The predictors of COVID-19 anxiety and helping behaviour during the pandemic: An investigation within the framework of individual and national level resources.

Governments have developed different policies against the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, individuals' political trust, as well as their coping styles, seems to play a role in society's reactions to this process. This study aims to examine the determinants of both the COVID-19 anxiety and the helping behavior during the pandemic within the framework of political trust and coping styles. The sample consists of 529 participants (340 females 189 males) from different cities in Turkey between the ages of 18-68. Coping Style Scale, Political Trust Inventory, Flourishing Scale and questionnaires measuring helping behaviour, perceived risk and COVID-19-related anxiety were used for data collection. The results showed that self-confident coping style and competence evaluations towards politicians predicted COVID-19 anxiety through perceived risk, while various coping styles and positive expectations towards politicians predicted helping behaviour through psychological well-being. This research contributes to literature by revealing the importance of individual and national level resources coping with COVID-19 crisis.

The treatment results of patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis and factors affecting treatment outcome.

The treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is complicated and results are not always satisfactory. We aimed to investigate treatment results of our patients, relapse rates, factors affecting treatment outcome. We evaluated prospectively, 142 patients, who had been hospitalised with diagnosis of MDR-TB in our clinic between January 1995-December 2000 at Sureyyapasa Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. All patients were male and human immunodeficiency virus negative. The mean age was 39 + or - 11 (16-65) years. A mean number of 5.5 + or - 0.8 (4-8) second line drugs, including one parenteral drug, were administered. Of 142 patients, 102 (71.8%) were classified as cured, 16 (11.3%) patients were defaulters, failure was seen in 10 (7.0%) patients and 14 (9.9%) patients died during treatment. Surgical resection was applied in 35 patients and cure was achieved in 88.5% of them. Of 102 patients who were cured, 89 (87.2%) were available for follow up and mean duration of follow up was 19.2 + or - 10.3 (12-72) months. Relapse was not detected in any of them. Patients with unsuccessful outcomes had a higher incidence and higher mean number of second-line drugs usage in previous regimens, higher incidence of antecedent prothionamide and ofloxacin usage, higher incidence of extensive radiologic involvement and withdrawal of responsible drugs due to adverse effects. Limited radiologic involvement, non-usage of antecedent prothionamide and adjuvant surgery were found as significant independent factors effecting successful treatment outcome. MDR-TB is a complex but a treatable disease. To know much more about the factors effecting treatment results and to arrange the proper conditions, are expected to make increases in the success rates of MDR-TB treatment.

The relationship of illness perceptions with demographic features, pain severity, functional capacity, disability, depression, and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of illness perceptions (IPs) with demographic features, severity of pain, functional capacity, disability, depression, and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2015 and July 2015, a total of 114 patients with non-specific CLBP (86 females, 28 males; mean age 47.1±15.2 years; range, 18 to 85 years) were included. Non-specific CLBP was defined as low back pain not attributable to a recognizable, known specific pathology such as infection, tumor, inflammation for ≥12 weeks. The IPs using the revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R), pain severity using the visual analog scale (VAS), functional capacity using the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), disability using the modified Oswestry Disability Index (m-ODI), depression using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and quality of life using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) were assessed. RESULTS: There was a significant, positive correlation between the age, body mass index, duration of disease, pain scores, and IPQ-R- consequences, timeline (acute/chronic), and emotional responses subunits, whereas there was a significant, negative correlation between the IPQ-R-personal and treatment control subunits (p<0.001). The IPQ-R-timeline (acute/chronic), consequences, and emotional response subunits were positively and personal and treatment controls and illness coherence subunits were negatively correlated with the BDI and m-ODI (p<0.001). The IPQ-R-consequences and emotional responses subunits were negatively and timeline (acute/chronic), personal and treatment controls, and illness coherence subunits were positively correlated with the SF-36 subunits (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The IPs were negatively affected by advanced age, high body mass index, longer duration of disease, and increased severity of pain in CLBP patients. Based on these findings, positive IPs may be related with reduced disability and depression, and improved quality of life and functional capacity in this patient population. Developing new strategies for improving the negative IPs of patients with CLBP may be useful.

Levels of nitric oxide, asymmetric dimethyl arginine, symmetric dimethyl arginine,and L-arginine in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND/AIM: We aimed to investigate and compare to healthy controls the variations in the levels of nitric oxide (NO), asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA), symmetric dimethyl arginine (SDMA), and L-arginine levels in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 30 patients with OCD and 30 healthy controls in the study consecutively. Diagnostic interviews of all participants were conducted with the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), and sociodemographic data of the participants were recorded. Patients scoring 10 points or more on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale were enrolled in the study. RESULTS: The NO levels of patients with OCD were increased compared to the control group, but the increase was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, patients with OCD had significantly lower levels of ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine compared with the controls (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We found a significant decrease in ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine as NO inhibitors between the groups, possibly because of an increase in NO. However, the insignificant increase in NO suggests that ADMA, SDMA, and L-arginine play direct and potentially important roles in OCD biology.

Evaluation of pulmonary hydatid cyst cases.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pulmonary hydatid cyst has been high in developing countries such as Turkey. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation, treatment and outcomes of pulmonary hydatid cyst disease at a tertiary centre. METHODS: A total of 138 patients, aged between 9 and 72 years with pulmonary hydatid cyst were diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 in 2nd thoracic surgery clinic at our hospital. Clinical characteristics of patients, epidemiological features, cyst diameters and localizations, laboratory findings, surgical approaches were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The most frequent symptoms of pulmonary hydatid cyst were chest pain and cough (44.9%, 37.6%). According to cyst size, there was no difference between younger than twenty and older age groups (p>0.05). Twenty-two patients had complicated cyst cases. Most of them were symptomatic (90.9%). Association of complicated cyst with hepato-pulmonary involvement was significantly higher as compared with single hydatid cyst (p=0.01). Cystectomy was performed in 84.05% of patients and post-operative mortality was seen in only one patient due to pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSION: Association of lung and liver hydatid cyst increased the risk of occurrence of a complicated pulmonary hydatid cyst. Choice of surgical approach had satisfactory results and post-operative mortality was low.