Post-COVID-19 syndrome in a cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the frequency of post-COVID-19 syndrome and associated factors in patients who visited the post-COVID-19 outpatient clinic after hospital discharge in the first, third, and sixth months of the first year of the pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was a clinical cohort study of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. The modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale, the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), the Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form (MNA-SF), and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) were evaluated using a standard form and symptom interview by a specialist physician. RESULTS: Of the 254 patients in the study group, 50.4% were women, and their ages ranged from 18 to 85 years, with a mean (SD) of 55.3±11.5. Post-COVID-19 syndrome was diagnosed in 57.5% of the patients. It was found that the frequency of some of the symptoms persisted and increased in the first month, decreased significantly in the third month, and did not differ between the third and sixth months. Body mass index (BMI), MNA-SF, MUST, and CFS improved over time. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of the post-COVID-19 syndrome was 1.91- and 1.40-fold higher in patients with severe COVID-19 and patients with more symptoms in the first month, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is not a short-term infectious disease but an infectious disease with long-term effects. Cohorts of patients who are still symptomatic at the end of the first month after severe COVID-19 should be followed up for a longer period and their clinical outcomes monitored.

Development of a Reliable and Valid Organ Tissue Donation and Transplantation Knowledge Scale.

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge has an important role in an individual's willingness to donate organs upon death. Knowledge enables clarification of false beliefs, which can increase willingness to consent to organ donation. The purpose of the study was to describe and examine the validity and reliability of the Organ-Tissue Donation and Transplantation Knowledge Scale (ODTKS). METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature review and chose 23 items for the scale according to specialists' recommendations. A total of 6 items were excluded from the scale. Finally, the scale consisted of 17 items and 2 subdimensions. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 540 (267 [49.4%] male and 273 [50.6%] female) nonmedical staff members; 23.5% were primary school graduates, 47.6% were high school graduates, and 28.9% had university degrees or higher. The difficulty index and discrimination index of the overall scale were 22.41% to 54.07% and 0.23 to 0.46, respectively. Cronbach α coefficient was 0.88 overall. Retest reliability scores were significant (r = 0.87, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The total score of the ODTKS was significantly higher among university graduates compared with primary school graduates and among people willing to donate. The ODTKS therefore has adequate reliability and validity for evaluating Turkish adults' knowledge about organ tissue donation and transplantation.

Turkish version of the SPAN questionnaire for highschool students: reproducibility and validity.

This study aimed to generate a Turkish version of the School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) (2009) questionnaire for high-school students and to test its validity and reproducibility. The questionnaire was translated and back translated and the language validity was assessed. It was tested and re-tested on 318 highschool students to evaluate its validity and reproducibility. Validity was determined by comparing the parts of the questionnaire about what was eaten in the previous day with that of 24-hour food consumption lists. Statistical analysis was performed by using Spearman correlation analysis, kappa statistics and percentage of agreement. The highest test-re-test results were on foods consumed the day before, with an agreement percentage range of 56%-96% and a kappa range of 0.43-0.95. The items related to physical activity had an agreement range of 38%-88% and a kappa range of 0.24-0.82. The reproducibility and validity of the Turkish version of SPAN questionnaire is acceptable and it is a rapid, easily used tool for the assessment of nutrition and physical activity in schoolchildren.

Effect of anti-smoking advertisements on Turkish adolescents.

The aim of the present study was to determine the perception of 10 anti-smoking advertisements in 1434 Turkish adolescents. We used the Effectiveness of the Anti-smoking Advertisements Scale, which included 6 items for each advertisement; each item was assessed on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the impact of the advertisements. All the advertisements were more effective for adolescents who had never smoked compared to ex-smokers and current smokers. We also noted that, regardless of age, smoking status decreased the effectiveness of all the advertisements. Previous studies have shown that smokers have a negative attitude towards anti-smoking messages. In the present study, the most effective advertisements among adolescents were those with "Sponge and tar", "Smoking harms in every breath" and "Children want to grow". In conclusion, although anti-smoking campaigns are targeted towards adults, they also have a strong influence on adolescents. The main target population for advertisements should be individuals aged < 15 years who have not yet started smoking.

