Evaluation of functional status and quality of life of patients in the 1st and 6th months post-COVID in the light of radiological influence.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to evaluate the functional status and quality of life parameters of patients in the 1st and 6th months post-COVID and to determine contributing factors. BACKGROUND: The effects of COVID-19 can continue in the post-COVID period. The mostcommon post-COVID symptoms are weakness, fatigue, nonproductive cough and exertionaldyspnea. METHOD: The radiological findings of the patients at diagnosis, post-COVID 1st and 6th months; functional status and quality of life parameters at the 1st and 6th months of the post-COVID period were compared, and the factors affecting them were evaluated. The relationship between radiological involvement, quality of life and functional status parameters was investigated. RESULTS: Six months after the COVID infection, inpatient's resting oxygen saturation and effort capacity were comparable, even though they were significantly lower in the first month post-COVID. There was a correlation between functional and quality of life measures at 1 and 6 months after COVID-19 infection. In all patients, a significant improvement was found in the functional status and quality of life scales at 6 months after post-COVID infection compared to the 1st month. Even though radiological findings of both groups improved within the first month after COVID-19 infection, there remained a difference between them that disappeared after six months. CONCLUSION: It was found that in the post-COVID period, the severity of the disease had a negative effect on functional measurements and quality of life; however, regardless of the severity of the disease, after six months improvements in radiological findings, effort capacity, and quality of life measures were noted (Tab. 2, Fig. 5, Ref. 20). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: post-COVID, quality of life, functional measurements, chest x-ray.

Bionic Nanocoating of Prosthetic Grafts Significantly Reduces Bacterial Growth.

Prosthetic materials are a source of bacterial infections, with significant morbidity and mortality. Utilizing the bionic "Lotus effect," we generated superhydrophobic vascular prostheses by nanocoating and investigated their resistance to bacterial colonization. Nanoparticles were generated from silicon dioxide (SiO2), and coated vascular prostheses developed a nanoscale roughness with superhydrophobic characteristics. Coated grafts and untreated controls were incubated with different bacterial solutions including heparinized blood under mechanical stress and during artificial perfusion and were analyzed. Bioviability- and toxicity analyses of SiO2 nanoparticles were performed. Diameters of SiO2 nanoparticles ranged between 20 and 180 nm. Coated prostheses showed a water contact angle of > 150° (mean 154 ± 3°) and a mean water roll-off angle of 9° ± 2°. Toxicity and viability experiments demonstrated no toxic effects of SiO2 nanoparticles on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and HEK239T cells. After artificial perfusion with a bacterial solution (Luciferase+ Escherichia coli), bioluminescence imaging measurements showed a significant reduction of bacterial colonization of superhydrophobic material-coated prostheses compared to that of untreated controls. At the final measurement (t = 60 min), a 97% reduction of bacterial colonization was observed with superhydrophobic material-coated prostheses. Superhydrophobic vascular prostheses tremendously reduced bacterial growth. During artificial perfusion, the protective superhydrophobic effects of the vascular grafts could be confirmed using bioluminescence imaging.

Memantine and SKF82958 but not an enriched environment modulate naloxone-precipitated morphine abstinence syndrome without affecting hippocampal tPA mRNA levels in rats.

There is accumulating evidence supporting the involvement of tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) in the mechanisms underlying the effects of morphine and an enriched environment. This study was designed to investigate possible interactive roles of the glutamatergic and the dopaminergic systems regarding hippocampal tPA in the neurobiology of morphine dependence. For this purpose, Wistar albino rats, housed in either a standard- (SE) or an enriched environment (EE) were implanted subcutaneously with morphine (150 mg base) or placebo pellets. Behavioral and somatic signs of morphine abstinence precipitated by an opioid-receptor antagonist naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p.) 72 h after the pellet implantation were observed individually for 15 min in all groups. Memantine (10 mg/kg i.p.), an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid class of glutamatergic receptor-subtype decreased teeth-chattering, ptosis, diarrhea and the loss of body weight. SKF82958 (1 mg/kg, i.p.), a dopamine D1-receptor agonist decreased jumping and ptosis but increased rearing and loss of body weight. On the other hand, co-administration of SKF82958 with memantine prevented some of their effects that occur when administered alone at the same doses. Furthermore, the EE did not change the intensity of morphine abstinence. The level of hippocampal tPA mRNA was found to be lower in the SE morphine abstinence group than in the placebo group and close to the EE morphine abstinence group, whereas there was no significant alteration of its level in the memantine or SKF82958 groups. These findings suggest that the interaction between the glutamatergic and the dopaminergic systems may be an important component of the neurobiology of morphine dependence, and the role of tPA in this interaction should be further investigated.

