Prevalence of Fibromyalgia Syndrome in Women with Lipedema and Its Effect on Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life.

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in patients with lipedema and to evaluate the effects of FMS on anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in this patient group. Methods: Patients with lipedema were invited to participate in a Survey-Monkey questionnaire (according to inclusion and exclusion criteria) that was announced on the facebook page of the lipedema patient community. The demographic and clinical properties, including age, body mass index (BMI), education, marital status, and types and stage of lipedema, were collected. Presence of fibromyalgia was assessed by the questions based on American College of Rheumatology 2016 FMS diagnostic criteria. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Short Form-12 (SF-12) were used to assess the anxiety and depression, and QoL respectively. The demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as anxiety/depression level and QoL of lipedema patients were evaluated in regard to the presence (Group 1) and absence (Group 2) of FMS. Results: A total of 354 participants with a mean age of 43.18 ± 9.53 years and BMI of 30.61 ± 6.86 were included. The majority of them were married and had university education. Most of the patients had types 1, 2 and commonly stages 1 and 2 lipedema. One hundred twenty-four patients (35%) satisfied FMS criteria. The demographic characteristics except pain intensity were similar between the groups. The mean anxiety and depression scores of Group 1 were significantly higher compared with Group 2 (13.11 ± 4.2 vs. 9.87 ± 4.65, 10.23 ± 3.79 vs. 8.26 ± 4.15, respectively, p < 0.001). The mental and physical subgroup scores of SF-12 (35.37 ± 8.59 vs. 42.55 ± 10.15, 35.27 ± 8.49 vs. 40.38 ± 11.36, respectively) were significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: More than every 3 lipedema patient may have FMS. This comorbidity may increase depression and anxiety, and impair QoL. Therefore, FMS must be kept in mind especially in the assessment of painful lipedema patients to decrease anxiety/depression and enhance the QoL of them.

The change in the frequency and severity of facial dermatoses and complaints in healthcare workers during the COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, the increased use of PPEs may lead to facial skin complaints. AIMS: This survey study aims to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on facial dermatoses and complaints. METHODS: A total of 1017 volunteers (age 18-60 years), consisting of healthcare workers, participated in the study. In the present study, healthcare professionals were screened for facial dermatoses and complaints between 1 and 15 April 2021 with an online survey. RESULTS: The vast majority of the survey were women (82.4%) and between 26 and 35 years old (49.2%). The most new-onset facial complaints were acne (25.3%) and lip dryness (29.2%). Along with the pandemic, 50.9% of patients with seborrheic dermatitis had an increase in lesions. Another remarkable result was a 60.5% increase in acne complaints. Moreover, the rate of exacerbations of rosacea, melasma, and lip dryness was increased after the COVID-19 pandemic (39.1%, 22.0%, and 42.7%, respectively). Exacerbations of seborrheic dermatitis, acne, and lip dryness have occurred more frequently in females when compared to males (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The current pandemic has had serious impacts on facial dermatoses which had to be managed carefully. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, there was a significant increase in the frequency and severity of complaints in facial dermatoses related to PPE. If the complaints that may develop due to PPE are known in advance, their development can be prevented by taking precautions against them.

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Patients with Lymphedema.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a challenge to management of lymphedema. The aim of this study was to assess general health conditions and evaluate the problems and concerns of lymphedema patients with regard to access to care and provision of management and control follow-ups during the lockdown period between March and June 2020. Methods: A web-based online survey, which included questions about demographic and clinical properties, compliance with restrictions and self-management, complications, needs, and difficulties in accessing health care, as well as the presence of psychological symptoms, was applied. Results: Two hundred three patients (190 female and 13 male) replied. Majority of them (73.4%) were between 30 and 60 years old and had high school/university education (67%). The duration of lymphedema was more than 3 years and sites were commonly extremities with mild to moderate intensity in 70.5% patients. Majority of them adhered to stay home warnings (88.7%). Weight gain was a common problem and self-care methods were generally skipped (81.8%). Seventeen percent of them had wounds and/or cellulitis. Forty percent of patients needed to apply to health centers to renew the pressure garment, but could not reach it. More than 70% of patients had sleep disorders and anxiety/stress. Majority of patients used television and social media to get information related to COVID-19 and the exposure time was commonly 2 to 6 hours. Conclusions: The COVID-19 lockdown had a great impact on lymphedema patients' health care not only from medical but also from psychosocial aspects. All these implications have to be identified and dealt with properly to avoid concerns and consequences of future pandemic lockdowns. Lymphedema services should be well prepared to be delivered virtually, enable effective care, and share knowledge to meet the needs of patients suffering from lymphedema.