Turkish version of the SPAN questionnaire for high-school students: reproducibility and validity

This study aimed to generate a Turkish version of the School Physical Activity and Nutrition [SPAN] [2009] questionnaire for high-school students and to test its validity and reproducibility. The questionnaire was translated and back translated and the language validity was assessed. It was tested and re-tested on 318 high-school students to evaluate its validity and reproducibility. Validity was determined by comparing the parts of the questionnaire about what was eaten in the previous day with that of 24-hour food consumption lists. Statistical analysis was performed by using Spearman correlation analysis, kappa statistics and percentage of agreement. The highest test-re-test results were on foods consumed the day before, with an agreement percentage range of 56%-96% and a kappa range of 0.43-0.95. The items related to physical activity had an agreement range of 38%-88% and a kappa range of 0.24-0.82. The reproducibility and validity of the Turkish version of SPAN questionnaire is acceptable and it is a rapid, easily used tool for the assessment of nutrition and physical activity in schoolchildren

La présente étude avait pour objectif de générer une version turque du questionnaire SPAN [School Physical Activity and Nutrition] [activité physique et nutrition en milieu scolaire [2009] pour les élèves du secondaire et de tester sa validité et sa reproductibilité. Le questionnaire a été traduit puis a fait l'objet d'une rétro-traduction, et la validité de la langue a été évaluée. Il a été testé puis re-testé sur 318 élèves du secondaire afin d'évaluer sa validité et sa reproductibilité. La validité a été déterminée en comparant les parties du questionnaire sur les aliments consommés le jour d'avant avec celle comprenant des listes relatives à la consommation alimentaire sur une durée de 24h. L'analyse statistique a été réalisée à l'aide de l'analyse de corrélation de Spearman, du test du kappa et du pourcentage de concordance. Les résultats test-retest les plus élevés concernaient les aliments consommés le jour d'avant, avec un pourcentage de concordance compris entre 56% et 96% et un coefficient kappa allant de 0,43 à 0,95. Les items liés à l'activité physique avaient un pourcentage de concordance de 38 à 88% et un coefficient kappa de 0,24 à 0,82. La reproductibilité et la validité de la version turque du questionnaire SPAN est acceptable et constitue un outil rapide et simple d'utilisation pour évaluer la nutrition et l'activité physique chez les enfants scolarisés

Effect of anti-smoking advertisements on Turkish adolescents

The aim of the present study was to determine the perception of 10 anti-smoking advertisements in 1434 Turkish adolescents. We used the Effectiveness of the Anti-smoking Advertisements Scale, which included 6 items for each advertisement; each item was assessed on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the impact of the advertisements. All the advertisements were more effective for adolescents who had never smoked compared to ex-smokers and current smokers. We also noted that, regardless of age, smoking status decreased the effectiveness of all the advertisements. Previous studies have shown that smokers have a negative attitude towards anti-smoking messages. In the present study, the most effective advertisements among adolescents were those with "Sponge and tar", "Smoking harms in every breath" and "Children want to grow". In conclusion, although anti-smoking campaigns are targeted towards adults, they also have a strong influence on adolescents. The main target population for advertisements should be individuals aged < 15 years who have not yet started smoking

La présente étude avait pour objectif de déterminer la façon dont 10 publicités antitabac étaient perçues par 1434 adolescents turcs. Nous avons utilisé l'échelle d'efficacité des publicités antitabac qui inclut six items par publicité, chaque item étant évalué sur une échelle de Likert reposant sur un système de cinq points. L'analyse de régression logistique multiple a été utilisée afin de déterminer les facteurs associés à l'impact des publicités. Toutes les publicités étaient plus efficaces auprès des adolescents qui n'avaient jamais fumé qu'auprès des anciens fumeurs ou des fumeurs actuels. Nous avons également noté que, indépendamment de l'âge, le statut tabagique avait une influence sur l'efficacité de toutes les publicités. Les études précédentes ont montré que les fumeurs ont une attitude négative face aux messages antitabac. Dans la présente étude, les publicités ayant démontré la plus grande efficacité parmi les adolescents étaient celles avec [L'éponge et le goudron], [Fumer nuit à chaque respiration], et [Les enfants veulent pouvoir grandir]. En conclusion, bien que les campagnes antitabac ciblent les adultes, elles ont également une forte influence sur les adolescents. La cible principale des publicités dans la population devrait être les individus âgés de moins de 15 ans qui n'ont pas encore commencé à fumer

