Does female genital mutilation/cutting have any effect on normal birth?

Background: World Health Organization’s (WHO) defines female genital mutilation (FGM) as all procedures involving the total or partial removal of female external genitalia without any medical reasons. It is estimated that about 100 million women worldwide are circumcised. After circumcision compications such as bleeding, infection, shock, menstrual irregularity, dysuria, frequent urinary tract infections, pelvic pain and difficulty in sexual intercourse occur with varying frequencies.Methods: In this article, we aimed to discuss normal vaginal delivery results of 45 term pregnant cases with 3 types of  female genital multilation/circumcision. We know that the vaginal entrance is closed as a result of adhesions in the genital area due to circumcision and secondary complications may develop.Results: The mean age of 45 patients included in the study was 26.2±8.78 years. Considering the postpartum complications, bilateral labial tissue ruptures in 15 cases, followed by vaginal hematoma in 9 cases, anal sphincter damage in 11 cases, deep episiotomy tears in 8 cases, periurethral tears in 8 cases, deep cervical tears in 8 cases, vulvar epidermoid cyst ruptures in 4 cases and 4 cases. perineal body ruptures were seen in 4 cases, vulvar hematoma in 4 cases, and vaginal mucosal damage in 9 cases.Conclusions: It has been shown once again that FGM/C is a method that completely changes the female vaginal anatomy and has very serious delivery complications. It is obvious that serious educations and studies need to be done in the countries where this method is applied

Exploring Pregnant Women's Perceptions of Quality of Life: A Qualitative Study

This study was carried out to explore the Turkish Pregnant women's perceptions of Quality of Life. This Qualitative research using a descriptive phenomenological approach was conducted between 1 April 2021 – 31 August 2021 in Ankara Turkey. 20 pregnant women aged 19-38 years were recruited in this study.  Data were obtained through open-ended questions and in-depth audio-recorded interviews, each lasting approximately 30-40 minutes. Pregnant women were asked for information on the quality of life during pregnancy based on their perceptions. The research data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis approach. As a result of the analysis of the data, 3 main themes were formed. Effects of pregnancy on various areas of health (Emotional changes, Difficulty in performing daily activities, physical problems, changes in eating habits, changes in social interactions), Worries about pregnancy (Material problems, Negative thoughts about birth, Worries about health, Worries about the future) Three main and 13 sub-themes emerged: the perception of satisfaction during pregnancy (Spirituality, Positive attitude towards the formation of pregnancy, Support systems). The quality of life of pregnant women is affected in various areas during pregnancy. In order to quantitatively determine the quality of life during pregnancy, measurement tools supported by qualitative studies are needed. Keywords: Pregnancy; Quality of life; Qualitative study, Phenomenology DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/99-05 Publication date: April 30th 202

Variant clinical courses in children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura: Sixteen year experience of a single medical center

Objective: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most common cause of acquired thrombocytopenia in children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presenting features, variation in the clinical courses, initial response rate to therapy, and long-term outcome in patients with ITP. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and fifty out of 491 newly diagnosed patients with ITP between the initial diagnosis ages of 6 months to 16 years were included in this retrospective, descriptive study. Patients with acute vs chronic ITP, acute vs recurrent ITP and chronic vs recurrent ITP were compared in terms of age at diagnosis, gender, initial platelet count, response rate to initial therapy, long-term outcome, and total duration of follow-up. Results: The clinical courses of the patients were determined as acute, chronic and recurrent in 63.8%, 29.1%, and 7.1%, respectively. Platelet count >20x109/L and initial diagnosis age >10 years were found to increase the probability of chronic outcome by at least two-fold. Conclusion: It is concluded that ITP in childhood is a common disease with low morbidity and mortality. In addition to the acute and chronic form, a rare recurrent form, which accounts for about 4-7% of all ITP patients, should be considered

