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Objective: Subclinical hypothyroidism is the most frequent thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy with an incidence of 2-5% which can easily be overlooked due to the absence of clinical symptoms. Studies have shown that thyroid hormones could alter the level of free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) released from the placenta during early pregnancy. Since these two serum markers are the two of the parameters used in the first-trimester combined screening, we hypothesized that distorted risk calculation results could be obtained from pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism. Methods: We conducted a prospective and cohort study at a tertiary university hospital in northwest Turkey between February 2018 and June 2018, involving 250 pregnant women in their first trimester who were seeking care at the obstetrics outpatient clinic. After evaluation of thyroid functions, first-trimester screening was performed in all 250 singleton pregnancies with fetuses at 11+0 to 13+6 gestational weeks. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) values above 2,5 mIU/L were considered high. The correlation between the results and parameters of the first-trimester combined screening and thyroid hormone values was examined. Results: Among the participants, after analyzing the fT4 values, all 35 pregnant women with high TSH values were diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism. We observed a statistically weak negative correlation between TSH and ß-HCG, which was expected given the similarities in their alpha subunits. There was no statistically significant correlation between TSH and PAPP-A values, combined risk scores, and age risk scores of first-trimester screening. As a matter of course, combined risk scores of first-trimester screening were found to be statistically lower in younger mothers. Conclusion: Pregnant women with normal thyroid functions and subclinical hypothyroidism were investigated for alterations in first-trimester screening parameters and risk scores. As a result, no statistically significant correlation was found between subclinical hypothyroidism and first-trimester screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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OBJECTIVE: Aberrant right subclavian artery, which is detected in 1-1.5% of the population, is considered an anatomical variant. Aberrant right subclavian artery is usually not symptomatic, but can sometimes lead to dysphagia due to esophageal compression. On the other hand, it has been found that it has accompanied some fetal anomalies in the last two decades. Although aberrant right subclavian artery is seen at a rate of 1-1.5% in normal chromosomal fetuses, it is seen at a rate of 19-36%, especially in fetuses with Down syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: Our study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine between the dates of January 2017-January 2020. Pregnant women have had their detailed ultrasonography at our clinic and who were between 18th-24th gestational weeks were included. Amniocentesis was performed on the patients who have accepted, and genetic results were followed up. The patients who did not accept were followed up until after birth, and genetic testing was requested for babies suggestive of anomaly. RESULTS: Our study included 6205 patients who underwent detailed ultrasonography in our clinic between January 2017 and June 2020. Our detailed ultrasonography application week was between 16- 24 weeks. During this period, aberrant right subclavian artery was detected in 47 of our patients. The detection rate of ARSA in the normal population in our study was 0.7% (46/6205). While aberrant right subclavian artery was the only ultrasonographic finding in 28 patients, extra anomalies were observed in 18 patients. Down syndrome was detected in four fetuses, CONCLUSION: We did not find any chromosomal anomalies in any of the patients with isolated aberrant right subclavian artery. Therefore, we do not recommend invasive intervention in patients with isolated aberrant right subclavian artery. On the other hand, our study confirmed that aberrant right subclavian artery screening should be a part of a detailed fetal ultrasonographic examination. Further studies with larger patient groups are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly is defined as enlarged cerebral lateral ventricles. The etiology of fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly is multifactorial. Aneuploidy in ventriculomegaly is detected especially in moderate and severe ventriculomegaly accompanied by structural anomalies. This study aims to evaluate patients with fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly for associated structural and genetic abnormalities and their obstetric and neonatal outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department between January 2009 and December 2019. Eightyseven cases were included in the study and were evaluated for associated structural abnormalities. The results of genetic diagnostic tests were evaluated retrospectively. Postpartum information of the cases was obtained from the hospital records and neurodevelopmental development of the newborns was recorded. RESULTS: Patients were classified as mild, moderate, and severe ventriculomegaly. Concomitant structural abnormalities were observed in 64% of the patients. Corpus callosum agenesis was the most common abnormality. The incidence of accompanying anomalies in severe ventriculomegaly was found to be significantly higher. Invasive prenatal tests were performed on 27 patients and one of them had a chromosomal abnormality. No significant correlation was observed between the incidence of postpartum neurodevelopmental disorders and the degrees of ventriculomegaly. