Circumpapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer OCT Imaging in a Parkinson’s Disease Cohort—A Multidisciplinary Approach in a Clinical Research Hospital

(1) Background: The purpose of this paper is to report the data of the first study in a Clinical Research Hospital, in the Transylvania region, focusing on the Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) measurements in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and to compare the results with age-matched healthy controls. (2) Methods: This study assessed the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) SD-OCT measurements (Heidelberg Spectralis, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) of two study groups: patients suffering from PD (Hoehn−Yahr stages 1–3) and healthy controls. Secondary objectives were to investigate the reported visual symptoms by evaluating the color vision, contrast sensitivity, and the central visual defects for macular disease using standardized charts. Subjects with prior history of ophthalmologic diseases, advanced stages of PD (Hoehn−Yahr stages 4–5), or with psychiatric conditions were not included in this study. The same team of neurologists and ophthalmologists evaluated all individuals in order to have comparable data and to eliminate inter-examiner differences. All subjects were recruited from the same Clinical Research Hospital in the Transylvania region, Romania. (3) Results: 72% of the PD patients (n = 17) in this study reported visual symptoms. In respect to the ophthalmologic chart evaluation for PD patients, the most frequent disturbances were identified in the Ishihara color perception testing (33%). The regression analysis showed significant results for the Ishihara testing in relation to the cpRNFL thinning in the temporal retinal sectors for both eyes. cpRNFL thinning was predominantly contralateral to the parkinsonism (p = 0.001). The temporal and global values of the cpRNFL were significantly lower in all PD patients < 70 years old, compared to the age-matched healthy controls. (4) Conclusions: Specific patterns of cpRNFL thinning were found in the PD subjects younger than 70 years. A multidisciplinary approach is essential for a complete evaluation of PD patients.

Incidence of Patterns of Bony modification of Neck of the Talus in Indian Population

Objective: The present study is an attempt to determine the various types of bony modifications on the dorsum of the neck of the human tali of both feet due to the continuous habit of squatting in humans and correlating these findings to the existing literature. Materials and Methods: 70 tali of unknown sex, obtained from the Department of Anatomy of MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, Bangalore were used for the study. The dorsal surface of talar neck was carefully examined for the presence of medial and lateral squatting facets, combined facets, continuous gutter shaped facets and extension of trochlear surface. The collected data were tabulated and percentage of each facets and trochlear extensions were calculated. Statistical analysis of data was performed. Results: Out of 70 dry human tali, lateral squatting facets were present in 29 (41.4%) bones and medial squatting facets were seen in 11 (15.7%) bones, gutter shaped facets in 12 (17.1%) tali and combined facet present in 10 (14.2%) tali. Complete absence of facet was observed in 8 tali. Lateral extension of trochlear surface on the dorsum of neck was seen in 60 (85.7%) bones and medial trochlear extension was seen in 8(11.5%) bones. Lateral squatting facets were more common on right side but medial, gutter and combined facets though less frequent were seen more on left side. Lateral extensions were more commonly seen than medial extensions. Conclusion: The knowledge of incidence of these modifications on the dorsal surfaces of neck of the talus acts as a key anthropological factor to identify the racial and regional origin of unclaimed skeleton. Hence the results of this study will be of great help for forensic experts, anthropologist who are handling the unidentified skeletons. KEY WORDS: Squatting Facets, Talus, Trochlear extensions, Sub Talar Joint Stability.

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rate among healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Mogadishu Somalia: A cross-sectional study

