defined as (resolution of clinical signs including fever and purulent discharge and other symptoms) and/or negative culture at the end of antimicrobial therapy. Results Patients were 33 female, aged 29–85 years (mean 59±12.6). Fourty nine of the patients were diabetic foot infection, 30 were spondylodiscitis, eight were primary, seven were post-traumatic, and five were post-surgical osteomyelitis. Overall 62 patients had diabetes mellitus and 16 patients had chronic renal failure. Peripheral arterial disease, neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy and venous insufficiency rate in the DM subgroup is shown in table. Fever was present in 24.2% of the cohort. İncreasing of CRP was in 95,9%, erythrocyte sedimentation rate in 83,9%, and leukocytosis in 37.3%. The radiological findings of osteomyelitis were detected via magnetic resonance imaging in 73 patients. Etiology in biopsy cultures were elucidated in 59.5% and the most common pathogen was S. aureus (30%) Table1. The most common empirical treatment regimens were tigecycline in 27 patients, ampicillin/sulbactam in 19 patients and ceftriaxone+teicoplanin in 12 cases. Duration of treatment was 36,2±17.3 days (range 6-104 days). Overall, clinical response was obtained in 91.9%. Fifty patients were performed surgical procedure + antibacterial treatment, clinical response was 96% (p:0.091). Surgical debridement could be performed in 22 patients, clinical response was obtained in all (p:0.193). Thirteen patients developed recurrence within one year. Sixty-seven patients received oral consecutive treatment after discharge. In hospital mortality rate was 2/99 (2,02%). Conclusion Despite surgical debridement and/or developed antimicrobial treatment, approximately 1/5 of osteomyelitis cases required further treatment Further interventions seem to be needed to reach better outcomes. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures