Women's aesthetic perceptions of the genitalia and their association with anatomical measurements.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to determine women's perceptions of the vulva with the criteria defined in the literature for the ideal vulva and determine their relationship with anatomical measurements to determine the extent to which women's perceptions of normal align with our aesthetic standards of normality. METHODS: First of all, a questionnaire was given to all participants. The items of the data collection form included personal information, obstetric and gynecological information, their perceptions of their external genitalia and any physical, sexual, psychological, and hygiene problems they experience. Then examination and measurements of the external genitalia were performed. RESULTS: The majority of participants considered their genitalia normal (n = 101, 89.4%), while 12 participants (10.6%) considered them abnormal. Statistical analyses showed that women's perception of their genitalia as normal in appearance and size was associated with labia minora asymmetry (p = 0.023 and p = 0.006, respectively) and hyperpigmentation (p = 0.010 and p = 0.047, respectively) but not with labia minora measurements or protrusion (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although there is a tendency in the field of aesthetic surgery to define ideals and aesthetic standards for all parts of the body, our definitions of normality do not always coincide with those of the individual. The appearance of the genitalia is as personal as the face, and an individual's self-perception is more important than our ideal. LEVEL IV: Evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention, such as case studies. Dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence.

The Effect of Dermal Suspension on Early Complications After Vertical Reduction Mammoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Reduction mammoplasty is frequently performed in plastic surgery clinics. The vertical technique can be performed using several different pedicles, including superior, superomedial, medial, and lateral. For patients with large breasts, using a medial pedicle is recommended as a safer approach. Superficial wound dehiscence is common with all breast reduction techniques. METHODS: The present study compared early complications in patients who underwent reduction mammoplasty with superior pedicle, medial pedicle, or medial pedicle with dermal suspension performed by the same surgeon. The patients were evaluated in terms of age, weight, height, pedicle type and technique used for vertical reduction mammoplasty, resected tissue mass, suprasternal notch (SSN) to nipple-areola complex (NAC) distance, NAC transposition distance, and drain duration. RESULTS: Pairwise comparisons revealed that wound dehiscence along the inframammary fold (IMF) was significantly less frequent in the superior pedicle group than the medial pedicle without suspension group (p = 0.018). Although not statistically significant, using the suspension method in medial pedicle procedures reduced the rate of IMF wound dehiscence from 32.4 to 25%. Delayed IMF wound healing was associated with the amount of resected tissue (p = 0.004) but not with age, BMI, SSN-to-NAC distance, NAC transposition distance, or drain duration. CONCLUSION: Suspending the medial pedicle from the chest wall reduced the rate of IMF wound dehiscence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Breastfeeding frequency of primary healthcare professionals and effective factors.

BACKGROUND: To determine the frequency of breastfeeding of mothers working in primary care, the differences between different employment groups, and the effective factors. METHODS: This descriptive research study was conducted with a self-report online survey design. The snowball sampling method was used for the sample selection, and 151 family physicians and 126 family health professionals were included in the study during the research period (June 2019-December 2019). A 35-item survey was used to collect data. The response rate was 44.9% (49.5% family physicians/40.3% family health professionals). RESULTS: The mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 3.9 ± 2.0 months, and the mean duration of total breastfeeding was 16.7 ± 8.5 months. There was no significant difference between the family physicians and family health professionals in terms of exclusive breastfeeding (P = .580) and total breastfeeding (P = .325) durations. The most common reasons for weaning were reduced milk supply (25.6%) and not being able to use breastfeeding leave (23.1%) due to problems at work. Of the sample, 41.3% had problems with their coworkers and 41.9% had problems related to patient care when taking breastfeeding leave. Working in a baby-friendly centre (P = .01), prolonged exclusive breastfeeding (P < .001), and increased hours of breastfeeding leave taken (P = .001) had a positive effect on breastfeeding for ≥24 months while experiencing problems with coworkers in taking breastfeeding leave (P = .023) had a negative effect on this variable. CONCLUSIONS: All of the factors that were determined to affect the continuation of breastfeeding for ≥24 months are modifiable. It is very important for relevant authorities to undertake necessary action to improve the conditions of working mothers based on these results. Health professional that can maintain the balance between family and work will work more efficiently.

Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in an urban population of Sivas province in Turkey

Background/aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disorder that can be a leading cause of nontraumatic disability in several countries. Recent reports have indicated a moderate to high risk of MS in European countries. In this study, we examined the prevalence of MS in a well-defined urban population of provincial center in Sivas Province in Turkey. Materials and methods: This study sampled all registered residents of urban areas of provincial center in Sivas Province in April 2017 and 2018 January. All the included patients met the McDonald 2010 criteria. Medical records were reviewed, including all available previously acquired magnetic resonance imaging data. All patients were subsequently subjected to neurologic examination to confirm the MS diagnosis. Results: We identified 21 possible MS patients, with MS diagnosis confirmed in 19. The prevalence of MS was 288 per 100,000 inhabitants. Conclusion: For future studies, these high ratio results can be used in regional and national comparisons to determine cofactors contributing to the high prevalence of MS in our region and can help health-decision makers to better plan healthcare policies to improve neurological services and awareness about multifaceted clinical presentations of MS.