Which men have better attitudes and participation to family planning services? A study in primary care settings from Northern Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Turkey is the third most populous country of the European region located at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In Turkey, approximately 2 million pregnancies occur every year. Half of the pregnancies are involuntary, and five out of every 100 pregnancies end with wanted abortion. There are limitations in access to modern methods in the north of Turkey. This study was aimed to determine the factors associated with better attitudes and participation to family planning (FP) services in primary care settings from Northern Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study, based on primary care settings, was conducted in the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey with 400 married men. Male attitudes and participation were measured by a questionnaire form. Chi-square testing and logistic regression analyses were applied. RESULTS: We found that male participation was present in 302 participants (75.5%), and 363 participants (90.8%) approved the use of FP. Male participation was significantly different by age, occupation, education, marriage age, spouses' education and occupation, and attitudes towards FP. Based on multivariate analysis, male participation was significantly associated with spouses' level of education, employment status, currently using FP, and the perception of spousal communication. CONCLUSION: Better participation existed among participants with higher educated spouses, employed spouses, current users of FP, and the better self-perception of communication.

Prevalence and risk factors for Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage inpatients in a tertiary care hospital's chest clinic in Turkey.

AIM: We aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for nasal methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA/MRSA) carriage among patients admitted to a chest clinic of a tertiary care hospital in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nasal samples were taken from anterior nares were cultured in CHROMagar S. aureus plates, MRSA was determined by disc diffusion method (cefoxitin 30 µg) according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines and CHROMagar MRSA plates. A questionnaire was applied to determine the demographic characteristics of the participants and risk factors for carriage. Fisher's exact test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used. A P < 0.05 indicated a statistically significant difference. RESULTS: This is a cross-sectional study covering all the patients (n = 431) admitted to Kayseri Training and Research Hospital's Chest Clinic from January 1st to 31st 2014. Of all these patients 55 (12.8%) were nasal S. aureus carriers. MRSA positivity was in five among these patients. In multivariate analysis, being under 65 years of age (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-3.3), and having prosthesis (OR, 4.8; 95% CI, 1.6-13.9) were found as risk factors for MSSA colonization. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of nasal carriage of MSSA was low in our study population. The only risk factors playing role in carriage were found as being under the age of 65 and having prosthesis.

Evaluation of Cardiovascular Changes in Children with BAVs.

The objectives of this study were to investigate left ventricular (LV) function, aortic dilation, and atherosclerosis in children with mildly deteriorated isolated bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) function using echocardiographic studies and biochemical markers of atherosclerosis and to correlate results with normal children. Biochemical analyses indicating cardiovascular risk of atherosclerosis and vascular changes in the aorta in relation to BAV were performed in 41 children aged 5-15 years old with isolated BAV and in 25 children with tricuspid aortic valves. Evaluations of aortic valve structures and functions; examinations of the LV M-mode and ascending aorta Doppler; and measurements of the LV Tei index (MPI), propagation velocity, ascending aorta at four levels, and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were performed. There were no statistically significant differences in CIMTs, plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue metalloproteinase inhibitor-1 levels, or other biochemical parameters indicating cardiovascular risk or atherosclerosis between study and control groups. Deterioration of LV function, which could not be seen with M-mode echocardiography, was evident by MPI. MPI values in the study versus control groups were 0.46 ± 0.080 versus 0.40 ± 0.086 (p < 0.05). Diameters of the aorta in the study and control groups were 19.7 ± 4.7 and 17.2 ± 2.8 mm (p < 0.05) at the sinotubular junction level and 20.6 (14.4-40.5) and 18.3 (12.4-24) mm at the ascending aorta level (p < 0.05). Increased aortic valve insufficiency was related to increased aortic diameter. No sign of atherosclerosis was detected in children with BAV. Deterioration of LV function was seen using MPI, and aortic dilation was related to the severity of aortic valve insufficiency.