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly is a dynamic process. The etiology is multifactorial and abnormalities can be detected during follow-up. All patients should be evaluated carefully for associated abnormalities. The cases should also be evaluated for neurodevelopmental outcomes after birth. All diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment options should be handled with a multidisciplinary approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The fact that nurses involved in prenatal care have an adequate level of knowledge about these issues will lead to more effective and positive health outcomes in societies where they serve. There is limited research in Turkey on the knowledge levels and attitudes of nurses and student nurses involved in prenatal care. Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the knowledge level of nursing students about prenatal tests and foetal rights. Methods: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 252 3rd and 4th-grade students studying at a public university. Frequency, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values, and Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were employed in the analysis of the data. Results: 47.6% of the students reported that they would reach the delivery decision of a baby with a high risk of an anomaly. A significant difference was found between the test scores of the groups in terms of student gender (p <0.05). The socio-demographic variables of the students were found to not affect their decisions on the delivery of a baby with a high risk of anomalies and their prenatal test knowledge scores (p> 0.05). Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Foetal rights, is recommended to be included in the nursing curriculum to raise the knowledge and awareness levels. Efforts aimed at contributing to facilitative student-patient relationships have a crucial role in shaping students' competency and in promoting high-quality patient care. Thus, in order to improve students' perceptions of prenatal tests and fetal rights, it is thought that students' awareness should be increased on these topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the indications for termination of pregnancy (TOP) in pregnant patients who were followed up with suspicion of fetal anomaly in a Turkish tertiary referral center. Material and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out in patients who were followed up with suspicion of fetal anomaly between May 2016 and May 2019 at the Perinatology Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department in Pamukkale University Hospital, which is a tertiary hospital in Denizli province in Turkey. Women were divided into two depending on gestational period: group 1 ≤22 weeks; and group 2 (>23 weeks of gestation). Results: Four hundred and seventeen pregnant women were evaluated and TOP was performed at a mean gestational age of 27.7±6.3 weeks. There were 308 (73.8%) women in group 1 and 109 (26.2%) in group 2. The decision to terminate pregnancy was due to fetal anomaly in 117 (28.1%). The majority of termination pregnancies in group 2 were performed because of multiple malformations and/or central nervous system defects. All chromosomal diseases were detected in group 1. Conclusion: With a good perinatal screening program, fetal anomalies can be diagnosed early. Therefore, early TOP is possible. Thus, pregnancy termination can be made before reaching the life limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amniocentesis is one of the safest procedures of prenatal diagnosis. This study aimed to show amniocentesis indications, rate of successful amniocyte culture, complications and outcomes of these pregnancies undergoing prenatal diagnosis in eastern part of Turkey, especially Van province and its nearby. Between 2018 and 2020, 253 patients were referred to our center for amniocentesis and 120 patients giving consent were enrolled from Van and its surrounding provinces. The most frequent indication was high risk in prenatal screening tests whereas the highest chromosomal abnormality was found in fetuses with abnormal ultrasonographic findings. Overall, 11.6% of fetuses had chromosomal anomaly. The most abundant chromosomal abnormality was Trisomy 21, followed by trisomy 18 and 13. Except one case with amniotic leakage no complications were found. Eleven pregnancies were terminated whereas one fetus was born with Turner syndrome and two pregnancies resulted with stillbirth. In conclusion, fetuses with abnormal ultrasound screening had higher chromosome anomaly diagnosed by amniocentesis and compatible with the literature, amniocentesis is a safe and successful method of prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities. Van and its surrounding provinces showed a high rate of chromosomal anomaly when prenatal diagnosis was done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Although cutting edge procedures such as cell-free fetal DNA isolation from maternal blood are now available, invasive prenatal tests are still being