Introduction: Occupational injuries among healthcare workers adversely affect the quality of healthcare services by undermining their physical and mental well-being. This study evaluates the frequency, characteristics, and influencing factors of occupational injuries among non-physician healthcare workers in a university hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study examines occupational injuries reported between 2020 and 2023 at a university hospital in Turkey. Variables included sociodemographic characteristics, occupation, department, working hours, cause and type of injury, time of injury, affected body part, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical intervention, and incapacity for work. Results: A total of 694 occupational injuries were reported at Gazi University Hospital between 2020 and 2023, with the fewest cases occurring in 2021. Among the injured workers, 58.8% were female, 89.2% were aged between 20 and 49 years, 30.1% did not use PPE, 76.4% received medical intervention, and 11.1% experienced incapacity for work. Cleaning workers (33.6%) and nurses (32.1%) accounted for the highest proportion of injuries. Sharps injuries were the most common type (48.8%), while injuries to the hands, fingers, and wrists comprised 53.3% of cases. The highest frequency of injuries occurred between 11:00 and 11:59 am. Sharps injuries were significantly associated with gender, age, educational background, occupation, working hours, and injury time. In contrast, cases of workplace violence were significantly associated with gender, occupation, and working hours. Conclusions: Sharps injuries and violence represent critical occupational hazards. Preventive strategies should be tailored to healthcare workers’ occupational roles and educational levels. Effective surveillance systems and reporting mechanisms should be implemented to promote workplace safety and reduce the risk of injuries.

Healthcare workers are the group with the highest risk of COVID-19 transmission. The illness of healthcare workers poses a risk to patients admitted to the hospital, colleagues and households besides their own health. In this study, it was aimed to determine the risk assessment and the factors associated with risk status of an university hospital healthcare workers after risky COVID-19 contact. The data of the descriptive study were obtained from 773 follow-up records of 555 healthcare workers who applied with COVID-19 risky contact between 06.04-10.05.2020. Employees who were positive for RT-PCR evaluated as "patients" and others as "risky contact". Risk assessment was classified as no risk, low, medium and high risk contact according to the "Algorithm of Assessment of Health Workers with COVID-19 Contact" of the Ministry of Health. The relationship between the risk levels of the participants and their demographic and workplace characteristics and their usage of personal protection were evaluated. Mean, standard deviation, percentage, chi-square and ANOVA tests were used in the analysis of the data. The average age of the healthcare workers was determined as 34.4 ± 7.6 years. It was determined that 56.2% of those who had contact were female, 62.9% were married and 17.5% had an additional disease. It was determined that 45.6% of the risky contacts were nurses, 18.4% were supportive personnel and 16.9% were doctors. While 46.5% of the contacts were found as medium, 28.0% low, 17.1% high risk and 8.4% risk free. 38.2% of risky contacts occurred while working in internal/surgical clinics. While 66.0% of the employees had risky contact during patient care and treatment, 25% had risky contact with colleagues in social settings. High-risk contact was higher in social relations between employees. The source of the contact was a colleague in 73.2% of the employees. The average age of high-risk employees was smaller than those of low-risk. While 54.5% of the employees wore surgical masks during contact, 67.8% of the patients did not have a mask. Of 555 employees followed, 37 (6.7%) were diagnosed as COVID-19; 48.6% of the patients were nurses and 18.9% were doctors. It was determined that 48.6% of the healthcare workers were working in the COVID-19 service, outpatient clinic or intensive care unit at the time of diagnosis. The source of the infection was thought to be a colleague in 51.6% of the patients. COVID-19 was more common in nurses and doctors. It was determined that risky contact also occurred in services other than the units where COVID-19 patients were treated and risky contact often took place while providing healthcare to the patients and during social relations between the employees. Unprotected contact of the employees with each other in the workplace was identified as an important risk source. Inadequate use of personal protective equipment by healthcare workers led to an increase in medium and high risk contacts. The use of masks by patients and their relatives during the health service delivery and the proper use of personal protective equipment by healthcare professionals will reduce the risk. With the physical improvement of the rest areas of the employees and the arrangement of the breaks, the risky contact between colleagues in the social areas will be reduced.

Background: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients, despite advances in antifungal therapy. Conventional diagnostics are limited, highlighting the need for novel biomarkers. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) have emerged as promising tools due to their roles in immune regulation, pathogen–host interactions, and disease monitoring. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate their diagnostic and prognostic potential in fungal infections. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EMBASE was conducted up to May 2025 in line with PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO protocol CRD42021287150). Eligible studies included clinical research on confirmed fungal infections assessing cfDNA or miRNAs. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed for cfDNA, and miRNA findings were synthesized descriptively. Results: In total, 526 studies were included. cfDNA positivity was observed in 12% of all tested samples (95% CI: 0.06–0.22) and in 79% of patients with proven fungal infections (95% CI: 0.62–0.90), supporting its value as a minimally invasive, culture-independent diagnostic marker. Six studies on miRNAs identified disease-specific signatures, including miR-132 and miRNA panels for aspergillosis, with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC ≥ 0.98). miR-146a, miR-223, and miR-545 further correlated with prognosis and mortality. Conclusions: cfDNA and miRNAs show strong potential for early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring in IFIs. Standardized methodologies and large-scale validation are essential for clinical translation.

