Psychological Changes of Music and Fine Arts Students in the Education Process: A Comparative Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the changes in psychological distress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in students from the fine arts faculty in the first 2 years of their education in Turkey, in comparison with students from other faculties, and to reveal the causes of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in fine arts students. METHODS: The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were applied to students from Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculties of Economics and Sport Sciences (controls) in the first week of the 2017-2018 academic year. Students also completed a questionnaire measuring their possible stressful life events (at timepoint T1). The process was repeated for the same students in the second year (T2). The changes between the two time¬points were examined prospectively. RESULTS: A total of 96 fine arts students agreed to participate at T1 and 66 at T2 (68.8%); for the controls, it was 259 at T1 and 182 (70.3%) at T2. The fine arts students at T1 included 15 music majors, 45 cinema and television, and 36 handi¬crafts, sculpture, and painting. Their average age at T1 was 21.0 yrs (SD 5.8) and 54.2% were male; for the other students, it was 19.4 yrs (2.7) and 56.0% male. Fine arts students' GHQ-12 score averages increased significantly from T1 to T2 (11.7 to 14.3, p=0.002). Their BDI score averages increased from 10.3 to 12.3 (p=0.044). Moreover, their S-Anxiety score averages increased from 41.1 at T1 to 44.1 at T2 (p=0.008). However, the increase in T-Anxiety scores was not statistically significant. None of the control students' test scores varied between the two timepoints (p>0.05). At T2, for fine arts students, there was no significant difference between female and male students in terms of GHQ-12, BDI, and S-Anxiety scores. However, T-anxiety scores were higher in female students. By linear regression analysis, "worrying about the future (individual)" was found to be a determinant on all scale scores in fine arts students. CONCLUSION: The psychological indicators increased significantly in fine arts students during the first year of their education.

Prevalence and risk factors for sexual dysfunction in reproductive-aged married women: A cross-sectional epidemiological study.

AIM: We aimed (i) to evaluate the point prevalence for sexual dysfunction in a population of reproductive-aged married women living in an urban area in Isparta, Turkey, (ii) to examine demographic and psychosocial risk factors for sexual dysfunction. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, following single-stage cluster sampling all married women living in three representative areas (n = 1323) were approached at their place of residence. Female sexual dysfunction, poor mental health and marital adjustment were assessed with the 9-item Index of Female Sexual Function, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, and Locke-Wallace Short Marital-Adjustment Test, respectively. Descriptive data were presented as frequencies, percentages and mean ± standard deviations. Chi-square and independent samples t-test were used for univariate analysis. Logistic regression model was constructed to define independent risk factors for sexual dysfunction. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 1216 women included in analyses (response rate 91.9%), 45.0% experience sexual dysfunction. Poor marital adjustment and poor mental health are associated with sexual dysfunction (odds ratio = 4.06; 95% confidence interval = 2.97-5.54; odds ratio = 2.74; 95% confidence interval = 2.00-3.72, respectively). Lack of social insurance, chronic disease of the spouse, perception of deficient knowledge on sexuality-related topics, perceived sexual problems, and increasing duration of marriage were also associated with sexual dysfunction (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: Screening of married women for sexual dysfunction and the risk factors revealed in the present study may permit appropriate preventive interventions.

Psychological Distress, Depression, and Anxiety in Nursing Students: A Longitudinal Study.

The aim of this longitudinal study is to determine how stressful life events, psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety change in a cohort of students from one nursing faculty during the education process and to document the factors related to psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety during the fourth year of education. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were applied to students within the faculty of nursing within the first week of the 2018-2019 academic year. All students were asked to answer a questionnaire measuring their possible stressful life events (first timepoint). The process was repeated for the same students again in the fourth year (second timepoint). The changes between the two timepoints were examined. Nursing students' GHQ-12 and STAI scores and averages increased significantly from first timepoint to second timepoint (p < 0.05). There was a significant increase in the prevalence of depressive symptoms for the ≥21 cut-off point of BDI in the fourth year of the study cohort. A significant increase in perceived stress levels between the two timepoints was also found for numerous stressful life events. As a result of linear regression, "dissatisfaction with major" was found as a determinant on all scale scores. The psychological indicators increased significantly in nursing students during their education. Interventions to reduce stress, anxiety, and psychological distress are needed to improve the mental health status of nursing students.

