OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed to determine the relationship between 25-OH vitamin D levels, infl ammatory parameters of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), c-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the disease severity of COVID-19 infection. BACKGROUND: Infl ammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 while identifying the clinical course and prognosis. The effect of vitamin D defi ciency on contribution to infl ammation in COVID-19 is unclear. METHODS: Based on the classifi cation of the clinical course of COVID-19, the patients were divided into three groups, i.e., with mild (Group 1), moderate (Group 2) and severe/critical cases (Group 3). The 25-OH vitamin D values were defi ned as defi cient, insuffi cient or normal. RESULTS: There were no statistically signifi cant differences in the distribution rates of 25-OH vitamin D levels (p>0.05) between the groups. Infl ammatory parameters in Group 3 were statistically signifi cantly higher as compared to Groups1 and 2 (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that NLR was an independent predictor of disease severity. CONCLUSION: There is no relationship between the severity of COVID-19 infection and 25-OH vitamin D defi ciency. Infl ammatory parameters are associated with the disease severity, while NLR is an independent predictor of severe COVID-19. There was no correlation between 25-OH vitamin D and infl ammatory markers (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 38).

Introduction/Objective Sciatica is a disabling pathology with variable etiologies. The most common pathologies arise from discogenic or non-discogenic causes. Mass lesions are a rare cause of extraspinal sciatica, which have been commonly overlooked, leading to unnecessary spinal surgeries, delay in diagnosis or inadequate treatment. There is no standard surgical approach and functional outcomes after surgical treatment of these lesions are not well-known. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes after surgical treatment of mass lesions causing sciatica in different locations. Methods Data were obtained by a retrospective review from 2015-2020. The mean duration of symptoms at the time of surgery was 10.3 months (3-48 months). The mean age of patients at the time of surgery was 43.8 years (14-73 years). The mean follow-up was 19.5 months (4-50 months). In total, 14 cases had an extrapelvic localization distal to sciatic notch. The other three cases had lesions in the intrapelvic area, including left sciatic notch (1), right acetabulum (1), sacroiliac and lumbosacral region (1). None of the patients had palpable masses. Transgluteal, infragluteal, lateral, and posteromedial approach were used depending on location and size of the lesion. Results At the final follow-up, all patients recovered pain relief. The median musculoskeletal tumor society score was 90% (70-100). There was no recurrence at the latest follow-up. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that early detection by neurological examination and radiological work-up can avoid unnecessary surgeries, enable early surgical treatment of tumoral mass with satisfactory clinical outcomes. The surgical approach should be individualized according to location and size of the lesion.