Nuray Özgülnar

Neutralizing antibodies plays a primary role in protective immunity by preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from entering the cells. Therefore, characterization of antiviral immunity is important for protection against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, the neutralizing effect of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein IgG, which was detected using the chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (CMIA)-based SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant (Abbott, Waukegan, IL, USA) test in SARS-CoV-2 infected and/or vaccinated individuals, was investigated with a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT). In total, 120 Seropositive individuals were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: Vaccinated (n = 60) and Vaccinated + Previously Infected (n = 60). A commercial sVNT, the ACE2–RBD Neutralization Test (Dia.Pro, Milan, Italy), was used to assess the neutralizing effect. The assay is performed in two steps: screening and titration. The screening showed positive results in all seropositive samples. Low titration in 1.7%, medium titration in 5%, and high titration in 93.3% of the Vaccinated group, and medium titration in 1.7% and high titration in 98.3% of the other group, as obtained from the ACE2-RBD titration test. A strong positive and significant correlation was found between the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant test and the ACE2-RBD titration test at the 1/32 titration level for both groups (p < 0.001 for both). This study shows that the SARS-CoV-2 IgG detected using the CMIA method after SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination has a high neutralizing titration by using the sVNT. In line with these data, knowledge that seropositivity determined by CMIA also indicates a strong neutralizing effect contributes to countrywide planning for protecting the population.

Background: There are limited data regarding short- and medium-term IgG antibody levels after the CoronaVac and BNT162b2 vaccines. This study aimed to investigate the antibody responses of health workers who initially received two doses of CoronaVac one month apart followed by a booster dose of either CoronaVac or BNT162b2, as well as determine whether either vaccine provided superior results. Methods: This research represents the second phase of a mixed-methods vaccine cohort study and was conducted between July 2021 and February 2022. The participants (n = 117) were interviewed in person and blood samples were collected before and at 1 and 6 months after the booster vaccination. Results: BNT162b2 was found to have greater immunogenic potential than CoronaVac (p < 0.001). Health workers without chronic disease exhibited statistically significant increases in antibody levels after both vaccines (p < 0.001), whereas only BNT162b2 caused a significant increase in antibody levels in participants with chronic disease (p < 0.001). Samples obtained before and at 1 and 6 months after the booster vaccination revealed no age- or sex-based differences in IgG-inducing potential for either vaccine (p > 0.05). Antibody levels were comparable in both vaccine groups before the booster regardless of COVID-19 history (p > 0.05); however, antibody levels were significantly higher after the BNT162b2 booster at 1 month (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that even a single booster dose of BNT162b2 after initial vaccination with CoronaVac provides a protective advantage against COVID-19, especially for risk groups such as health workers and those with chronic diseases.

Background and Objective: The purpose of this research is to evaluate the violations of the right to health of sex workers in Turkey with historical comparison. Methods: The research was designed as a qualitative, phenomenological study and was conducted in Istanbul. A total of 24 people was...

Amaç: Geleneksel olarak üreme sağlığı programları ve araştırmaları çoğunlukla kadınlar üzerine yoğunlaşmaktadır. Oysa üreme süreci ve sağlığı için kadın ve erkek birlikte roller üstlenir, sorumluluk taşırlar. Bu araştırmada; erkeklerin, gebelikten korunma yöntemleri konusunda bilgi düzeyleri, tutum ve davranışları hakkında bilgi toplamak ve bu konudaki gereksinimlerini belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu kesitsel araştırma İstanbul’da bir Aile Sağlığı Merkezindeki bir aile hekimine kayıtlı 18-65 yaş arasındaki erkek nüfustan basit rastgele örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilen 264 kişi ile yürütülmüştür. Belirlenen 264 kişilik örneklem büyüklüğü arasından, 171 bireye ulaşılmıştır. Örnekleme ulaşma oranı %64,7’dir. Veriler yüz yüze görüşme tekniği ile gebelikten korunma yöntemlerini irdeleyen anket formuyla toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde, sürekli değişkenler için Mann-Whitney U testi, kategorik değişkenler için Ki-Kare ve Fisher Exact testi kullanılmıştır. Çok değişkenli analizler için Lojistik Regresyon Analizi yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Erkeklerin halen en sık kullandığı yöntem %35.7 ile kondomdur ve onu %19.3 ile geri çekme yöntemi takip etmektedir. Vazektomi uygulaması yapılmış erkek yoktur. Kondom kullanımını etkileyen faktörleri saptamak için yapılan çok değişkenli analizler sonucunda kondom kullanımının yaş ve eğitimle ilişkili olduğu belirlenmiştir. Erkeklerin üreme sağlığı konularında en sık başvurdukları bilgi kaynakları %75.4 ile internet ve %56.1 ile sağlık personelidir. Sonuç: Üreme sağlığı hizmetlerinin genişletilerek verimliliğinin artırılması için bu hizmetlerin hedef kitlesi kapsamına erkeklerin de dahil edilmesi gerekmektedir.