Objective: Various studies have shown that diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of thrombosis in the venous system as well as in the arterial system. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the association between admission blood glucose levels and clinical severity, recurrence, and mortality in pulmonary embolism in patients with DM. Materials and methods: This study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients with DM who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital due to pulmonary [...] ABSTRACT Objective: Various studies have shown that diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of thrombosis in the venous system as well as in the arterial system. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the association between admission blood glucose levels and clinical severity, recurrence, and mortality in pulmonary embolism in patients with DM. Materials and methods: This study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients with DM who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital due to pulmonary

Determining factors affecting the acceptability of spirometry: A survey study in a tertiary chest diseases center Introduction: Unlike other laboratory tests, spirometry requires the participant's full compliance with the maneuvers in the test for an acceptable test result. In this study, we aimed to determine the suitability of spirometric tests regarding acceptability and the factors associated with acceptability. Materials and Methods: Before the test, our 15-scale questionnaire, prepared by us in the respiratory function laboratory, was applied to the participants who requested spirometric examination in our hospital. Afterwards, patients were subjected to spirometric analysis. Spirogram results of the participants were evaluated by four clinicians who were experts in the field based on the acceptability criteria in the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society Spirometry Standardization Guidelines. Participants were divided into two groups as those who met the acceptability criteria and those who did not. Both groups were compared regarding demographic data, comorbidities, education levels, and questions in the questionnaire. Results: The acceptability spirometry rate was 71.2%. The most common error among those who could not perform an acceptable test was the inability to complete the expiratory time to the time that would create a plateau, with 37.3%. Education level and acceptability of spirometry were not related (p= 0.228). Asthma was statistically significantly higher in the group that per-formed acceptable spirometry (p= 0.049). Acceptable spirometry rate was statistically significantly higher in the participants who had previously per-formed spirometric tests compared to the other group (p< 0.001). The test success of the participants who did not have success anxiety about the test was significantly higher than the other group (p= 0.033). Conclusion: Reduction of participants' anxiety and repetitive testing increases test acceptability. For this reason, in our clinical practice, we recommend that people who want a spirometry test relieve their anxiety about the test and repeat the test in unacceptable tests.

Background and aim: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has put a heavy burden on the intensive care unit and health care systems of countries. Hence, early detection of high-risk patients in terms of poor prognosis is crucial. We aimed to compare the diagnostic yield of two most reliable scoring systems (National Early Warning System [NEWS-2] and quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment [qSOFA]) when repeatedly performed during COVID-19 course. Materials and method: Data of 403 patient with COVID-19 who hospitalized in our hospital between 01 March 2020 and 30 November 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic, comorbidity, clinical data of the patients were recorded in the evaluation. The National Early Warning System (NEWS-2) and quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) were retrospectively calculated for the day of admission, 24th and 48th hours. We compared the effectiveness of qSOFA and NEWS-2 for predicting the prognosis of COVID-19. Results: The mean NEWS-2 score at the time of admission, 24th and 48th hours was significantly higher in patients with poor outcomes than patients with good outcomes. 48th-hour NEWS2 score was found to be the most successful score in predicting the poor outcome (AUC 0.854, 95% CI: 0.81-0.88 p<0.001). NEWS2 scores at 0th, 24th, and 48th hours were found to be superior to qSOFA scores at the same time points. Conclusion: National Early Warning Score-2 was superior to qSOFA in determining the need for intensive care support and/or mortality. A high NEWS-2 score at 48th hour seems to be more valuable to predict worse outcomes.

Objective: On 6 February 2023, 2 earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6 Mw occurred in Kahramanmaraş. Earthquakes have caused catastrophic damage in an area of approximately 350,000 km². We aimed to establish the effect of earthquakes on asthma control. Material and Methods: The data of 116 asthma patients were assessed between May 1 and December 1, 2023. The use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), short-acting beta-agonists (SABA), and numbers of asthma exacerbations were compared in pre- and post-earthquake periods. In addition, patients were divided into 2 groups according to asthma control status. Both groups were compared for demographic data, medication, exacerbations, anxiety, and quality of life. Results: In the post-earthquake period, ICS use decreased significantly (p<0.001), while SABAs use and exacerbation rate increased significantly (p<0.001, p0.05 for all quality-of-life scales), and anxiety level (p=0.686). Conclusion: We found that the earthquake significantly impaired asthma control. The main reason for the lack of asthma control in the post-earthquake period seems to be the difficulty in accessing ICS. Therefore, disaster management plans should be developed to provide timely medical supplie and optimal health services in areas vulnerable to disasters.

Background: AI-based chatbots are increasingly used as sources of health information. However, their reliability in delivering accurate and scientifically sound responses to patient questions remains uncertain, especially in chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aims to compare the reliability of ChatGPT-4o and Gemini 2.5 Flash in providing patient-centered medical information on COPD. Methods: A total of 34 common public questions about COPD were submitted to ChatGPT-4o and Gemini 2.5 Flash. Responses were evaluated blindly by four pulmonologists across three domains: accuracy, clarity, and scientific adequacy. The mean scores and word counts were analyzed and compared via nonparametric tests. Results: Gemini 2.5 Flash outperforms ChatGPT-4o in terms of scientific adequacy (mean score: 4.69 ± 0.31 vs. 4.34 ± 0.45, p <0.001). No significant difference was found in accuracy or clarity. The Gemini 2.5 Flash also generated significantly longer responses, particularly in the treatment and prognosis domains ( p <0.001). Both models provided generally acceptable answers, but ChatGPT-4o′s responses were shorter and occasionally less complete. Conclusions: While both models delivered largely accurate and understandable content, Gemini 2.5 Flash tended to produce more detailed responses and received higher scientific adequacy ratings; however, this difference should be interpreted in light of the substantial imbalance in response length. These tools may support patient education however, the findings reflect a comparison between AI systems only and should be interpreted within this scope.

Background: The risk of recurrence in pulmonary embolism is the highest in the first week after the acute event. Although it decreases over time, it may remain high for months depending on compliance with treatment and the nature of the underlying risk factor. Our study aimed to identify risk factors that lead to recurrence in pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) patients and establish an easy-to-use scoring system that determines the risk of recurrence after the first embolism. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 1452 patients who were diagnosed with acute PTE between 7/1/2014 and 7/1/2019. Demographic data, comorbidities and clinical data of the patients, and risk factors were recorded. The relationship of the examined parameters with recurrent PTE was evaluated. Results: Diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, obesity, and the presence of at least one hereditary risk factor were found to be associated with recurrence. The sensitivity of our score was 66.9%, the specificity was 63.2%, the positive predictive value was 19%, and the negative predictive value was 93.7%. The risk of recurrence in the patients identified as high-risk in the scoring system was 3.47 times higher than those identified as low-risk. Conclusion: In terms of risk of recurrence, special attention should be paid to patients with diabetes, HT, obesity and any of the hereditary risk factors. Using scoring systems to determine the risk of recurrence will be valuable and interesting as it is easy-to-use, gives quick results and provides quantitative results.