The effect of taxifolin on cisplatin-induced oxidative pulmonary damage was investigated biochemically and histopathologically in male albino Wistar rats. There were four groups, with six animals in each group: 50 mg/kg of taxifolin plus 2.5 mg/kg of cisplatin (TC) group, 2.5 mg/kg of cisplatin only (CIS) group, 50 mg/kg of taxifolin only (TG) group, and a healthy control group (HG). In terms of the experimental procedure, the animals in the TC and TG groups were first treated via oral gavage. The CIS and HG groups received distilled water as solvent, respectively. One hour later, the TC and CIS groups received cisplatin at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg (injected intraperitoneally). Taxifolin, cisplatin, and the distilled water were administered at the indicated dose and volume, using the same method daily for 14 d. At the end of this period, the animals were killed with a high dosage of thiopental anaesthesia (50 mg/kg). Blood and lung tissue samples were taken for biochemical (malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), total glutathione (tGSH), and 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)) analyses and histopathological examinations. The biochemical and histopathological results in the TC and HG groups were then compared with those in the CIS group. Cisplatin increased the levels of MDA, myeloperoxidase, and 8-OHdG, a marker of oxidative DNA damage, and reduced the amount of tGSH in the lung tissue. Moreover, severe alveolar damage, including oedema and extensive alveolar septal fibrosis, in addition to infiltration of polymorphic nuclear leucocytes and haemorrhagic foci, was observed in the CIS group. These histopathological findings demonstrate that taxifolin provides protection against pulmonary oxidative stress by preventing increases in oxidant parameters and decreases in antioxidants.

Background Some patients continue to experience symptoms related to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after the acute phase of infection. Imaging studies, especially computed tomography (CT) of the chest, have gained importance since the beginning of the pandemic. CT can help diagnose COVID-19, assess the extent of pulmonary involvement, and predict the disease severity. We aimed to define the frequency of persistent symptoms and correlate their presence with the results of laboratory findings and the severity of the disease based on the findings of chest CT. Methods We examined patients discharged from the hospital after treatment for COVID-19 and whose nasopharyngeal swab sample tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 after at least 4 weeks from the initial diagnosis. The patients were asked about the presence of persisting symptoms. In addition to the demographic data, laboratory results and severity levels seen on the chest CT were recorded. Results In all, 116 patients were included in the study, of which 61 reported at least one persisting symptom (52.5%). The mean age of the study population was 48.90 ± 17.74 years. The persistent symptoms included shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, muscle weakness, dizziness, headache, fatigue, and palpitations. The mean CT severity score was 3.80 ± 0.38 and it was lower in patients without any persistent symptoms. Conclusions Levels of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, anemia, and female sex were associated with some of the persistent symptoms., the severity of the disease seen on CT was a successful predictor for the disease severity/prognosis and was also correlated with prolonged COVID infection and more persistent symptoms.

Objective It is known that the COVID-19 disease, which has affected the whole world, causes symptoms, such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, headache and sore throat, in addition to various clinical findings, such as loss of smell and taste. In this study, we aimed to reveal the loss of sense of taste and smell in COVID-19 patients and to investigate whether these sensory losses are permanent in the healing process of the disease. Method This prospective study included 94 COVID-19 patients. Smell and taste tests were applied to all patients. Ten days after the first test, a second test was applied to the patients with an impaired sense of smell to compare the results. Results Of the 94 patients, 55.3% were male, and the mean age was 53 ± 19.6 (21-90) years. There were 67 patients with smell and taste impairment, of whom 34 (50.7%) had smell impairment only, 3 (4.4%) had taste impairment only, and 30 (44.7%) had both smell and taste impairment. It was found that the smell scores of 55 patients with smell and taste impairment in the first evaluation were significantly higher at the second measurement; and their tasting period was significantly shortened compared to the first measurement (p˂0.001). Conclusion COVID-19 patients may present to medical centers with a broad variety signs and symptoms. This study shows that impairment in the senses of smell and taste is common in this disease and strongly associated with COVID-19 infection. However, smell and taste impairment is mostly temporary and improves during the recovery period.

