Violence towards women is a public health problem.

BACKGROUND: Violence within the family is a significant health problem which threatens the health of the community. The global rates of domestic violence directed at women have been reported as 10%-69% and in Turkey as 25%-30%. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of our study were obtained from the database of the official internet website of the Turkish Statistics Institute as the data related to violence between 2007 and 2012. In the evaluation of the data, SPSS 11.0 statistics software was used. RESULTS: Although it was determined that women from all groups experienced sexual, physical and emotional violence, higher rates were observed in those living in rural areas compared to those in urban areas, in the eastern region compared to all other regions, in the 45-59 years age group, those with low level of income and with a low level of education. CONCLUSION: When physicians encounter women who have experienced violence, by evaluating the violence in the context of a legal case, violence is identified and not allowed to become a cycle passed from generation to generation, and in addition to the medical intervention, without forgetting that violence is a public health problem, it is necessary to find a way to provide psychosocial and legal support for the victim.

Evaluation of geriatric suicides in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is defined as an individual taking action towards themselves with the intention of terminating their own life. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 800,000 deaths per year worldwide are due to suicide. In 2012, suicide cases constituted 1.4% of all the deaths worldwide. In most countries throughout the world, the suicide rates of the elderly are higher than those of other age groups. Epidemiological studies have concluded that suicide rates increase with advancing age in all societies, this increase accelerates after the age of 65 years and the highest rates are reached after the age of 75 years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic features, suicide methods and reasons for suicide in geriatric suicide cases between 2009 and 2013 using the data of the Turkish Statistics Institute (TUIK). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective evaluation was made of the TUIK data related to proven suicide cases aged 65 years and older in the 5-year period of 2009-2013. RESULTS: A total of 1723 geriatric suicides were determined in Turkey between 2009 and 2013. These comprised 1284 (74.5%) males and 439 (25.5%) females, showing a rate of males approximately 3 times higher than that of females. An increase of approximately 10% was seen in the deaths by suicide in 2013 compared to 2009. The highest rate of geriatric suicides within total geriatric deaths was observed to be in 2012 (15.2%) and the lowest rate was in 2010 (12.4%). The most common method of suicide in both genders was hanging. In the majority of cases of geriatric suicide of both genders, the reason could not be determined. In those cases where the reason was known, the most common reason was illness. CONCLUSION: It has been reported that the most significant factors in suicide prevention are friends and family. As there continues to be an extensive family structure and family connections are strong in Turkey, this can be considered to be one of the reasons for lower rates of geriatric suicide compared to other countries. As there is a strong adherence to Islam in Turkey, another significant reason for the low rate could be the effect of the belief that suicide is a sin in the Islamic religion.

The Effect of Peritoneal Prednisolone Lavage in Bacterial Peritonitis: An Experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated and compared the effects of antibiotic and steroid lavage on survival and cytokine levels in an experimental abdominal sepsis model. BACKGROUND: In abdominal sepsis, abdominal lavage with saline or antibiotic solutions is a well-documented intervention known to have positive impact on survival; however, the effects of steroid lavage in abdominal sepsis have not yet been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-six Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 24). Abdominal sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture. Six hours after laparotomy, the authors performed a relaparatomy followed by cecal resection and an abdominal lavage. Abdominal lavage was performed using saline in group 1, equal volumes of cefazolin sodium in group 2, low-dose methylprednisolone (1 mg/kg) in group 3, and high-dose methylprednisolone (2 mg/kg) in group 4. After division of 2 subgroups from each of the 4 groups, the first of the rats (n = 12) were euthanized 6 hours later for evaluation of cytokines (ie, interleukin [IL] 1ß, 2, 4, 10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]), and the others were followed for 30 days for analysis of mortality rates. RESULTS: The mortality rate of the rats in group 2 was significantly higher than group 4, which had no mortality (P = 0.032). Although insignificant, the lowest mean value of IL-1ß, IL-2, and TNF-α were in group 1, and the highest was in group 2. The lowest IL-4 level was in group 3, and the highest level was in group 2 (P = 0.41). Interleukin-10 levels were significantly lower in group 4 and higher in group 2 (P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: The authors state that peritoneal lavage with prednisolone improved survival rates with increasing doses in abdominal sepsis.