DOES HAND GRIP STRENGTH CHANGE WITH GENDER? THE TRADITIONAL METHOD VS. THE ALLOMETRIC NORMALISATION METHOD

The results of muscle strength and force tests were complicated by various factors, such as age, gender and level of physical activity. The most well-known factor is body size. The allometric normalising method has been recommended to obtain more precise results from strength and force tests. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if gender plays a role in hand grip strength (HGS), and we used two methods: the traditional method (TM; non-normalised strength) and the allometric normalisation method (ANM; strength independent of body size). A total of 124 men (age: 21.0 ± 2.0 yr; BMI: 23.42 ± 2.47 kg/m2) and 77 women (age: 21.0 ± 2.0 yr; BMI: 21.07 ± 2.02 kg/m2) participated in this study. The HGS was measured in kilograms using the dominant hand via an adjustable hand grip dynamometer. When the traditional method was used, HGS was expressed in Newtons (kg × 9.81). Otherwise, a formula (Sn= S / m0,67) was used for the allometric normalisation scaling (Sn = normalized strength, S = recorded strength, m = body mass and 0.67 = allometric coefficient). Both the TM (women: HGS of 323.7 N vs. men: HGS of 461.1 N; p˂0,001) and the ANM (women: HGS of 21.31 ± 2.54 N vs. men: HGS 26.39 ± 3.78 N; p˂0,001) confirmed that there are differences in HGS as a function of gender. Replication studies are required to determine which method is more appropriate for determining the gender differences in HGS.  Article visualizations

LEISURE SATISFACTION IN RECREATIONAL PHYSICAL FITNESS PARTICIPANTS

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the leisure satisfaction, in physical fitness participants. One hundred male physical fitness participants and 123 male control subjects aged 18–35 years and who usually exercised at least 3 times per week voluntarily participated in this study. The control subjects consisted of footballers, basketball players, volleyball players, etc. Professional players were excluded from both groups. Leisure satisfaction was determined using the Leisure Satisfaction Scale (LSS) developed by Beard & Raghed (1980), which was adapted into Turkish by Gökçe as a short form scale (2011). This scale contains 24 items in six subscales: a) psychological, b) educational, c) social, d) relaxation, e) physiological, and f) aesthetic satisfaction. The scale is a 5-point Likert-type scale. The Cronbach’s alpha value for the whole LSS was .90. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed to test for normality. As the data were not normally distributed, the Mann-Whitney U-test was used to determine differences between the groups. The chi-square test was used to compare sports experience between the groups. Statistical analysis revealed that the physiological subscale score was higher in the physical fitness participants than in control participants (16 versus 15, p<0.005). None of the other LSS subscales significantly differed. There were significant differences in age (p<0.001), educational level (p<0.001), and monthly income (p<0.001) between the groups. Both this study and the assessment guide of the LSS indicated that physical fitness participants evaluated themselves as fitter, healthier, and of a more normal weight than the control group. This might be due to differences in age, monthly income, and educational level between the groups. We suggest that similar studies be carried out using larger samples to obtain clearer results.  Article visualizations

Comparison of artificial neural networks and logistic regression analysis in determining factors affecting alcohol consumption among medicine students

