Background: Lungs are the primary organ involved in COVID-19, and the severity of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the pneumonia severity through the visual and quantitative assessment on chest computed tomography (CT) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and compare the CT findings with clinical and laboratory findings. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated adult COVID-19 patients who underwent chest CT along with theirclinical scores, laboratory findings, and length of hospital stay. Two independent radiologists visually evaluated the pneumonia severity on chest CT (VSQS). Quantitative CT (QCT) assessment was performed using a free DICOM viewer, and the percentage of the well-aerated lung (%WAL), high-attenuation areas (%HAA) at different threshold values, and mean lung attenuation (MLA) values were calculated. The relationship between CT scores and the clinical, laboratory data, and the length of hospital stay were evaluated in this cross-sectional study. The student's t-test and chi-square test were used to analyze the differences between the variables. The Pearson correlation test analyzed the correlation between the variables. The diagnostic performance of the variables was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: The VSQS and QCT scores were significantly correlated with procalcitonin, d-dimer, ferritin, and C-reactive protein levels. Both VSQ and QCT scores were significantly correlated with the disease severity (p < 0.001). Among the QCT parameters, the %HAA-600 value showed the best correlation with the VSQS (r = 730, p < 0.001). VSQS and QCT scores had high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing disease severity and predicting prolonged hospitalization. Conclusion: The VSQS and QCT scores can help manage the COVID-19 and predict the duration of the hospitalization.

We sought to evaluate neurologic symptoms and findings in patients with COVID-19 infection hospitalized in a ward and intensive care unit (ICU).This study was designed as a prospective study. Hospi...

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the clinical, laboratory, and treatment response characteristics of patients diagnosed with positive culture or serology. In this way, we wanted to assess the validity of serological diagnosis. Materials and methods: The study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study between January 2010 and 2020. Patients with clinical and laboratory findings of acute/subacute brucellosis, patients with positive serological tests, and patients with growth of Brucella spp. in blood culture were included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups: Group 1 - Wright agglutination test result ≥ 1/160 and Brucella spp. growth in blood culture; Group 2 - Wright agglutination test result ≥ 1/160 and no growth in blood culture; and Group 3 - Brucella spp. growth in blood culture and negative serological test. These three groups were retrospectively evaluated for clinical features, laboratory parameters, areas of involvement, treatment options, and treatment response. Results: We identified 294 patients diagnosed with brucellosis. Blood cultures were obtained from all patients, and Brucella spp. was detected in 40 patients (13.6%). There were 35 patients in Group 1, 254 patients in Group 2, and five patients in Group 3. When examining patients with symptoms, only fever showed a difference between the groups, which was significantly higher in Group 1. Laboratory investigations of the C-reactive protein (CRP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels of the patients showed significant differences between the groups; these parameters were significantly higher in Group 1. Conclusion: No significant difference was found in terms of treatment response and prognosis between patients with and without blood culture growth who were clinically compatible with acute/subacute brucellosis as diagnosed by serological methods. Therefore, serological tests are reliable methods for the diagnosis of brucellosis in cases where blood culture is inconclusive.

Objectives: We evaluated pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and observed them over a period of 3 months. We also investigated the relationship of these symptoms to age, gender, disease severity, and levels of anxiety and depression.Methods: The study included 100 confirmed COVID-19 patients (i.e., positive on a polymerase chain reaction test) between the ages of 18 and 75 years. Pain (visual analog scale [VAS]), fatigue (fatigue severity scale), anxiety, and depression (hospital anxiety and depression scales) were evaluated on the first day of hospitalization and at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. The short form-12 questionnaire was used to measure quality of life at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups.Results: No differences were found in pain, fatigue, anxiety levels, depression levels, and quality of life according to disease severity. High VAS scores at hospital admission were related to continued pain at the 3-month follow-up (odds ratio [OR], 1.067; p<0.001). High VAS (OR, 1.072; p=0.003) and anxiety levels (OR, 1.360; p<0.007) were related to severe fatigue at the 3-month evaluation.Conclusion: Pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression appear to be long-term sequelae of COVID-19 and can affect quality of life. High VAS and anxiety levels were found to be associated with long-term fatigue.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted to Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, and to determine the factors affecting mortality. Methods: A total of 500 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between 19th of March and 30th of September 2020 in Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine, Pandemic Service, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, were retrospectively investigated for this study. These individuals’ prognoses, demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological information were examined and recorded retrospectively. Comparisons were carried out between the characteristics of patients with a prognosis of death and those who recovered. Results: Of the 500 definite COVID-19 cases included in the study, 53.8% were male and the mean age was 57.6±15.1 (18-88 years). The most common comorbidities were hypertension and diabetes mellitus. A total of 45 (9%) patients developed mortality. Factors such as advanced age, male gender, shortness of breath, fever at admission, comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, lymphopenia, high C-reactive protein, high D-dimer, and high ferritin in the laboratory were found to be important risk factors for mortality. Treatments such as hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, and lopinavir/ritonavir were not found to have lower mortality rates than one another. Conclusion: Considering these elements when assessing patients and adjusting the course of treatment according to the recommendations of the most recent guidelines may lower mortality.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF); fever, widespread pain in the body, deterioration in liver function tests; it is a tick-borne viral infectious disease that can cause bleeding and death in the skin, mucous membranes, and sometimes internal organs. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological characteristics of CCHF cases diagnosed in Afyonkarahisar. Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, treatments, and prognoses of patients diagnosed with CCHF in Afyonkarahisar were retrospectively analyzed. In Afyonkarahisar, it was determined that 35 case reports were made between 2002 and November 2019, the date when the CCHF was first seen in Turkey. A history of tick attachment was detected in 31 subjects. Tick arrest cases were most common in June (12 cases; 34.3%) and July (9 cases; 2.9%). There was a history of living in rural areas in twenty-seven (77.1%) patients, close contact with animals in 12 patients, and a history of contact with animal blood in 4 patients. All the 35 cases that followed resulted in healing and no mortality was observed. CCHF is an endemic disease that still maintains its importance in our country. The most important factor in the control with the disease is to prevent virus contact to prevent transmission. People living in endemic areas should be informed about the precautions to be taken against tick bites, and awareness should be raised by providing education about the disease.