Use of complementary and alternative medicines by a sample of Turkish women for infertility enhancement: a descriptive study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infertility patients are a vulnerable group that often seeks a non-medical solution for their failure to conceive. World-wide, women use CAM for productive health, but only a limited number of studies report on CAM use to enhance fertility. Little is known about traditional and religious forms of therapies that are used in relation to conventional medicine in Turkey. We investigated the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used by infertile Turkish women for fertility enhancement.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A face-to-face questionnaire inquiring demographic information and types of CAM used for fertility enhancement were completed by hundred infertility patients admitted to a primary care family planning centre in Van, Turkey between January and July 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The vast majority of infertile women had used CAM at least once for infertility. CAM use included religious interventions, herbal products and recommendations of traditional "hodja's" (faith healers). Of these women, 87.8% were abused in the last 12 months, 36.6% felt not being supported by her partner and 80.5% had never spoken with a physician about CAM.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Infertile Turkish women use complementary medicine frequently for fertility enhancement and are in need of information about CAM. Religious and traditional therapies are used as an adjunct to, rather than a substitute for, conventional medical therapy. Physicians need to approach fertility patients with sensitivity and should be able to council their patients about CAM accordingly.</p

Is surgical plication necessary in diaphragm eventration?

Diaphragm plication surgery is conducted to remove dyspnea, which results from mediastinal shift, atelectasia, and ventilation/perfusion dyssynchrony in lungs that occur because of an eventrated diaphragm. This study aims to determine whether diaphragm plication has any effect on respiration by analyzing the patients' changing values in the respiratory function test (RFT) after plication surgery. Sixteen patients who underwent diaphragm plication surgery in our clinic because of plication eventration or paralysis were examined prospectively. Diaphragm eventration values were assessed using a calculation method that uses posteroanterior pulmonary radiographies taken during patient admission and control, then, these data were recorded. The amount of changes in the eventration levels and in restrictive respiratory failure parameters—forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) of RFTs—conducted in pre- and postoperative control periods were compared using statistical analysis methods. The compatibility between the amounts of RFT changes was examined through a satisfaction survey—using a questionnaire that consisted of multiple choice questions with answer options such as “better, ” “the same, ” and “worse”—to understand preoperative and postoperative symptom levels in the 12th month of postoperative control. According to postoperative levels, a decrease between 19% and 23% was observed in eventration amounts within the 1st postoperative month, 6th postoperative month, and 12th postoperative month. In addition, the highest average increase in FEV1 liter (lt) values was 0.2 lt and 0.25 in FVC (lt) values. Researchers of this study believe that more distinctive decisions need to be taken while identifying patients for surgery in unilateral diaphragm eventrations, especially in the adult patient group, surgical option should be used for cases in which the eventrated diaphragm results in mediastinal shift and respiratory failure

Report of a Case of Pacemaker Depletion Presenting with Wide QRS Tachycardia

WOS: 000403583500010Runaway pacemaker results from pacemaker malfunction and is characterized by sudden increases in the stimulus rate above the set upper rate limit of the pacemaker. Here we report the case of a patient with wide QRS complex tachycardia who was admitted to the emergency unit and diagnosed with runaway pacemaker

Seasonal variation in the diet of Big-Scale Sand Smelt Atherina boyeri from the coast of Candarli Bay (North Aegean Sea, Turkey)

WOS: 000438698700001A total of 1492 specimens of sand smelt. Atherina boyeri, was collected from the coasts of Candarl1 Bay (North Aegean Sea, Turkey) during 2007-2008, to determine their stomach content compositions. Of the 460 stomachs examined, 258 (56.1%) were found with prey items. Zooplanktonic organisms were the main prey items in terms of abundance for the autumn and summer seasons. The most dominant species in the diet was Euterpina acutifrons, 87% numerical occurrence (NO) and 18% frequency of occurrence (FO), followed by Cypris larvae (1.25% NO, 4.29% FO) and unidentified tissue items (3.56% FO). Observations during the winter period did not allow identifying preys. Our results give support to the idea that the sand smelt is an opportunistic predator, mostly consuming small cnistaceans during sampling period.Ege UniversityEge University [2006 SUF 017]The material used in this study was collected in the frame of the Project (Project number: 2006 SUF 017) financially funded by Ege University. We are grateful to the project staff

SEASONALLY PREY COMPOSITION OF BROAD-NOSED PIPEFISH, SYNGNATHUS TYPLE, DISTRIBUTED IN THE COASTS OF AEGEAN SEA, TURKEY

WOS: 000400806100024In this study, the prey composition of broad nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) that has distributed in the Aegean Sea coasts was seasonally determined between the years of 2007 and 2008. The seasonal differences were determined in gut contents. In Spring, unidentified and vegetative tissues were the most important prey group in ten prey groups (chi(2), 10.0 p 0.05). Consequently, the variability of diet of samples was occurred by small sized preys and also larger preys in vegetation fields from the Aegean Sea coasts.Ege UniversityEge University [2006 SUF 017]The part of material used in this study was gathered in the frame of the Project (2006 SUF 017) financially funded by Ege University. We are grateful to the project staff

Is surgical plication necessary in diaphragm eventration?

Background: Diaphragm plication surgery is conducted to remove dyspnea, which results from mediastinal shift, atelectasia, and ventilation/perfusion dyssynchrony in lungs that occur because of an eventrated diaphragm. This study aims to determine whether diaphragm plication has any effect on respiration by analyzing the patients' changing values in the respiratory function test (RFT) after plication surgery. Methods: Sixteen patients who underwent diaphragm plication surgery in our clinic because of plication eventration or paralysis were examined prospectively. Diaphragm eventration values were assessed using a calculation method that uses posteroanterior pulmonary radiographies taken during patient admission and control; then, these data were recorded. The amount of changes in the eventration levels and in restrictive respiratory failure parameters—forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) of RFTs—conducted in pre- and postoperative control periods were compared using statistical analysis methods. The compatibility between the amounts of RFT changes was examined through a satisfaction survey—using a questionnaire that consisted of multiple choice questions with answer options such as “better,” “the same,” and “worse”—to understand preoperative and postoperative symptom levels in the 12th month of postoperative control. Results: According to postoperative levels, a decrease between 19% and 23% was observed in eventration amounts within the 1st postoperative month, 6th postoperative month, and 12th postoperative month. In addition, the highest average increase in FEV1 liter (lt) values was 0.2 lt and 0.25 in FVC (lt) values. Conclusion: Researchers of this study believe that more distinctive decisions need to be taken while identifying patients for surgery in unilateral diaphragm eventrations, especially in the adult patient group; surgical option should be used for cases in which the eventrated diaphragm results in mediastinal shift and respiratory failure

Trisequential Photooxygenation Reaction: Application to the Synthesis of Carbasugars

4,5-Dimethylenecyclohex-1-ene was subjected to a photooxygenation reaction to introduce oxygen functionalities. The endoperoxide obtained underwent an ene-reaction to form hydroperoxides with 1,3-diene structures. Further addition of singlet oxygen to the diene units resulted in the formation of tricyclic hydroperoxides having three oxygens in the molecule. Cleavage of the oxygen-oxygen bonds followed by epoxidation of the remaining C-C double bond and concomitant ring-opening reaction furnished the isomeric carbasugars