Epidemiology and risk factors of 28-day mortality of hospital-acquired bloodstream infection in Turkish intensive care units: a prospective observational cohort study.

Objectives: To uncover clinical epidemiology, microbiological characteristics and outcome determinants of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSIs) in Turkish ICU patients.

Methods: The EUROBACT II was a prospective observational multicontinental cohort study. We performed a subanalysis of patients from 24 Turkish ICUs included in this study.

Successful treatment of multidrug-resistant hypertension with catheter-based renal denervation in a patient with a renal artery stent.

Renal artery stenting (RAS) and its effectiveness in the treatment of atherosclerotic renal artery disease are controversial. Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) has been shown to reduce blood pressure in the treatment of multidrug-resistant hypertension. In this case, we presented the successful regulation of multidrug resistant hypertension after renal denervation in a patient with renal artery stent.

Awake uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the management of pericardial effusion.

Introduction: Pericardial drainage can be performed either with pericardiocentesis or pericardial "window" in cases with hemodynamic compromise for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Awake single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is an alternative to pericardial window (PW) that has been described only in case reports in the literature. We aimed to analyse a series of patients with chronic, recurrent and/or large pericardial effusions who underwent single-port VATS-PW opening without intubation.

Spontaneous Coronary Dissection Induced Cardiac Arrest During Posterior Instrumentation in Prone Position: A Case Report.

Intraoperative cardiac arrest (ICA) is a crucial property of morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing surgical operations. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an important cause of ICA and perioperative myocardial infarction, especially in young women. In this case report, we presented the successful management of SCAD-induced ICA in a 46-year-old female patient who underwent posterior spinal instrumentation in the prone position due to lumbar intervertebral disc extrusion.

Prognostic impact of cardiohepatic syndrome in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Cardiohepatic syndrome (CHS) indicates a bidirectional interaction between the heart and liver. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of CHS on in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. 1541 consecutive STEMI patients were examined.

Extracellular matrix collagen biomarker levels in patients who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy.

Objectives: The role of extracellular matrix collagen biomarkers in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is not well known. Our goal was to investigate the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 protein levels in patients with CTETH.

Methods: This is a prospective, cross-sectional study.

Evaluation of lipoprotein(a) in the prevention and management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A survey among the Lipid Clinics Network.

Background And Aims: The European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Lipid Clinics Network promoted a survey in order to identify and understand how and when lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is tested and clinically evaluated in lipid clinics throughout Europe, and the challenges that may prevent evaluation from being carried out.

Methods: This survey was divided into three areas of inquiry: background and clinical setting information of clinicians, questions for doctors who claimed not to measure Lp(a), in order to understand what were the reasons for not ordering the test, and questions for doctors who measure Lp(a), to investigate the use of this value in the management of patients.

Results: A total of 151 centres clinicians filled in the survey, out of 226 invited.

Predictive Value of the Naples Prognostic Score for Acute Kidney Injury in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate whether there was an association between the Naples prognostic score and the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). The study comprised 2901 consecutive STEMI patients who had pPCI. For each patient, the Naples prognostic score was determined.

The effects of severe functional mitral regurgitation on right ventricular function in patients with advanced heart failure who were on waiting list for heart transplant.

Background: This study aims to investigate the effects of severe functional mitral regurgitation on the parameters that reflect right ventricular function such as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and right ventricular stroke work index in potential heart transplant recipients.

Methods: Between January 2015 and January 2017, a total of 282 consecutive patients (250 males, 32 females; mean age: 46±10 years; range, 18 to 66 years) with advanced heart failure who were referred for heart transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups as severe (n=84) and non-severe functional mitral regurgitation (n=198).

A preliminary study of tracking B-cell kinetics in patients with lung transplantation by monitoring kappa-deleting recombination excision circles.

Background: This study aims to evaluate humoral immune system response by measuring copy numbers of kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KREC) gene segment from B lymphocytes in patients with lung transplantation.

Methods: Between September 2015 and November 2016, a total of 11 patients (8 males, 3 females; mean age: 45.4±12.

Effectiveness of echocardiographic evaluation of lung transplant candidates: Could it be an alternative to right heart catheterization?

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the value of transthoracic echocardiography in the estimation of pulmonary artery pressure and to identify the presence of pulmonary hypertension in lung transplant candidates with end-stage lung disease.

Methods: Between January 2012 and September 2020, a total of 244 patients (166 males, 78 females; mean age: 48.6±13.

Investigating the protective effect of glutamine against cerebral ischemia and bilateral carotid occlusion in rats.

Background: This study aims to investigate the protective effects of glutamine against cerebral injury resulting from cerebral ischemia-reperfusion by bilateral carotid occlusion in rats.

Methods: Eighteen Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three equal groups: 1) control group; 2) ischemia-reperfusion group which underwent clamping of the carotid artery for 20 min; and 3) ischemiareperfusion + glutamine group which was treated with two doses of glutamine (1 g/kg) prior to the same clamping procedure as the ischemia-reperfusion group. All rats were sacrificed 24 h after the experiment.