Acne: prevalence and relationship with dietary habits in Eskisehir, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a common disease affecting adolescents. There is not comprehensive data on acne prevalence in the Central Anatolia Region in particular. Etiology of acne is not clarified yet. Acne might be related to environmental factors. There is increasing evidence supporting acne and diet relationship. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the acne prevalence in adolescents in the city of Eskisehir, located in the Central Anatolia, Turkey in addition to evaluate factors affecting acne and its relationship with dietary habits. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 2300 participants aged 13-18 years. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire form consisting information about acne and a questionnaire form consisting information about dietary habits (The Adolescent Food Habits Checklist). In addition an objective evaluation of acne was determined. RESULTS: The mean age of students with acne was 15.10±1.53. The current acne prevalence was 60.7%. Although 21% of the participants had severe acne (grade 3-4) and 25% developed sequelaes, only 11.5% of all participants consulted a doctor. The participants without acne had healthier dietary habits than participants with acne (P<0.05). Frequent fat intake (OR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.82), frequent sugar intake (OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.05-1.60), frequent eating sausages, burgers (OR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.48), frequent eating pastries, cakes (OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.01-1.43) were associated with increased risk for acne. CONCLUSIONS: Acne prevalence is high among adolescents in Eskisehir but the rate of consulting doctor is low. Increasing public awareness is critical for convincing adolescents to seek medical help earlier. Acne was related with dietary habits. Fat, sugar and fast food consumption is found to be positively correlated with acne prevalence.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Allergies in Turkey (PARFAIT): results of a multicentre cross-sectional study in adults.

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Allergies in Turkey (PARFAIT) study was planned to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for asthma and allergic diseases in Turkey. The present analysis used data from 25,843 parents of primary school children, obtained from a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. A total of 25,843 questionnaires from 14 centres were evaluated. In rural areas, the prevalences asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis and eczema in males were: 8.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.9-9.1%), 13.5% (95% CI 12.8-14.2%), 17.5% (95% CI 16.7-18.2%) and 10.8% (95% CI 10.2-11.4%), respectively; and in females were: 11.2% (95% CI 10.9-11.8%), 14.7% (95% CI 14.3-15.1%), 21.2% (95% CI 20.4-22.0%) and 13.1% (95% CI 12.4-13.8%), respectively. In urban areas, the corresponding prevalences in males were: 6.2% (95% CI 5.8-6.6%), 10.8% (95% CI 10.3-11.3%), 11.7% (95% CI 11.4-12.0%) and 6.6% (95% CI 6.2-7.0%), respectively; and in females were: 7.5 % (95% CI 7.9-7.1%), 12.0% (95% CI 11.7-12.3%), 17.0% (95% CI 16.4-17.6%) and 7.3% (95% CI 6.9-7.7%), respectively. Having an atopic first-degree relative or any other atopic diseases had significant effects on the prevalence of allergic diseases. Housing conditions, such as living in a shanty-type house, visible moulds at home and use of wood or biomass as heating or cooking material were associated with one or more allergic diseases. Although genetic susceptibility is strongly associated, country- and population-based environmental factors may contribute to increased prevalence rates of allergic diseases.

Nonmalignant pleural lesions due to environmental exposure to asbestos: a field-based, cross-sectional study.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequencies of asbestos-related benign pleural diseases in villagers environmentally exposed to asbestos and the factors affecting these frequencies. A field-based, cross-sectional study was designed. In total, 991 villagers from 10 villages, randomly chosen from 67 villages with known use of asbestos-containing white soil in central Anatolia (Turkey), were investigated. The type of asbestos in the white soil was determined for each village, as well as air-borne fibre concentrations. The villagers were investigated with small-size chest roentgenograms and epidemiological features were recorded. The air-borne fibre levels were generally low. Despite this, pleural plaques were found in 14.4% of the villagers, 10.4% had diffuse pleural fibrosis and 0.4% asbestosis. The significant variables for plaques were age, sex, type of asbestos fibre, e.g. actinolite and tremolite, and exposure duration, while there was a negative relationship with cumulative exposure. The variables affecting diffuse pleural fibrosis were age, exposure duration and cumulative exposure. In conclusion, villagers exposed to environmental asbestos have high frequencies of pleural plaques and diffuse pleural fibrosis, similar to occupationally exposed asbestos cohorts. Different types of asbestos appear to result in different frequencies of pleural lesions.

Frequency of hydatidiform mole in the rural part of Eskisehir: the first community-based epidemiological study in Turkey.

This epidemiological study was performed in order to determine the frequency of hydatidiform mole (HM) in the rural part of Eskisehir, Turkey. Four mole cases and 6,274 pregnancies were determined in 2,032, women aged 15-49 which was 85% of the target population. Mean age, mean marriage age and mean marriage duration of the interviewed women were 34.7, 19.1 and 15.6 years, respectively. The frequency of HM per 1,000 live births and per 1,000 pregnancies was 0.83 and 0.64, respectively. The frequency of HM was lower than the frequencies reported by most of the hospital-based studies. We concluded that there appears to be a need to conduct properly designed community-based studies with well-established case registry systems to find the real incidence of HM in Turkey.