The impact of Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure and cold-knife conization training model on the surgical skills and confidence level.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cold-knife conization (CKC) active training model on the surgical education and confidence levels of gynecologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The LEEP and CKC hands-on training model consists of sausage, which is 2.5 cm in diameter, as cervix; plastic cup as vagina; foam rubber as posterior and anterior fornices; and cotton plate as the leukoplakia area. In total, 34 participants performed LEEP and CKC procedures on the training model under the guidance of mentors after theoretical lessons about the transformation zone, indications, and surgical techniques of LEEP and CKC. Afterward, a web-based survey was conducted to measure the effectiveness of this surgical model, and participants graded their learning and confidence levels on the same. RESULTS: We evaluated the educational levels of the course, which were based on the basic surgical steps of LEEP and CKC procedures, and the confidence levels of the participants with regard to the previous practice or expertise of LEEP and CKC. Importantly, participants in each group had similar learning gains irrespective of previous practice or expertise. Despite a significantly higher pre-course confidence level of participants who had previously performed LEEP (p<0.001) and CKC (p<0.001) against their non-practitioner counterparts, the post-course confidence levels were similar in each group (p=0.127 and p=0.845, respectively). In both groups, the participants had increased mean confidence scores, which were statistically significant for participants who had not previously performed the procedures (p=0.003, LEEP and p=0.002, CKC, respectively). CONCLUSION: This surgical training model on LEEP and CKC can impart a better level of education in participants, irrespective of their previous expertise/practice.

Burnout and occupational participation among dentists with teaching responsibilities in universities.

The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of burnout and explore the relationships between burnout and occupational participation among dentists with teaching responsibilities. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to evaluate occupational participation with questions on demographic information among 155 dentists with teaching responsibilities. Age, gender, years of experience, academic position were the factors affecting level of burnout and occupational participation. Occupational performance score was negatively correlated with emotional exhausment (r = -.731) and depersonalization (r = -.693) while positively correlated with personal accomplishment (r = .611). Occupational satisfaction scores were negatively correlated with emotional exhausment (r = -.631) and depersonalization (r = -.625) while positively correlated with personal accomplishment (r = .614). Occupational participation level can effect burnout among dentists with teaching responsibilities. Further studies with a larger sample are needed to investigate these preliminary results deeply.

BURNOUT AND OCCUPATIONAL PARTICIPATION AMONG TURKISH DENTAL STUDENTS.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of burnout and occupational participation limitation among dental students in a dental school in Turkey. Four hundred fifty-eight dental students (females=153; males=305) were included in the study. The age range varied from 17-to-38 years. Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Version (MBI-SV) and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used to gather data. Descriptive analyses, t-test, and Kruskall-Wallis test for independent groups were used for data analyses. The results indicated that 26% of all the students have burnout in terms of emotional exhaustion (25%), cynicism (18%), and academic efficacy (14%). The results showed that burnout is statistically significant in relation to demographics (p<0.05). Twenty-four percent of the students showed considerably decreased occupational performance and satisfaction scores, which suggested occupational participation limitations. Occupational performance and satisfaction scores were inversely correlated with emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while directly correlated with reduced academic efficacy (p<0.05). The results of the present study indicates that burnout and occupational participation limitation can be seen among dental students. Students with burnout may also have occupational participation limitation. Enriching dental education programs with different psychological strategies may be useful for education of healthy dentists and improve the quality of oral and dental health services.

Association between burnout and depressive symptoms among Turkish dentists.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Health care professionals including dentists can experience increased professional burnout. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between depressive symptoms and burnout among Turkish dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted among a Turkish dentist sample in Ankara (Turkey) between February 2015 and August 2015. From a total of 500 dentists, 337 were included. A self-structured questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were completed by the participants. The Student t test or analysis of variance was used to compare the variables. RESULTS: A total of 337 dentists (162 female dentists; mean age of participants 36 ± 4.45 years) participated in this study. Age, sex, professional status, years in profession, sector, and number of patients seen/d were factors affecting level of burnout (P < 0.05); 29% of the participants showed burnout and 22.2% showed depressive symptoms. Participants showed increase in emotional exhaustion (38%), increase in depersonalization (22%), and decrease in personal accomplishment (12%). The mean score of BDI significantly correlated with those of the MBI subscales (P < 0.05). All items of BDI except weight loss, irritability, and loss of appetite significantly correlated with MBI subscores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dentists may face burnout and depressive symptoms during their professional life. Increased burnout level can give an idea on depressive symptoms, and may provide an opportunity to identify depression earlier. Creating and raising awareness about burnout are important to avoid and prevent depression among dentists. Further longitudinal studies analyzing the effects of interdisciplinary client-centered self-management programs for dentists on depressive symptoms and burnout must be planned.