Monitoring T-Cell Kinetics in the Early Recovery Period of Lung Transplantation Cases by Copy Number Levels of T-Cell Receptor Excision Circle.

Background/aim: Lung transplantation is a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage lung diseases. T-Cell receptor excision circle (TREC) is circular DNA produced during T-cell receptor gene rearrangement in the thymus and indicates naive T-cell migration from the thymus. Therefore, its levels represent thymic T-cell output.

Effects of Some Interferon-Related Proteins on Influenza A Viruse RNA Polymerase Activity.

Objectives: Interferons (IFNs) are one of the most important components of innate immunity against viruses, especially those carrying the RNA genomes such as influenza viruses. Upon viral infection, the IFNs are rapidly secreted, inducing the expression of several genes in the target cells and establishing an antiviral state. In this study, the effects of proteins encoded by some IFN-related genes on influenza A virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase enzyme were investigated.

Enhanced Stent Imaging System Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Is Linked to Optimize Stent Placement.

Stent under-expansion is a predictor of restenosis and stent thrombosis. It remains uncertain whether enhanced stent imaging (ESI) (CLEARstent) guidance can improve stent under-expansion. Our aim was to assess the effect of using ESI on stent under-expansion, after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a single center, cross-sectional observational study.

Characteristics and Gender-Related Differences of Patients Admitted to a Large Intensive Cardiac Care Unit: A Single-Center Experience with over 55 000 Patients.

Objective: Parallel to the aging of the world population, the complexity of patients with cardiac problems has increased, especially in intensive cardiology care units, and the importance of multidisciplinary care has become more evident. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and gender-related differences of patients hospitalized in a large intensive cardiology care unit.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study includes all hospitalizations in a large intensive cardiology care unit between January 2016 and March 2021.

Assessment the effect of diabetes education on self-care behaviors and glycemic control in the Turkey Nursing Diabetes Education Evaluating Project (TURNUDEP): a multi-center study.

Background: Diabetes education in Turkey is provided by diabetes nurse educators in almost all healthcare organizations. However, the education is not standardized in terms of learning content, duration, and methods. This multi-center study was performed to assess the self-care behaviors and glycemic control following education provided to the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by diabetes nurse educators.

Self-reported antibiotic stewardship and infection control measures from 57 intensive care units: An international ID-IRI survey.

We explored the self-reported antibiotic stewardship (AS), and infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in intensive care units (ICUs) of different income settings. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire to collect data about IPC and AS measures in participating ICUs. The study participants were Infectious Diseases-International Research Initiative (IDI-IR) members, committed as per their institutional agreement form.

Surgical treatment of a difficult case of atrial tachycardia requiring multiple electrophysiologic procedures.

A 34-year-old male with incessant drug-refractory atrial tachycardia (AT) was referred to our clinic for catheter ablation. The procedure began with endocardial activation mapping. The earliest endocardial activation site was in the right atrial appendage (RAA).

The Role of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) in Atrial Fibrillation: Treatment Management Based on Patient and Drug Characteristics.

Data from Turkey revealed that atrial fibrillation patient percentage under adequate anti- coagulation in Turkey is less than that in other countries due to multiple parameters such as treatment adherence problems, failure to follow guideline recommendations, negative perspective on the use of new drugs, drug costs, and payment conditions. The aim of this article is to provide physicians with a compiled resource that focuses on the differences between non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and heterogeneity of atrial fibrilla- tion patients by reviewing the global and national data from a multidisciplinary perspective and provide guidance on the choice of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation patients. A gastroenterologist, 2 neurologists, and 11 cardiologists from university and training and research hospitals in Turkey who are experienced in atrial fibrillation and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant treatments gathered in 3 separate meetings to identify the review topics and evaluate the outcomes of the systematic literature search.

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal among parents: An international ID-IRI survey.

Introduction: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control infectious diseases, the increasing rate of vaccine hesitancy and refusal (VHR) has become a worldwide concern. We aimed to find opinions of parents on vaccinating their children and contribute to available literature in order to support the fight against vaccine refusal by investigating the reasons for VHR on a global scale.

Methodology: In this international cross-sectional multicenter study conducted by the Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used to determine parents' attitudes towards vaccination of their children.

Pulmonary Endarterectomy in Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome-Associated Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by the occurrence of venous and/or arterial thrombosis. Chronic thromboembolism is one of the known established pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, known as chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary endarterectomy is the treatment of choice for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Effects of RAAS blocker use on AKI in elderly hypertensive STEMI patients with propensity score weighed method.

Studies reported conflicting results on the effect of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blocker use on acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography but association in elderly patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not known. Also, there are limited data on the effect of inflammatory markers on AKI. We aimed to investigate the effects of RAAS blocker pretreatment and inflammatory markers on AKI in this population.