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, öğrencilerin alkol kullanımını etkileyen faktörler lojistik regresyon analizi (LR) ve yapay sinir ağları (YSA) ile incelendi ve bu yöntemlerin alkol kullanan ve kullanmayan öğrencileri ayırmadaki etkinlikleri ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) eğrisi yöntemiyle karşılaştırıldı. Çalışma Planı: Çalışmada, 2003-2004 eğitim-öğretim yılında Trakya Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi’nin 1-4 sınıflarında okuyan öğrencilere Frontal Lob Kişilik Ölçeği ve alkol kullanma alışkanlıklarını belirlemeye yönelik bir anket uygulandı. Bulgular: Lojistik regresyon analizinde, ders dı.ındaki zamanlarda bar, disko, kafe ya da kahvehaneye gitme (OR=1.920; p<0.05), dinin önem düzeyi (OR=0.454; p<0.001), alkol kullanan arkada. sayısı (OR=2.441;p<0.001), alkol kullanması için arkada.ların ısrar düzeyi (OR=1.557; p<0.01) ve dürtüsellik (OR=1.826; p<0.001)değişkenlerinin öğrencilerin alkol kullanımı üzerinde etkili oldukları bulundu. Lojistik regresyon analizi ile YSA’lar karşılaştırıldığında, hiperbolik tanjant-hiperbolik tanjant fonksiyonlu ve hiperbolik tanjant-lojistik fonksiyonlu YSA’ların ROC eğrisi altında kalan alanlarının farklı olmadığı, fakat bu modellerin diğer modellerin alanlarından daha büyük oldukları görüldü. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada YSA’ların LR’ye göre avantaj ve dezavantajları göz önünde bulundurularak amaca göre sınıflandırma ve modelleme çalışmalarının yürütülmesi gerektiği, LR yönteminin önemsiz değişkenlerin elenmesi için YSA’da bir ön eleme yöntemi olarak kullanılabileceği sonucuna varıldı.Objectives: The factors that affect students&amp;#8217; alcohol use behaviors were examined by logistic regression analysis and artificial neural networks and the efficiency of these methods in identifying alcohol users and non-users was compared using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve method. Study Design: Graduate students of 1-4 years in Trakya University Medical Faculty (2003-2004) were administered a questionnaire to predict their alcohol use behaviors and were assessed with the Frontal Lobe Personality Scale. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that the following variables highly affected alcohol use behaviors of the students: visiting bars, discos or cafes in their spare time (OR=1.920; p&lt;0.05), the importance of religion (OR=0.454; p&lt;0.001), the number of alcohol-user friends (OR=2.441; p&lt;0.001), insistence of friends on taking alcohol (OR=1.557;p&lt;0.01), and impulsiveness (OR=1.826; p&lt;0.001). Comparison between logistic regression analysis and artificial neural Networks showed no differences in terms of the areas under the ROC curves of hyperbolic tangent-hyperbolic tangent function and hyperbolic tangent-logistic function artificial neural networks, but these models showed statistically larger areas than the other models. Conclusion: It may be necessary to take into account the advantages and disadvantages of artificial neural networks and logistic regression in classification and modelling, and to use artificial neural networks to eliminate insignificant variables of logistic regression analysis

Evaluation of sleep quality in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

AMAÇ: Karpal tünel sendromu (KTS) median sinirin el bileği düzeyindeki tuzak nöropatisidir. Geceleri şiddetlenen ağrı ve dizesteziler hastalığın tipik bulgusudur. Çalışmamızın amacı KTS hastalarında uyku kalitesinin araştırılması, mevcut uyku bozukluklarının semptom şiddeti ve fonksiyonel bozuklukla ilişkisinin saptanmasıdır. GEREÇ VE YÖNTEMLER: Elektrodiagnostik olarak KTS tanısı alan 29 kişi ve kontrol grubu olarak hastane personelinden 25 sağlıklı kişi çalışmaya alındı. Tüm katılımcıların bilgilendirilmiş onamı alındı. Hastaların semptom şiddeti ve fonksiyonel bozukluklarını değerlendirmek üzere Boston sorgulaması kullanıldı. Çalışmaya katılan hastaların ve sağlıklı kontrol grubunun uyku kalitesi Pittsburgh Uyku Kalitesi İndeksi ile değerlendirildi. BULGULAR: Karpal tünel sendromlu hastaların genel uyku kalitesinin kontrol grubuna kıyasla anlamlı olarak daha kötü olduğu saptandı (p=0,046). Pittsburgh skoru bileşenleri ayrıntılı olarak değerlendirildiğinde alışılmış uyku etkinliğinin karpal tünel sendromlu hastalarda anlamlı düzeyde bozulmuş olduğu saptandı (p=0.001). SONUÇ: Uyku kalitesi KTS’li hastalarda anlamlı düzeyde bozulmaktadır ve gece uykuda geçirdikleri toplam süre azalmaktadır.OBJECTIVE: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is defined as entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist. Pain and disestesia that worsen at night are characteristic features of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine sleep quality of patients with CTS and also defining the association between symptom severity, functional impairment with existing sleep disturbance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with CTS according to electrodiagnostic evaluation and 25 healthy volunteers recruited from hospital staff were included into the study. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Boston Questionnaire was used to evaluate symptom severity and functional impairment. Sleep quality of the participants was assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. RESULTS: Overall sleep quality of the CTS patients was significantly worse than control group (p=0.046). Detailed analysis of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index components revealed that habitual sleep efficiency was significantly impaired in patients with CTS (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Sleep quality was significantly disturbed in patients with CTS, and also the total time that patients were asleep was shortened