used extensively for prenatal diagnosis. The study aims to evaluate the demographic data, indications, and cytogenetic results of 9297 results of patients who underwent prenatal invasive testing for genetic analysis that were referred for the last 20 years in a University Medical Genetics Center. Materials and methods: The records of 8363 amniocenteses, 626 chorionic villus, and 308 cordocenteses samples were retrospectively evaluated and analyzed regarding referral reasons, indications and their cytogenetic results. The total numbers and the percentages of each group were recorded; Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were performed to give the statistical likelihood of different events. Results: The number of referrals decreased significantly after 2009. Risk of having trisomy 21 as well as trisomy 13 and 18 significantly increased in parallel with advanced maternal age. When the 21–25 age group was compared to the older age groups in terms of having a trisomy 21 pregnancy, the risk doubled in the 36–40, 5 times higher in 41–45 and 10-fold in 46–50 age groups. No significant linear correlation between maternal serum screening test results and trisomy 21 was found, however the difference between the pregnancies whom cut-off value above and below 1/250 in maternal serum screening test were significant. Conclusion: These data have provided useful information on the frequency of referrals to the reference genetics department, and the feasibility of genetic services. By reviewing the indications and their corresponding results, we can offer invaluable insights that will be useful in genetic counseling and also in the development of more effective genetic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: The objective of this study is to determine the clinical features of unilateral multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) patients. Materials and methods: The demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of MCDK patients at Diyarbakır Children's Hospital and Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital between January 2008-June 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Results: A total of 111 [59 (53.2%) male and 52(46.8%) female] patients with MCDK were followed for a mean period of 41.89 ± 32.03 months. MCDK was located on the left and right sides in 46 (41.4%) and 65 (58.6%) of the children, respectively (p > 0.05). A total of 87 (78.4%) patients had antenatal diagnosis. The mean age at diagnosis was 13.7 ± 34.2 months. Of the 49 voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG)-performed patients, vesicoureteral reflux was detected in 11 patients (22.4%). Other associated urological anomalies in the patients were detected in 12 (10.8%) patients. On Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy which was performed in all patients showed scarring in four children. Eight patients had history of UTI (7.2%). Renal failure, hypertension, and proteinuria were diagnosed in three children (2.7%). Sixty-nine (62%) patients developed compensatory hypertrophy. Conclusion: All cases should be followed up closely and VCUG should be reserved for patients with recurrent UTI and other urological problems indicated by ultrasonography and abnormal DMSA scan results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study aimed at evaluating and improving the knowledge regarding prenatal test indications by assessing the results of the invasive prenatal tests for the detection of fetal chromosomal anomalies conducted in our tertiary center. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to collect the results of prenatal invasive procedures performed in our tertiary center between January 2002-September 2017. The types and prevalence of fetal chromosomal anomalies were identified and the efficiency of the invasive procedure indications in predicting these fetal chromosomal anomalies was investigated. Results: The results of 2136 invasive procedures (2014 amniocentesis, 80 cordocentesis, and 42 chorion villus samplings) revealed 101 (4.72%) fetal chromosomal anomalies and 128 (5.99%) chromosomal polymorphisms. The most common chromosomal anomaly observed was trisomy 21 (n=52), followed by trisomy 18 (n=12). In terms of diagnosis of the fetal chromosomal anomalies, the following observations were made: the indication "major structural anomaly in the ultrasound (USG)" exhibited 31.68% sensitivity and 82.03% specificity with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.11 (95% CI: 1.37-3.27); the indication "screening test positivity" exhibited 44.55% sensitivity and 48.25% specificity [OR=0.75 (95% CI: 0.50-1.13)]; and the co-existence of "major structural anomaly in the USG" and "screening test positivity" exhibited 8.91% sensitivity and 98.24% specificity [OR=5.49 (95% CI: 2.54-11.84)]. Conclusion: Fetal chromosomal anomaly rate was observed to be 4.72%. The co-existence of a sonographic major fetal structural anomaly and serum screening test positivity was observed to maximize the risk of numerical as well as a structural chromosomal anomaly. The data from the present study which reflected screening performances of detailed USG and biochemical screening tests for the detection of fetal chromosomal anomalies may be useful for clinicians while performing detailed counseling of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Turkish Society of Pediatric Hematology set up a National Hemoglobinopathy Registry to demonstrate the demographic