Systematic review of survey/questionnaire-based drug utilization studies in Turkiye.

Objective: Drug utilization studies (DUS), providing insights into various aspects of pharmacoepidemiology from prescribing to medication use, can be conducted through real-world data from health records and survey-based data. In this study, we aimed to describe survey/questionnaire-based DUS conducted in Turkiye.

Methods: We searched online databases for the most frequently used keywords in DUS from January 1993 till May 2023 and identified 180 survey-based DUS conducted in Turkiye.

Pharmacoeconomic implications of preference toward reference- versus generic-brand antidepressants in primary care.

Background: The prevalence of depression is gradually increasing worldwide with an increasing utilization of antidepressants. Nevertheless, despite their lower costs, generic-brand antidepressants were reported to be less prescribed. We aimed to examine the costs of reference- versus generic-brand antidepressant prescriptions in primary care practice.

Effectiveness of immediate appointment scheduling in smoking cessation clinics for patients with chronic airway diseases: Preliminary results from a randomized trial.

Introduction: Patients with airway diseases who bear the burden of smoking need access to smoking cessation support. We aimed to investigate the impact of immediately scheduled appointments on access to smoking cessation clinics compared with usual care in this patient group.

Methods: This multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label study was conducted between November 2022 and June 2023 at pulmonary outpatient clinics.

"What makes blood clots break off?" A Back-of-the-Envelope Computation Toward Explaining Clot Embolization.

Purpose: One in four deaths worldwide is due to thromboembolic disease; that is, one in four people die from blood clots first forming and then breaking off or embolizing. Once broken off, clots travel downstream, where they occlude vital blood vessels such as those of the brain, heart, or lungs, leading to strokes, heart attacks, or pulmonary embolisms, respectively. Despite clots' obvious importance, much remains to be understood about clotting and clot embolization.

Comparison of Antibody Responses After CoronaVac and BNT162b2 Vaccines in Healthcare Workers.

Since the initial outbreak in late December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a significant healthcare issue worldwide. Despite patients getting the total recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, it is still unable to stop the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Our study aimed to evaluate the antibody response in the 3rd month after two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine and after a single dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine.

The extracellular matrix - immune microenvironment crosstalk in cancer therapy: Challenges and opportunities.

Targeting the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME) by cancer immunotherapy has led to improved patient outcomes. However, response to these treatments is heterogeneous and cancer-type dependant. The therapeutic activity of classical cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical oncology is modulated by alterations of the TIME.

MMP14 expression and collagen remodelling support uterine leiomyosarcoma aggressiveness.

Fibrillar collagen deposition, stiffness and downstream signalling support the development of leiomyomas (LMs), common benign mesenchymal tumours of the uterus, and are associated with aggressiveness in multiple carcinomas. Compared with epithelial carcinomas, however, the impact of fibrillar collagens on malignant mesenchymal tumours, including uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS), remains elusive. In this study, we analyse the network morphology and density of fibrillar collagens combined with the gene expression within uLMS, LM and normal myometrium (MM).

Perceived Need for Mental Health Services Among Healthcare Workers During the Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic in Turkey: A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study.

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has contributed to work-related psychosocial risks in healthcare workers.

Aims: To evaluate the perceived need for mental health services and related factors in Turkish healthcare workers practicing in pandemic hospitals.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Investigation of the effects of subacromial bursal tissue preservation and microfracture procedure on healing after rotator cuff repair in a rat model.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to compare the preservation of bursal tissue and microfracture techniques and to examine the effectiveness of the combination of the two methods in rotator cuff tear healing in the rat shoulder.

Hypothesis: Bursal tissue preservation combined with microfracture is more effective in the rotator cuff repair.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-three male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups.

COVID-19: booster(s) vs. hospitalization and Intensive Care Unit admission.

Objective: As the pandemic continues, different vaccine protocols have been implemented to maintain the protection of vaccines and to provide protection against new variants. The aim of this study was to assess hospitalized patients' vaccination status and document the efficacy of boosters.

Patients And Methods: The patients that were hospitalized due to COVID-19 were enrolled from 28 hospitals in Turkey for five months from September 2021.

The association of antiviral drugs with COVID-19 morbidity: The retrospective analysis of a nationwide COVID-19 cohort.

Background And Objectives: Although several repurposed antiviral drugs have been used for the treatment of COVID-19, only a few such as remdesivir and molnupiravir have shown promising effects. The objectives of our study were to investigate the association of repurposed antiviral drugs with COVID-19 morbidity.

Methods: Patients admitted to 26 different hospitals located in 16 different provinces between March 11-July 18, 2020, were enrolled.

Antibody response three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic became the greatest public health challenge globally. In our study, it was aimed to determine the antibody levels in the third month after the COVID-19 infection and the symptoms that continued until the third month from the onset of the infection. One hundred people who applied to Tarsus State Hospital with the suspicion of COVID-19 and were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction were included.

Real-Time Fault Detection and Condition Monitoring for Industrial Autonomous Transfer Vehicles Utilizing Edge Artificial Intelligence.