The importance microRNAs as a biomarker in lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer (LC) is the most common cancer  in the world.Well known  causes are  long term  smoking, environmental influences and genetic variations. LC  is divided into two main types based on their histological phenotypes; small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The high specificity of these new screening methods, which are non-invasive, safe, inexpensive and simple to perform, is important in the early diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. MicroRNAs are  significant biomarkers on the diagnosis metastasis and targeted therapies of NSCLC. In our study, we aimed to investigate the potential of using microRNAs as a biomarker in the early diagnosis of lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Twenty patients diagnosed with lung cancer and  twenty healthy individuals of the same age and gender were selected as the control group.  Sixteen microRNAs were studied from blood samples. RESULT: Sixteen miRNAs (Let -7c, Let-7g, miR-1, miR-21, miR-29a, miR-31, miR-34a, miR 103a, miR-141, miR-155, miR-193b, miR-200b, miR-205, miR-340, miR-486, miR-708) were selected for tests and MiR 181 and miR 192 were used as the endogenous control group in line with their binding potentials and gene expression levels. The most specific and sensitive miRNAs were mirR-29a, miR-103a, and miR486 according to endogen controls in patients and healthy subjects. DISCUSSION: A meta-analysis study showed that circulating miRNAs could be promising biomarkers for early diagnosis of lung cancer. Overall, 17 studies were included evaluating 35 miRNA markers and 19 miRNA panels in serum or plasma. The potential role of circulating miRNAs for non-invasive lung screening has been highlighted. In conclusion, there is a need for further validation studies for the use of three  miRNAs as a biomarker in the early diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer.

Effects of chronic scopolamine administration on spatial working memory and hippocampal receptors related to learning.

Scopolamine has been used in neuropsychopharmacology as a standard drug that leads to symptoms mimicking cognitive deficits seen during the aging process in healthy humans and animals. Scopolamine is known to be a nonselective muscarinic receptor blocker, but its chronic effect on the expression of certain hippocampal receptors is not clear. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of chronic scopolamine administration on hippocampal receptor expression and spatial working memory in two different learning tasks, the water maze and the eight-arm radial maze. Male rats (8-12 months) were trained in both tasks. Subsequently, different groups received physiological saline or 0.1, 0.8, or 2 mg/kg scopolamine hydrobromide, respectively, for 15 days. After drug administration, the rats were retested for both tasks, and hippocampal expressions of NR2A, NR2B, nAChRα7, and mAChRM1 receptors were assessed by western blotting analysis. In both tasks, the spatial working memory was decreased dose dependently in all groups compared with the control group. In terms of receptor expressions, 0.8 and 2 mg/kg scopolamine administration significantly decreased NR2A protein expression, which corroborates suggestions of an interaction between cholinergic and glutamatergic receptors in the hippocampus.

Use of MicroRNAs as biomarkers in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common type of cancer in western countries and prominent cause of mortality in men. The aim of the study was to analyze circulating miRNAs as biomarkers in the sera of healthy individuals and prostate cancer cases without biopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty prostate cases, age (mean and range) 61,4±12.1 (45-73), and twenty healthy men, age 59,3±11.2 (44-70) were included to the study. The mean and range of prostate spesific antigen (PSA) in cancer cases and healthy individuals were 6.79±2.84 ng/ml (2.25-14.7) and 3.8±2.2 ng/ml (1.3-7.8) respectively. RESULTS: Seven miRNAs including two internal controls (Let7c, miR125b, miR141, miR145, miR 155, miR181 ve miR192) were evaluated in two groups. The level of miR141 was significantly lower in PCa cases than healthy individuals (p=0,004), and miR155 was significantly higher (p=0,005) in PCa cases. Both miRNAs were explored sensitive and spesific in the ROC analysis. Tumor mass were found to be associated with the level of miR-125b and miR-145. Conclusion; validation studies are required in wider patient groups in the subject of tumor effect and miRNA biomarkers in prostate cancer.

Depression and Psychological Distress in Medical Students, A Prospective Study.

Introduction: The aim of the study is to determine the changes in psychological distress and depressive symptoms of medical students in the first two years of their education process, in comparison with other faculty students. Methods: All first-year students in the Faculties of Medicine, Economics and Sport Sciences were asked to fill out a detailed self-reported questionnaire aimed at measuring possible stressful life events and habits, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) during the first week of their first semester in 2017-2018. This process was repeated to the same students again in the second year, and the change was examined prospectively. Results: The GHQ-12 score average increased from 11.19 to 13.7 in medical students (p<0.001). The prevalence of psychological distress increased from 53.8% to 61.8%. The BDI score average was 8.04 in the beginning and reached 10.1 in the second year (p<0.001). Depressive symptom prevalence increased from 8.8% to 19.5%. No significant increase was observed in the GHQ-12, BDI score average, depressive symptoms, and psychological distress prevalence of other faculty students. The incidence of depressive symptoms in medical students was 15.9%. As a result of multivariate analysis, "dissatisfaction with social activities" and "exposure to psychological pressure and violence" which were stressful life events were statistically associated with both GHQ-12 and BDI. Conclusion: It was determined that the mental health of the students was negatively affected in the first year of medical school education. It is recommended to raise awareness for medical students at risk of mental illness and to plan interventions that will protect their mental health.

