Objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging, fast-spreading, highly mortal and worldwide infectious disease. The pulmonary system was defined as the main target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the mortality concept of this disease presented with more severe and systemic disease. The present study investigated the relationship between the patient characteristics at the initial hospital administration and fatality in COVID-19 patients. Methods In this retrospective and comparative cohort study, all the 767 hospitalised COVID-19 patients, treated between 18 March and 15 May 2020 in the Covid Clinics of Gulhane Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, were evaluated. Results The fatality rate was significantly increased in patients with any comorbid disease except asthma. The initial laboratory test results indicated highly significant differences according to the patient's outcome. A multifactor logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for predicting patient outcomes. Being older than 60 years increased the death risk with an adjusted OR of 7.2 (95% CI: 2.23-23.51; P = .001). The presence of a cancer and the extended duration of intensive care unit treatment were other significant risk factors for nonsurvival. Azithromycin treatment was determined as significantly reduced the death ratio in these patients (P = .002). Conclusion It was revealed that being older than 60 years, presence of a cancer and extended duration of ICU treatment were the major risk factors for predicting fatality rate in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

Background/aim: The purpose of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of oxaliplatin, irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFIRINOX) and gemcitabine-cisplatin as first-line therapy in patients with pancreatic cancer. Materials and methods: Pancreaticobiliary cancer patients who had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1 (on a scale of 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater severity of illness) were evaluated to receive folfirinox or gemcitabine plus cisplatin. The primary endpoints were progression-free and overall survival time. Safety analysis was also evaluated as secondary measures. Results: There were 32 patients in the folfirinox group and 36 patients in the gemcitabine-cisplatin group. The median overall survival was 18.1 months (7.5-28.7) in the folfirinox group as compared with 9.7 months (6.5-13) in the gemcitabine-cisplatin group (p = 0.009). Median progression-free survival was 16.2 months (9-23.4) in the folfirinox group and 6.9 months (6.1-7.6) in the gemcitabinecisplatin group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Folfirinox is an option for the first-line treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer and good performance status.

Background/aim: Data on adverse prognostic factors for mortality in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate two-year mortality predictors in patients with DLB. Materials and methods: Individuals aged ≥ 60 years with a diagnosis of DLB, followed by a tertiary-referral geriatric outpatient clinic from 2006 to 2021, were assessed retrospectively using medical or patient records. The mortality status of the patients in the second year after diagnosis was determined. Demographic and clinical characteristics were reviewed to determine their impact on mortality prediction. Results: A total of 108 patients with DLB participated in this study. The mean age was 78.9 ± 6.6 years, and 49.1% were females. At the end of the two-year follow-up, 23 patients (21.3%) died and 85 patients (78.7%) were still alive. Malnutrition, and cognitive and functional impairments were significantly more common in the mortality group. Age, female sex, functional impairment, moderateto-severe clinical dementia rating, and malnutrition were associated with an increased mortality risk. On the multivariable analysis, malnutrition (HR = 5.00; 95% CI: 1.64-15.24; p: 0.005) was the only independent predictor of two-year-mortality. Conclusion: Patients with DLB had an unfavorable survival outcomes. Approaches to prevent malnutrition can improve prognosis and reduce early mortality in this vulnerable group. However, further studies are needed to determine mortality risk factors in this population.

Background/aim: Fall risk assessment is crucial for older adults because falls are associated with morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the relationship of gait speed (GS) and handgrip strength (HGS) with falls and assessed whether cognition mediates this causality.Materials and methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary referral geriatric outpatient clinic. The physical performance of participants was evaluated by GS and HGS. All falls the previous year were noted and factors associated with falls were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis.Results: A total of 1,018 older adults, with a mean age of 78.8 years (±7.2), of whom 64.2% were female, were stratified into two groups.: “cognitively impaired” (n:331) and “cognitively healthy” (n:660). In the population, 22.8% (n = 226) had a history of falls in the previous year. The rates of low GS and HGS were 29.1% and 80.6%, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, low GS (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.10-3.77, p = 0.019), low HGS (OR = 3.57, 95% CI: 1.10-11.35, p = 0.038), and low GS plus low HGS (OR = 4.52, 95% CI: 1.14-15.78, p = 0.024) in the cognitively impaired group and low GS (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.39-3.52, p = 0.003) in the cognitively healthy group were independently associated with falls.Conclusion: GS is an efficient and practical assessment tool for identifying older adults at risk of falls, regardless of their cognitive status.