Turkish validity and reliability study for the person-centered maternity care scale.

AIM: The objective was to adapt the person-centered maternity care scale (PCMCS) developed by Afulani et al. in 2017 to Turkish and to perform the validity and reliability study of this scale. METHODS: The population of this methodological study consisted of 280 mothers who were referred to the postpartum service of a public hospital in eastern Turkey. Linguistic validity, context validity, and pilot practice studies regarding the PCMCS that could be used in the first nine postpartum weeks were performed. Explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to assess the construct validity of the form. Reliability of PCMCS was tested through the Cronbach's α internal consistency coefficient, total item correlation, and test-retest analysis. RESULTS: The Turkish version of the PCMCS a 21-item scale with three sub-dimensions was obtained. These three sub-dimensions found as a result of explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the scale structure. Cronbach's α reliability coefficient scale was adequate for total and sub-dimensions. CONCLUSION: Turkish version of PCMCS was found to be a valid and reliable instrument to be used for assessing the person-centered maternity care for women in the postpartum period.

Prevalence and predictors of psychological response during immediate COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: COVID-19 pandemic has created a serious psychological impact worldwide since it has been declared. This study aims to investigate the level of psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Turkish population and to determine related factors. METHODS: The study was carried out by an online questionnaire using the virtual snowball sampling method. The sociodemographic data were collected on the following subjects: participants' experience on any signs of infection within the last month, the history of COVID-19 contact-treatment-quarantine, level of compliance with precautionary measures, the sources of information and level of knowledge about the pandemic process and their belief levels on the knowledge they acquire. Besides, the questions that take place in the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) were asked to participants. RESULTS: Of the 3549 participants, anxiety was found in 15.8%, depression in 22.6%, stress in 12.9%, and psychological trauma in 20.29% based on moderate and above levels. Female gender, young age, higher education level, being single, high monthly income, presence of psychiatric illness, a large number of people living together, having any signs of infection, and contact history with COVID-19 infected person or contaminated object are identified as risk factors that may increase psychological impact. Compliance with the rules was found to reduce the risk of psychological response. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and acknowledging these factors can help to formulate the interventions to reduce the stress levels of the population.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Smoking Cessation Success.

The coronavirus pandemic first started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and affected the whole world. In our country, new measures to be taken were announced after the first case was seen on March 11, 2020. In this study, patients who admitted to the smoking cessation clinic in 2018 and followed up by phone, regarding smoking cessation status in 2019 were questioned for their smoking cessation status after the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. In this descriptive study, the patients who applied to the smoking cessation outpatient clinic in 2018 were questioned regarding their smoking cessation status after 1 year and after the pandemic. It was investigated whether coronapandemia had an effect on smoking cessation. The data were evaluated by using SPSS 22 software. A value of p < 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 357 individuals with a median of Fagerström score of 7.0 were included in the study. Seventy-one (19.9%) of the subjects used nicotine tape, 268 (75.1%) used varenicline, and 18 (5.0%) used both. When the success of those who quit smoking before pandemic and those who quit smoking after pandemic were compared, a statistically significant relationship was found (p < 0.001). In our study, the rate of smoking cessation after 1 year was 23.7%, and the most common side effects were psychiatric complaints, whereas the rate of smoking cessation during the pandemic period was 31.1%. In order to increase the rate of smoking cessation, which is an important public health problem, more counseling should be provided, during the pandemic period.

Evaluation of the relationship between androgenetic alopecia and blood groups and Rhesus factor.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss. Androgens and genetic factors are responsible for pathogenesis. Blood groups are genetic markers that are used to identify human gene variation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood group distribution in patients with AGA and to compare it with healthy population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 207 patients diagnosed with AGA in dermatology clinic and whose blood group records were available, between 2010 and 2019, were included in the study. Six hundred forty two healthy individuals who matched with the patient group in terms of age and sex, who attending to the family medicine outpatient clinic of our hospital in order to learn their blood groups were included as the control group. RESULTS: When the results were compared, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (P Ëƒ .05). CONCLUSION: We could not find any relationship between AGA and blood groups. However, in order to determine this relationship more clearly, further multicentre studies including more cases and investigating subgroups of the cases are needed.

Evaluation of awareness regarding skin moisturisation and moisturiser usage frequency in individuals over 65 years of age.

OBJECTIVE: Skin dryness is a common dermatological problem among older people.We aimed to evaluate the frequency of moisturiser use and awareness of its benefits among older people. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 556 individuals over 65 years of age, all of whom were patients at family medicine and dermatology outpatient clinics at a tertiary teaching hospital. Data were summarised descriptively and analysed using binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 556 individuals who participated in the study, 241 were women and 315 were men. Moisturisers were being used by 217 patients (39%), and 91 patients (16.4%) classified the use of skin moisturisers as skincare. CONCLUSION: We found that individuals over 65 years of age had insufficient knowledge regarding the use and benefits of skin moisturisers.

