Background The 30-day readmission rate is an important indicator of patient safety and hospital’s quality performance. In this study, we aimed to find out the 30-day readmission rate of mild and moderate severity COVID-19 patients discharged from a tertiary care university hospital and to demonstrate the possible factors associated with readmission. Methods This is an observational, single-center study. Epidemiological and clinical data of patients who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were retrieved from a research database where patient information was recorded prospectively. Readmission data was sought from the hospital information management system and National Health Record System to detect if the patients were readmitted to any hospital within 30 days of discharge. Adult patients (≥18 years-old) hospitalized in COVID-19 wards with a diagnosis of mild or moderate COVID-19 between March 20, 2020 (when the first case was admitted to our hospital), and April 26, 2020 were included. Results From March 26 to May 1, there were 154 mild or moderate severity (non-critical) COVID-19 patients discharged from COVID-19 wards, of which 11 (7.1%) were readmitted The median time of readmission was 8.1 days (IQR=5.2). Two patients (18.1%) were categorized to have mild disease and the remaining 9 (81.9%) as moderate disease. Two patients who were over 65 years of age and had metastatic cancers and hypertension developed sepsis and died in the hospital during the readmission episode. Malignancy (18.7% vs 2.1%, P = 0.04) and hypertension (45.5% vs 14%, P = 0.02) were more common in those who were readmitted. Conclusions This is one of the first studies to report on 30-day readmission rate of COVID-19 in the literature. More comprehensive studies are needed to reveal the causes and predictors of COVID-19 readmissions.

Background: Internists who have an important role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic are under both physical and psychological pressures. Aims: To assess the anxiety among physicians working in the internal medicine department of a tertiary care hospital who are on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This single-centre, non-intervention, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online survey questionnaire from 1 April to 14 April 2020. Physicians of the Department of Internal Medicine were invited to participate with a selfadministered questionnaire. The degree of symptoms of anxiety was assessed by the Turkish versions of the 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively. Results: A total of 113 participants consented for the study and completed the questionnaire. The median age was 29 (IQR = 5) years and 53.1% were male. A total of 72 internists (63.7%) worked as 'frontline' healthcare workers directly engaged in diagnosing, treating or caring for patients with or suspected to have COVID-19. Female gender was significantly associated with high scores and levels in all scales compared to the male gender (P < 0.005). Having family members over 65 years old and with chronic diseases were significantly associated with high anxiety scores and levels (P < 0.005). Conclusions: In this survey of internists in a university hospital equipped with clinics, wards and intensive care unit for patients with COVID-19, female gender and having family members over 65 years old and with chronic diseases were associated with increased anxiety levels.

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Background/aim: The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale (PCFS) has recently been developed for functional outcomes of COVID-19 upon discharge and in long term.The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity properties of the Turkish version of the PCFS in Turkish post-COVID-19 patients with hospitalized and non-hospitalized during infection. Materials and methods: One hundred participants with post-COVID-19 were included in this cross-sectional study. Test-retest reliability of the Turkish version of PCFS assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha was calculated for internal consistency. For construct validity, correlation coefficients between the Turkish version of PCFS developed by translation-back translation method and Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (MMRC), London Chest Activities of Daily Living Scale (LCADL), Barthel Index (BI) were analyzed.Results: For test-retest reliability analysis, ICC ranged between 0.734 and 0.880. The total ICC score was 0.821, indicating excellent reliability. The Cronbach's alpha value of the PCFS test and retest scores were recorded as 0.821 indicating that the scale is quite reliable. The PCFS score was moderately correlated with the MMRC score (r=0.534, p<0.001) and weakly correlated with the LCADL self care (r=0.311, p=0.002), domestic (r=0.277, p=0.005), physical activity (r=0.342, p<0.001), leisure subscores (r=0.434, p<0.001) and total score (r=0.399, p<0.001). Conclusion:The Turkish version of the the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale (PCFS) is reliable scale that reflects activity limitation and functional status after COVID-19. The Turkish version of the PCFS will be a guide for rehabilitation professionals to understand functional limitation after COVID-19 and to direct interventions accordingly to functional status of the patients at discharge and in long term.