Decay of maternally derived measles antibody in central Turkey.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate maternal antibodies in sera of infants below vaccination age and their relation to the immunity status of the mothers. The study group consisted of 184 mothers and their babies aged 0-9 months. Mothers were interviewed to obtain demographic information. Samples of sera were taken from mothers and their babies and tested for measles IgG antibodies. In our study, 174 mothers (94.6%) were immune to measles. Only 78.4% of the 0 month-old infants of seropositive mothers and 26.0% of the 4-9 month-old infants were seropositive. When correlation analysis for antibody titres was made between the seropositive mothers and their seropositive infants, positive correlation was found. It was found that the time for which infants were protected was related to maternal IgG antibody titre. It will be proper to determine the vaccination strategies considering the changing epidemiological characteristics.

Prognostic factors in diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma: effects of pretreatment clinical and laboratory characteristics.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of various pretreatment clinical and laboratory characteristics on the survival of patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM). One hundred histopathologically confirmed DMPM patients were evaluated. Fifty-nine were treated with chemoimmunotherapy while 41 who had refused chemoimmunotherapy received supportive therapy alone. The following pretreatment characteristics were evaluated in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses: age, gender, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), histology asbestos exposure, presence of chest pain, dyspnoea, weight loss, symptom duration, smoking history, disease location, platelet count, haemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC) count, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and extent of disease (stage). Univariate analysis showed that patients with age > or = 75 years, male gender, smoking history advanced stages above stage I disease, KPS < 70, WBC count > or = 8450 and LDH level > or = 500 IU l(-1) have a worse prognosis. With multivariate Cox regression analyses, age > or = 75 years, advanced stages above stage I disease, KPS < 70 and LDH level > or = 500 IU l(-1) were found to be indicators of a poorer prognosis. In conclusion, in our study each of low performance status, older age, advanced stage disease, high LDH level and prognosis were found to be related.

p53, p21 and metallothionein immunoreactivities in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: correlations with the epidemiological features and prognosis of mesotheliomas with environmental asbestos exposure.

The aim of this study is to investigate immunoreactivity for p53, p21 and metallothionein in diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) and to determine the relationships between the age, sex, asbestos exposure time, survival of DMPM patients with environmental asbestos exposure and immunoreactivity to p53, p21 and metallothionein. Sixty-seven histopathologically-confirmed DMPMs, 38 of whom had environmental and 29 had occupational asbestos exposure, were included. The tumour tissue samples were immunostained with antibodies against p53, p21 and metallothionein. Epidemiological data and the survival times for the DMPM patients with environmental asbestos exposures were obtained from hospital records. Thirty-three per cent of the DMPMs were positive for p53, 35% for p21 and 52% for metallothionein. There was no statistical difference between the histological subtypes of DMPM in terms of immunoreactivity for p53, p21 and metallothionein. For p21 and metallothionein there was a statistically significant difference between the exposure characteristics: patients with environmental asbestos exposure had shown more immunopositivity. There were statistically significant differences between age groups and between asbestos exposure times for metallothionein, and between asbestos exposure times and p21. The patients with positive immunostaining had longer exposure times and were older than those having negative immunostaining. The differences between survival of the patients were not statistically significant in terms of the immunohistochemical results for p53, p21 and metallothionein.

The prevalence of asthma and allergy among university freshmen in Eskisehir, Turkey.

The aim of this study was to determine the current and cumulative prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and reactivities to allergen skin prick tests (SPT) among university freshmen. The data at the first stage were collated through the application of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (-ECRHS-Stage I) questionnaire on 1603 students registering at various faculties and vocational colleges of Osmangazi University in Eskisehir, Turkey, in the academic year 1997-1998. At the second stage a physical examination as well as allergen SPTs were conducted on 151 students. Of the students within the study group, six (0.4%) had experienced an asthma attack within the previous 12 months, 11 (0.7%) had a past of asthma attacks and 123 (8.1%) reported wheezing attacks within the previous 12 months. The prevalence of asthma-like symptoms, rhinoconjunctivitis and dermatitis were found to be 17.0%, 10.0% and 5.9% respectively. Asthma and asthma-like symptoms were found to be significantly more prevalent among students who smoked. A positive SPT reaction to more than one allergen was found in 14.6% of the students. SPT positivity was 8.3% in asymptomatic students, 27.3% in asthmatic students, 14.5% in those with asthma-like symptoms, 28% in those with non-infectious rhinitis and 7.1% in those with dermatitis. In analysis of logistic regression, a history of atopy, as ascertained in the questionnaire, was seen to have a significant effect on SPT positivity. The rate of self-reported asthma and/or asthma-like symptoms among newly enrolled freshmen at the Osmangazi University was found to be lower than in other countries. Cigarette smoking was seen to increase such symptoms significantly, in comparison to non-smokers.