Evaluation of frequencies of HLA-A, B and DR in thracian population and examination of its relationship with Balkan populations

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Trakya bölgesinde yaşayan Türk popülasyonunun insan lökosit antijenleri (HLA) allel dağılımları belirlendi. Çalışma Planı: Çalışma grubu, üç kuşaktır Trakya bölgesinde yaşayan ve benzer linguistik özellikler gösteren 105 doku vericisinden oluşturuldu. HLAA, B ve DRB1 allellerinin genotiplendirmesinde Polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu-sekans spesifik primer (PZR-SSP) yöntemi kullanıldı. Tüm alleler içinde en sık gözlenenler HLA-A*02 (%20.5), HLA-B*35 (%22.9), HLA-DR*11 (%17.6) oldu. Bulgular: HLA allellerinin frekansları, HLA gen bölgesinin fazla polimorfik yapısından dolayı popülasyonlar arasında farklılık göstermektedir. Dağılımdaki bu farklılıklar ve benzerlikler toplumların birbirleriyle akrabalıklarını ortaya koymada en tercih edilen genetik yaklaşımlardan biridir. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada da diğer Türk popülasyonları ile farklı Balkan popülasyonları arasındaki akrabalıkları belirlemek amacıyla HLA-DR frekansları karşılaştırıldı. Trakya Türklerinin Balkan popülasyonlarına benzer bir HLA-DR dağılımı sergilediği görüldü.Objectives: In this study, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allel frequencies of Thracian Turkish population were determined. Study Design: The study group consisted of 105 tissue donors who live in Thrace region of Turkey for three generations and have similar linguistic features. Polymerase chain reaction-sequencespecific primer (PCR-SSP) method was used for genotyping of HLA-A, B and DRB1 alleles. The most frequent HLA alleles were HLA-A*02 (20.5%), HLA-B*35 (22.9%) and HLA-DR*11 (17.6%). Results: Conclusion: In this study also, HLA-DR allel frequencies were compared in order to determine the relationship between other Turkish populations and Balkan populations. It is observed that Thracian Turkish population has similar HLA-DR distributions with Balkan populations

Preeklamptik hastalarda eritrosit indeksleri

Objective: The purpose of study was to investigate erythrocyte indices in patients with preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 102 patients with preeclampsia (49 mild, 53 severe preeclampsia) and 98 control pregnant patients. For the entire study population, red blood cell indices, including baseline mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), and red blood cell (RBC) were measured by using an automatic blood counter. Results: In the preeclampsia group, the median RDW was 15% (13.8-16.57), whereas in the control group it was 13.9% (13-15.6) (p<0.01). On the other hand, the mean MCV value was 80.42±7.86 (fL) in preeclampsia group and 83.88±2.31 (fL) in control group (p=0.003). Besides, the mean MCHC value was 33.66±1.71 (g/dL) in preeclampsia group and 33.09±1.48 (g/dL) in control group (p=0.012). However MCH and RBC values were not statistically different between the groups. (p>0.05) Moreover, subgroup analysis revealed that RDW levels were significantly increased in preeclampsia subjects than in mild preeclampsia patients (15.4% (13.9-17.45) vs 14.3% (13.7-15.7), p=0.031), MCV levels were decreased (78.81±7.91 (fL) vs 82.16± 7.43 (fL), p=0.03), RBC values were increased (4.16 (3.79-4.85)x(1012/L) vs 3.82 (3.45- 4.34)x(1012/L), (p=0.006)) in patients with severe preeclampsia when compared to the patients with mild preeclampsia. In the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis of subjects with and without preeclampsia, RDW and MCV showed high predictive values (p<0.01). Besides, in ROC analysis of preeclampsia patients with different severities, RDW and RBC showed the ideal predictive values (p=0.006, p=0.031, respectively). Conclusion: Our study results revealed that among the red blood cell indices, only increased RDW values were associated with both the presence and the severity of preeclampsia.Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı preeklampsi tanısı konmuş hastalarda eritrosit indekslerini araştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmaya 102 preeklampsi (49 hafif ve 53 şiddetli preeklampsi olmak üzere) ve 98 kontrol hastası dahil edilmiştir. Tüm çalışma grubunda eritrosit indeksleri olan ortalama korpuskular hacim (MCV), ortalama korpuskular hemoglobin (MCH), ortalama korpuskular hemoglobin konsantrasyonu (MCHC), eritrosit sayımı ve eritrosit dağılım genişliği değerleri otomatik kan sayım cihazı ile ölçüldü.Bulgular: Preeklampsi grubunda, medyan RDW %15 (13,8-16,57), ortalama MCV değeri 80,42±7,86 (fL), ortalama MCHC değeri 33,66±1,71 (g/dL) ve kontrol grubunda medyan RDW %13,9 (13-15,6), ortalama MCV değeri 83,88±2,31 (fL), ortalama MCHC değeri 33,09±1,48 (g/dL) idi (sırasıyla p0,05). Preeklampsi grubunda subgroup analizi yapıldığında, hafif preeklampsi grubuna göre, ciddi preeklampsi grubunda artmış RDW değerleri (% 15,4 (13,9-17,45) vs %14,3 (13,7-15,7), p=0,031), azalmış MCV değerleri (78,81±7,91 (fL) vs 82,16±7,43 (fL), p=0,03), artmış RBC değerleri (4,16 (3,79-4,85)x(1012/L) vs 3,82 (3,45-4,34)x(1012/L), (p=0,006) saptandı. Preeklampsi ve kontrol grubu hastalarının Receiver operatör karakteristik (ROK) analizi sonuçlarına göre eritrosit sayımı ve eritrosit dağılım genişliğinin hastalığı tespit etmede yüksek prediktif değerleri saptandı (p<0,01). Ayrıca ROK analiz sonuçlarına göre, hafif ve ciddi preeklampsili hastalarda RDW ve RBC değerleri hastalığın ciddiyetini belirlemede ideal prediktif değerlere sahip idi (p=0,006, p=0,031). Sonuç: Eritrosit indeksleri arasında artmış RDW değerleri hem preeklampsi tanısı, hem de hastalığın ciddiyeti ile ilişkilidir