Background/aim: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on over 5 months, there is yet to be a standart management policy for all patients including to those mild-to-moderate cases. We evaluated the role of early hospitalization in combination with early antiviral therapy with COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care university hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, observational, single center study on probable/confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital COVID-19 wards between March 20-April 30, 2020. The demographic, laboratory, and clinical data were collected. Results: We included 174 consecutive probable/confirmed COVID-19 adult patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine wards of the University Adult Hospital between March 20 and April 30, 2020. The median age was 45.5 (19-92) years and 91 patients (52.3%) were male. 120 (69%) were confirmed microbiologically, 41 (23.5%) radiologically diagnosed and, 13 (7.5%) were clinically suspected (negative microbiological and radiological findings compatible with COVID-19); 35 (20.1%) had mild, 107 (61.5%) moderate disease, and 32 (18.4%) had severe pneumonia. Of 130/171 (74.3%) showed pneumonia; 80 were typical, 50 indeterminate infiltration for COVID-19. Patients admitted within a median of 3 days (0-14 days) after symptoms appear. The median duration of hospitalization was 4 days (0-28 days). In this case series, 13.2% patients were treated with hydroxychloroquine alone, 64.9% with hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, and 18.4% with regimens including favipiravir. A total of 15 patients (8.5%) were transferred to the ICU. Four patients died (2.2%). 2 Conclusion: In our series, early of 174 patients admitted to the hospital wards for COVID-19, 69% confirmed with PCR and/or antibody test. On the admission nearly one fifth of the patients had severe diseases. 95.4% of the patients received HQ alone or in combination. The overall case fatality rate was 2.2%.

Vascular involvement of BD are generally treated with immunosuppressive agents such as steroids and immunomodulators.IFX was found effective and well tolerated in the treatment of intestinal,neurological and vascular involvement of BD especially in patients with poor response or intolerance to conventional therapy.This case report supports IFX as a new therapeutic option for patients with vascular BD.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020. Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) can involve the gastrointestinal tract, including symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and shedding of the SARS-CoV-2 in feces. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein, which has been proven to be a cell receptor for SARS-CoV-2, is expressed in the glandular cells of gastric, duodenal, and rectal epithelia, supporting the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cells. According to the literature, rates of COVID-19 patients reporting diarrhea were between 7 - 14%. Diarrhea in the course of COVID-19 disease can cause dehydration and hospitalization. Although no antiviral drug was specifically designed for the treatment of diarrhea, several molecules could have beneficial effects by reducing viral replication. In this letter, we discussed the Levamisole, which is an anthelmintic agent with immunomodulatory effects, could be used effectively both for antiviral therapy and especially in COVID-19 patients with diarrhea.

Aim: Alterations in plasma lipid levels have been shown to be correlated with the severity of infections due to various pathogens such as bacteria, viruses. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the lipid metabolism changes associated with disease severity and prognosis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients during and after (post-COVID) the disease. Material and Method: Patients who were hospitalized in the COVID-19 wards between April 02, 2020, and November 20, 2020 and were then evaluated in the follow-up outpatient clinic were retrospectively searched. Results: Lipid levels were present at the admission and follow-up for 95 patients. The mean (S.D) age was 48.49 (16.4), and 49(51.6%) were male. The mean (S.D) day between the admission and the first visit in the COVID-19 follow-up outpatient clinic was 27.8 (12.8). LDL-C (p=0.044), and HDL-C (p=0.004) levels were significantly lower in the severely ill group at the admission. Total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglyceride levels on follow-up were significantly higher than those levels on the admission day (p<0.001). Delta (Follow up-Admission) levels LDL-C, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly high in patients who have received steroid therapy. Only delta LDL-C was significantly high in patients who require Intensive Care Unit. Conclusions: Dyslipidemia is observed in COVID-19 patients both during the disease and in the post-COVID period. Our findings also support the evidence demonstrating that low LDL-C and/or HDL-C levels can increase the risk of developing severe infections, also in COVID-19. The dynamics of lipid profiles before/during and after the entire disease course should be monitorized.