Environmental asbestos exposure and malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Asbestos-related benign and malignant pleural diseases are endemic in some rural parts of central Turkey because of environmental exposure to asbestos fibres. We report here epidemiological data on 113 patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) diagnosed in our clinic in Eskisehir, located in central Turkey. Of the 113 patients, 59 were men and 54 women (male:female ratio = 1). Ninety-seven patients (86%) had non-occupational asbestos exposure; all were living in villages. Their mean age was 56 years. As the patients had been exposed to asbestos from birth, the latency period was equivalent to the age of the patients. Twenty-eight patients (29%) had lived in villages their entire lives. The other 69 (71%) had been born in a village but migrated to the city or had given up white-soil usage for various reasons. The mean exposure time was 55 years for those with a long exposure period and 25 years for those with a short exposure period, but there was no significant difference between the age of the disease appearance for both groups (55 and 56 years, respectively). Thus, the latency time of mesothelioma due to environmental exposure to asbestos was longer than that due to occupational exposure, but independent of the length of exposure. Soil samples from 67 villages were analysed, comprising a population of 10,120 villagers. Tremolite and some other types of asbestos were found. In conclusion, DMPM in our region is due to mainly to environmental exposure to asbestos. The risk is substantial as a large proportion of the villagers are exposed. After smoking, asbestos exposure is one of the most serious health hazards in our rural population.

Cisplatin, mitomycin, and interferon-alpha2a combination chemoimmunotherapy in the treatment of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic activity and toxicity of combination chemoimmunotherapy with cisplatin, mitomycin, and interferon (IFN)-alpha2a, by comparing the responses in a group of patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) to the responses in a control group of DMPM patients given supportive care alone. DESIGN: Patients with histopathologically confirmed DMPM were evaluated for treatment with chemoimmunotherapy. SETTING: After the initial evaluation, all patients received either chemoimmunotherapy or supportive care from the Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, Department of Chest Diseases. PATIENTS: Forty-three patients with DMPM received chemoimmunotherapy until the end of the survey; 19 patients were given supportive therapy alone after refusing chemoimmunotherapy. INTERVENTIONS: Drugs were administered according to the following schedule: IV cisplatin, 30 mg/m2 qd on days 1 and 2; IV mitomycin, 8 mg/m2 on day 1; and subcutaneous IFN-alpha2a, 4.5 million IU twice weekly. The courses were repeated every 4 weeks. RESULTS: Overall, 232 chemoimmunotherapy cycles were administered. A total of 10 objective responses (ORs) in 43 patients (23%) were assessed, including 2 complete responses (5%), 4 partial responses, and 4 regressions. Seventeen patients had stable disease, and 16 patients had progression. The median survival time was 11.5 months for the 43 patients who received chemoimmunotherapy and 7.0 months for the 19 patients who received supportive therapy alone. The difference in survival times between the chemoimmunotherapy and supportive therapy groups was not significant. However, the median survival time for the patients who had OR was 21.3 months, which is significantly longer than that of the patients who received supportive care alone and that of patients with progressive disease (6 months). The toxicities associated with the treatment schedule of this study were, for the most part, tolerable. CONCLUSIONS: The drug combination used in this study is moderately effective and well tolerated in patients with DMPM, especially in those who responded to the treatment.

Malignant mesothelioma due to environmental exposure to erionite: follow-up of a Turkish emigrant cohort.

The incidence of malignant mesothelioma is extremely high in some Turkish villages where there is a low-level environmental exposure to erionite, a fibrous zeolite. The best known example is the village of Karain. However, since epidemiological studies are difficult to perform in Turkey, the incidence and the dose-response curve have not been thoroughly examined. A small cohort of immigrants from Karain who have lived in Sweden for many years were studied. Exposure data, i.e. the time residing in Karain, and hospital records including pathological diagnosis, were recorded. The cohort consisted of 162 people. During the observation time, 18 deaths occurred, 14 (78%) of which were due to malignant pleural mesothelioma. In addition, there were five patients with mesothelioma who were still alive, one of whom had a peritoneal mesothelioma. Thus, the risk of mesothelioma is 135-times and 1,336-times greater in males and females, respectively, than for the same sex and age groups in Sweden. The risk increased with duration of residence.