and disease characteristics of patients and assess the efficacy of a hemoglobinopathy control program (HCP) over 10 years in Turkey. Materials and Methods: A total of 2046 patients from 27 thalassemia centers were registered, of which 1988 were eligible for analysis. This cohort mainly comprised patients with β-thalassemia major (n=1658, 83.4%) and intermedia (n=215, 10.8%). Results: The majority of patients were from the coastal areas of Turkey. The high number of patients in Southeastern Anatolia was due to that area having the highest rates of consanguineous marriage and fertility. The most common 11 mutations represented 90% of all β-thalassemia alleles and 47% of those were IVS1-110(G->A) mutations. The probability of undergoing splenectomy within the first 10 years of life was 20%, a rate unchanged since the 1980s. Iron chelators were administered as monotherapy regimens in 95% of patients and deferasirox was prescribed in 81.3% of those cases. Deferasirox administration was the highest (93.6%) in patients aged <10 years. Of the thalassemia major patients, 5.8% had match-related hemopoietic stem cell transplantation with a success rate of 77%. Cardiac disease was detected as a major cause of death and did not show a decreasing trend in 5-year cohorts since 1999. Conclusion: While the HCP has been implemented since 2003, the affected births have shown a consistent decrease only after 2009, being at lowest 34 cases per year. This program failure resulted from a lack of premarital screening in the majority of cases. Additional problems were unawareness of the risk and misinformation of the at-risk couples. In addition, prenatal diagnosis was either not offered to or was not accepted by the at-risk families. This study indicated that a continuous effort is needed for optimizing the management of thalassemia and the development of strategies is essential for further achievements in the HCP in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the perinatal and neonatal outcomes of patients who were diagnosed with neural tube defect (NTD) in the midtrimester fetal ultrasound scan and refused the request for termination of pregnancy. Material and Methods. The records of 69 patients, for whom NTD was detected in the midtrimester fetal ultrasound scan and who preferred the continuation of the pregnancy after comprehensive counselling about the possible prognosis and treatment options during the period between January 2011 and February 2016, were reviewed retrospectively. Results. Of these patients, 66.7% were 25–35 years old; 95.7% were multiparous; and 1.4% had a history of a fetus having NTD in previous pregnancies. There were 7 (10.1%) neonatal deaths in these patients. Meningomyelocele closure procedure was the most performed surgery in the postnatal period (92%). Of these patients, 30.7% had paraplegia; 51.6% had neurogenic bladder; and 6.4% had infections due to surgery. Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrated perinatal and neonatal outcomes of fetuses with NTD who were not terminated by the preference of the family in midtrimester. The experience of our centre would be beneficial as a tool for nondirective counselling of these patients when considering the antenatal/postnatal care options and postnatal prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the calculated carrier frequency for point mutations of the β-globin gene is around 10% for Antalya Province, nothing is known about the profile of large deletional mutations involving the β-globin gene. In this study, we aimed to screen common deletional mutations in the β-globin gene cluster in patients for whom direct DNA sequencing was not able to demonstrate the mutation(s) responsible for the disease phenotype. Materials and Methods: Thirty-one index cases selected with a series of selection events among 60 cases without detected β-globin gene mutation from 580 thalassemia-related cases tested by direct sequencing over the last 4 years in our diagnostic center were screened for the most common 8 different large deletional mutations of the β-globin gene cluster by gap-PCR. Results: We detected 1 homozygous and 9 heterozygous novel unrelated cases for the Turkish inversion/deletion (δβ)0 mutation in our series of 31 cases. Our study showed that the Turkish inversion/ deletion (δβ)0 mutation per se accounts for 16.6% of the unidentified causative alleles and also accounts for 1.5% of all detected mutations over the last 4 years in our laboratory. Conclusion: Since molecular diagnosis of deletional mutations in the β-globin gene cluster warrants different approaches, it deserves special attention in order to provide prenatal diagnosis and prevention opportunities to the families involved. We conclude that the Turkish inversion/deletion (δβ)0, as the most prevalent deletional mutation detected so far, has to be routinely tested for in Antalya, and the gap- PCR approach has valuable diagnostic potential in the patients at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to document the reasons of perinatal deaths in a large autopsy series performed in our institute, which is a reference center in the Çukurova region of Turkey. Material and Method: The study included 2150 autopsies performed between January 2000 and December 2012 at our institute. Diagnoses were categorized according to the detected pathologies; congenital malformations were detailed based on systems. Results: A pathology was detected in 1619 of 2150 (73.3%) autopsies. Congenital malformations were the most common diagnosis with 68.2%. Neural tube defects and central nervous system malformations were the most frequent system malformation in 28.8% of cases, followed by the urogenital system (11.4%) and musculoskeletal system (8.3%), respectively. Malformation syndromes including multisystem anomalies were defined in 109 cases (9.3%). Conclusion: Congenital malformations are the most common reason for perinatal deaths, with autopsy having an additive role to prenatal and genetic evaluations and providing foresight for planning a subsequent pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This investigation was conducted to determine whether the month of conception, parental age, and environmental factors such as seasonal variation, consumption of alcohol and cigarette by parents, play a role on sex ratio at pregnancy in Çukurova region and surrounding area population (Turkey). Materials and Methods: We have analyzed tha data of patients who were referred to our prenatal diagnosis laboratory for amniosynthesis with the purpose of karyotyping between the years of 2005-2007. We used Pearsen Chi-square, Fisher's exact and T-tests for statistical analyses. Results: No association was established between the primary sex ratio and time for pregnancy. Differences in primary sex ratio among the months were not statistically significant, but the difference for the month of September was noted. For september, we have found statistically significant distortion of sex ratio toward male, (males:females ratio=1.8). Conclusion: In conclusion, our speculation is that the climate change in September may affect the primary sex ratio under the summer/autumn photoperiod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abnormal haemoglobins (Hb) and thalassaemias are some of the most frequently observed hereditary disorders in the world, but especially in the Mediterranean region where Turkey is located. Hatay province is one of the largest provinces in the region, suggested as a target area to be selected for preventive programs after studies by three Turkish universities, i.e. Çukurova, Akdeniz and Hacettepe Universities in Turkey. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine demographic and family characteristics of all haemoglobinopathy carrier married couples registered in the Hatay Provincial Health Directorate registry and to educate the target population about pregnancy, births, prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling with the particularly emphasised scope of eliminating all haemoglobinopathic births. Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional and intervention study. Methods: 1065 couples both being haemoglobinopathic carriers, registered in the Hatay Provincial Health Directorate registry were investigated for socio- demographic characteristics, obstetrical status and especially for a present pregnancy, the presence of any haemoglobinopathic patients or carrier children in the family. Results: Among women with a history of pregnancy, 47.3% reported that they had never had any prenatal testing, while 33.1% had got received testing in each of their pregnancies. The most frequent reason for not having the test was declared as unawareness of the test (66.0%), followed by economic insufficiencies (17.1%), destiny/religious reasons (9.1%) and family interference (7.8%). After a series of descriptive analyses, the results of the final binary logistic regression model constructed to find out the risk factors significantly affecting the presence of a sick child in the family were grouped as risk increasing factors like age (95%CI between 1.002 and 1.122), marriage before 1994 (95%CI=1.081-4.161), and risk decreasing factors like family willingness for screening (95%CI=0.167-0.854), rate of prenatal testing (95%CI=0.147-0.414), age at first pregnancy (95%CI=0.469-0.882); while the frequency of births was found to have no significant effect (p>0.05). Conclusion: Besides all legal regulations and applications, time is still needed for real success against such a diffuse and congenially transferred disease. The education of the target populations appears to be crucial. Official applications should be forced based upon present or future laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses developments in the treatment of intestinal atresia and stenosis in newborns in a developing country over a period of 28 years. A total of 141 intestinal atresia and stenosis cases in Turkey were retrospectively evaluated to determine the progress in treatment and survival rates. Factors affecting the rates of survival of newborns with intestinal atresia include prenatal diagnosis and prematurity.