Characteristics of open globe injuries in geriatric patients.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the etiological and demographic characteristics of open globe injuries in geriatric patients, to determine the factors affecting the prognosis and to discuss the differences between geriatric and young populations in light of the current literature. METHODS: The medical files of 30 patients aged 65 years and older who were treated and followed up for open globe injuries between 1998 and 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.1 years. Sixty percent of the patients were male, with a predominance of left eye involvement. The most common type of trauma was rupture due to a blunt object. The presenting visual acuity was no light perception in 13 patients, light perception/hand movement in 15 patients and 1/200-19/200 in 2 patients. In a univariate analysis assessing the effects of demographic and clinical characteristics on final vision, the wound location, type of trauma and Ocular Trauma Score were found to be statistically significant variations. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of open globe injuries is very poor in geriatric patients. Age-related structural changes and previous history of surgeries contribute to easy development of a rupture. During the treatment process, limited recovery capacity, ocular pathology in patients and low functional capacity in this age group exert negative effects on the prognosis.

MicroRNAs as biomarkers for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women and the most frequent cause of death due to cancer among women. The lack of standard biomarkers in the early diagnosis of breast cancer, microRNAs (miRNA) have been of interest recently. Although, miRNAs are 19-24 nucleotide-long non-coding RNA species, they have crucial roles in many areas from organogenesis to carcinogenesis. This study has been conducted to investigate miR 21, miR 27b, miR 125a, miR 155, miR 200c, miR 335 miR373 as biomarkers in the early diagnosis of breast cancer; a selection based on the literature. Two miRNAs, miR 181 and miR 192 were selected as the endogenous control. MiRNAs were obtained from 5 cc blood samples taken from 20 breast cancer patients and 20 healthy people. 10 microRNAs were studied using Real Time PCR method. As a result, the quantities of miR 21, miR155 and miR125 ​​were significantly higher in the breast cancer group than in healthy controls. We suggest that performing validation studies in wider populations can help the use of miRNAs as biomarkers in the early diagnosis of breast cancer.

To be vaccinated or not? A survey of Turkish emergency physicians regarding smallpox.

We investigated Turkish emergency physicians' opinions about the threat of smallpox, smallpox vaccination, and the treatment of patients with suspected smallpox, and sought to identify factors that affect willingness to receive smallpox vaccination. Anonymous surveys were sent by mail to university-affiliated Emergency Departments in Turkey. Ten of the 21 university-based Emergency Medicine programs participated in the study, and 125 physicians (48% of all emergency physicians in Turkey) completed the survey. The probability of a bioterror attack using smallpox within Turkish borders was viewed as none or minimal by 43.2% of participants. Only 22.4% of the participants stated that they would agree to be vaccinated. The only factor that affected the rate of participants' willingness to receive smallpox vaccination was the occurrence of a smallpox case within Turkish borders. Decisions about the treatment of patients with suspected smallpox are strongly influenced by whether or not the physician has been vaccinated against smallpox. At the time of the survey, even during the weeks leading up to and during the war in Iraq, Turkish emergency physicians' perceived risk of a bioterror attack using the smallpox virus was low. A significant number of Turkish emergency physicians were unwilling to participate in a hypothetical vaccination program. This study shows that the occurrence of a smallpox case within Turkish borders would significantly increase the willingness of emergency physicians to receive the smallpox vaccine. Decisions about treatment of patients with suspected smallpox are strongly influenced by whether or not the physician has been vaccinated against smallpox.

Knowledge levels of pre-school teachers related with basic first-aid practices, Isparta sample.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of knowledge of pre-school teachers working in the province center of Isparta related with basic first-aid practices and some factors which affected these levels of knowledge. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional, analytic study, 110 pre-school teachers working in the province center of Isparta constituted the population. A questionnaire questioning sociodemographic properties and the level of knowledge related with first-aid practices was applied under supervision. The level of knowledge was evaluated on a 20-point scale. In the analyses, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's rank correlation were used. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee for Clinical Studies of Süleyman Demirel University School of Medicine (registration number: 105). RESULTS: The mean score of first-aid knowledge of the pre-school teachers was found to be 11.9±2.9. The least known issues included washing the wound by soap and water after a dog bite, information related with the necessity of immobilization of a child who has fallen from a high level and the phone number of National Poison Information Center (16.4%, 20.9% and 22.7%, respectively). The scores of the subjects whose knowledge of first-aid was evaluated to be well were higher compared to the subjects whose knowledge of first-aid was evaluated to be moderate (p=0.009) and poor (p=0.001). It was found that first-aid scores did not show significant difference in terms of age, working period, having received first-aid training and having faced with a condition requiring first-aid previously (p>0.05, for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: It was found that pre-school teachers had insufficient first-aid knowledge. Since the first-aid knowledge scores of the subjects who reported that they received first-aid training before did not show significant difference, it was thought that the quality of training was as important as receiving training.