AN EVALUATION OF COMPETENCY PERCEPTIONS OF PROSPECTIVE TURKISH TEACHERS

Bu araştırmanın amacı, Türkçe öğretmeni adaylarının özel alan yeterlilik algılarının çeşitli değişkenler açısından değerlendirilmesidir. Çalışmadaki veriler, araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen "Türkçe Öğretmenliği Özel Alan Yeterlik Algısı Ölçeği" aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Beşli likert tipindeki ölçeğin güvenirlik katsayısı .97 olarak belirlenmiştir. Araştırmanın evreni, Türkçe Eğitimi bölümlerinde öğrenim görmekte olan 4. sınıf öğrencileri, örneklemi ise 7 ayrı üniversiteden 289 Türkçe öğretmeni adayıdır. Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre Türkçe öğretmeni adaylarının yeterlik algısı ortalamaları alanlara göre 5 puan üzerinden şöyledir: (a) Türkçe öğretim sürecini planlama ve düzenleme (4.05), (b) Dil becerilerini geliştirme (4.26), (c) Dil gelişimini izleme ve değerlendirme (4.12) (d) Okul, aile ve toplumla işbirliği yapma (4.0), (e) Türkçe alanında mesleki gelişimini sağlama (4.09). Araştırmada yeterlik alanları arasında orta ve yüksek düzeyde bir ilişki olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca özel alan yeterlik algılarında cinsiyet, öğrenim görülen lise türü, bölümü tercih sırası ve akademik başarıya göre anlamlı bir farklılık olmadığı; ikinci öğretimde öğrenim gören öğrencilerin yeterlik algılarının birinci öğretimdeki öğrencilerden daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the competencies of special field of prospective Turkish teachers and evaluate these competencies in terms of various variables. In the study data was collected by "Perception Scale for Turkish Teachers on Special Field Competencies" developed by the researchers. The scale is a five-item Likert-type scale consisting of 165 items. Reliability coefficient of the scale was found to be .97. The population of the study consisted of 4th grade students enrolled in Turkish Teaching departments. The sampling of the study consisted of a total of 289 prospective Turkish teachers enrolled in 7 different universities. The results of the study indicated that, over 5 points, average competency perception of prospective Turkish teachers were as follows: a) Planning and organization of Turkish teaching process (4.05), b) Developing language skills (4.26), c) Monitoring and evaluation of language development (4.12), d) Cooperation with the school, family and society (4.0), e) Providing professional development in the field of Turkish (4.09). There was a moderate and high degree of relationship between content knowledge competencies. It was found that among special content knowledge competency areas, there was no significant relationship according to gender, type of high school graduated from, order of the current department in university entrance and academic achievement; however, competency perceptions of the students enrolled in evening course program were higher than those of normal program students

5-7 Yaş Aralığındaki Çocuklarda Sayı Kavramının Gelişimi ve Saymanın Problem Çözmede Kullanımı

The aim of this study was to examine the development of number concept in 5-7 year olds. The development of counting principles and the adoption of counting as a strategy in different problem situations were considered as the indicators of numerical development. Participants were 74 children from Kindergarten and first grades of primary schools in 5 different districts in a mid-Anatolian city. Data were collected through a measurement tool which consists of 14 questions measuring such skills as counting, comparison, generating sets of objects. Results showed that for children in this age interval, questions of the type “generate a set of a specific number of objects” measure the acquisition of cardinality principle more accurately than those questions of the type “how many” since answering these questions requires the acquisition of other counting principles. In all skills examined in this study there was a development by age. Furthermore, cardinality principle was less developed compared to other counting principles.Bu çalışmanın amacı, 5-7 yaş aralığındaki çocuklarda sayı kavramının gelişimini incelemektir. Sayısal gelişim olarak sayma ilkelerinin gelişimi ve farklı problem durumlarında saymanın bir strateji olarak kullanım durumları ele alınmıştır. Araştırmaya İç Anadolu Bölgesi’nde büyük bir ilin 5 farklı bölgesindeki ilköğretim okullarının anasınıfı ve birinci sınıflarından toplam 74 çocuk katılmıştır. Verilerin toplanmasında sayma, karşılaştırma, nesne grubu oluşturma gibi becerileri ölçmeye yönelik 14 sorudan oluşan ölçme aracı kullanılmıştır. Bulgular bu yaş aralığındaki çocuklar için “belli sayıda nesne içeren bir grup oluşturma” sorularının “kaç tane” türündeki sorulara göre kardinal değer ilkesinin kazanımını daha seçici bir şekilde ölçtüğünü göstermektedir. Çünkü bu tür soruların yanıtlanabilmesi, diğer sayma ilkelerinin de kazanılmış olmasını gerektirmektedir. Araştırmada incelenen tüm becerilerde yaş ile birlikte gelişim gözlenmiştir. Ayrıca, sayma ilkelerinden kardinal değer ilkesinin diğer ilkelere göre daha az gelişmiş olduğu görülmüştür