Hemoglobinopathies are the most common genetic disorders in Turkey. The incidence of beta thalassemia and sickle cell trait (HbAS) is 2.0% and 0.3% respectively. In addition to HbS, 51 abnormal hemoglobins and 42 different beta thalassemia mutations have been detected by DNA analysis. In Turkey, beta thalassemia and sickle cell anemia cause major health problems. For thirty years, screening programs for carriers, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis have sought to prevent hemoglobinopathies. In 1983, the first prenatal diagnosis center was established for sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia at Hacettepe University, Ankara. After many population-screening studies, a law was passed in 1993 by the Turkish Parliament for the eradication of hemoglobinopathies. Forty-one premarital screening centers were set up by the Ministry of Health in the 33 provinces where most of the transfusion-dependent thalassemic patients live. The mothers at risk for hemoglobinopathies were given genetic counseling and directed to prenatal diagnosis centers. Since 1990, four prenatal diagnosis centers have been established at university hospitals in Adana, Antalya, Istanbul and Izmir. A total of 5255 prenatal diagnoses have been made for sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia in 5 centers; 1338 fetuses have been diagnosed as homozygous or compound heterozygotes for hemoglobinopathies. Prenatal diagnosis was performed on families who had decided to terminate the pregnancy if it were to be found that the fetus was affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine whether the intensity of the labor pain has an effect on the development of the mother-infant interaction in Turkish mothers. Methodology: The research was carried out as a descriptive study in a university hospital with an obstetric and gynecology clinic in Erzurum, Turkey. Data were collected between October-December 2006. In this time interval, it was observed and 225 mothers were interviewed having an infant and meeting the research criteria in this obstetric and gynecology clinic. Results: The average scores of mother-infant interaction were statistically significant according to mothers' ages; p-value 0.005 (p<0.05), education level; p-value 0.000 (p<0.001) and labor duration p-value is 0.017 (p<0.05). Labor type didn't effect the mother-infant interaction; p-value 0.539 (p>0.05). The difference between starting period for breast-feeding and interaction scores was statistically significant; p-value 0.000 (p<0.001). Labor pain intensity didn't affect significantly mother-infant interaction; p-value 0.437 (p>0.05), However, when labour pain intensity increased, interaction scores decreased. Conclusion: According to these results, it seems to be important that during antenatal examinations, training programmes about mother-infant interaction for mothers who are older, multigravid, and have lower education level should be implemented. It is also suggested that painless labour technics should be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTR) locus D1S80, located on chromosome 1 (1p35-36), has a repeat unit 16 bp in length, and different numbers of these repeat units have been observed for populations of different origins and ethnicity. We used a molecular identification method based on capillary electrophoresis separation to analyze D1S80 locus polymorphism among 74 subjects from Denizli province, Turkey, finding an amplified fragment length size of 379–635 bp. Allele repeat numbers were deduced from these sizes and sequence comparison. The most common alleles were repeat units 24 (34.3%) and 18 (22.4%), with frequencies of 0.414 and 0.207, respectively. Other alleles were 25 (7.86%), 28 (5.71%), 22 (4.25%), and 29 (2.86%). The allele with 23 repeat units was not observed. Results were in Hardy–Weinberg linkage disequilibrium. Observed heterozygosity was 0.614, and expected heterozygosity was 0.787. Theta( k) value was 4.86 (95% confidence interval limits). Capillary electrophoresis is a powerful approach for accurate identification of VNTR loci, especially for low base pair units like D1S80, for prenatal diagnosis, linkage analysis, forensic identification, paternity testing, anthropological research, and phylogenetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we describe the implementation and evaluation of a community-based antenatal education programme for first-time expectant mothers carried out in ¸Istanbul, Turkey, as part of the Healthy Beginnings Project. We hypothesized that women participating in an antenatal education programme would be more likely to have a vaginal birth, practice recommended maternal and infant health-related behaviours, and adopt a contraceptive method after the birth than a control group, even after statistically controlling for differences in background characteristics. Methods used to evaluate the antenatal education programme included pre- and post-tests with programme participants and a household survey with participants and a control group. All antenatal education course participants, as well as a control group composed of women giving birth to their first child at the same hospitals, were interviewed in their homes by a trained interviewer 2.5-3 months after the baby's birth, starting in October 1998. Results of statistical analyses indicate that a community-based antenatal education programme, such as the one offered as part of The Healthy Beginnings Project in ¸Istanbul, may increase the chance that women will adopt behaviours beneficial to health in the period following a birth. In particular, behaviours related to infant health (breastfeeding and infant check-up) and contraception appeared to be influenced by participation in the programme. In a developing country such as Turkey, with persistent maternal and child health problems, there is an urgent need to increase both demand for and quality of reproductive health services. Antenatal education is not the only answer, but it can be part of the answer. Reaching couples early in their reproductive lives may encourage them to adopt healthy behaviours and make use of available services during their reproductive years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]