Objective: There is limited and contradictory information about pulmonary perfusion changes detected with dual energy computed tomography (DECT) in COVID-19 cases. The purpose of this study was to define lung perfusion changes in COVID-19 cases with DECT, as well as to reveal any possible links between perfusion changes and laboratory findings. Methods: Patients who had a positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 and a contrast-enhanced chest DECT examination were included in the study. The pattern and severity of perfusion deficits were evaluated, as well as the relationships between perfusion deficit severity and laboratory results and CT severity ratings. The paired t-test, Wilcoxon test, and Student’s t-test were used to examine the changes in variables and perfusion deficits. p < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: Study population consisted of 40 patients. Mean age was 60.73 ± 14.73 years. All of the patients had perfusion deficits at DECT images. Mean perfusion deficit severity score of the population was 8.45 ± 4.66 (min.-max, 1–19). In 24 patients (60%), perfusion deficits and parenchymal lesions matched completely. In 15 patients (37.5%), there was partial match. D dimer, CRP levels, CT severity score, and perfusion deficit severity score all had a positive correlation Conclusions: Perfusion deficits are seen not only in opacification areas but also in parenchyma of normal appearance. The CT severity score, CRP, D-dimer, and SpO2 levels of the patients were determined to be related with perfusion deficit severity. Advances in knowledge: Findings of the current study may confirm the presence of micro-thrombosis in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Needle size did not affect diagnostic yield or accuracy for malignant lesions. Smaller needles such as 22-gauge needle would appear to be suitable for transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of malignant pulmonary lesions.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of coronaphobia on treatment and follow-up compliance in cancer patients. The records of 230 cancer patients were reviewed. Coronaphobia was assessed via the validated COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). A total of 64% of the patients had a high coronaphobia score. Among them, 59% were noncompliant. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, low educational status, treatment type, following COVID-19 news, having knowledge about COVID-19 transmission and higher C19P-S score were associated with noncompliance (p = 0.006, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that having knowledge about COVID-19 transmission was related to a higher C19P-S score (p = 0.001). The cancer patients studied had significant coronaphobia. Moreover, greater coronaphobia was significantly associated with noncompliance with follow-up and treatment.

Mite-holding rate of the houses in Erzincan province was found to be 94.44%. The mean number of mites per gram of dust was found to be 18.34. The most common mite species was A. siro, which was followed by D. pteronyssinus.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to define clinical evidence supporting that triple rule-out computed tomography angiography (TRO CTA) is a comprehensive and feasible diagnostic tool in patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) for acute chest pain. Optimizing diagnostic imaging strategies in COVID-19 related thromboembolic events, will help for rapid and noninvasive diagnoses and results will be effective for patients and healthcare systems in all aspects. AIM To define clinical evidence supporting that TRO CTA is a comprehensive and feasible diagnostic tool in COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the ED for acute chest pain, and to assess outcomes of optimizing diagnostic imaging strategies, particularly TRO CTA use, in COVID-19 related thromboembolic events. METHODS TRO CTA images were evaluated for the presence of coronary artery disease, pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), or acute aortic syndromes. Statistical analyses were used for evaluation of significant association between the variables. A two tailed P -value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS Fifty-three patients were included into the study. In 31 patients (65.9%), there was not any pathology, while PTE was diagnosed in 11 patients. There was no significant relationship between the rates of pathology on CTA and history of hypertension. On the other hand, the diabetes mellitus rate was much higher in the acute coronary syndrome group, particularly in the PTE group (8/31 = 25.8% vs 6/16 = 37.5%, P = 0.001). The rate of dyslipidemia was significantly higher in the group with pathology on CTA while compared to those without pathology apart from imaging findings of the pneumonia group (62.5% vs 38.7%, P < 0.001). Smoking history rates were similar in the groups. Platelets, D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate values were higher in COVID-19 cases with additional pathologies. CONCLUSION TRO CTA is an effective imaging method in evaluation of all thoracic vascular systems at once and gives accurate results in COVID-19 patients.