Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Activity: Experience of a JACIE-Accredited Center.

Objectives: The adoption of international quality and accreditation standards is important for the success of transplant centers. Guidelines from the Joint Accreditation Committee ISCT-Europe and EBMT (JACIE) have enabled quality management of the operations of clinical units of cellular therapy centers, including cell collection and processing, thus minimizing errors and adverse events. COVID-19 has had significant implications for immunocompromised patients, particularly hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, as well as their donors and caregivers.

Anxiety and depression levels of healthcare workers during Covid-19 pandemic.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19), which causes a pandemic in the world, has started to appear in turkey since march 2020. Healthcare workers are at the top of the groups most at risk for covid-19 infection, which can have a negative impact on psychological state.

Objectives: It was aimed to evaluate anxiety and depression levels among healthcare workers.

Characteristics of our hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia patients receiving corticosteroids and mortality-associated factors.

Background: COVID-19 is a disease associated with diffuse lung injury that has no proven effective treatment yet. It is thought that glucocorticoids may reduce inflammation-mediated lung injury, disease progression, and mortality. We aimed to evaluate our patient's characteristics and treatment outcomes who received corticosteroids for COVID-19 pneumonia.

Comparison of the clinical course of COVID-19 infection in sickle cell disease patients with healthcare professionals.

It is highly expected that COVID-19 infection will have devastating consequences in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients due to endothelial activation and decreased tissue and organ reserve as a result of microvascular ischemia and continuous inflammation. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical course of COVID-19 in adult SCD patients under the organ injury mitigation and clinical care improvement program (BASCARE) with healthcare professionals without significant comorbid conditions. The study was planned as a retrospective, multicenter and cross-sectional study.

The Relationship between COVID-19 Severity and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)/ exposure history in healthcare workers: a multi-center study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought countries' health services into sharp focus. It was drawn to our group's attention that healthcare workers (HCWs) had a lower mortality rate against higher COVID-19 incidence compared to the general population in Turkey. Since risk of exposure to tuberculosis bacillus among healthcare workers are higher than the population, we aimed to investigate if there is a relationship between BCG and exposure history with COVID-19 severity in infected HCWs.

Evaluation of Subclinical Atherosclerosis with Carotid Intima-Media and Epicardial Fat Thickness in Patients with Sarcoidosis.

Objectives: Since many similar mechanisms may play a role in the pathophysiology of sarcoidosis and atherosclerosis, the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis may be increased in patients with sarcoidosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate known markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, namely epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with sarcoidosis.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 183 subjects, including 94 patients with sarcoidosis (patient group) and a control group of 89 healthy individuals.

A Novel Simplified Combination of Monoclonal Antibodies for Flow Cytometric Analysis of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Samples.

Background: The profile of leukocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid provides important information for diagnosing various lung diseases. A differential cell count of BAL is conventionally performed by evaluating centrifuged samples under a light microscope and enumerating the stained cells. Another rarely used method to identify BAL leukocytes is flow cytometry (FCM).

Acute Respiratory Failure in Renal Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Experience.

Objectives: We evaluated the frequency and cause of acute respiratory failure in renal transplant recipients.

Materials And Methods: Our single-center retrospective observational study included consecutive renal transplant recipients who were admitted to an intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure between 2011 and 2017. Acute respiratory failure was defined as oxygen saturation < 92% or partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood < 60 mm Hg on room air and/or requirement of noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation.

Investigation of the Relationship between Asthma and Visceral Obesity by Epicardial Fat Thickness Measurement.

Objectives: Obesity is a risk factor defined in recent years for asthma. It is associated not only with asthma but also with many cardiovascular diseases. Visceral obesity is a more significant risk factor than general obesity in cardiovascular diseases.

Liver Transplant and Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema: A Case Report.

Hydrothorax occurs frequently in patients with endstage liver disease and usually requires drainage of pulmonary effusion during the hepatectomy phase of liver transplant. Reexpansion pulmonary edema is a rare but potentially fatal complication seen after rapid reexpansion of the collapsed lung following thoracentesis of pleural fluid or tube drainage of pneumothorax. This condition, which manifests with various degrees of clinical severity, is rarely reported following liver transplantation.

Pneumonia in Renal Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Study.

