Turkish Thoracic Society Early Career Members Task Force Group's Virtual Congress Notes: European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020.

In this article, Early Career Task Force Group members of the Turkish Thoracic Society summarize the European Respiratory Society 2020 virtual congress. Current developments in the field of respiratory diseases were compiled with the addition of sessions specific to coronavirus disease 2019 this year. Almost all of the congress sessions were examined, and the important and striking results of the congress were highlighted.

Embracing Change: An International Survey Study on the Beliefs and Attitudes of Pediatric Rheumatologists Towards Biosimilars.

Background: Biosimilars have been adopted by clinicians more slowly than anticipated in the post-marketing phase.

Objectives: We aimed to reveal the perceptions and attitudes of pediatric rheumatologists towards biosimilars and the obstacles to biosimilar therapy.

Methods: A web-based survey designed to determine the knowledge, experience, and perceptions of pediatric rheumatologists about biosimilars was electronically mailed to the participants between April and August 2021.

The Turkish experience of COVID-19 infection in people with NMOSD and MOGAD: A milder course?

Background: COVID-19 is a multisystemic infection with variables consequences depending on individual and comorbid conditions. The course and outcomes of COVID-19 during neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorders (MOGAD) are not clearly known.

Objective/methods: The aim of this study was to examine the features and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in NMOSD and MOGAD patients.

Overweight and obesity in preschool children in Turkey: A multilevel analysis.

Childhood obesity/overweight is a worldwide concern and its prevalence is increasing in many countries. The first aim of this study is to analyse the trends in overweight and obesity among children under the age of five in Turkey based on the new World Health Organization (WHO) standards, using data from the 'five-round of the Turkey Demographic and Health Surveys' (TDHSs). The second aim is to examine whether or not the maternal/household and individual-level factors are associated with overweight/obesity using TDHS 2003, 2008, and 2013 datasets.

Eculizumab treatment and discontinuation in pediatric patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome: a multicentric retrospective study.

Introduction: Eculizumab is effective treatment of pediatric atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). However, the optimal duration of treatment is not clearly defined. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the outcome of pediatric patients with aHUS, who started eculizumab treatment but discontinued it during the follow-up period.

Spectrum and Prevalence of Thyroid Diseases at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia: A Retrospective Study of 976 Cases.

Background: Thyroid disorder is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide and neglected public health issues in Somalia. The aim of the study thus was to investigate the thyroid disorders in patients attending to the largest tertiary referral hospital in Somalia.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients admitted to the internal department of Somalia Mogadishu-Turkey Education and Research Hospital, Somali, between January 2017 and December 2019.

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for failed treatment of proximal humerus fractures.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional and radiological outcomes and complications of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) for failed treatment of proximal humerus fractures (FTPHF).

Methods: In this retrospective study, 20 patients (17 female, 3 male; mean age = 71.35 years; age range = 54-81 years) who underwent RTSA for FTPHF between 2012 and 2018 were included.

Premature Deaths Due to Silicosis in Turkey, 2006-2017: A Twelve-Year Longitudinal Study.

Background: Deaths due to epidemics of silicosis still continue to be reported both in developing and developed countries, and silica exposure from different sectors remains an important occupational health concern.

Aims: To identify characteristics of silicosis cases by focusing on a developing country and evaluate the frequency of and factors related to premature deaths and also reveal preventable causes of premature deaths in silicosis.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Clinical Characteristics and Mutation Spectrum of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in 27 Turkish Families.

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a neurocutaneous disorder that results in a predisposition to the growth of multiple tumors in the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and the skin. The clinical manifestations of neurofibromatosis are associated with loss of neurofibromin expression which causes the upregulation of the RAS pathway. Although neurofibromatosis type 1 can be diagnosed based on the National Institutes of Health criteria, sometimes the diagnosis is difficult, in cases where the characteristic features do not develop.

Management of obesity in kidney transplant candidates and recipients: A clinical practice guideline by the DESCARTES Working Group of ERA.

The clinical practice guideline Management of Obesity in Kidney Transplant Candidates and Recipients was developed to guide decision-making in caring for people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) living with obesity. The document considers the challenges in defining obesity, weighs interventions for treating obesity in kidney transplant candidates as well as recipients and reflects on the impact of obesity on the likelihood of wait-listing as well as its effect on transplant outcomes. It was designed to inform management decisions related to this topic and provide the backdrop for shared decision-making.

Treatment Principles of First-Episode Psychosis.

Treatment of first-episode psychosis, which has unique advantages and challenges, has an impact on the course of the illness. On one hand, clinician has to understand triggering factors of psychosis and make differential diagnosis, and on other hand he has to choose a rationale psychopharmacological treatment. Although there is no difference between first generation antipsychotics and second generation antipsychotics in terms of effectiveness, the latter group has advantages in terms of side effects and tolerability.

Primary antibody deficiencies in Turkey: molecular and clinical aspects.

Primary antibody deficiencies (PAD) are the most common subtype of primary immunodeficiencies, characterized by increased susceptibility to infections and autoimmunity, allergy, or malignancy predisposition. PAD syndromes comprise of immune system genes highlighted the key role of B cell activation, proliferation, migration, somatic hypermutation, or isotype switching have a wide spectrum from agammaglobulinemia to selective Ig deficiency. In this study, we describe the molecular and the clinical aspects of fifty-two PAD patients.

Fragmentation Analysis of Plasma DNA Reveals Its Prognostic Value in Gastric Cancer.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a common cause of cancer-related deaths. The poor clinical outcome in GC patients is partially associated with a lack of appropriate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In the present study, we evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic values of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) integrity and the concentration of circulating nucleosomes (cNUCs).

Antibody response to two doses of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in kidney transplant recipients.

Background: Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has high mortality in kidney transplant recipients (KTR), and vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is vital for this population. Although the humoral response to messenger RNA vaccines was shown to be impaired in KTR, there is a lack of data regarding the antibody response to inactivated vaccines. We investigated the antibody response to two consequent doses of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac; Sinovac Biotech, China).

Primary Surgery with Systemic Therapy in Patients with de Novo Stage IV Breast Cancer: 10-year Follow-up; Protocol MF07-01 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the overall survival (OS) data of patients diagnosed with de novo stage IV breast cancer (BC) who received locoregional treatment (LRT) over a 10-year follow-up.

Study Design: The MF07-01 is a 1:1 multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing the LRT with systemic therapy (ST), where ST was given to all patients either immediately after randomization or after surgical resection of the intact primary tumor.

Results: A total of 278 patients were randomized and 265 patients were in the final analysis.