The distribution of hepatitis c virus genotypes in patients with chronic hepatitis c ınfection

Amaç: Hepatit C virüsü (HCV), kronik hepatit, siroz ve hepatosellüler karsinoma yol açarak dünya çapında önemli bir sağlık sorunu olmaktadır. Dizi analizi çalışmaları ile HCV’nin 7 genotipi ve 100’den fazla alt tipi olduğu ortaya konmuştur. HCV genotip 1’in genotip 2 ve 3’e göre daha ciddi hastalık yaptığı ve tedaviye kalıcı yanıtın daha az olduğu bilinmektedir. Bu çalışmada, kronik hepatit C hastalarında genotip dağılımının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmaya, Ağustos 2007-Aralık 2010 tarihleri arasında Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Tıbbi Mikrobiyoloji Anabilim Dalı Laboratuvarında, anti-HCV ve HCV-RNA pozitif olarak saptanan toplam 50 kronik hepatit C’li hasta dahil edildi. Hasta örneklerinde anti-HCV ticari mikropartikül Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay test kiti ile (Murex anti-HCV, UK), otomatize sistemde (Grifols Triturus, İspanya) araştırıldı. HCV-RNA düzeyleri, real-time polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu yöntemi ile iki ayrı sistem (Rotor-Gene 6000, Corbett Research, Amerika ve Cobas Tagman, Roche Diagnostic, Amerika) kullanılarak çalışıldı. HCV genotip tayini, virüs genomundaki 5’UTR bölgesinin amplifikasyon ürünlerinin ters hibridizasyonu temeline dayanan ticari HCV-TS test kiti (AB analytica, İtalya) ile yapıldı. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan toplam 50 hastanın 27’si (%54) kadın, 23’ü (%46) erkek olup yaş ortalaması 59,92±13,02’dir. Hastalarda HCV genotipleri, 36’sında (%72) genotip 1b, dokuzunda (%18) genotip 1a, birinde (%2) genotip 2b, birinde (%2) genotip 3 ve üç (%6) hastada ise genotip 1a ve 1b olarak belirlenmiştir. HCV genotipleri arasında HCV-RNA düzeyleri ve anti-HCV indeks değerleri bakımından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark saptanmamıştır (p>0,05). Sonuç: Hastanemizde izlenen kronik HCV olgularında genotip 1b, ülkemizdeki önceki veriler ile uyumlu olarak en yüksek oranda saptanmıştır.Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a major public health problem worldwide. HCV can cause chronic hepatitis infection which may ultimately result in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Seven major genotypes and more than 100 subtypes of HCV are shown by sequence analysis. Genotype 1 is associated with more severity of liver disease than genotypes 2 and 3 and sustained response to treatment is known to be less. In this study, we aimed to determine the HCV genotype distribution in chronic hepatitis C patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 patients with chronic HCV infection who attended the Microbiology Laboratory at Adnan Menderes University Hospital between August 2007 and December 2010 found to be positive for anti-HCV and HCV-RNA were included in the study. Anti-HCV testing was performed using microparticle Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay test kit (Murex Anti-HCV version 4, UK) with autoanalyser (Grifols Triturus, Spain). The quantification of serum HCV-RNA was carried out by a realtime polymerase chain reaction method with two different systems (Cobas TaqMan HCV, Roche Diagnostics, Germany and Rotor- Gene 6000,Corbett Research, USA). HCV genotype analysis was performed by using a kit (HCV-TS; AB Analitica, Italy ) based on the reverse hybridization of 5’-untranslated region and amplified products with genotype-specific probes. Results: The mean age of the 50 chronic hepatitis C patients [27 (54%) female, and 23 (46%) male] was 57.1±14.3 years. Genotype 1b was found in 36 (72%) subjects, genotype 1a in nine (18%), genotype 2b in one (2%), genotype 3 in one (2%), and genotype 1a/1b was found in three (6%) patients. No statistically significant difference was detected in HCV-RNA quantities and anti-HCV index between HCV genotypes (p>0.05). Conclusion: Compatible with the previous data obtained in Turkey, genotype 1b was found to be the most common HCV genotype in patients with chronic hepatitis C followed in our hospital