Knowledge Attitudes and Behaviors About Organ Donation Among First- and Sixth-class Medical Students: A Study From Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of Erciyes University School of Medicine students regarding organ donation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted in 2014 on Erciyes University School of Medicine first- and sixth-grade students via questionnaire. It was to be conducted on all 490 students; in total, 464 students were enrolled-304 from first grade and 160 from sixth grade. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ(2) test, and binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean age was 20.9 ± 2.8 years and it was found that 48.9% were male, 65.5% were in first grade; 50.0% of the students who participated in the study were considering donating their organs and this rate is 45.4% in the first grade and 58.8% at sixth grade. Those who donated their organs were 3.4% in the entire group and were 1.6% and 6.9% consequently in first and sixth grades. Those who are; at the sixth grade, female gender, those who feel themselves responsible for the donation of society, who think organ donation is appropriate in terms of religion and conversations within family about organ donations significantly want organ donation more statistically. However, grade and gender had no effect on wishing donating organs according to binary logistic regression analysis. The rate of feeling themselves responsible from the donation in society was 73.9% and finding organ donation appropriate in terms of religion was 75.6% and there wasn't significant difference between first and sixth grades. CONCLUSION: Although there are increases in many variables about this issue at sixth grade, students are unable to gain sufficient attitude and behavior about organ donation. Training can be planned during medical educations in terms of gaining attitudes and behaviors about the issue.

A study of Staphylococcus aureusnasal carriage, antibacterial resistance and virulence factor encoding genes in a tertiary care hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.

AIM: This study was to determine the virulence encoding genes, and the antibiotic resistance patterns of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates, which were isolated from the nasal samples of chest clinic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nasal samples of the in-patients (431) and out-patients (1857) in Kayseri Training and Research Hospital's Chest Clinic, Kayseri, Turkey, were cultured on CHROMagar (Biolife, Italiana) S. aureus, and subcultured on sheep blood agar for the isolation of S. aureus. Disc diffusion method was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The occurrence of the staphylococcal virulence encoding genes (enterotoksins [sea, seb, sec, see, seg, seh, sei, sej], fibronectin-binding proteins A, B [fnbA, fnbB], toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 [tst]) were detected by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Forty-five of the 55 (81.8%) S. aureus isolates from inpatients, and 319 (90.6%) isolates from tested 352 out-patient's isolates were suspected to all the antibiotics tested. methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was detected in 1.2% of S. aureus isolates. Rifampin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin resistance rates were 1.2%, 1.7%, 2.0%, 8.8%, and 1.2%, respectively. The isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin and vancomycin. The genes most frequently found were tst (92.7%), seg (85.8%), sea (83.6%), fnbA (70.9%). There was no statistical significance detected between MRSA and mecA-negative S. aureus isolates in encoding genes distribution (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results show that virulence factor encoding genes were prevalent in patients with S. aureus carriage, whereas antibiotic resistance was low. These virulence determinants may increase the risk for subsequent invasive infections in carriers.

Attitudes and behaviours of students from the faculty of theology regarding organ donation: a study from Turkey.

The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude of students from the Faculty of Theology of Erciyes University regarding organ donation. This study comprising all students (n = 264) showed that 51.6% of subjects to the kidney is an organ that may be donated; other organs were less known. 16.5% of the students thought that organ donation is not in accord with Islamic beliefs; 22.0% thought that it is permitted in Islam for Muslims to donate to non-Muslims, and 23.6% were willing to accept organs from non-Muslims. 23.6% of the students were willing to donate their organs, whereas 57.3% were undecided. None of the students had an organ donation card. Among students who did not consider donation or were undecided, 16.5% stated that it was "religiously inappropriate" and 13.3% stated that they did not "approve the loss of body integrity." Students declared that they had little knowledge regarding organ/tissue donation: 67.9% about the religious aspect, 78.9% about the legal aspect, and 80.5% about the scientific aspect. Only 24.6% of the group noted school education as their source of information, with 51.2% stating that they had been questioned about organ donation by society. With this study, we concluded that the student's knowledge regarding organ donation was not sufficient.