Objectives: Pulmonary infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in solid-organ transplant recipients despite enhanced facilities for perioperative care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics, clinical course, and outcomes of renal transplant recipients with pneumonia.

Materials And Methods: The medical records of all renal transplant recipients from January 2010 to December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed, and patients diagnosed with pneumonia according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria were evaluated.

[Schistosomiasis and pulmonary hypertension].

Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevelant parazitic diseases in the world. It is endemic in more than 70 countries, and more than 200 million people worldwide are infected with Schistosoma. Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is one of the chronic complications of schistosomiasis.

What should be the appropriate minimal duration for patient examination and evaluation in pulmonary outpatient clinics?

Introduction: Patient examinations performed in a limited time period may lead to impairment in patient and physician relationship, defective and erroneous diagnosis, inappropriate prescriptions, less common use of preventive medicine practices, poor patient satisfaction, and increased violent acts against health-care staff.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the appropriate minimal duration of patient examination in the pulmonary practice.

Methods: A total of 49 researchers from ten different study groups of the Turkish Thoracic Society participated in the study.

Investigation of the relationship between asthma and subclinical atherosclerosis by carotid/femoral intima media and epicardial fat thickness measurement.

Objective: Since asthma and atherosclerosis may share similar pathophysiological mechanism, this study is planned to investigate whether epicardial fat thickness (EFT), carotid and femoral intima media thicknesses, which are markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, are increased in patients with asthma.

Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study. A total of 154 participants (83 patients with asthma and 71 healthy volunteers) were enrolled into the study.

Granulomatous polyangitis (Wegener granulomatosis): Clinical findings and results of long-term follow-up.

Introduction: To evaluate long-term outcome of patients with granulomatous polyangitis (GPA) followed up in a tertiary university hospital.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed medical records of 22 patients with GPA diagnosis confirmed by tissue biopsies between 2004 and 2014.

Result: The mean time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 7.

A rarely seen diffuse parenchymal lung disease: diffuse pulmonary meningotheliomatosis.

Pulmonary meningothelial-like nodules (MLNs) are usually detected incidentally during pathologic evaluation of resected pulmonary parenchymal specimens and autopsies. These nodules are generally asymptomatic and most often single. Diffuse pulmonary involvement by MLNs is less frequently described.

QT dispersion in patients with pulmonary embolism.

Background: Various ECG patterns have been associated with acute pulmonary embolism. However, there is no data regarding the association between QT interval measurements and pulmonary embolism. We aimed to investigate the association between QT dispersion and the severity of pulmonary embolism (PE).

Chest radiography and CT findings in patients with the 2009 pandemic (H1N1) influenza.

Purpose: To present chest radiography and thoracic computed tomography (CT) findings for patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) from November-December 2009 and to explore any differences compared to previously reported imaging findings.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-two hospitalized patients with pandemic influenza (H1N1) were included in the study. All of the patients underwent chest radiography, and 28 patients were also evaluated by thoracic CT.

Pulmonary function and airway hyperresponsiveness in adults with sickle cell disease.

Study Objectives: Pulmonary involvement is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Although a high prevalence of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) has been reported, there are no studies demonstrating the relationship between AHR and acute chest syndrome (ACS) in adults with SCD. We investigated AHR prevalence, lung function abnormalities, and the relationships of these variables with ACS in SCD patients.

[Comparative evaluation of 113 cases with severe and mild forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis].

Tuberculosis, one of the oldest diseases of human beings, has still high mortality rates. In this prospective study, 113 HIV seronegative patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPT) who were admitted to our department between January 2001 and July 2006 have been evaluated and cases with severe or mild forms of EPT have been compared with respect to epidemiological and clinical features, laboratory results and treatment outcomes. The age range of the patients were 16-78 years old (mean age: 46.

Airway hyperreactivity detected by methacholine challenge in children with sickle cell disease.

Recent studies have emphasized the presence of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). However, various tests for the detection of AHR have yielded distinctly different results in these patients. This study identified AHR via a methacholine challenge test (MCT) in a group of children with SCD (31 patients; age range, 6-16 years).

Propylthiouracil-associated eosinophilic pleural effusion: a case report.

We describe an unusual case of a patient with eosinophilic pleural effusion (EPE) associated with long-term propylthiouracil (PTU) administration. A 43-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital after complaining of chest pain. She had had Graves' disease, which had been treated with PTU for 11 years.