Background Pain has been frequently described as a clinical feature of COVID‐19, and the main pain syndromes that have been associated with the acute phase of this disease so far are headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and neuropathic pain. Understanding the characteristics of pain symptoms is crucial for a better clinical approach. Methods Patients who were diagnosed as having COVID‐19 using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction were included in the study. Patients were asked to complete a 51‐item questionnaire via a phone interview, which included questions on demographics, acute COVID‐19 symptoms, the presence of pain symptoms, and their characteristics in the acute phase of COVID‐19. Results A total of 222 out of 266 patients with COVID‐19 participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 83.5%. A total of 159 patients reported at least one kind of pain syndrome with a prevalence of 71.6%. Myalgia was reported in 110 (49.6%) patients, headache in 109 (49.1%), neuropathic pain symptoms in 55 (24.8%), and polyarthralgia in 30 (13.5%) patients. A total of 66 patients reported only one type of pain, 46 reported two types, 42 reported three types, and five patients reported all four types of pain. Logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant associations between these pain syndromes and a strong association was found between neuropathic pain and headache. Conclusion Pain is a frequently observed symptom of mild‐to‐moderate COVID‐19. There are significant relationships between pain syndromes in COVID‐19, which may be due to a sequence of common etiologic factors. Significance This study described the main pain syndromes associated acute phase of mild‐to‐moderate COVID‐19 and its associated features. Headaches and pain of neuropathic characteristics were prevalent in this sample.

IntroductionStenotrophomonas maltophilia (SM) is one of the common gram-negative pathogens that cause nosocomial infections. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the treatment and outcome of SM bacteraemia. Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated antimicrobial treatment in adult patients with nosocomial SM bacteraemia, with the 14th and 30th-day mortality as the outcome. ResultsIn total, 140 adult patients with SM bacteraemia who were diagnosed between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2016 were enrolled in the present study. Seventy-one (50.7%) patients were in the intensive care unit (ICU). The 14th and the 30th-day mortality rates were 32.9% (n=46) and 45.7% (n=64), respectively. Female sex (OR, 7.47; 95% CI 1.61-34.47, p<0.01), steroid use within the last month (OR, 10.2; 95% CI 1.27-82.27, p=0.029), Pittsburgh bacteraemia score (PBS) ≥4 (OR, 39.9; 95% CI 4.96-321.32, p<0.001) and solid organ malignancy (OR, 9.6; 95% CI 1.73-53.72, p<0.01) were independent risk factors for 14th day mortality. Removal of the catheter was an independent protective factor for both 14th (OR, 0.05; 95% CI 0.22-0.010, p<0.001) and 30th day (OR, 0.039;95% CI 0.164-0.009, p<0.001) mortality. We did not detect any difference between treatment regimens including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) or levofloxacin in terms of mortality. We found that TMP/SMX and levofloxacin combination did not significantly improve patient prognosis. ConclusionDue to the high mortality rates associated with nosocomial SM bacteraemia, adequate antibiotic therapy should be initiated immediately in the suspicion of infection, and prompt removal of any indwelling central venous catheter is important.

Introduction: Our knowledge has gaps regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication levels and its association to severity of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load with disease severity and serum biomarkers in COVID-19 patients. Methodology: Viral load was determined via cycle threshold (Ct) values of SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 214 adult patients. Ct values were compared with clinical severity, biochemical and hematological biomarkers. Results: Clinical course of the disease was mild (49.1%), moderate (40.2%), and severe (10.7%). Median Ct value was 28.2 (IQR: 22.2–33.8) during the first week of the disease. Ct values were lower within five days after symptom onset [lowest Ct value on the third day (median: 24, IQR: 20.6–32.3)], but they increased significantly during the second and third weeks. No association was detected between admission Ct values and disease severity. Gender, age, co-morbidity, and mortality did not differ significantly in patients with low (≤ 25) and high (> 25) Ct values. White blood cell, neutrophil, platelet, and especially lymphocyte counts, were significantly lower in patients with low Ct values. Conclusions: No definitive/clear correlation between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and severity and mortality was found in the studied COVID-19 patients. However, neutrophil, platelet, and especially lymphocyte count were significantly lower in patients with a high viral load.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution of anti-Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immünoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in patients with suspected toxoplasmosis admitted to the Practice and Research Center of Health of the Medical Faculty of Uludağ University. Methods: The blood samples examined for the presence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody and anti-T. gondii IgM antibody by an enzyme linked fluorescent assay test, anti-T. gondii IgG avidity value was evaluated by VIDAS (BioMérieux, France) kit. Results: In our study, anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity in 3311 (30.7%) of 10.603 cases and anti-T. gondii IgM seropositivity in 1423 (9.7%) of 14.618 cases were detected. Seropositivity of anti-T. gondii IgG was 37.5% in women of childbearing age group. The avidity value was high in 56.1% (n=156) and low in 28.9% (n=80) of childbearing age group women with positive anti-T. gondii IgG and anti-T. gondii IgM test. Conclusion: Especially in regions where seroprevalence is high, we think that pregnant women and women of childbearing age should be investigated in terms of T. gondii antibodies.

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