Prevalence of occupational asthma among automobile and furniture painters in the center of Eskisehir (Turkey): the effects of atopy and smoking habits on occupational asthma.

BACKGROUND: Occupational asthma (OA) is a respiratory disorder characterized by airway hyperreactivity caused by agents present in the workplace. For determination of the prevalence of OA among car and furniture painters exposed to isocyanate in the center of Eskisehir, Turkey, a clinical and epidemiologic prospective study in three phases was done, incorporating 312 (89.4%) of the painters. METHODS: Of these subjects, 190 (61%) were furniture painters and 122 (39%) automobile painters. In the first phase of the study, a modified questionnaire and pulmonary function test (PFT) were done. During the second phase, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was monitored in 52 subjects whose complaints were confirmed and who agreed to a month of such monitoring. In the third phase, nonspecific bronchial provocation tests (NSBPT) with histamine were done on 23 of the PEFR-monitored workers. RESULTS: Finally, through questionnaire, typical history, PFT, PEFR monitoring, and NSBPT, 30 workers (9.6%) were diagnosed as having OA. Smoking habits and atopy in the OA-diagnosed workers were found to be statistically significantly high in comparison to the other workers. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that OA is a common disorder among automobile and furniture painters, and smoking habits and atopy were seen to have a significant effect on OA occurrence.

Smoking patterns of university students in Eskisehir, Turkey.

Over the last decade, there has been a major decline in the prevalence of smoking among Western populations whilst in most developing countries there is a serious health problem of increasing smoking prevalence, especially among young age groups. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of smoking among university students in Eskisehir in Turkey and to study the effects of some socio-demographic factors on the habit of smoking. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 1474 students (591 female and 883 male). This survey instrument contained a section soliciting socio-demographic information which was followed by questions relating to the students' smoking behaviour and the presence of a significant individual who has an effect on the smoking and drinking behaviour of the student. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for the independent effects of the socio-demographic factors. The prevalence of smoking among university students was 42.5% (being highest among the students of the Faculty of Arts and lowest among the students of the medical faculty (60.9% vs 33.9%). The results of the analysis indicated that: being male, studying arts or education as opposed to medicine, being a final year student, being resident with friends, having a father with a lower education level and have a family member(s) who smokes were independently associated with smoking. The prevalence of smoking was greatest among those who drank alcohol (OR = 5.20). When comparing our results with reports from other countries, we conclude that the habit of cigarette smoking is one of the most important public health problems in Turkey.

A serological survey of measles vaccine in a rural region of Eskisehir in Turkey.

We designed this longitudinal study as a response to measles outbreaks which occur occasionally in Eskisehir in Turkey to investigate the incidence of primary and secondary vaccine failure. The investigation was conducted over two periods (December 1993 to October 1994 and April 1995 to October 1995). Two study groups were involved, infants aged 9-11 months and children aged 18 months to 9 y. During December 1993 to October 1994 prevaccination sera was collected from 35 infants aged 9-11 months and tested to determine if maternally derived antibodies were present. The infants were vaccinated and subsequently the 31 infants who could be traced were retested 30-40 d later to determine their response to vaccination. The following was done to determine whether seropositivity rates alter over time. The second group, a randomised sample of 117 children aged between 18 months to 9 y was chosen; all of whom had been previously vaccinated and who had no history of measles. Sera was taken and tested during December 1993 to October 1994 in order to determine whether seropositivity rates varied with time. During April 1995 to October 1995 out of all the children in both groups 123 children were retested. All sera samples were studied by an enzyme-lined immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Out of the 35 infants in group 1 only four (11.4%) had maternal antibody against measles on initial testing. Out of 31 infants followed up 30-40 d after vaccination (61.3%) were found to be seropositive for measles. In the second group, of the 117 previously vaccinated children ninety-three (71.5%) had measles IgG antibody. Seropositivity rates did not show significant difference with time after vaccination. There was no association between first and second screening seropositivity rates. We conclude that the presence of maternal antibody reduces the success of vaccination. These results suggest the vaccination policy in Turkey should be re-examined with a view to revision.