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Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder with significant metabolic implications, including an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Kallistatin, a serine proteinase inhibitor with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, has been identified as a potential biomarker for PCOS due to its role in modulating inflammation and oxidative stress. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at a university hospital's gynecology clinic. It included 220 women diagnosed with PCOS and 220 healthy controls matched for age and body mass index. Kallistatin levels were quantitatively assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Associations between kallistatin levels and clinical manifestations of PCOS, including hyperandrogenism and metabolic profiles, were examined. Results: Kallistatin levels were significantly lower in patients with PCOS (2.65 ± 1.84 ng/mL) compared to controls (6.12 ± 4.17 ng/mL; p < 0.001). A strong negative correlation existed between kallistatin levels and androgen concentrations (r = −0.782, p = 0.035). No significant associations were found between kallistatin levels and insulin resistance or lipid profiles. Conclusions: The findings indicate that reduced kallistatin levels are closely associated with PCOS and could serve as a promising biomarker for its diagnosis. The specific correlation with hyperandrogenism suggests that kallistatin could be particularly effective for identifying PCOS subtypes characterized by elevated androgen levels. This study supports the potential of kallistatin in improving diagnostic protocols for PCOS, facilitating earlier and more accurate detection, which is crucial for effective management and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Patient satisfaction surveys stand as one of the most effective methods for assessing the quality of healthcare services, aimed at gathering feedback from patient opinions and recognizing the service provider's pivotal role. This study aims to measure the satisfaction of the patients receiving outpatient services in a tertiary center with the quality of these services and to prepare an infrastructure that can create policies that can respond to the needs and wishes of the people as a hospital. Material and Method: This study was conducted on 780 outpatients who applied obstetrics and gynecology services at Kafkas University Medical Faculty Training and Research Hospital, a tertiary public hospital, between November 2021 and February 2022." The questionnaire consisted of two parts, asking 15 questions about the service they received from the institution and six questions about their sociodemographic characteristics. Results: The highest Yes rate was 96.4% (752 people) as "The doctor who examined me was interested". The highest No rate was 31.0% (242 people) with the expression "I was informed about the waiting times in the hospital". While the lowest yes rate was 51.5% (402 people), the statement "The hospital was clean in general", the lowest no rate was again the statement "The doctor who examined me was interested". 87.1% of the participants (679 people) stated that the waiting time for registration was long, 52.7% said it was difficult to reach the hospital, and 88.8% (693 people) said they would recommend the hospital to their friends and family. Patients reported that they were generally satisfied with the services provided. Conclusion: Similar to every sector, the pursuit of quality in delivering healthcare services is a prevalent goal in today's healthcare sector. Patient satisfaction surveys are essential in terms of measuring these services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A quality health service is not independent of patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction research is one of the primary instruments for better quality service. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the satisfaction levels and expectations of the patients hospitalized in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Kafkas University Training and Research Hospital to determine whether the satisfaction level differs according to socio-demographic characteristics and to restructure the light of the positive and negative data obtained. Material and Method: Between May 2021 and September 2022, 655 patients who received inpatient services at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Kafkas University Training and Research Hospital were surveyed. The questionnaire included a section about socio-demographic characteristics and 14 questions to determine their views on satisfaction. The questions were answered as 'yes', 'a little', and 'no'. Results: In our study, the highest level of satisfaction was for the nurses giving information about the treatment and care to the patient and the doctor's interest in the patient. According to the results of the multivariate linear regression analysis, it was determined that age, education status, and length of stay affected the satisfaction level independently of other variables (p<0.001). It was observed that working status did not affect satisfaction (p=0.434). Conclusion: Our study highlighted that hospital cleanliness significantly impacted the overall satisfaction levels, indicating a need for readjustments by hospital management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anatomy, physiology, and flora of the female genital system change due to pregnancy-related hormonal, metabolic, endocrinological, and immunological reasons. Dysbiosis increases the risk of spontaneous preterm birth with chronic inflammatory processes by causing infections in the fetoplacental unit by the ascending or hematogenous route. Our study aimed to reveal the bad personal habits and practices predispose to vaginitis, create resistance to treatment, and cause recurrences in pregnant women with vaginitis. Material-Methods: Our descriptive study was conducted on a group of patients who applied to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, between December 2021 and April 2022, with the ethics committee's approval. Our study group consists of 178 pregnant women over 18 who are literate, cooperative, and volunteered to answer all the questions in the questionnaire. Results: Vaginal douching in 71.9% (128 people) ofthe participants, not ironing their underwear at all in 67.4% (120 people), cleaning the perineum from back to front in 66.9% (119 people), 61.2% daily pad use in 61.2% (109 people), synthetic laundry use in 41% (73 people), use of genital cleaning products in 16.3% (29 people), hand washing underwear in 7.3% (13 people) and 5.6% (10 people) had frequent sexual intercourse behavior. Regarding genital area cleaning, 11.2% (20 people) ofthe patients knew about using white vinegar, and 3.4% (6 people) used the acidic mixture. 6.7% (12 people) ofthe participants knew the use ofvaginal probiotics. Conclusion: Considering the results of our study, it can be said that wrong practices regarding genital hygiene continue, especially in women from low socio-economic and cultural levels. In this respect, the women need training on genital hygiene as a preventive measure due to the mistakes they make in practice related to genital hygiene and the possibility of experiencing a genital infection in a significant part of them. In conclusion, considering that the most significant deficiency in the occurrence of genital infections in women is the lack of education, it is recommended that all health professionals develop a training plan to prevent genital infections and apply it to women in the regions they work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate peripheral blood platelets, neutrophils and lymphocytes counts in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and threatened preterm labour (TPL) compared with gestation-matched controls in order to learn how they change. This study was conducted on 60 women with PPROM, 50 women with TPL and 47 healthy pregnant women. Laboratory parameters (including complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP)) of all the participants were recorded. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values were significantly higher in PPROM group than TPL group and healthy control group (6.1 ± 3.9, 4.4 ± 1.7, 4.4 ± 2.2, p = .007, p = .018, respectively). At a cut-off level of 5.14, NLR accurately predicted occurrence of neonatal sepsis (AUC =  0.717 (95% confidence interval 0.610-0.824), p = .001) with sensitivity and specificity rates of 69.7% and 72.0%, respectively. In the management of the patients with PPROM, NLR can be used as a more cost-effective method than other blood parameters that require the use of a kit.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? There is only one study in the literature evaluating blood count parameters (such as platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), NLR) in PPROM pregnancies. That study demonstrated PLR and NLR were both higher in the PPROM group.What do the results of this study add? The present study demonstrates that only NLR is higher in the PPROM group. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated distinctively that NLR can predict occurrence of neonatal sepsis.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? High values of NLR may be useful for predicting adverse outcomes in PPROM and TPL patients as a cost-effective method. Further studies are needed to determine whether these parameters can be used to predict if a pregnant woman who is at risk of preterm labour will result in adverse perinatal outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]