Objectives: Severe disease characterized by interstitial pneumonia may develop in some cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Periostin has been associated with many respiratory diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether periostin could be a useful new biomarker in the follow-up and severity assessment of the disease in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: In the study, 32 patients followed up during May–July 2020 due to COVID-19 and 24 healthy controls were included. The patients were divided into two groups, namely, mild/moderate and severe, according to the severity of the disease. Serum periostin and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) levels were tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method using commercially available ELISA kits. Results: It was observed that the periostin level was significantly higher in both mild/moderate cases and severe cases compared to the control group at first presentation. However, TGF-β levels at first presentation were similar between the groups. Conclusions: Our study is the first study to investigate periostin levels in patients with COVID-19, and we believe that periostin can be used as a new biomarker. Keywords: COVID-19, Periostin, TGF-β, Pneumonia, New Biomarker Coronaviruses are among the main pathogens that mainly target the human respiratory system. Severe disease characterized by interstitial pneumonia develops in 10-20% of patients. Periostin has recently been shown to be an indicator of disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and asthma. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether periostin could be a useful new biomarker in the follow-up and severity assessment of the disease in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. This article demonstrated that periostin is a useful new biomarker for disease follow-up and severity in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. It is also the first study on periostin levels in patients with COVID-19

Objective: Migration can lead to a change in the demographic dynamics of host populations in terms of communicable diseases in destination countries. This is a potential public health challenge for health authorities. HBV and HCV infections can lead to the development of chronic liver diseases, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and HIV infection can lead to the development of serious opportunistic diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate the seroprevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV in Syrian refugees and Turkish patients who were evaluated preoperatively in our hospital. Materials and methods: HBsAg, Anti-HBs, Anti-HBc, Anti-HCV and Anti-HIV results of Syrian refugee and Turkish patients who applied to surgical clinics between 2011-2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The study is comprised of 54446 patients: Turkish patient group (n=20569) and Syrian refugee patient group (n=33877). The Syrian refugee patients had a significantly higher HBsAg seropositivity rate and a significantly lower anti-HBs seropositivity rate than the Turkish patients (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). The anti-HCV and anti-HIV seropositivity rates were similar. The annual preoperative prevalance of HBsAg seropositivity in the Syrian refugee patients tended to significantly decrease gradually from year 2011 to year 2021 (p<0.001 for ≤30 and p=0.001 for >30 years old). Conclusion: As a result, although HBV seroprevalence gradually decreases and HCV and HIV seroprevalence is low; screening, information and treatment programs should be given due importance because of the serious disease potential and preventable conditions with precautions. In addition, preoperative screening of refugee patients coming for major surgery may be important for the safety of healthcare professionals.

Research of Occult Hepatitis B Infection in HIV-infected Patients, Schindler Study ABSTRACT Objective: Occult hepatitis B infection seems to be more prevalent among subjects at high risk for HBV infection and with concomitant liver disease. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of OHBI in group of HIV-1+/HBsAg- Turkish patients. Methods: Ten centers in Turkey have been included in the study. Gender, age, occupation, place of residence, treatment status, clinic, immunodeficiency panel, eliza tests, hemogram, biochemistry and coagulation laboratory results of the patients were evaluated retrospectively. Results: The number of HIV-infected patients followed in these centers is 3172. The mean age of the patients was 37.2 ± 13.1, and they were 235 males (84.5%) and 43 (15.5%) females. 278 (99.6%) of the patients are patients who received antiretroviral treatment. included in the s Of the 279 patients included in the study, it was determined that HBsAg was negative in all of them, 169 were positive for Anti HBs and 125 were positive for Anti HBc IgG. HIV RNA (203/278) was detected in 203 of the patients. 4 (1.4%) of the patients were diagnosed with OHB. In our study, no significant difference was found in hemoglobin and bilirubin levels and complete blood count in patients with HIV-OHB co-infection. However, albumin values were found to be <3.5 in three OHD patients (p = 0.043). Conclusion: Reasearch the presence of OHB infection in HIV-infected patients is important in determining treatment options and predicting the survival of patient. Hypoalbuminemia could be showing hepatic failure and we can suggest the importance of treatment that diseases.