Background The percentage of healthcare workers that are vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 in Somalia remains unknown. The main purpose of our study is to determine the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rate among healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. Methods The design of the study is cross-sectional which was undertaken to assess the vaccination rate of healthcare workers in Mogadishu Somali Turkish Training and Research Hospital from September 1 to September 20, 2021. A total number of 210 healthcare workers have participated in this study. The data were collected using a questionnaire. Results Out of 210 healthcare workers that have enrolled in the study 56.2% (n=118) were males. The mean age of the participants was 28.23 with SD ± 2.9. The most abundant age group in our study was 18-27 years with 53.8% (n=113). According to the participant’s profession, the doctors were the commonest participant with 48.6% (n=102). The SARS-CoV-2 vaccination level of the healthcare workers in Mogadishu Somali Turkish Training and Research Hospital was found to be 20% (n=42). 26.2% of the males that participated in this study were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 while only 12% of females were vaccinated. The study found that there is a significant correlation between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and gender with p value<.05. The study also revealed that there is a negative correlation between age and being vaccination against Covid-19 disease with p value <.01. 30% (n=31) of the doctors, 5.6% (n=4) of nurses, 14.2% (n=14) of radiology technicians, 30.7% (n=4) of anesthesia technicians, and 10% (n=1) of laboratory stuffs were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. The reasons for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy were fear towards the vaccine complications 58% (n=97), followed by believed that vaccine will not be beneficial, lack of opportunity, no reason, and avoiding for religious or social reasons in 23% (n=39), 8.3% (n=14), 9% (n=15), 1.7% (n=3), respectively. Conclusion We found that only 20% of the healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Somalia were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is an emergency public health situation as it will put the healthcare workers and the patients at risk for developing Covid 19 disease.

CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SINONASAL REGION LESIONS: A SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE

Benign and malignant lesions of the sinonasal area are frequently seen in the clinic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathological and clinical features of patients diagnosed with sinonasal lesions in the Department of Pathology of the University of Health Sciences Ankara Training and Research Hospital between 2016 and 2019. Evaluation was made of benign and malignant sinonasal lesions reported in the Department of Pathology of the University of Health Sciences Ankara Training and Research Hospital between 2016 and 2019. The data including age, gender, diagnosis, localization and clinical information of patients diagnosed with benign and malignant sinonasal lesions were obtained retrospectively from the hospital information system and patient files. The data sets created were then evaluated statistically and the results were discussed in the light of the relevant literature. From the data sets obtained from the patient data, it was observed that the number of benign lesions in the sinonasal region (91%) was higher than malignant lesions (9%). Patients with sinonasal masses were predominantly in the 41-50 years age group, with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction were determined to be the most common symptoms at presentation. The anatomic localization of the lesions sent to the pathology department was classified by the clinician, and reported as 84.5% nasal cavity, 3.5% nasal septum, 1.6% nasal concha, 2.2% nasal vestibule, and 8.2% paranasal sinus. According to the pathological diagnoses of these cases, sinonasal polyps with benign characteristics were found at the rate of 82.6%, and inverted papilloma with the potential for malignancy and recurrence at 8.5%. Sinonasal lesions are often benign but malignant potential should not be ignored. It should be kept in mind that benign and malignant lesions of this region may show similar symptoms and indications in clinical evaluation. Therefore, endoscopic and pathological evaluation is important for lesions detected in the sinonasal region.

An Important Public Health Problem "Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Frequency": An Example From A Training And Research Hospital

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections are a significant threat to public health due to the limited availability of antibiotics and the effect on mortality. This study was conducted retrospectively to determine the prevalence of CRE in a teaching and research hospital in Istanbul. Materials and Methods: In 2016, 2017 and in the first half of 2018 Klebsiella species were evaluated retrospectively in culture samples that were sent to Microbiology Laboratory in an educational hospital. The typing of Klebsiella species were performed with MALDITOF-MS device (Biomerieux, France). Imipenem, merapenem, ertapenem susceptibilities of the strains were evaluated with VITEC2 Compact (Biomerieux, France) according to EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing). If the strains were found to be resistant, the results were confirmed by the antibiotic gradient test. Results: In our study, 257 samples; Klebsiella oxytoca 9 (3.49%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae 248 (96.51%) were detected. 130 endotracheal aspirates, 57 wounds, 34 blood, 15 urine, 9 sputum, 3 catheters, 4 tissue biopsies, 2 mediastinum, 2 peritoneal fluid and 1 pleural fluid strains were identified. While none of the Klebsiella oxytoca strains were resistant to carbapenems, the percentages of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance against imipenem, merapenem and ertapenem were found to be 23.29%, 16.94% and 29.44% respectively. Conclusion: The increasing problem of carbapenem-resistant (CR) Klebsiella pneumoniae in the last decade has been observed in our hospital for the last 2 years. CR strains often show increased resistance to other antibiotics and their treatment possibilities are limited. It increases the importance of controlling this factor. The application of effective infection control programs and the use of rational antibiotics are of great importance.