Removal of arsenic from acidic liquors using chemical and autotrophic and mixed heterotrophic bacteria-produced biogenic schwertmannites.

Arsenic penetrates human society through a variety of geological and anthropogenic processes, posing significant health hazards. Acid mine drainage, which contains high concentrations of heavy metals and sulfate, is formed by the biological oxidation of pyrite and other metal-containing sulfidic minerals and is a significant environmental hazard. Adsorption is a simple and effective method for removing arsenic from water. In this study, co-precipitation and adsorption of arsenic with biogenic and chemically produced iron-containing settleable precipitates, i.e. schwertmannites were studied. Autotrophic Leptospirillum ferrooxidans and heterotrophic mixed culture of Alicyclobacillus tolerans and Acidiphilium cryptum oxidized iron at rates from 18 to 23 mg/(L.h) in the presence of 5 and 10 mg/L As3+, and both cultures tolerated up to 100 mg As3+/L although Fe2+ oxidation rates decreased to 3-4 mg/(L.h). At Fe/As ratios of ≥20, As removal efficiencies of ≥95% were obtained by co-precipitation with Fe3+ at pH 3.5-4.5. Because schwertmannite precipitates produced by the heterotrophic culture formed crystals, it was studied for adsorptive removals of As3+ and As5+ and compared with chemically synthesized schwertmannites. As3+ (100 mg/L) adsorption onto biogenic and chemical schwertmannite were 25 and 44%, respectively, at pH 4. At 100 mg As5+/L, adsorption capacity and efficiency onto biogenic schwertmannite were 47 mg/g and 50%, respectively. At 300 mg As5+/L, adsorption capacity and efficiency onto chemical schwertmannite were 169 mg/g and 56%, respectively. In summary, biogenic schwertmannite has potential for As removal via co-precipitation with Fe3+ at pH 3.5-4.5 and Fe/As ratios of ≥20 due to low production cost from acidic mine drainage. In contrast to the schwertmannite generation methods, which are usually performed with autotrophic acidophilic bacteria in the literature, this efficient and modular schwertmannite production process and its evaluation on arsenic adsorption is an important potential in acidic mine drainage treatment containing arsenic.

Dye decolorization of magnetically retrievable formulation of laccase with amine-functionalized microparticles.

Laccase is an important enzyme used in many industries because of its multi-substrate catalyst. New immobilization agents are excellent tools for enhancing the abilities of this enzyme. In this study, immobilization of laccase on silica microparticles with NH2 (S-NH2) surface modification to use in dye removal applications was aimed. The yield of immobilization by this method was found to be 93.93 ± 2.86% under optimum conditions. In addition, this newly created immobilized enzyme was adapted to a decolorization application with 87.56 ± 1.60% efficiency. Silica microparticles with NH2 (S-NH2) surface modification were used for laccase immobilization and this immobilized laccase had quite good potential. Besides, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis in evaluating the toxicity of the decolorization process was utilized. After amplification with two RAPD primers, decreased toxicity of dye in this study was observed. This study showed that RAPD analysis in toxicity testing could be accepted as an alternative and practical method that this approach will contribute to the literature in terms of providing fast and reliable results. The use of amine-modified surface silica microparticles for laccase immobilization and RAPD for toxicity testing is a crucial aspect of our investigation.

Gut barrier protein levels in serial blood samples from critically ill trauma patients during and after intensive care unit stay.