Can suicide behavior and seasonality of suicide be predicted from inflammatory parameters in adolescents?

According to the 2017 data of World Health organization approximately 800 million individuals commit suicide annually. After understanding that psychiatric disorders start the inflammation process by suppressing the brain, a number of studies using neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio have been conducted. Platelet/lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio and other hemogram parameters may be a marker in predicting suicide. In addition, the determination of the relationship between these inflammatory markers and the cyclicity/seasonality of suicide can provide a basis for preventive mental health measures. This hypothesis was performed on 193 patients who attempted suicide and the control group consisted of 109 healthy children and adolescents between 2014 and 2019. Data were evaluated by SPSS software version 22 and a value of p < 0.05 was accepted to be significant in all tests. In our study, we found that hemogram parameters showing inflammation were significantly higher in the patients who committed suicide. Another finding of this study is that inflammation is directly related to suicide attempt rather than seasonality in adolescents who commit suicide. Rigorous testing of this medical hypothesis with other research will have major clinical and policy implications for preventive mental health.

Betacarotenemia con afectación nasal aislada en una niña: A propósito de un caso / Betacarotenemia with isolated nose involvement in a child: a case report

La carotenemia es, en general, benigna y suele ser causada por la ingesta excesiva de alimentos ricos en betacaroteno. Su presentación clínica puede ocurrir a cualquier edad, pero es frecuente en los niños. En este artículo, describimos un caso raro de carotenemia con afectación nasal aislada con el objetivo de recordar la presencia de carotenemia en el diagnóstico diferencial de ictericia. A menudo, la carotenemia se reconoce fácilmente y la manejan los médicos de familia y los pediatras, que podrían participar potencialmente en el tratamiento de estos casos. También es importante conocer y reconocer la carotenemia para informar a las familias y evitar la realización de pruebas innecesarias.

Carotenemia is generally benign and usually caused by excessive intake of beta-carotene rich food. This clinical presentation can occur in any age group but frequently occurs in children. We report a rare case of carotenemia with an isolated involvement of the nose and presented in order to remind carotenemia in the differential diagnosis of jaundice. Carotenemia is often easily recognized and dealt with by family medicine and pediatricians who may potentially get involved in the management of these cases. It is also important to know and recognize carotenemia in terms of informing families and preventing unnecessary tests.

Betacarotenemia with isolated nose involvement in a child: a case report. / Betacarotenemia con afectación nasal aislada en una niña: A propósito de un caso.

Carotenemia is generally benign and usually caused by excessive intake of beta-carotene rich food. This clinical presentation can occur in any age group but frequently occurs in children. We report a rare case of carotenemia with an isolated involvement of the nose and presented in order to remind carotenemia in the differential diagnosis of jaundice. Carotenemia is often easily recognized and dealt with by family medicine and pediatricians who may potentially get involved in the management of these cases. It is also important to know and recognize carotenemia in terms of informing families and preventing unnecessary tests.

La carotenemia es, en general, benigna y suele ser causada por la ingesta excesiva de alimentos ricos en betacaroteno. Su presentación clínica puede ocurrir a cualquier edad, pero es frecuente en los niños. En este artículo, describimos un caso raro de carotenemia con afectación nasal aislada con el objetivo de recordar la presencia de carotenemia en el diagnóstico diferencial de ictericia. A menudo, la carotenemia se reconoce fácilmente y la manejan los médicos de familia y los pediatras, que podrían participar potencialmente en el tratamiento de estos casos. También es importante conocer y reconocer la carotenemia para informar a las familias y evitar la realización de pruebas innecesarias.

Effects of mental and physical performance on attention, anger control and sleep quality.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the effective parameters on individual working performance, daily working order, and even on choosing a vocation. DESIGN AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on 288 students from Inönü University Medical School and Physical Education Vocational High School by applying the evaluation form, the Multidimensional Anger Scale, the Wender Utah Attention Rating Scale, the 25-item short form of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale. FINDINGS: In the BESYO students, the ratio of attention disturbances were higher, whereas in medical school students the ratio of sleep disturbances were higher. We also found that the quality of sleep affects daily functionality significantly. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study demonstrates the importance of regulating intense mental processes in sleep quality and consequently functional regulation.

Is there any relationship between benign endometrial pathologies and metabolic status?

