Gürsoy, Ersan; Kilinçer, Mehmet; Yanmaz, Gadime; Yaǧiz, Mercan

Although there is an effective and valid vaccine, hepatitis A is an important public health problem, especially in underdeveloped countries. Ensuring high vaccination rates can help reduce the burden of hepatitis A. The aim of our study was to investigate hepatitis A seroprevalence, vaccination status, and barriers to vaccination among healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study was carried out in the Staff Health Screening Outpatient Clinic of Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital, and the hepatitis A immunoglobulin G (IgG) results of 226 people included in the study were evaluated. A 20-question questionnaire prepared by the researchers, which scanned the participants' occupations, hepatitis infection status, coronavirus and hepatitis A vaccination status, barriers to vaccination, and their relationship with primary care physicians, was filled in by face- to-face interview method. Results: The mean age was 30.02. Anti-hepatitis A virus IgG value was positive in 65.5% (n=148) of the participants. Only 36.7% (n=83) of the participants had previously been vaccinated against hepatitis A. The biggest obstacle to vaccination was the lack of time with 32.1% (n=46). Hepatitis A vaccination rate of physicians were statistically significantly higher than the others (p=0.018). The communication of the participants with their family physicians positively affected the vaccination rates positively (p=0.001). Conclusion: The vaccination rate among healthcare workers was relatively low, indicating the need for increased efforts to improve vaccination rates. At this stage, family physicians should take a more active role in public health.

Karavas, Erdal; Karakecili, Faruk; Balci, Mecdi Gurhan

Objectives: To investigate the effect of the biopsy technique used in percutaneous liver biopsies applied with semi-automatic 16 gauge (G) and 18G Tru-cut and Menghini aspiration needles in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on pathological evaluation. Materials and Methods: The study included 104 cases diagnosed with CHB who underwent liver biopsy between 2013 and 2018. The pathology results of biopsies were evaluated with the Menghini technique under ultrasound (USG) guidance (n=26), and with 16G (n=54) and 18G (n=24) semi-automatic Tru-cut needles under USG. Results: The fibrosis score in 5 (9.3%) of the 16G cases and in 3 (12.5%) of the 18G cases, and the ISHAK score in 3 (5.6%) of the 16G and in 1 (4.2%) of the 18G cases could not be determined. There was no significant difference between the methods and needle types in terms of the number of pieces, number of portal sites, fibrosis and ISHAK score (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the biopsies performed with Menghini method and Tru-cut method with 16G and 18G (p<0.0001) in terms of material length. The diagnosis rates for the Menghini technique, and 16G and 18G Tru-cut needles were 100%, 90.7% and 83.3%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference determined (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although a larger tissue piece is obtained with the Menghini technique, allowing evaluation of a larger portal area, no significant difference was determined between the techniques in the pathological evaluation. Taking patient safety and comfort into consideration, Tru-cut needle biopsy under USG guidance is recommended rather than the Menghini technique as less trauma is created.