PURPOSE: In an effort to better manage critically ill patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit (ICU) after experiencing multiple traumas, the present study aimed to assess whether plasma levels of intestinal epithelial cell barrier proteins, including occludin, claudin-1, junctional adhesion molecule (JAM-1), tricellulin and zonulin, could be used as novel biomarkers. Additional potential markers such as intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), D-lactate, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and citrulline were also evaluated. We also aimed to determine the possible relationships between the clinical, laboratory, and nutritional status of patients and the measured marker levels. METHODS: Plasma samples from 29 patients (first, second, fifth and tenth days in the ICU and on days 7, 30 and 60 after hospital discharge) and 23 controls were subjected to commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing. RESULTS: On first day (admission) and on the second day, plasma I-FABP, D-lactate, citrulline, occludin, claudin-1, tricellulin and zonulin levels were high in trauma patients and positively correlated with lactate, C-reactive protein (CRP), number of days of ICU hospitalisation, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score and daily Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores (P < 0.05-P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that occludin, claudin-1, tricellulin and zonulin proteins, as well as I-FABP, D-lactate and citrulline, may be used as promising biomarkers for the evaluation of disease severity in critically ill trauma patients, despite the complexity of the analysis of various barrier markers. However, our results should be supported by future studies.

Bacterial Membrane Vesicles as Smart Drug Delivery and Carrier Systems: A New Nanosystems Tool for Current Anticancer and Antimicrobial Therapy.

Bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) are known to be critical communication tools in several pathophysiological processes between bacteria and host cells. Given this situation, BMVs for transporting and delivering exogenous therapeutic cargoes have been inspiring as promising platforms for developing smart drug delivery systems (SDDSs). In the first section of this review paper, starting with an introduction to pharmaceutical technology and nanotechnology, we delve into the design and classification of SDDSs. We discuss the characteristics of BMVs including their size, shape, charge, effective production and purification techniques, and the different methods used for cargo loading and drug encapsulation. We also shed light on the drug release mechanism, the design of BMVs as smart carriers, and recent remarkable findings on the potential of BMVs for anticancer and antimicrobial therapy. Furthermore, this review covers the safety of BMVs and the challenges that need to be overcome for clinical use. Finally, we discuss the recent advancements and prospects for BMVs as SDDSs and highlight their potential in revolutionizing the fields of nanomedicine and drug delivery. In conclusion, this review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art field of BMVs as SDDSs, encompassing their design, composition, fabrication, purification, and characterization, as well as the various strategies used for targeted delivery. Considering this information, the aim of this review is to provide researchers in the field with a comprehensive understanding of the current state of BMVs as SDDSs, enabling them to identify critical gaps and formulate new hypotheses to accelerate the progress of the field.

Genome sequence and probiotic potential of newly isolated Enterococcus durans strain MN187066.

Enterococci are commensals of the human intestinal tract. Their use as probiotics is supported by their ability to confer several health benefits and eliminate foodborne pathogens but is controversial due to the presence of virulence and antibiotic resistance traits. To use them as probiotics requires thorough research to establish their safety. Here, we sequenced the whole genome of a newly isolated Enterococcus durans MN187066 and used a suite of bioinformatics tools to analyze its beneficial probiotic traits as well as antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. The whole genome had a length of 2 978 152 bp, and an average G + C content of 37.88%. The bopABCD genes involved in biofilm formation were annotated in the genome. However, further analysis showed that these genes are mostly helpful in strengthening their colonization and establishment in the gastrointestinal tract. Also, we identified secondary metabolite gene clusters and the bacteriocins Enterolysin A and Enterocin P. We also identified repUS15 and rep1 replicons and genes that were associated with antimicrobial resistance and virulence. Nevertheless, vancomycin resistance genes were not detected. Our results show that the Ent. durans strain MN187066 can be considered a nontoxigenic strain and produces beneficial metabolites that are critical for their success as probiotics.

The relationship between bacterial outer membrane vesicles and halophilic adaptation.