Prediction of domestic violence against married women in southwestern Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of, and independent risk factors for various domestic violence categories among married women of reproductive age in southwestern Turkey. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study included 260 randomly selected women registered to a family physician in the district of Gönen, Isparta. During home visits between October 1 and December 31, 2012, the women completed a questionnaire that included between four and eight questions for each violence category (physical, verbal, economic, emotional, and sexual) to assess the lifetime presence of domestic violence. Logistic regression models with backward elimination were constructed to define independent risk factors for domestic violence. RESULTS: In total, 176 (67.7%) women reported any type of domestic violence at least once in their lifetime. Verbal/psychological abuse was the most frequent type (reported by 121 [46.5%] women). Living in a village, young age (19-29 years) of the husband, adolescent age (<19 years) of the husband at marriage, and problem alcohol use or problem gambling in the partner were independent predictors of domestic violence. CONCLUSION: Attention should be given to area of residence, age of both partners at marriage, adolescent marriage, and husband characteristics during screening for domestic violence.

Possible internet addiction in high school students in the city center of Isparta and associated factors: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of the present study was to detect both sociodemographic factors related to possible Internet addiction and the prevalence of this addiction, as well as to determine the relationship between possible Internet addiction and self-injurious behavior, life satisfaction, and the level of loneliness in adolescents attending high school in the city center of Isparta. A cross-sectional analytic study was planned for high school adolescents. An information form concerning Internet usage and related sociodemographic factors, Internet Addiction Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a UCLA Loneliness Scale- Short Form were applied to the students. The prevalence of possible Internet addiction was found to be 14.4%. Adolescents with possible Internet addiction were found to have low levels of loneliness and high levels of life satisfaction. The results are then discussed in light of the related literature.

Tooth sensitivity in fluorotic teeth.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the demographic and clinical features of tooth sensitivity (TS) in subjects with and without fluorosis. METHODS: A total of 2249 subjects (378 subjects with fluorosis and 1871 subjects without fluorosis) were examined for TS during a study period of one year and TS was determined in 122 subjects. The level of TS was evaluated on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The sensitivity evaluation was made by applying tactile and cold air stimuli. In teeth sensitive to any stimuli, the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), gingival recession (GR) and periodontal pocket depth (PPD) were recorded. Fluorosis was assessed using the Dean Index. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-two participants were found to have TS (5.42%). The frequency of TS in subjects with fluorosis was 9.26%, while the frequency of TS in subjects without fluorosis was 4.65%. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of TS frequency (P=0.0003). In contrast, there were no significant differences between the groups for periodontal parameters except PI. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that the subjects with fluorosis may have been suffering from TS more than the subjects with normal dentition. Further studies are necessary to determine the factors that contribute to sensitivity of teeth with fluorosis.

The impact of smoking status on antioxidant enzyme activity and malondialdehyde levels in chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of smoking status on the systemic and local superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in subjects with chronic periodontitis (CP). METHODS: Sixty-five CP patients (23 smokers [CP-S], 23 former smokers [CP-FS], and 19 non-smokers [CP-NS]) and 20 periodontally healthy non-smoker controls (PH-NS) were included in the study. After the clinical measurements, serum and gingival tissue samples were collected. SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activities and MDA levels in hemolysates and gingival tissue samples were spectrophotometrically assayed. RESULTS: Blood MDA levels in all the periodontitis groups were higher than in the PH-NS group but only the difference between CP-FS and PH-NS groups was significant (P <0.01). Gingival tissue MDA levels in the periodontitis groups were significantly higher than that in the control group (P <0.01). However, the control group had the highest gingival SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activities compared with all the periodontitis groups (P <0.01). The CP-S group had the highest gingival MDA levels and SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activities among the periodontitis groups, whereas the lowest values were observed in the CP-NS group (P <0.01). The blood and gingival MDA levels in the CP-FS group were similar in the CP-NS group, whereas they were lower than in the CP-S group. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic and local MDA levels are increased by smoking in addition to the impact of periodontitis. The decreased local SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activities observed in periodontitis patients may increase with smoking.