The aim of this study was to assess the relation between benign endometrial pathologies (polyp and/or hyperplasia without atypia) and the metabolic status (insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome) of the patients. A total of 168 cases were enrolled in the study. The patients were classified according to the presence of benign endometrial pathologies and their menopausal status. Then, the subjects were evaluated according to the metabolic syndrome criteria and the presence of an insulin resistance. The insulin resistance levels of the cases were analysed by four different methods. Obesity and a waist circumference of greater than 88 cm were observed significantly more in the study group with endometrial pathologies (p = .005 and p < .001, respectively). It was also observed that a fasting blood glucose level of higher than 110 mg/dL increased the risk of developing endometrial polyps and/or hyperplasia without atypia by almost five folds (OR: 5.26, 95% CI: 1.25-22.12). Furthermore, an insulin resistance was found to be significantly high in the study group (p = .002). Based on the observed significant relationship between an insulin resistance and benign endometrial pathologies, it can be concluded that insulin resistance plays an important role in the development of benign endometrial pathologies. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject? Metabolic anomalies such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia play an important role in abnormal endometrial proliferation. Also, these metabolic anomalies have been known as risk factors for type I endometrial cancer. What the results of this study add? A significant relationship between an insulin resistance and benign endometrial pathologies was observed. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Based on this finding, we concluded that an insulin resistance may play an important role in the development of benign endometrial pathologies. The prevention and the treatment of obesity as a key factor of developing an insulin resistance, may reduce not only the incidence of malignant endometrial pathologies, but also the incidence of benign pathologies and of a malignant transformation.

Attitudes and behaviors of physicians in dealing with difficult patientsand relatives: a cross-sectional study in two training and research hospitals.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the reasons constituting the definition of 'difficult patient' and to evaluate attitudes and behaviors of physicians in coping with these patients and their relatives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in May and June 2013 with 400 randomly selected physicians from different specialties working in two training and research hospitals in Ankara. A questionnaire was created by reviewing the relevant literature, by family medicine clinic, and delivered to the physicians following a pilot study. RESULTS: In our study 92.8% of the physicians participating had experienced a negative contact with patients and/or their relatives, previously; 46.8% of the participants stated that they used their own experiences in coping with those situations. The frequency of negative communications was higher in surgical departments, increasing with average daily working hours and number of patients and decreasing with the experience of the physicians. The ways of coping with a difficult patient were nonjudgmental listening, patience, tolerance, and empathy, in declining order of importance. CONCLUSION: Physicians frequently experience negative communications with patients and/or relatives. Awareness of physicians about the concept of difficult patients and the causes and solutions should be enhanced.

Evaluation of the cardiovascular effects of varenicline in rats.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among tobacco users. Varenicline is widely used worldwide to help smoking cessation, but some published studies have reported associated cardiovascular events. OBJECTIVE: To determine the cardiovascular toxicity induced by varenicline in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We randomly separated 34 rats into two groups: 1) the control group (given only distilled water orally, n=10) and the varenicline group (given 9 µg/kg/day varenicline on days 1-3, 9 µg/kg twice daily on days 4-7, and 18 µg/kg twice daily on days 8-90 [total 83 days], n=24). Each group was then subdivided equally into acute and chronic subgroups, and all rats in these groups were euthanized with anesthesia overdose on days 45 and 90, respectively. Body and heart weights, hemodynamic (mean oxygen saturation, mean blood pressure, and heart rate, electrocardiographic (PR, QRS, and QT intervals) biochemical (oxidants and antioxidants), and histopathological analyses (including immunostaining) were performed. RESULTS: Acute varenicline exposure resulted in loss of body weight, while chronic varenicline exposure caused heart weight loss and decreased mean blood pressure, induced lipid peroxidation, and reduced antioxidant activity. Both acute and chronic varenicline exposure caused impairment of mean oxygen saturation. QT interval was prolonged in the chronic varenicline group, while PR interval prolongation was statistically significant in both the control and acute varenicline groups. Caspase-9 activity was also significantly increased by chronic exposure. Moreover, histopathological observations revealed severe morphological heart damage in both groups. CONCLUSION: Adverse effects of chronic varenicline exposure on cardiovascular tissue were confirmed by our electrocardiographic, biochemical, and histopathological analyses. This issue needs to be investigated with new experimental and clinical studies to evaluate the exact mechanism(s) of the detrimental effects of varenicline. Physicians should bear in mind the toxic effects of varenicline on the cardiovascular system when prescribing it for smoking cessation.

A case report of successful relactation.

Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended from birth until the first six months and then with complementary feeding up to age two. In our country, only 41.6% of infants are exclusively breastfed during the first six months, and the average duration of breastfeeding is 16 months.The term 'relactation' is used for the resumption of breastfeeding in infants who were not breastfed before or who quit suckling due to an illness of the mother or infant, breast problems, rejection of suckling by the infant, insufficient milk production, the mother's change of mind about breastfeeding, or adoption.Relactation is a laborious process that requires motivation and trained personnel. In our case, the process of achieving successful relactation in an eight-week-old infant who had not been breastfed before is described. The infant's young age and mother's strong motivation led to the success in relactation in this case.