Early fault detection and real-time condition monitoring systems have become quite significant for today's modern industrial systems. In a high volume of manufacturing facilities, fleets of equipment are expected to operate uninterrupted for days or weeks. Any unplanned interruptions to equipment uptime could jeopardize manufacturers' cycle time, capacity, and, most significantly, credibility for their customers.

Chemotherapy as a regulator of extracellular matrix-cell communication: Implications in therapy resistance.

The development of most solid cancers, including pancreatic, breast, lung, liver, and ovarian cancer, involves a desmoplastic reaction: a process of major remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) affecting the ECM composition, mechanics, and microarchitecture. These properties of the ECM influence key cancer cell functions, including treatment resistance. Furthermore, emerging data show that various chemotherapeutic treatments lead to alterations in ECM features and ECM-cell communication.

COVID-19: vaccination vs. hospitalization.

Objective: Vaccination is the most efficient way to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccination rates remain below the target level in most countries. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of hospitalized patients and compare two different booster vaccine protocols.

Setting: Inoculation in Turkey began in mid-January 2021.

FOXP3+ T cells in uterine sarcomas are associated with favorable prognosis, low extracellular matrix expression and reduced YAP activation.

Uterine sarcomas are rare but deadly malignancies without effective treatment. Immunotherapy is a promising new approach to treat these tumors but has shown heterogeneous effects in sarcoma patients. With the goal of identifying key factors for improved patient treatment, we characterized the tumor immune landscape in 58 uterine sarcoma cases with full clinicopathological annotation.

Co-evolution of matrisome and adaptive adhesion dynamics drives ovarian cancer chemoresistance.

Due to its dynamic nature, the evolution of cancer cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) crosstalk, critically affecting metastasis and treatment resistance, remains elusive. Our results show that platinum-chemotherapy itself enhances resistance by progressively changing the cancer cell-intrinsic adhesion signaling and cell-surrounding ECM. Examining ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) transcriptome and histology, we describe the fibrotic ECM heterogeneity at primary tumors and distinct metastatic sites, prior and after chemotherapy.

The predictors of COVID-19 mortality in a nationwide cohort of Turkish patients.

The COVID-19-related death rate varies between countries and is affected by various risk factors. This multicenter registry study was designed to evaluate the mortality rate and the related risk factors in Turkey. We retrospectively evaluated 1500 adults with COVID-19 from 26 centers who were hospitalized between March 11 and July 31, 2020.

CD11c-CD8 Spatial Cross Presentation: A Novel Approach to Link Immune Surveillance and Patient Survival in Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Checkpoint inhibitors are slowly being introduced in the care of specific sarcoma subtypes such as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, alveolar soft part sarcoma, and angiosarcoma even though formal indication is lacking. Proper biomarkers to unravel potential immune reactivity in the tumor microenvironment are therefore expected to be highly warranted. In this study, intratumoral spatial cross presentation was investigated as a novel concept where immune cell composition in the tumor microenvironment was suggested to act as a proxy for immune surveillance.

Mesothelin-Specific CAR T Cells Target Ovarian Cancer.

New therapeutic options for patients with ovarian cancer are urgently needed. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of two second-generation mesothelin (MSLN)-directed CAR T cells in orthotopic mouse models of ovarian cancer. Treatment with CAR T cells expressing an MSLN CAR construct including the CD28 domain (M28z) significantly prolonged survival, but no persistent tumor control was observed.

Prospective, randomized evaluation of latissimus dorsi transfer and superior capsular reconstruction in massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears.

Background: The treatment of massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears remains controversial today because there is no consensus on the ideal treatment option. This investigation aimed to prospectively evaluate and compare the outcomes of arthroscopy-assisted latissimus dorsi transfer and superior capsular reconstruction in the treatment of massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears.

Methods: Forty-two patients at an average age of 62.

Is the Measurement of Pedicle Axial Axes on Computed Tomography in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Also a Guide for Safer Screwing?

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pedicle angle measurement in preoperative axial computed tomography in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) on correct thoracic screw placement in free-hand technique on 3-dimensional printing AIS models.

Methods: In this study, 14 3-dimensional spine models with a scale of 1:1, including the entire spine of a patient with Lenke type 1 curve, were used. Group 1 included screwing applications with unknown pedicle axial angles, and group 2 included screwing applications with known pedicle axial angles.

COVID-19 Pandemic and the Global Perspective of Turkish Thoracic Society.

It has been more than 3 months now since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Turkey. Globally, the number of confirmed cases and deaths reached 9,653,048 and 491,128 respectively, as reported by 216 countries by June 27, 2020. Turkey had 1,396 new cases, 194,511 total cases, and 5,065 deaths by the same date.

Effects of Exercise on Resilience, Insight and Functionality in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia in a Psychiatric Nursing Home Setting: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To our knowledge, there are no studies on the effects of exercise in patients with severe schizophrenia-related disability or in nursing home settings. Again, the literature search on the influence of exercise on insight and resilience gives no results except mind-body exercises. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise on psychotic symptoms, depression, functionality, insight and resilience in patients with severe schizophrenia-related disability living in nursing home setting.