Comparison of tricuspid and mitral annular plane systolic excursion in determination of acute blood loss in healthy volunteers.

Ultrasound is used more and more in determining acute blood loss. This study is to compare tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) measurement to determine volume loss pre and post blood donation in healthy volunteers. The systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures and pulses of the donors were measured in the standing and supine position by the attending physician, then, inferior vena cava (IVC), TAPSE and MAPSE measurements were made pre and post blood donation. Statistically significant differences were found in systolic blood pressure and pulse rate values that obtained in the standing position, and in the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse values that obtained in the supine position (p < 0.05). The difference between IVC expiration (IVCexp) pre and post blood donation was 4.76 ± 2.94 mm, and the difference in IVC inspiration (IVCins) was 2.73 ± 2.91 mm. In addition, the MAPSE and TAPSE differences were 2.16 ± 1.4 mm and 2.98 ± 2.13 mm, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between IVCins-exp, TAPSE and MAPSE values. TAPSE and MAPSE can be helpful in the early diagnosis of acute blood loss.

Treatment of a case of COVID-19 by intravenous immunoglobulin.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus. As of today, no specific treatment has been found COVID-19. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a widely used therapy to prevent life-threatening infections in patients with primary and secondary immune deficiencies and autoimmune/inflammatory conditions. IVIG administration could be beneficial in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19. In this respect, this presentation aimed to report a case of COVID-19 treated with IVIG.

The relationship between hematological parameters and the severity level of chronic obstructive lung disease.

INTRODUCTION    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most important lung disease leading to disability and even death. Recent studies have shown that the platelet indices are associated with several cardiovascular diseases; however, there is little data on COPD. OBJECTIVES    We aimed to explore the relationship between platelet indices, together with the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), white blood cell count to mean platelet volume ratio (WMR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) and the severity of COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODS    This retrospective study was based on data collected from a total of 153 COPD patients admitted to our outpatient clinic between March 2014 and March 2015. All of the participants underwent pulmonary function tests; FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC were measured. The study population was divided into four according to the severity of COPD as group A (mild), group B (mild to moderate), group C (moderate to severe), and group D (severe).  RESULTS    A significant increase was found in platelet distribution width (PDW), MPV, plateletcrit, PLR, and RDW while WMR decreased as the COPD severity increases. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, we found that PDW and RDW were independently associated with the presence of severe COPD. ROC curve analysis showed that a PDW>14.85 was associated with severe COPD with 85% sensitivity and 86% specificity while RDW>14.45 was associated with severe COPD with 90% sensitivity and 87% specificity. CONCLUSIONS    The PDW and the RDW are independently associated with disease severity, which may indicate hypoxemia, underlying inflammation, and oxidative stress in COPD.

Efficacy of clarithromycin as a protective agent in the methotrexate-induced pulmonary fibrosis model.

INTRODUCTION: Methotrexate is a cytotoxic agent used in leukemia, and several other cancer types and at lower doses in auto-inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis. Macrolide antibiotics are effective against gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. They have anti-inflammatory activities as well. Clarithromycin is a macrolide with anti-inflammatory activity through blockage of the p38 MAPK signal cascade, which is involved in methotrexate-induced pulmonary toxicity. AIM: In this study, the efficacy of clarithromycin in protecting against pulmonary fibrosis was investigated in the rat model for methotrexate-induced pulmonary fibrosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 30 female rats were divided into three groups. Group I was administered intraperitoneal and intragastric saline; group II was administered oral 3 mg/kg methotrexate; and group III was administered oral 3 mg/kg methotrexate + intraperitoneal 200 mg/kg clarithromycin for 28 days. Histopathological analyses of the lung tissues were performed under light microscopy. RESULTS: Normal histopathological changes were observed in the control group. Pulmonary fibrosis was significantly higher in the methotrexate group than in the other groups (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Clarithromycin was shown to be effective in protecting against methotrexate-induced pulmonary fibrosis; further studies should be performed to determine the dosage and safety.

The comparison of the efficiency of traditional lectures to video-supported lectures within the training of the Emergency Medicine residents.

OBJECTIVES: Recent developments in computer and video technology, multimedia resources enter quickest way possible into medical education and have started to gain popularity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of video-supported lectures on leaning, with comparison to traditional lectures. METHODS: According to lecture techniques, two separate groups; one is the traditional lectures group (TLG) and the other is video-supported lectures group (VSLG), are formed. While the TLG is offered a traditional lecture the VSLG is offered a video-supported lecture with imbedded videos which are related to the topics in the traditional lecture. Both study groups take pretest and posttest with MCQs (multiple choice questions) and OSCEs (objective structured clinical examination). RESULTS: The study includes 30 volunteer residents in Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine. No difference is observed between TGL and VSLG in pretest and posttest scores (p = 0.949, p = 0.580). And additionally, comparing the scores of both groups, we cannot observe any difference between the pretest OSCE scores of each group (p = 0.300), however posttest OSCE scores shows a dramatic odd in-between (p = 0.010). When pretest MCQs and posttest MCQs mean scores are compared, both tests (TLG, VSLG) has not any significant difference (p=0.949, p = 0.580). Nevertheless, after comparing OSCEs pretest and posttest mean scores, we can see significant difference in mean scores of both (TLG, VSLG), (p = 0.011, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Taken into consideration, the findings of this study shows possibility of improving educational techniques to acquire clinical skills by using local resources and low-cost technology.