Objectives: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a significant cause of hospital-related infections, one that must be prevented due to its high morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors in patients developing VAP in our intensive care units (ICUs).Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved in mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized for more than 48 hours. VAP diagnosed patients were divided into two groups, those developing pneumonia (VAP(+)) and those not (VAP(-)).Results: We researched 1560 patients in adult ICUs, 1152 (73.8%) of whom were mechanically ventilated. The MV use rate was 52%. VAP developed in 15.4% of patients. The VAP rate was calculated as 15.7/1000 ventilator days. Mean length of stay in the ICU for VAP(+) and VAP(-) patients were (26.7

Objectives: This follow-up study set out to evaluate the natural course and radiographic progression of silicosis among ceramic workers and describe the risk factors related with disease progression. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of ceramic workers with silicosis who were referred to our hospital between February 2010 and March 2018. A total of 165 ceramic workers followed at least 24 months and with at least two chest radiographs were included in the study. Results: The duration of silica exposure ranged from 5.5 to 27 (median 13.6) years. The numbers of patients according to follow-up time were as follows: 38 (2–2.9) years, 77 (3–3.9) years, 26 (4–4.9) years, 17 (5–5.9) years, and 7 (≥6) years. Overall 62 of 165 (37.5%) cases showed radiologic evidences of progression ranging from 2 to 8.9 years (mean 3.7 years). Pulmonary function loss rate among silicosis patients was 36.9% (61/165). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a significant relation between radiographic progression and age (OR, 1.079: 95% CI, 1.011–1.152), follow-up time (OR, 1.557: 95% CI, 1.144–2.118), and the ILO category (category 2 or 3) at first visit (OR, 3.507: 95% CI, 1.505–8.170). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that one-third of Turkish ceramic workers with silicosis who were followed up to 8.9 years showed progression that was related to increasing age greater ILO category at time of initial visit and follow-up duration.

Silicosis is still one of the the most common occupational disease in the world. The ceramic industry is one of the main sectors where silicosis patients are increasingly reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in demographic characteristics, radiological findings and pulmonary function test results of the ceramic workers with silicosis and those did not develop the disease. A total of 626 workers, 459 with silicosis and 167 without silicosis, working in the ceramics industry those admitted to Ankara Occupational and Environmental Diseases Hospital between 2009 and 2018 were included in the study. The cases were evaluated retrospectively. The median age and duration of work of the workers with silicosis were significantly higher (p< 0.001) compared to workers without silicosis. The risk of silicosis was found to be 22.5 times higher in 50 years or older age. Working 11-20 years and more than 20 years increased the risk of silicosis by 3.1 fold and 3.9 fold respectively. Smoking more than 10 package-years was found to increase the risk of silicosis 2 fold. The workers who had worked in clay processing, sanding, glazing or smelting were found to have 5.2-fold, 3.8-fold 2.5 and 2.4 fold higher silicosis risk, respectively. In this study, it has been shown that older age, longer duration of work, smoking, working in clay processing, sanding, glazing or smelting sections increase the risk of silicosis in ceramic workers.

Background: In low-resource countries like Somalia, tuberculosis (TB) is still a serious global health concern. Understanding the treatment outcomes of TB patients in specific regions is crucial for developing effective strategies to combat the disease. This study aimed to assess the treatment outcomes of TB patients in Benadir, Somalia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from TB treatment centers in Benadir, Somalia. The study included all TB patients who initiated treatment between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. Treatment outcomes, including treatment success, treatment failure, lost, death, and transfer out, were analyzed. Factors associated with treatment outcomes were also examined using chi-square test. Results: The study comprised 3165 TB patients in total. The mean age of the observations was 29.9 years, with males making up the majority (64.58%). The overall success rate of TB treatment was 80.6%, with 5.3% lost, 4.6% died, 0.5% failed, 4.6% transferred out, and 4.4% not evaluated. Factors associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes included older age and HIV co-infection. Conclusion: The treatment success rate for TB patients in Benadir, Somalia, is below the global target of 90%. Enhancing access to quality TB diagnostic and treatment services, as well as addressing social and economic barriers to treatment adherence, are essential for improving TB control in Benadir, Somalia.

Objective: The spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria causes serious problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. Recently, it has been shown that these resistance genes are also found in integrons. This study investigated the class 1, 2 integrons and the antibiotic-resistant genes in the infection agent Acinetobacter baumannii produced in respiratory tract samples.Material and Methods: The study involved 86 A. baumannii strains isolated from lower respiratory tract samples collected between March 2014 and March 2015 in the Intensive Care Units. Identification and antibiograms of the isolates were made using conventional methods and Vitek 2 Compact systems. The presence of integrons in strains was investigated by polymerase chain reaction method using specific primer pairs for class 1and class 2 integrase regions. All samples in which integron amplification was carried out were subjected to DNA sequence analysis both by cloning and as a PCR product. The resistance genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction. Results: Isolates were obtained from specimens including tracheal aspirates (33.7%), bronchoalveolar lavage (29.1%), sputum (22.1%), bronchial washing fluid/bronchial brushing (4.7%), transbronchial biopsy (4.7%), pleural fluid (3.4%) and lung aspirates/abscess (2.3%). While resistance to imipenem, meropenem, ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftazidime, and piperacillin-tazobactam was determined in all isolates, resistance rates to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, gentamicin, amikacin and tigecycline were 97.7%, 93.0%, 60.5%, 53.5%and 9.3%, respectively. Colistin was the only antibiotic to which all strains were susceptible. The positivity rates of integrase I and II genes were 45.4%and 9.3%, respectively. Class 1 and 2 integron positivity rates in all isolates were 31.4%and 8.1%, respectively. blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M1, blaCTX-M2, blaOXA23, blaOXA40, blaOXA58 were 70.9%, 2.3%, 4.7%, 7.0%, 95.3%, 5.8%and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Increasing association of multi drug resistant strains and integron resistant genes in A. baumannii infections will lead to the failure of antibiotic treatment strategies.