Restless legs syndrome and depression-anxiety disorder association in iron deficiency anemia patients

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a disorder in which the person experiences a strong urge to move their legs or other extremities during rest. This urge to move is associated with tingling, pulling or other unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings; it usually slowly increases in the affected limb and often affects sleep. The incidence in general population is 5-15%. Although the pathophysiology is not fully understood, it was thought to result from the iron and dopamine metabolism irregularities and also has a genetic component. There are publications that show the frequency of disease in patients with iron deficiency or renal failure reaches up to 80%. In this study, we investigated the incidence of restless leg syndrome in anemic patients without any other organic disease or drug use, which can cause restless legs syndrome. We also tried to find out if there is a relation between restless legs syndrome, ferritin levels, anxiety and depression. Our retrospective, cross sectional study was made in The Ministry of Health and family medicine, neurology and psychiatry outpatient clinics of Ordu University Education and Research Hospital. 47 patients who were admitted to above mentioned clinics whose ferritin levels were under 50 ng/ml without any other disease and were not on medication (including those indicated for iron deficiency anemia) was included in to the study. All patients were given the Beck depression inventory and Beck anxiety inventory. The patients were questioned in terms of the basic diagnostic criteria established by International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. Definitive diagnosis could be established by the patients that meet the four criterias for the diagnosis. International Restless Legs Scale applied to patients diagnosed with RLS. Of 47 patients, 39 were female and 8 were male. 28 (%59.6) of the patients met the criteria of RLS. 28 patients with a diagnosis of RLS; 4 of them mild, 11 of them moderate, 8 of them severe and 5 of them experienced very severe symptoms of RLS. The relationship between the RLS and ferritin levels were checked and there was no statistically significant difference between them. A significant difference was not found in Beck depression scores between patients with and without RLS, but when the groups were compared in terms of Beck anxiety score, there were a significant difference. There was no significant relationship between RLS severity and Beck depression or Beck anxiety scores. RLS can be seen in %5-15 of general population and it is much more likely to emerge in the presence of an organic problem such as iron deficiency anemia. The diagnosis of the disorder is set clinically and RLS had a different significance because it may cause sleep disturbances and psychiatric disorders. If not questioned, this problem, which is not easily noticeable, can lead to misdiagnosis and misinterpreted as an anxiety disorder or a primary sleep disorder. Therefore the symptoms that could be corrected only by iron deficiency treatment, could be inşamed further by giving antidepressants and hypnotics

Postural stability, spinal alignment, mobility, and postural competency in women with unilateral lower extremity lymphedema after radical hysterectomy following gynecologic cancer: A case-control study

Purpose: To compare postural stability, spinal alignment, mobility, and postural competency in women with unilateral lower extremity lymphedema after radical hysterectomy following gynecologic cancer with a matched control group. Methods: Twenty-seven women with unilateral lower extremity lymphedema (lymphedema group, age: 54.14 ± 5.80 years) and 30 healthy women (control group, age: 51.90 ± 6.54 years) were included. The lymphedema severity was evaluated with circumferential measurements. Postural stability with the Biodex Balance System SD and the spinal alignment, mobility, and postural competency with the Spinal Mouse device were assessed. Results: In the lymphedema group, it was found that 3.7% of the women had mild lymphedema, 7.4% had moderate lymphedema, and 88.9% had severe lymphedema. Static eyes open (EO) (overall, medio-lateral and antero-posterior) and eyes closed (EC) (antero-posterior) stability scores and dynamic EO and EC stability scores (overall and antero-posterior) were detected to be higher in the lymphedema group than in the controls (p 0.05). Conclusion: Decreased postural stability, spinal mobility, and postural competency were detected in women with unilateral lower extremity lymphedema; however, no difference was seen in spinal alignment. These changes should be taken into account in the assessment and the treatment of unilateral lower extremity lymphedema. © 2023 Elsevier Lt

Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Peri-Miniscrew Fluid Prostaglandin E2 and Substance P Levels: A Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy on peri-miniscrew fluid prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and substance P (SP) levels during orthodontic treatment.Methods: A total of 15 individuals were included in this study. Miniscrews were inserted to the inter-radicular region of the maxillary right and left second premolar and the first molar teeth, and diode lasers were randomly applied to the right or left side. Irradiation was performed at 940 nm wavelength using a gallium-aluminum-arsenide diode laser with 100 mW power output, 0.125 cm2 spectral area, 8 J/cm2 energy density, and 10 seconds of exposure time. Peri-miniscrew fluid samples were collected on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th days, and PGE2 and SP levels were assessed. For statistical comparison, two-way (factors) analysis of variance with repeated measurements on one-factor levels was used at statistical significance (p) of <0.05.Results:PGE2 levels on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th days were 160.64±10.05, 135.17±37.18, and 98.57±22.94, respectively, in the control group and 150.75±9.08, 87.17±40.67, and 78.10±16.50, respectively, in the laser group. SP levels on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th days were 79.90±12.05, 64.61±10.05, and 70.05±9.10, respectively, in the control group and 76.32±11.39, 60.25±9.08, and 65.71±5.59, respectively, in the laser group. The differences in PGE2 and SP levels between the laser and control groups were not statistically significant at all time intervals.Conclusion: Low-level laser therapy cannot be recommended as a clinical adjunct therapy to reduce inflammation and pain around the miniscrews

An integrated approach using DEMATEL, ANP and TOPSIS for evaluating research & development projects

Research and development (R&amp;D) projects should be one of the main dimensions of universities for providing academic development. It is also a core performance indicator for monitoring and ranking universities. For these reasons, usually there are many projects submitted to the institutions that fund R&amp;D projects. Funding institutions should evaluate the submitted projects in terms of multi-criteria and select the suitable ones among them. Therefore multi-criteria decision making techniques can be implemented as a useful tool for these kinds of problems. In this study an integrated approach which includes DEMATEL, ANP and TOPSIS methods is used for evaluating and ranking projects. The criteria are determined by taking the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Institute&rsquo;s (T&Uuml;BİTAK) project selection procedures into consideration. DEMATEL method is used in order to detect the cause and effect interaction among main criteria. Then ANP method is implemented for calculating the weights of each criterion. Finally, TOPSIS method is applied for ranking the projects

Morphometric Analysis of Greater Palatine Canal by Computed Tomography

Aim: The greater palatine canal connects to the oral cavity through the greater palatine foramen. Preoperatively identifying the morphology of the greater palatine canal and greater palatine foramen is very important to avoid possible complications during surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the greater palatine canal and surrounding anatomical structures using computed tomography. Material and Methods: Images from 100 patients (35 female and 65 male) who had previously undergone computed tomography for various reasons were evaluated. The study data were divided into three age groups, &lt;20 years, 20-60 years, and &gt;60 years. Morphological parameters measured in this study included; diameter measurement from the widest part of the canal, length of the canal, beginning diameter of the canal, the ends diameter of the canal, localization of the canal entrance with respect to the third molar tooth, distance of the canal entrance to palatine suture. The values obtained from the measurements were compared in terms of age group, gender, and side. Results: The mean length of the canalis palatinus major was 15.19±4.38 mm. The diameter of the widest part of the canal and the end of the canal, and the distance between the canal entrance and the sutura palatina increased with age, but these increases were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Proper administration of anesthesia through the greater palatine foramen in maxillofacial surgeries and related applications requires a detailed understanding of the anatomy of the greater palatine canal, and the results of the present study will contribute to the understanding of this anatomy