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Disasters can lead to decreased functionality in medical practice. This study aimed to quantitatively measure presenteeism and to determine the role of coping strategies among disaster‐victim doctors living in a city affected by the 2023‐Turkey earthquakes. This cross‐sectional study included 220 doctors reached through social media groups using the convenience sampling method. A weak negative relationship was found between presenteeism and positive re‐evaluation, one of the coping strategies with earthquake stress. A weak negative correlation was found between the Positive Reappraisal sub‐dimension score of the Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale (CESS) and presenteeism (r = −0.299, p < 0.001). In the linear regression analysis, the sub‐dimensions that contributed significantly to the model were found to be the Positive Reappraisal sub‐dimensions of CESS, whose increase resulted in a decrease in presenteeism and Seeking Social Support sub‐dimension, whose increase caused an increase in presenteeism. Presenteeism was higher in those who lost their loved ones, had damage in their workplace/home, and thought they were helpless or in danger. Both material and emotional factors decreased functionality at work after an earthquake. We recommend developing material and psychological support strategies to reduce presenteeism in post‐disaster periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: Today health services aim to provide a higher level of life quality to individuals as much as possible and not being limited only to providing a good treatment. In this context it was aimed to evaluate the life quality and the factors affecting this in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHOD: A total of 144 adult patients with CRF from two dialysis centers in Adana, one private and one in a University, were included in the study. A questionnaire investigating demographic characteristics and short form health survey "SF-36" were filled by face-to-face interview technique. RESULTS: Male to female ratio of the participants was 91(63.2%) to 53(36.8%). The mean dialysis history was calculated as 44.4±34.3 months. One to six other diseases were recorded with a mean number of 2.9±1.1 to be concurrent to CRF. SF-36 revealed a health status score mean (TS=total score) of 48.1±21.8, with physical status scale (PSS) score mean of 46.0±21.1 and mental status scale (MSS) score mean of 50.3±22.0. The same scores were calculated to be significantly lower in females (with 40.4, 39.8 and 38.0, respectively) in comparison to males (with 52.5, 50.3 and 50.6, respectively) (p<0.05). As SF-36 scores lower than 51 were reported to be "low", and even to be predictive of risky situations, when the risk effects of factors like age, gender, marital status, educational status, length of dialysis history and presence of concurrent diseases were investigated, only lower educational status and the number of concurrent diseases were found to be significant for the risk increase. CONCLUSION: In the context of preventive medicine, optimum functionality is a secondary prevention in chronic diseases. Life quality indexes are not only important evaluators of the functionality, but they play a major role in the prevention of mortality, too. Hence health surveys like SF-36, based on patient's reporting, are suggested to be introduced in evaluations, not being limited to the evaluations based on performance scoring only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic dermatophyte scalp carriage and symptomatic tinea capitis in Adana Province, Çukurova region, Turkey. For this purpose, a screening study was performed in five schools, between January 2004 and May 2005, covering a total of 5143 children with 2740 (53.3%) boys and 2403 (46.7%) girls, aged 7–14 years (9.6 ± 2.0). The diagnosis was made using the cotton swab method with inoculation onto Sabouraud glucose agar amended with cycloheximide, chloramphenicol and gentamicin. Among 10 (0.2%) cases, six asymptomatic carriers (mean age 10.7 ± 2.3) and four symptomatic cases (mean age 8.3 ± 0.5) were detected, all of whom were boys and had immigrated from the south-eastern and eastern region of Anatolia, Turkey. The mean age differences were found to be statistically significant (Mann–Whitney U = 3.000, P = 0.046). Boys were found to be more prone to asymptomatic carriage ( P = 0.033), but not tinea capitis ( P > 0.05). Zoophilic dermatophytes, namely Microsporum canis (40%) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes (40%) were the most commonly isolated species, followed by anthropophilic Trichophyton tonsurans (10%), while no causative agent was detected in a case (10%) with tinea capitis superficialis. Scalp cultures were found to be dermatophyte-negative after 3- to 8-month follow-up in cases with asymptomatic carriage. As a conclusion, the prevalence of asymptomatic carrier state was similar with the prevalence of symptomatic cases, and we found a predominance of zoophilic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: This prospective study aimed to determine the spectrum and the main risk factors of surgical site infection (SSI) after neurosurgical procedures in our clinic. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing neurosurgery between November 1, 2001, and November 1, 2002, were recruited for the study. All patients were followed for a minimum of 2 weeks postoperatively and all SSIs were recorded. The complete medical records of each case were reviewed, and data on 14 possible risk factors were extracted. Statistical analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for SSIs. Results: A total of 31 postoperative SSIs were identified among 503 cases included in the study, with a resulting overall infection rate of 6.2%. The risk of SSI was increased by age (odds ratio [OR], 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.1; P = .039), operation type such as “shunt operations” (OR, 670.4; 95% CI, 2.6-171123.1; P = .021), presence of foreign body (OR, 141.0; 95% CI, 2.5-7925.9; P = .016), presence of diabetes mellitus (OR, 24.3; 95% CI, 2.1-284.9; P = .011), and intracranial pressure monitoring (OR, 4878.9; 95% CI, 23.8-1001229; P = .002). The predominantly isolated microorganisms in patients with SSIs were Staphylococcus aureus (22 [71.0%]), Acinetobacter baumanii (5 [16.1%]), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (4 [12.9%]). Conclusions: SSIs remain an important problem in neurosurgery. Identification of the risk factors for SSI will help physicians to improve patient care and may decrease mortality, morbidity, and health care costs of neurosurgery patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objects: A rare case of cerebellopontine angle arachnoid cyst leading to congenital peripheral facial palsy was presented. Clinical Presentation: A 1-year-old girl presented with peripheral facial paralysis since birth. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed left cerebellopontine angle arachnoid cyst causing moderate displacement of the brain stem. Intervention: Retrosigmoid suboccipital craniotomy was performed and microsurgical resection of the cyst wall and fenestration of the cyst to the basal cisterns were achieved. Conclusions: Cerebellopontine angle arachnoid cyst should be considered as a potential cause of congenital peripheral facial palsy. Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Various COVID-19 vaccines are being developed around the world. Important questions to be answered regarding vaccines are efficacy, safety, and whether antibodies are protective when used in different communities. This study aimed to determine seroconversion rates of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in healthcare workers in a hospital and short-term adverse events due to the vaccine. Materials and methods: The study carried out in Çukurova University, Turkey, comprised of 282 healthcare workers who received two doses of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administered in two 3 µg doses, 28 days apart. On day 28, after the second dose, antiS-RBD IgG and total anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected by using in vitro chemiluminescence immunoassay method. Results: The mean age of participants was 39.06±10.65 (min=21, max=65) with 43.6% males and 56.4% females. On day 28, after the second dose, the seroconversion rates were found to be 92.9% for total anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid IgG and 15.2% for IgM and 98.2% for anti-S-RBD IgG antibodies and having natural COVID-19 prior to vaccination, age and comorbidity were found to be significant factors for immunogenicity. The incidence of at least one adverse event was found as 29.8% after the first dose and 24.1% after the second dose, with the most common adverse events of having pain at the injection site, weakness, fatigue, and headache. Conclusion: On day 28, after the second dose of 3 μg of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration, a high rate of seroconversion was observed with no serious adverse event. Natural COVID-19 history, age, and comorbidity were significant contributors to the formation of a strong immune response. It can be concluded that a third dose may be considered in people aged 50 years and older and those with comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Obesity has been associated with chronic low‐grade systemic inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of pentraxin‐3 (PTX‐3) with anthropometric measurements, dietary content and physical activity level in children. Design: A matched group study. Patients: This study was conducted with 91 children aged 6–17 years, divided into two groups: "non‐obese group" (Body Mass Index Standard Deviation Score [BMI SDS] <95th percentile) and "obese group" (BMI SDS ≥95th percentile). Measurements: Plasma PTX‐3 levels. Results: The mean age of 91 children included in the study was 12.34 ± 2.86 years. Plasma PTX‐3 levels were significantly higher in obese children (p =.028). No significant correlation was found between BMI SDS and plasma PTX‐3 values, but a weak positive correlation was found when physical activity level was controlled (r =.176, p =.049). In addition, it was found that fat mass was a partial mediator of plasma PTX‐3 level, and an increase in the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue negatively affected plasma PTX‐3 level. Plasma PTX‐3 level showed a weak positive correlation (r =.223, p =.017) with physical activity score and dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid intake, while a weak negative correlation with neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio. One unit increase in physical activity score or polyunsaturated fatty acid level caused 0.730 and 2.061 unit increases in plasma PTX‐3 level, respectively; while one unit increase in dietary fat intake caused 0.413‐unit decrease. Conclusion: There was an indirect relationship between the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue and PTX‐3 level. The results of our study suggested that plasma PTX‐3 was associated with lower levels of inflammation in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides include all classes of chemicals used to kill insects, fungi, vegetation, and rodents. Generally, human populations are exposed to different kinds of pesticides almost every day through different routes, including dermatological, gastrointestinal, neurological, carcinogenic, respiratory, reproductive, and endocrine routes. We aimed to determine the effects of pesticide use on public health emphasizing the position of Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Domestic accidents (DA) are an important, but still neglected public health problem in Turkey. We aimed to determine the prevalence of DA, their physical and residential characteristics, including affecting factors, in the centre of semi-rural Mediterranean District Karataş of Turkey. