Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Kurumsal Akademik Arşivi
DSpace@RTEÜ, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi tarafından doğrudan ve dolaylı olarak yayınlanan; kitap, makale, tez, bildiri, rapor, araştırma verisi gibi tüm akademik kaynakları uluslararası standartlarda dijital ortamda depolar, Üniversitenin akademik performansını izlemeye aracılık eder, kaynakları uzun süreli saklar ve yayınların etkisini artırmak için telif haklarına uygun olarak Açık Erişime sunar.
Güncel Gönderiler
Twelve-month smoking cessation outcomes following immediate referral in people who smoke with chronic airway diseases: a randomized study
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2026) Karadoğan, Dilek; Telatar, Tahsin Gökhan; Kaya, İlknur; Atlı, Siahmet; Kabil, Neslihan Köse; Marım, Feride; Akgün, Metin
Background: Tobacco cessation support remains underutilized in routine care for patients with airway diseases such as asthma and COPD. In this multicenter randomized trial (NCT05764343, registration date: 2023-03-01), we previously reported that immediately scheduled appointments to smoking cessation clinics improved access and quit rates at 1-week and 3-month follow-ups. The present study evaluated whether these effects were sustained at 12 months. Methods: This prospective, parallel-arm, multicenter randomized trial included 397 adult people who smoke diagnosed with asthma, COPD, or bronchiectasis. Participants were allocated to either usual support (brief advice only) or immediate support (brief advice plus an appointment scheduled at a smoking cessation clinic). Smoking status was assessed by telephone at 12 months. Self-reported quitters were invited for exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) testing. The primary outcome was continuous abstinence at 12 months, analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Results: Of 397 randomized patients, 330 (83.1%) completed the 12-month follow-up, with similar loss to follow-up between groups. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the 12-month smoking cessation rate was significantly higher in the immediate support group compared with the usual support group (20.7% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.019). Among non-quitters, quit attempts, smoking cessation clinic admission, and pharmacotherapy use were significantly more common in the immediate support group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Immediate scheduling of smoking cessation clinic appointments resulted in significantly higher 12-month quit rates compared to usual care. These findings support the integration of proactive referral strategies into routine management of patients with chronic airway diseases.
Association of pectoralis major muscle cross-sectional area and mean density on chest CT with mortality in elderly COVID-19 patients: sex and side differences
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2026) Uzun, Ali Yavuz; Konak, Egemen; Altıntaş, Serra; Üçüncü, Yılmaz; Aktepe, Rıza; Kalkan, Ömer Faruk; Özyaşar, Ali Faruk
Background: COVID-19 is a disease that primarily affects the lungs and may follow a fatal course. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in the cross-sectional area and mean density of the pectoralis major (PM), an accessory respiratory muscle, between survivors and non-survivors with COVID-19, with analyses performed according to sex. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included a total of 201 patients aged 65 and over who were admitted to a tertiary healthcare center between March 2020 and May 2021. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis by PCR and radiological evidence of pulmonary involvement on chest CT were included in the study, while patients with imaging artifacts that could affect measurements were excluded. The cross-sectional area and mean density of the right and left pectoralis major muscles were measured on axial CT images at the sternal angle level using 3D Slicer software. Results: Of the 201 patients, 103 (51.2%) died. In the overall cohort, PM CSA (cross-sectional area) and density did not differ significantly between survivors and non-survivors. However, sex-stratified analyses revealed that female survivors had significantly greater right and left PM CSA compared to non-survivors (p = 0.015 for both), whereas in male patients, left PM density was significantly higher in survivors (p = 0.011). Lymphopenia and elevated NLR, AST, LDH, CRP, and D-dimer were also associated with mortality (p < 0.05). Conclusion: PM muscle measurements on chest CT showed some sex-related differences between survivors and non-survivors in elderly COVID-19 patients. Lower PM CSA in women and lower PM density in men were observed in univariable analyses. However, these parameters were not independently associated with mortality after adjustment. Therefore, PM muscle assessment on routine chest CT may provide additional but limited prognostic information.
Thyroid hormone changes after tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy in euthyroid patients with rheumatic diseases
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2026) Kızılkaya, Bayram; Mercantepe, Filiz; Vekic, Jelena; Cüre, Osman; Klisic, Aleksandra
Background/aim: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a central role in chronic inflammatory diseases. Anti-TNF agents are widely used in rheumatological conditions; however, their association with thyroid hormone parameters in patients without pre-existing thyroid disease remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to evaluate changes in thyroid hormone profiles during anti-TNF therapy in euthyroid patients with rheumatic diseases. Methods: In this retrospective study, 98 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, or Behçet’s disease without known thyroid disease were evaluated. Thyroid function tests, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies, inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and metabolic parameters were assessed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of anti-TNF therapy. Results: Anti-TNF therapy was associated with significant reductions in inflammatory markers (CRP and ESR, p < 0.01). A modest decrease in fasting glucose levels and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were observed during follow-up (p = 0.024 and p = 0.044, respectively). TSH and fT4 levels remained stable over time, whereas a gradual increase in fT3 levels was observed (p < 0.01). No significant changes were detected in anti-TPO antibody levels. Conclusions: Among euthyroid patients with rheumatic diseases, predominantly rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, anti-TNF therapy was associated with stable thyroid function parameters. The observed increase in fT3 levels may reflect reduced inflammatory burden rather than direct thyroidal effects. These findings support the thyroid safety of anti-TNF agents while highlighting potential links between inflammation control and peripheral thyroid hormone conversion.
Facing death: the last drawings of a woman with breast cancer at the end of life
(Nature Research, 2026) Rakıcı, Sema Yılmaz; Çetin, Bülent; Aydın, Esra; Gürsel, Bilge
Drawing offers a powerful means of expressing lived experience when words fail. This commentary analyzes the final drawings of a woman with breast cancer, examining how her artwork reflects an evolving confrontation with mortality across diagnosis, recurrence, and metastatic disease. Grounded in existential psychology, the article highlights grief, hope, faith, and death awareness, and argues for integrating psychological and spiritual perspectives into palliative and end-of-life care for patients and families.
Parental perceptions of antibiotic use in pediatric dentistry: a cross-sectional study using the PAPA scale
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2026) Çağlan, Şeyma Lök; Aydınoğlu, Sema; Günaçar, Dilara Nil
Background: Parental awareness regarding antibiotics might influence pediatric oral health. This study aimed to assess parents’ knowledge of antibiotic use and its relationship with their children’s oral health. Methods: This study included 805 children (ages 3–14 years) and their parents. A face-to-face questionnaire with 45 items was used to assess parental knowledge and attitudes using the PAPA (Parental Perceptions on Antibiotics) scale. Children’s oral health was clinically evaluated using DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) and PUFA (pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, and abscess) indices. Statistical analyses included the Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, independent samples T-test, Spearman’s rank correlation, and negative binomial regression. Results: There were significant negative correlations between parents’ PAPA scores and their children’s decayed teeth, DMFT, pulpal involvement, fistula formation, abscess, and PUFA scores (p < 0.05). Children with previous antibiotic use for dental pain had significantly higher missing teeth, DMFT, pulpal involvement, fistula formation, abscess, and PUFA scores (p < 0.05). Parents who sought professional care after symptoms in their children had subsided following antibiotic use had higher PAPA scores and better oral health outcomes in their children (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Increased parental knowledge and positive attitudes toward antibiotic use were associated with improved oral health outcomes in their children. Trial registration: The trial protocol was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT07112079) on August 7, 2025. Retrospectively registered.