Experience of Turkish parents about their infants' teething.

AIM: To evaluate Turkish parents' experience about their infants' teething; which symptoms they have seen and attributed to teething and how they have acted to manage these symptoms. METHODS: A questionnaire form was applied by face-to-face interview to 335 families who have children less than 18 months of age and have at least one tooth. They were asked questions to clarify the eruption time and sequence of primary teeth of their infants and whether their infants had some symptoms they attributed to teething. RESULTS: The mean eruption time of the primary teeth was 7.4 +/- 2.0 months, with a range of 3-17 months. Teeth eruption time was found similar in both genders. Teeth eruption time of the term and preterm infants was similar. (P > 0.05). The first tooth erupted was the lower central incisor in the 288 infants (86.0%) and upper central incisor in 44 infants (13.1%). Most of the families (98.8%) reported that their children had suffered from at least one of the symptoms that were mentioned in the questionnaire. The most commonly reported symptom was increase in biting, followed by irritability and fever. Of the children who were taken to a health care centre, in 78.8% the symptoms were attributed to teething and in 7.1% a bacterial infection was found and antibiotics were prescribed. CONCLUSION: When an infant at teething age has some symptoms, they may be attributed to teething but other possible causes must be ruled out first.

Tetanus immunization in pregnant women: evaluation of maternal tetanus vaccination status and factors affecting rate of vaccination coverage.

The objectives of this study were to determine the tetanus vaccination status for pregnant women, and to examine the effects of various factors on tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination coverage during pregnancy in reproductive-age women. Four-hundred and ninety-three postpartum women who had live births at a hospital in Ankara were interviewed and information was collected on the mothers' sociodemographic characteristics, TT vaccination history, and prenatal care during the pregnancy studied. The rates for no vaccination, one-dose vaccination, and two-dose vaccination were 53.3%, 18.9%, and 27.8%, respectively. The vaccinated women (with at least one dose) were significantly younger, of lower parity, and had attended more prenatal care visits than the unvaccinated women. Of the women who attended at least one prenatal care check-up, only about half were vaccinated. Significantly more rural women were vaccinated against tetanus than urban women. Current vaccination rates with TT during pregnancy were found to be well below universal levels. Turkey needs to launch effective mass media campaigns that target urban and suburban populations, and inform and motivate women to request vaccination against tetanus.

Tetanus immunization in pregnant women. Serum levels of antitetanus antibodies at time of delivery.

The objective of this study was to determine the tetanus immunity status of pregnant women at the time of delivery according to tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination coverage during their most pregnancy. The serum anti-tetanus antibody levels of 493 mothers who had live births at a hospital in Ankara were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Protected women were defined as those with serum antibody levels > or = 0.6 IU/ml. Overall, 69.0% of mothers had protective tetanus antibody titers at the time of delivery. The rates of protection for mothers who had received no vaccination, one TT dose, or two TT doses during pregnancy were 46.4, 93.5, and 95.6%, respectively. Vaccinating every pregnant woman with at least one dose of TT would be an affordable and effective way to protect against neonatal tetanus, and would be a step toward eliminating the deaths that continue to occur due to this preventable disease in Turkey.

Percutaneous treatment of a congenital splenic cyst with alcohol: a new therapeutic approach.

Percutaneous treatment of a huge congenital splenic cyst in a 23-year-old man is presented. The cyst had been catheterized and drained two times within a 3-month period without injecting any sclerosing agent into the cavity. On the third attempt, catheter drainage and injection of alcohol into the cyst cavity were performed because of insufficient response to drainage alone. He was discharged symptom-free after the procedure. The cyst diminished in size considerably 9 months after the treatment with alcohol. The volume of the cyst was reduced from 5200 to 8 ml. Although percutaneous treatment of a congenital splenic cyst with tetracyclin has been reported, to our knowledge this is the first case of a congenital splenic cyst treated with alcohol as a sclerosing agent. Percutaneous treatment of splenic cyst can obviate the need for partial or total splenectomy and may be an alternative to surgical treatment.