BackgroundWithin the context of the support program for smoking cessation, initiated by the Turkish Ministry of Health in 2011, those who present at ‘smoking cessation’ centres and are found to be suitable for pharmacological treatment are given varenicline and bupropion free of charge. As the smoking cessation programme is centralized, the selection of the medication is made randomly to provide a fixed distribution rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of both varenicline and bupropion in smoking cessation and to evaluate the effect of the smoking cessation programme.MethodsA total of 405 individuals who met the study criteria were included in the study. Smoking habits and degree of dependence were determined in all the participants with the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and bupropion or varenicline therapy was initiated in those who were eligible. Patients were followed up at 15 days then at 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months after smoking cessation. A level of CO < 5 ppm and ‘point prevalence abstinence’ were used as the criteria of success for smoking cessation and this evaluation showed the non-smoking status in the previous 7 days.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 35.19 ± 7.73 years and 82.8% (n = 334) were male. Of the participants, 60.2% (n = 244) were given varenicline and 39.8% (n = 161) bupropion. The mean FTND and package/year was not significantly different between the groups. The rates of success in the 1st and 2nd weeks, and 1st, 3rd and 6th months were significantly higher in the varenicline group than in the bupropion group (p < 0.05). At the end of one year, the rate of smoking cessation was determined as 13.9% (n = 34) in the varenicline group and 6.2% (n = 10) in the bupropion gruop. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.015). At the end of 1 year when the previous 7 days smoking status was evaluated with the ‘point prevalence abstinence’ measurement as the success criteria, success rates were 20.5% with varenicline and 18.6% with bupropion and the difference was not significant (p = 0.646). The individuals who used the medications for 45 days or longer were more successful in smoking cessation (p < 0.001). The most common reasons given for discontinuing the medication were the side-effects (31.5%). No significant difference was determined between the groups in respect of the side-effects observed.ConclusionsAlthough the rates of smoking cessation in all the other control points were higher with varenicline than with bupropion, no significant difference was found between the success rates of varenicline and bupropion used in smoking cessation based on the last 7 days at the end of one year. Those who used the medications for 45 days or longer were more successful in smoking cessation.

There is no any regular and standardised traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) training intended for the public or personnel in medical faculties or other institutions and organisations related to health care in Turkey. In this study, knowledge level and attitudes of medical faculty personnel on T&CM were investigated. This study is a cross-sectional survey study. A survey that consists of 12 questions investigating the knowledge and attitudes on T&CM as well as six questions for sociodemographic data was applied to the non-academic personnel that work in Giresun University Medical Faculty between July-August 2019. A total of 260 university personnel was included in this study, and most of them are women (69.2%). Cupping application is the T&CM method with the highest knowledge level among the personnel (83.5%). T&CM applications were mostly learned by means of media (45.4%). About 46.2% of the personnel have positive perspective towards T&CM. The rate of the personnel who think that classical medicine and T&CM may complement each other is 71.2%. Positive news in media affect the perspective towards T&CM positively (p < 0.001). Those whose body mass index (BMI) is >25.0 kg/m 2 (p = 0.01) and smokers (p = 0.03) were found to be more enthusiastic about having a profession in T&CM. The ones who do not consider these religious approaches as T&CM methods have more positive perspective towards T&CM (p < 0.01). T&CM trainings may help the personnel or their relatives to provide the patients that are in despair in treatment process of some diseases with evidence-based information on the matter and give them support in their treatment by serving as a model.

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Aims: It is aimed to investigate the disease processes and drug combinations in patients who received favipiravir treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional, analytical and retrospective study included all patients aged ≥18 years (n = 502) who were hospitalised in Samsun, Turkey, for COVID-19 and were given favipiravir from the date between 25 March 2020 and 3 June 2020.Results: In total, 58.6% (n = 294) of the patients were male and 24.5% (n = 123) were between the ages of 71 and 80 years. During the first case process, the mortality rate was 19.9%, whereas the rate of those who were discharged as is/followed up at home for 14 days was 37.3%. During the second case process, the mortality rate was 6.2%, and the rate of those who was discharged as is/followed up at home for 14 days was 65.6%. The mean length of hospital stay was 10.61 ± 8.17 days for the first and 7.97 ± 4.16 days for the second hospitalisation; this difference was significant. Mortality risk of those who used Tocilizumab or vitamin C beside Favipiravir was higher than those who did not. The length of hospital stay was higher in patients using tocilizumab than in those who did not (P < .001). Conclusion:Administration of favipiravir later in the course of the disease makes it difficult to achieve the true efficacy expected from the drug and also makes it difficult for other combination drugs to contribute to survival. Favipiravir may also be How to cite this article: Oruç MA, Öz H, Öztürk O.Investigation of the disease process and drug combinations in patients with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 using favipiravir.