Introduction: The effect of prolonged exposure to welding fumes on blood levels remains an unresolved question. In our study, we aimed to determine the effects of metal fume exposure on various blood parameters in welders. Materials and Methods: The study was cross-sectional. It included all male welding workers admitted to a health institution, a reference hospital for occupational diseases, for 2021. It was conducted with 254 individuals. The variables examined included age, duration of employment, smoking habit, body mass index, hemoglobin levels, erythrocyte, leukocyte and platelet counts, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, free prostate-specific antigen, creatinine and manganese levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rates. Results: In our study, 40.6% of the welders were between 21-30 years old. 65.7% of the participants have been welding for more than five years. According to body-mass index values, 44.1% of the participants were pre-obese, and 16.9% were obese. 63.8% of the participants were smokers. In 35.8% of participants, hyperglycemia was present, and polycythemia was present in 27.2%. When blood parameters were analyzed, fasting blood glucose, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and sedimentation rate were lower in those who worked less than five years than those who worked five years or more. The difference was statistically significant. In blood test results, leukocyte, glucose, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and sedimentation rate values in welders were correlated with total working time. Conclusion: Welders in our study had a high prevalence of smoking, overweight, and obesity. Working time is correlated with liver enzyme levels and fasting blood glucose values. For healthier workers, employers should fulfill their responsibilities for occupational health and safety.

Amaç: Mersin İl merkez ilçelerinde ilkokul birinci sınıf öğrencilerde inmemiş testis sıklığını saptamak. Yöntem: Kesitsel tipte planlanan çalışma Mersin ili merkezinde bulunan ve basit rastgele yöntemle seçilen 22 ilkokulda yürütülmüştür. Ailesi yazılı onay veren 776 1. Sınıf erkek öğrencinin verisi analiz edildi. Muayeneler okullarında hazırlanan bir muayene odasında, araştırmacı hekim tarafından yapıldı. İnmemiş ya da retraktil testis ön tanı konulan 52 öğrenci Çocuk Cerrahisi kliniğine gönderilerek tanısı kesinleştirildi. Endikasyonu olan 24 öğrenciye orşidopeksi ameliyatı yapıldı. Verilerin özetlenmesinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, değişkenlerin karşılaştırılmasında ki-kare testi kullanılmış, anlamlılık düzeyi p≤0.05 olarak alınmıştır. Bulgular: Araştırmaya alınan 776 öğrencinin %84.1’i Türk, %15.9’u yabancı uyrukluydu. 776 öğrencinin doğrulama muayenelerinden sonra %96.3’ü normal, %2.3’üne inmemiş %1.4’üne retraktil testis tanısı konuldu. Bu öğrencilerin %65.5’i son bir yıl içinde herhangi bir sebeple bir hekime başvurmuşlardı. Yabancı uyruklu öğrencilerde inmemiş ya da retraktil testis sıklığı (%7.3), Türk uyruklu öğrencilere göre (%3.1) daha yüksekti (p

Heavy metal exposure is known to have various effects on renal function and blood glucose regulation. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cement dust and some metal (cadmium, manganese, nickel, and zinc) exposure on blood glucose and renal function parameters in male cement plant workers. This study is a cross‐sectional study involving male workers from a cement plant who presented to our clinic. Based on their HbA1c levels, the participants were divided into two groups: a prediabetes group (HbA1c ≥ 5.7%) and a control group (HbA1c < 5.7%). The differences between two groups were statistically analyzed. A total of 268 male workers were included in the analysis, 134 in the prediabetes group and 134 in the control group. Blood manganese and nickel levels were statistically significantly higher in the prediabetes group, whereas zinc levels were statistically significantly higher in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for cadmium. Low‐grade positive correlations were found between manganese and nickel and HbA1c. A low‐grade positive correlation was found between GFR and cadmium, and a low‐grade negative correlation was found between GFR and manganese. In linear models, those with blood manganese levels above 2 μg/L had higher creatinine and lower GFR. Workplace exposure to heavy metals can induce blood glucose dysregulation and renal dysfunction, particularly in workers engaged in high‐exposure jobs. The current situation necessitates the implementation of protective measures to reduce exposure.