Objectives. Turkey is one of the countries that has the most cases of CCHF in recent years among the endemic countries. The disease also poses an important health threat with high mortality rate. The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of CCHF in adults aged ≥20 years in Tokat in the endemic region, Turkey. Methods. In this population-based cross-sectional study, a total of 85 Family Medicine Units (FMUs), from over 170 in Tokat, were randomly selected using 50% sampling. The sample size was determined among the subjects aged ≥20 who registered with the FMUs, due to gender, age group, and the urban/rural population size of Tokat using the stratified cluster sampling method. Subjects were invited to the FMUs. A questionnaire was performed face to face. The blood samples were taken, and anti-CCHFV IgG antibodies were measured with ELISA method. Results. 1272 (54.9%) out of 2319 participants were female, and the mean age was 47.3 ± 15.3. Anti-CCHFV IgG seropositivity was 5.6% (n = 130). Seropositivity rates in terms of adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were higher 2.53 times (95% CI: 1.57–4.08; ) in males; 4.05 (95% CI: 2.14–7.65; ) in age group ≥65; 0.33 (95% CI: 0.14–0.76; ) in graduates of high school and above; 0.71 (95%CI: 0.33–1.52; ) in ones with good income; 1.84 (95%CI: 1.18–2.86; ) in farmers; 1.64 (95% CI: 1.04–2.27; ) in people dealing with animal husbandry; and 1.02 (95% CI: 1.03–2.29; ) in those with history of tick contact. Conclusions. CCHF seroprevalence is still a common public health problem in Tokat, Turkey. Male gender, advanced age group, low-educated, low-income, farmers, animal husbandry, and history of tick contact were found to be risk factors for CCHF. The importance of this kind of community-based studies to identify the seroprevalence in regional and national level increases even more.

Amaç: Serviks kanseri gelişmekte olan ülkelerde, hala en ölümcül kanserlerden biridir. Bugün human papilloma virüs (HPV)’ünün serviks kanserine neden olduğu bilinmektedir. Diğer risk faktörleri de viral persistansı artırıp karsinojenik süreci hızlandırır. Bu çalışmanın amacı; sağlık yüksek okulu öğrencileri arasında HPV enfeksiyonu ve aşı bilgi düzeyinin belirlenmesi ve elde edilen veriler ışığında hem öğrencilere verilecek eğitim programlarının hem de toplum bilgilendirilmesine yönelik yapılacakların gözden geçirilmesidir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi Sağlık Yüksek Okulu’ndaki birinci ve dördüncü sınıf toplam 245 öğrenciye 20 soruluk anket formu verilmiş ve cevaplamaları istenmiştir. Bulgular: HPV aşısı uygulaması olduğunu bilme oranı birinci sınıflarda %25, dördüncü sınıflarda %90.3 olup, 99 birinci sınıf öğrencisinin ve 11 dördüncü sınıf öğrencisinin aşı konusunda herhangi bir bilgisi olmadığı tespit edildi. Aşının serviks kanserine karşı koruyucu olduğunu bilme oranı birinci sınıflarda % 9.8 iken dördüncü sınıflarda %63.7 idi. HPV aşısı ve enfeksiyonu hakkındaki bilgi düzeyleri sınıflar arasında karşılaştırıldığında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark saptandı (p<0.001). Sonuç: Sağlık yüksek okulu öğrencileri, geleceğin sağlık personeli olmaları ve HPV enfeksiyonu ve ilişkili komplikasyonlar açısından risk grubu oluşturmaları nedeniyle, HPV enfeksiyonu ve aşıları konusunda yeterli bilgiye sahip olması gereken önemli bir topluluktur. Ayrıca toplum sağlığı açısından HPV aşısı ve serviks kanser tarama programlarının tanıtılması ülke genelinde sürdürülmeye çalışılsa da yeterli düzeye ulaşılamamıştır. Medya organlarının daha aktif katılımıyla bu konuya yönelik önlemlerin süratle alınması gerektiği ve öğrencilere verilecek eğitim programlarının planlanmasında da; bu sonuçların katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.

Objective: Chronic otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the middle ear. The airflow in the nasal passage affects the development of mastoid air cells through the eustachian tube.Nasal and paranasal pathologies and their anatomical variations cause chronic sinonasal inflammation and affect the middle ear mucosa. This study aims to reveal whether the nasal and paranasal sinus variations in pediatric patients are a factor in developing chronic otitis media. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients, with unilateral chronic otitis media, who were admitted to the otorhinolaryngology clinic between May 2015 and July 2019, were included in this retrospective study. The control group (Group 2) consisted of a total of 51 patients. None of the patients in Group 2 had otorrhea history and no signs of chronic otitis in their otoscopic examination, middle ear pathologies. The patient’s anatomical variations of the nasal cavity and sinuses were evaluated with CT by a radiologist Results: Nasal septum deviation was found to be 53% in children with chronic otitis media. It was found 31.4% in the control group. Since the P value was found to be .04, this rate was considered as significant. Inferior concha hypertrophy was found to be 17.6% in the control group and 38.8% in the group with chronic otitis media, and this rate was considered significant since the P value was .035 Conclusion: We detected that septum deviation and inferior concha hypertrophy increased chronic otitis media formation in children. All these studies show that cases causing nasal obstruction, such as septum deviation, have a negative effect on middle ear pressure and increase the rate of ear diseases Cite this article as: Atila NE, Topal K, Bulut YE, Kaya Z, Arslan B. Effects of Nasal and Paranasal Sinus Variations on Chronic Otitis Media Development in Pediatric Patients. Eurasian J Med 2021; 53(3):231–234

After the declaration of the pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 771 million people were affected by COVID-19 globally, and about 7 million deaths have occurred as of the third week of November 2023. In Turkey, the first COVID-19 case was identified on March 11, 2020 (...)

Background and Objectives: Tobacco use and exposure to tobacco products remain a major public health challenge, even among athletes. This study aimed to evaluate tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in athletes through urinary cotinine levels and exhaled air carbon monoxide (CO) measurements. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included licensed athletes who visited the sports medicine outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital. Participants completed an electronic questionnaire on smoking habits and second-hand smoke exposure. Urine samples were analysed for cotinine levels, while CO levels were measured in exhaled breath. Results: A total of 421 athletes participated (57.8% male, median age: 18 years). Tobacco use was reported by 29.9% (n = 126) of participants. Median urinary cotinine levels were 22.9 ng/mL among daily tobacco users and 17.4 ng/mL among athletes exposed daily to second-hand smoke, with a statistically significant difference between exposure levels (p < 0.05). The optimal cut-off value for detecting second-hand smoke exposure was identified as 12.5 ng/mL. Median exhaled air CO levels were 5 ppm in daily tobacco users. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that tobacco use prevalence among athletes mirrors Türkiye’s national rates. Despite legal measures to curb tobacco use, direct use and second-hand smoke exposure remain pressing issues among athletes.