Sleep disturbances in patients with lung cancer in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep quality is known to be associated with the distressing symptoms of cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of cancer symptoms on insomnia and the prevalence of sleep-related problems reported by the patients with lung cancer in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Assesment of Palliative Care in Lung Cancer in Turkey (ASPECT) study, a prospective multicenter study conducted in Turkey with the participation of 26 centers and included all patients with lung cancer, was re-evaluated in terms of sleep problems, insomnia and possible association with the cancer symptoms. Demographic characteristics of patients and information about disease were recorded for each patient by physicians via face-to-face interviews, and using hospital records. Patients who have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (DIMS) is associated with daytime sleepiness/fatigue were diagnosed as having insomnia. Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and lung cancer symptoms were recorded and graded using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. RESULT: Among 1245 cases, 48.4% reported DIMS, 60.8% reported daytime sleepiness and 82.1% reported fatigue. The prevalence of insomnia was 44.7%. Female gender, patients with stage 3-4 disease, patients with metastases, with comorbidities, and with weight loss > 5 kg had higher rates of insomnia. Also, patients with insomnia had significantly higher rates of pain, nausea, dyspnea, and anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients with moderate to severe pain and dyspnea and severe anxiety had 2-3 times higher rates of insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results showed a clear association between sleep disturbances and cancer symptoms. Because of that, adequate symptom control is essential to maintain sleep quality in patients with lung cancer.

Latent tuberculosis screening tests and active tuberculosis infection rates in Turkish inflammatory bowel disease patients under anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors increase the risk of tuberculosis (TB). The objective of the present study was to determine the rate of active TB infection in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients receiving anti-TNF therapy and to determine the results of their latent TB infection (LTBI) screening tests during the follow up. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study of IBD patients receiving anti-TNF therapy. Tuberculin skin test (TST), interferon-γ release assay (IGRA), and chest radiography were used to determine LTBI. Active TB infection rate during anti-TNF treatment was determined. RESULTS: Seventy-six IBD patients (25 with ulcerative colitis, 51 with Crohn's disease; 53 male; mean age 42.0±12.4 years) were included. Forty-four (57.9%) patients received infliximab and 32 (42.1%) adalimumab. Their median duration of anti-TNF therapy was 15 months. Forty-five (59.2%) patients had LTBI and received isoniazid (INH) prophylaxis. During the follow-up period, active TB was identified in 3 (4.7%) patients who were not receiving INH prophylaxis. There was a moderate concordance between the TST and the IGRA (kappa coefficient 0.44, 95% CI 0.24-0.76). Patients with or without immunosuppressive therapy did not differ significantly with respect to TST (P=0.318) and IGRA (P=0.157). CONCLUSION: IBD patients receiving anti-TNF therapy and prophylactic INH have a decreased risk of developing active TB infection. However, despite LTBI screening, the risk of developing active TB infection persists.

Stethoscope versus point-of-care ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of dyspnea: a randomized trial.

We aimed to determine the accuracies of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) and stethoscopes as part of the physical examinations of patients with dyspnea. Three emergency medicine specialists in each of two groups of ultrasound and stethoscope performers underwent didactic and hands-on training on PoCUS and stethoscope usage. All the patients enrolled were randomized to one of two predetermined PoCUS or stethoscope groups. The diagnostic performance of ultrasonography was higher than that of the stethoscope in the diagnoses of heart failure (90 vs. 86%, 1.00 vs. 0.89, and 5.00 vs. 4.92, respectively) and pneumonia (90 vs. 86.7%, 0.75 vs. 0.73, and 16.50 vs. 13.82, respectively). No significant differences were observed in the utility parameters of these modalities in these diagnoses. Although some authors argue that it is time to abandon the 'archaic tools' of past centuries, we believe that it is too early to discontinue the use of the stethoscope.