Many cells are known to actively release nano-sized outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that contain bioactive proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids into the extracellular environment. These vesicles have been associated with adaptation to environmental stress in other species, but their role in halophilic salt stress adaptation is not known. This study aimed to isolate and characterize the OMVs of Halomonas caseinilytica KB2 at various salt concentrations [6% (KB2-6), 12% (KB2-12), and 18% (KB2-18)] and to identify the patterns of adaptations to increasing salinity in its structure, protein composition, and expression. Also, a comparison with the composition of OMVs of E. coli, a mesophilic bacterium, was performed. Bioinformatics and statistical analysis were carried out to elucidate the underlying proteome differences that may exist as a result of increasing salinity. The results show that OMV production in H. caseinilytica KB2 is promoted by a decrease in salinity. OMVs also revealed possible structural and metabolic changes happening in the cells which led to the deduction that cells become more stable with increasing salt concentrations. Cell wall integrity, protein expression and folding are important. Although H. caseinilytica KB2 OMVs show cellular changes with changing salt concentration, they may not play a direct role in adaptation to changing salinity.

A novel higher polyhydroxybutyrate producer Halomonas halmophila 18H with unique cell factory attributes.

For cost-competitive biosynthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), the screening of efficient producers and characterization of their genomic potential is fundamental. In this study, 94 newly isolated halophilic strains from Turkish salterns were screened for their polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) biosynthesis capabilities through fermentation. Halomonas halmophila 18H was found to be the highest PHB producer, yielding 63.72 % of its biomass as PHB. The PHB produced by this strain was physically and chemically characterized using various techniques. Its genome was also sequenced and found to be large (6,713,657 bp) and have a GC content of 59.9 %. Halomonas halmophila 18H was also found to have several copies of PHB biosynthesis genes, as well as 20 % more protein-coding genes and 1075 singletons compared to other high PHB producers. These unique genomic features make it a promising cell factory for the simultaneous production of PHAs and other biotechnologically important secondary metabolites.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diagnosis of Lung Cancer.

Non-COVID hospital admissions decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and follow-up of people in the lung cancer risk group was delayed. There are not enough studies on the effects of the pandemic period on the diagnosis of lung cancer. In this study, it was aimed to determine the characteristics of patients diagnosed with lung cancer in the pre-pandemic and pandemic period and to investigate the effects of the pandemic on the diagnosis of lung cancer. Patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer 16 months before and after the detection of the first COVID-19 case were retrospectively analyzed for their characteristics at the time of diagnosis. Age, gender, pathological diagnosis, distant organ metastasis status, and also pathological stages at the time of diagnosis of the patients were analyzed. Two hundred forty-six patients were included in the study. One hundred forty-five of the patients were diagnosed in the pre-pandemic period and 101 during the pandemic period. Mean age of patients was 64.24 years and 91.87% were male. Pathological diagnosis distributions were similar in the pre-pandemic group and the pandemic period group. Distant organ metastases were present in 59.31% of the pre-pandemic group and 65.35% of the pandemic group. There was no significant difference in terms of the stages of the patients at the time of diagnosis. Number of patients diagnosed with lung cancer during the pandemic period was lower. The characteristics of the patients were similar. These results may have resulted from the decrease in applications to health institutions due to social isolation and fear of COVID-19 infection, and limitations in accessing health services.

Increased oxidative and chromosomal DNA damage in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: its role in pathogenesis.

Increased DNA damage has been suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, but controlled studies are lacking in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Therefore, we assessed oxidative stress, oxidative DNA damage, chromosomal DNA damage, cell proliferation and cell death in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with AS as well as the possible role of DNA damage in the development of the disease. In total, 25 newly diagnosed AS patients who had not received anti-inflammatory agents and 25 healthy controls were recruited. Oxidative DNA damage was assessed by plasma 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels, and chromosomal DNA damage was assessed by the cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-cyt) method. Compared to controls, the micronucleus (MN) frequencies, nucleoplasmic bridge (NPB) frequencies, nuclear bud (NBUD) frequencies, apoptotic cell frequencies, necrotic cell frequencies and plasma 8-OHdG levels were significantly higher in patients with AS (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively), and the metaphase cell numbers, binucleated (BN) cell frequencies and nuclear division index (NDI) values were significantly lower in patients with AS (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Thus, the present findings suggested that oxidative stress, oxidative DNA damage, and chromosomal DNA damage may be involved in the pathogenesis of AS similar to other chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition, the increased plasma 8-OHdG levels, MN frequencies, NPB frequencies and NBUD frequencies in AS patients may reflect an increased cancer risk.