Can pulse wave velocity measured preoperatively predict hypotension in hypertensive patients during anesthesia induction?

BACKGROUND: During the induction of general anesthesia, hemodynamic instability is a common occurrence in elderly hypertensive patients with increased arterial stiffness, which can cause undesirable complications. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an important indicator of arterial stiffness. OBJECTIVES: Investigate if preoperatively measured PWV is related to hemodynamic changes during induction of general anesthesia. DESIGN: Prospective, case control. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was carried out between December 2018 and December 2019 in patients 50 years or older scheduled for elective otolaryngology with endotracheal intubation and who had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of I or II. Patients diagnosed with hypertension (HT) or receiving treatment for hypertension for systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg were compared with non-hypertensive patients (non-HT) of matching age and gender. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PWV values between HT and non-HT patients and hypotension rates at the 30th second of induction, the 30th second of intubation, and the 90th second of intubation between the HT and non-HT groups. SAMPLE SIZE: 139 (95 with HT and 44 non-HT) RESULTS: PWV was higher in the HT group than in the non-HT group (P<.001). Hypotension at the 30th second of intubation in the HT group was significantly more frequent than in the non-HT group (P=.025). PWV was higher in hypotensive (n=62) than in non-hypotensive patients but the difference was statistically significant only for PWV measured at 30th second of intubation (n=77) (P=.018). CONCLUSIONS: The easily and non-invasively measured preoperative PWV may be an effective means of predicting hypotension during the induction of general anesthesia at the 30th second of intubation in HT patients. LIMITATIONS: Numbers of patients in the groups were not the same, and the study was not sufficiently powered to investigate the effect of hypertensive medications on PWV and arterial stiffness. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None

Associations among handgrip strength, dietary pattern, and physical activity level in Physical Education students.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among handgrip strength (HGS), dietary pattern, and physical activity level in students from a physical education and sport department. Material and Methods: In this study, 124 men and 77 women aged 18–29 y participated. HGS was evaluated in the dominant hand by using an adjustable handgrip dynamometer and expressed in Newton. Dietary pattern was evaluated by using the Dietary Pattern Index (DPI) adapted into the Turkish. Physical activity level was measured by using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: The Spearman correlation coefficient showed that HGS positively correlated with IPAQ score (r=0.204, p=0.004), body mass index (r=0.559, p&lt;0.001), and age (r=0.205, p=0.003), but negatively correlated with DPI score (r=−0.179, p=0.01).Conclusion: HGS is a useful, simple, and objective assessment tool for monitoring the physical activity levels and dietary patterns of young subjects