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study, performed between October 2011 and April 2012 with face-to-face interviews by the researcher physician, collected DA data about 569 people living in 141 houses, selected by simple random sampling method, among 2726 houses. Results: DA frequency was 45.4% and 30.2% in terms of houses included in the study and the whole population resident in those houses, respectively. DA most frequently occurred in kitchen (38.9%), affecting mostly upper extremities (45.9%). Most of the injured, i.e.124(72.1%) people didn't apply to any health institution; 43(25.0%) people were treated at outpatient departments. Only 5(2.9%) required hospitalization. None of the accidents resulted in death. The season with the highest frequency of accidents was found to be the summer. DA frequency was positively proportional to the house-hold size (p<0.05), higher in children (younger than 15 years of age) and in the elders (older than 64 years of age) (p<0.001) and among women (p<0.001). Financial status, social security coverage or number of rooms at home did not have any statistically significant relationship with the occurrence of DA (p>0.05). Conclusion: Primary health service providing institutions can be suggested for the determination of risk factors for DA in addition to the establi shment of a national accidents surveillance system. [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 members of the genera Candida and Malassezia comprise opportunistic yeast with a natural habitat on the skin of humans and warm-blooded animals. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of these yeast fungi in samples from the glans penis and prepuce 3–5 min prior to circumcision and after 1-month follow-up by mycological examination. A total of 77 children aged between 0.01 and 13.0 years (mean age 5.8 ± 3.4) were included in the study. Impression preparations were made on modified Dixon and Leeming-Notman agars without cycloheximide. The isolates were identified by morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics. The frequency of yeast colonisation was found to be significantly decreased from 11.7% to 1.3% following circumcision ( P = 0.008). The glans penis and prepuce were colonised with especially Candida albicans (50%) followed by Malassezia furfur (40%) and Malassezia sympodialis (10%). This study highlighted the potential medical benefits of circumcision as a significant factor decreasing the colonisation rate of yeast fungi. We suggest that circumcision, rather than age, plays an important part in the reduction of yeast fungi in genitalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene mutations were investigated in 23 (46 alleles) unrelated phenylketonuria (PKU) patients in Cukurova region. First, all exons of PAH gene were screened by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), and then, the suspicious samples were analyzed by direct sequencing technique. Consequently, the following results were obtained: IVS10-11g→a splicing mutation in 27/46 (58.7%), R261Q mutation in 7/46 (15.2%) and E178G, R243X, R243Q, P281L, Y386C, R408W mutations, each found in the frequency of 2/46 (4.3%). In many countries, Arginine mutations have the highest frequency among PAH gene mutations in PKU patients. Although, CpG dinucleotids are effective in mutations resulting in arginine changes, this finding originated from the studies on the causes of mutations rather than the studies on the importance of arginine amino acid. In our analyses, we have detected that a majority of mutations causing a change in arginine and other amino acids concentrated in exon 7 comprising the catalytic domain (residues 143–410) of PAH gene. Several studies has emphasized the role of arginine amino acid; with the following outcomes; arginine repetition is significant for RNA binding proteins, and for histon proteins in eukaryotic gene expression, and also arginine repetition occurring in the structure of signal recognition particle''s (SRPs) as a consequence of post-translational processes is very important in terms of gene expression. Therefore, the role of arginine amino acid in PAH gene is rather remarkable in that it shows the role of amino acids in the protein/RNA interaction that has started in the evolutionary process and is still preserved and maintained in the motif formation of active domain structure due to its strong binding properties. Thus, such properties imply that both arginine amino acid and exon 7 is of great significance with regards to the structure and function of the PheOH enzyme. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of yeast fungi in samples from the glans penis and prepuce of circumcised and uncircumcised children. Impression preparations were made on modified Dixon and Leeming-Notman agar without cycloheximide. The isolates were identified by morphological and physiological characteristics. The yeasts were detected in 32 (28.6%) of 112 children, 12 (18.2%) being among 66 circumcised and 20 (43.5%) among 46 uncircumcised children. The most common species was Malassezia globosa (40.6%) followed by, Malassezia furfur (31.3%), Malassezia slooffiae (15.6%), Candida albicans (6.3%), Candida tropicalis (3.1%) and Candida parapsilosis (3.1%). The colonization with yeasts, and especially lipophilic species was more frequently observed among uncircumcised versus circumcised children. While age was not found to be a factor ( P >0.05), circumcision was responsible for increasing the colonization rate by 4.8 times (95% CI: 1.6–14.5) ( P [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]