Oxidative and chromosomal DNA damage in patients with type I Gaucher disease and carriers.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by a genetic deficiency of the beta-glucocerebrosidase enzyme which results in the accumulation of glucosylceramide in macrophages. This accumulation may induce oxidative stress, resulting in DNA damage in patients with GD. The aim of this study was to assess plasma 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels and cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-cyt) assay parameters in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with GD and carriers, evaluate the possible associations of these values with GD, and determine whether they can be used as potential biomarkers in GD. METHODS: This study included 20 patients with type 1 GD, six carriers, and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. CBMN-cyt assay parameters in peripheral blood lymphocytes of the patients with GD, carriers, and controls were evaluated and 8-OHdG levels in their plasma samples were measured. RESULTS: CBMN-cyt assay parameters in patients with GD and carriers were not significantly different when compared with controls (p > 0.05). However, plasma 8-OHdG levels were found to be higher in both patients with GD and carriers than in control subjects (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative DNA damage may be a useful prognostic tool, whereas the CBMN-cyt assay cannot be used as a predictive biomarker of GD.

Genome Analysis of Halomonas elongata Strain 153B and Insights Into Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthesis and Adaptive Mechanisms to High Saline Environments.

Species of the Halomonas genus are gram-negative, aerobic, moderately halophilic bacteria that synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and other high-value products that have a wide range of potential uses in the food, feed, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and chemical sectors. Genome sequencing studies allow for the description and comparison of genetic traits with other strains and species, allowing for the exploration of the organism's potential, necessary to further biotechnology applications. Here, the genome of Halomonas elongata strain 153B was sequenced, its features compared to 5 other strains and 7 species, and a description of features for adaptations to hypersaline environments and bioproducts synthesis was done. Whole-genome analysis showed H. elongata 153B has more similar features to the reference strain H. elongata DSM 2581 compared to 4 other reported strains. Comparative genomics showed 2064 core genomic clusters between the strains and 666 singletons for strain 153B. Several genes in transport and signaling, osmoregulation, and oxidative stress that have roles in adaptation to environments with high osmolarity were also revealed. These appear to form an intricate network of overlapping systems carefully coordinated to bring about adaptation. H. elongata 153B genes for the synthesis of PHAs, ectoine, vitamins, and the degradation of drugs and aromatic compounds were described. The results will aid in the study of halophile physiology, provide a mine for valuable enzymes, and help speed up research for other biotechnology applications.

Estimation of biosurfactant production parameters and yields without conducting additional experiments on a larger production scale.

In this study, a Plackett-Burman design was applied to investigate critical factors for surface tension. After adding a new factor called "production scale", a central composite design (CCD) was constructed to examine nonlinear relations among factors and surface tension. An artificial neural network (ANN) was trained using data from CCD experiments. The ANN with the best structure of 5-6-1 was then tested with different unseen data sets. The predictions from ANN were within the 95% confidence interval (CI), even for a larger production scale, determined by using the replicates. A genetic algorithm (GA) was developed to check how the values of the factors vary if the production scale was set to a user-defined value. Based on the validation experiments, it was observed that the 95% confidence interval of surface tension was 36.83 ± 1.00 mN m-1 while pH 8, temperature 35 °C, incubation time 12 h, and amount of inoculum 2.30%, respectively, for the production scale of 600 mL. The proposed methodological approach with the integration of ANN and GA is considered to make a serious economic contribution as it allows predicting a proper setup for larger production scales without conducting additional experiments.

Whole-genome sequencing and genome-scale metabolic modeling of Chromohalobacter canadensis 85B to explore its salt tolerance and biotechnological use.