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Cervical cancer (CC), the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer, is the fourth major death cause of women, showing an estimated 342,000 deaths and 604,000 new cases worldwide in 2020 (Sung et al.,2021). CC is increasing in number every year, and the patient population is getting younger. Thus, CC endangers women's life and health as a significant disease (Olusola et al., 2019). An essential step in human development and reproduction is to focus on women's health. We still focus on prevention at present due to CC. Hence, the factors affecting the development and occurrence of cervical cancer should be considered for our research and discussion.Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection globally, negatively impacts personal social life (Chesson et al., 2014). HPV belongs to

Background Many infectious diseases, including Tuberculosis (TB), have been put in the background with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the number of TB patients, the parameters of the TB patients and tuberculosis control programs in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey when compared to the previous year. Methods All TB patients who were recorded in Samsun province between March 1, 2019 and February 28, 2021 were included in this retrospective study. The data were analyzed in 2 groups as the COVID-19 period (March 2020 and February 2021) and the Pre-COVID-19 period (March 2019 and February 2020),the demographic and microbiological characteristics of the tuberculosis patients in both periods were compared according to months and years p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The total number of TB patients was 320, although it was 172 in the Pre-COVID-19 period, it was 148 in the COVID-19 pandemic period. It was found that the TB incidence rate (IR) was 15.32%, the total number of examinations performed in TB dispensary decreased 33.54%, and the total number of contact examinations decreased by 53.54% during the pandemic period. The mean age of the patients decreased significantly during the COVID-19 period (p = 0.047), and it was found that culture positivity rates and smear positivity rates increased compared to the previous year (7.97%, p = 0.166, 1.86%; p = 0.507, respectively). SARS-CoV-2 PCR test result was found to be (−) in 46 (82.1%) of the 56 TB patients who were examined. Conclusions In the present study, it was found that the incidence of TB, the number of examinations, and the number of contact examinations decreased at significant levels. The decrease in TB patients was mostly in the first 3 months when COVID-19 precautions and restrictions were intense. As a conclusion, it was observed that the application of TB patients to the healthcare institution and TB control were affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. This study aimed to share the results of the national cervical cancer screening program performed in primary health care institutions in Samsun between 2015 and 2019. Methods Women aged 30–65 years who were screened for cervical cancer in screening centers of Samsun between January 01, 2015, and December 31, 2019, were included in this descriptive study. The data were obtained from the automation program of the “National Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Laboratory Application” used by the Provincial Directorate of Health Cancer Unit through filtering the completion time of the tests, and all results were evaluated without sampling. Thus, data were presented using descriptive statistics. Results The mean age of 89,302 women included in the cervical cancer screening program was 45.9 ± 9.0 years. Of the samples obtained from the participants, 1.0% were determined as insufficient material, 94.1% as HPV-negative, and 4.9% as HPV-positive. The most common HPV genotypes were 16, 51, 31, and 52. Of the 4337 HPV-positive women, 74.7% of the pap smear results were negative (including infection, 36.5%), and the most common premalignant lesions were atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance in 7.1% and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in 6.9%. HPV 16/18 was also observed in 31.7% of HPV-positive women. Seven hundred ninety-five women were referred to a specialist physician for further examination and treatment within the scope of the screening algorithm. Conclusion Detecting HPV-positivity by reaching more women within the national cervical cancer screening program’s scope is vital in fighting against this disease. The effectiveness of cancer screening programs should be increased by ensuring community participation through awareness activities.