Salt tolerant organisms are increasingly being used for the industrial production of high-value biomolecules due to their better adaptability compared to mesophiles. Chromohalobacter canadensis is one of the early halophiles to show promising biotechnology potential, which has not been explored to date. Advanced high throughput technologies such as whole-genome sequencing allow in-depth insight into the potential of organisms while at the frontiers of systems biology. At the same time, genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) enable phenotype predictions through a mechanistic representation of metabolism. Here, we sequence and analyze the genome of C. canadensis 85B, and we use it to reconstruct a GEM. We then analyze the GEM using flux balance analysis and validate it against literature data on C. canadensis. We show that C. canadensis 85B is a metabolically versatile organism with many features for stress and osmotic adaptation. Pathways to produce ectoine and polyhydroxybutyrates were also predicted. The GEM reveals the ability to grow on several carbon sources in a minimal medium and reproduce osmoadaptation phenotypes. Overall, this study reveals insights from the genome of C. canadensis 85B, providing genomic data and a draft GEM that will serve as the first steps towards a better understanding of its metabolism, for novel applications in industrial biotechnology.

Attitude and Practice Toward Use of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes Among Pregnant Women: A Questionnaire-Based Survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate attitude and practice toward use of regular tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes among pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 1123 pregnant women participated on a voluntary basis in this questionnaire survey. Maternal characteristics, cigarette consumption parameters, and personal opinions regarding the adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy were evaluated. RESULTS: Active smokers composed 12.4% (9.4%: regular tobacco cigarettes, 3.0%: electronic cigarettes) of the study population. Smoking during the current pregnancy, particularly via regular tobacco cigarettes, was more likely for women with smoking during previous pregnancies (56.0% vs. 7.8%, P < .001), previous history of low birth weight infant delivery (16.1% vs. 8.6%, P = .013), premature delivery (16.7% vs. 7.0%, P < .001), and stillbirth (22.8% vs. 11.7%, P = .002). The presence versus absence of smoking during pregnancy was associated with a lower likelihood of being a housewife (70.5% vs. 80.5%, P = .010) and a higher likelihood of having an actively smoking mother (25.9% vs. 11.2%, P < .001) or partner (65.7% vs. 46.9%, P < .001). Regular tobacco cigarette users considered electronic cigarettes to have a higher risk of adverse impacts (11.1% vs. 2.9%, P = .012), while electronic cigarette users considered regular cigarettes to have a higher risk of nicotine exposure (55.9% vs. 13.0%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate being employed, having an actively smoking mother or partner, as well as smoking in previous pregnancies, to be the risk factors for increased likelihood of smoking during pregnancy.

The investigated case of etiology of chylous pleural effusion: Ataxia-telangiectasia.

Ataxia-telangiectasia is an autosomal recessive, rare, neurodegenerative multisystem disorder characterized by ataxia-telangiectasia, cerebellar ataxia, oculocutaneous telangiectasia, immunodeficiency, progressive respiratory failure associated with increased malignancy risk. Clinical diagnosis is made with ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene. Our case, who was diagnosed as ataxia-telangiectasia while investigating the etiology of chylous pleural effusion, is presented because of its rare occurrence.

Turkish Thoracic Society Early Career Members Task Force Group's Virtual Congress Notes: European Respiratory Society International Congress 2020.

In this article, Early Career Task Force Group members of the Turkish Thoracic Society summarize the European Respiratory Society 2020 virtual congress. Current developments in the field of respiratory diseases were compiled with the addition of sessions specific to coronavirus disease 2019 this year. Almost all of the congress sessions were examined, and the important and striking results of the congress were highlighted. Congress sessions were attended by expert researchers, and the prominent messages of each session were highlighted in short summaries. They were then grouped under relevant titles and ranked in order of meaning and relation. It was finalized by a team of researchers.

ERS International Virtual Congress 2021: Highlights from the Turkish Thoracic Society Early Career Members.

This review aimed to highlight some important points derived from the presentations of the European Respiratory Society 2021 Virtual International Congress by a committee formed by the Early Career Task Group of the Turkish Thoracic Society. We summarized a wide range of topics including current developments of respiratory diseases and provided an overview of important and striking topics of the congress. Our primary motivation was to give some up-to-date information and new developments discussed during congress especially for the pulmonologists who did not have a chance to follow the congress. This review also committed an opportunity to get an overview of the newest data in the diverse fields of respiratory medicine such as post-coronavirus disease 2019, some new interventional and technologic developments related to respiratory health, and new treatment strategies.