An investigation of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and their infants in Giresun province located in the Black Sea region of Turkey

KOSAR CAN, Ozlem/0000-0001-7101-4838WOS: 000464428600010PubMed: 30773966The aim of this study is to investigate vitamin D deficiency and the associated risk factors in pregnant women and their infants in the Black Sea region of Turkey. One hundred and twenty healthy pregnant women in the last trimester and their healthy newborn pairs were observed between June and August 2017 in Giresun province. The serum 25(OH)D3 and calcium levels were measured through the samples collected from maternal and neonatal cord blood. The effects of maternal lifestyle on the maternal vitamin D levels were assessed by multiple regression analysis. The mean concentrations of 25(OH)D3 were found to be 9.546.35ng/mL and 11.166.52ng/mL in the maternal and neonatal cord blood sera, respectively. Vitamin D deficiency (20ng/mL) and severe vitamin D deficiency (5ng/mL) were observed in between 94.2% and 24.2% of mothers and 90% and 10% of infants, respectively. The clothing style, the consumption of milk/dairy products and antenatal multivitamin supplement usage were found as significant factors on the serum vitamin D levels. Even during the Summer months, the vitamin D deficiency in mothers and infants was observed at high rates in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. As a result, it has been concluded that routine maternal serum 25(OH)D3 measurements for clinical follow-up, vitamin D supplementation and regular consumption of dairy products should be recommended.Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? Vitamin D deficiency is a very important risk factor to be considered for maternal and infant health. In a large number of studies, it has been observed that the risk of a vitamin D deficiency in women during their pregnancy was found to be higher, depending on the various strong influences such as the demographic and maternal lifestyles.What the results of this study add? A vitamin D deficiency associated with the demographic and lifestyle factors of pregnant women and their infants was investigated in Giresun province, located in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. The results of this study add that a vitamin D deficiency in the maternal and in the infants may be observed at high rates in regions with mostly rainy weather, even during the Summer months.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The vitamin D levels in infants can be determined indirectly by looking at the vitamin D levels in third trimester pregnancies. Furthermore, it is suggested as a non-invasive method to determine vitamin D levels by taking advantage of the maternal level, without measuring the vitamin D levels of infants. Thus, this will be effective to reduce health costs and to prevent the possible diseases affecting the future life of infants. Routine maternal serum 25(OH)D3 measurements for clinical follow-up, vitamin D supplementation and the regular consumption of dairy products should be recommended to pregnant women with risk factors, even in the Summer in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. In addition, further studies are needed to investigate the vitamin D deficiency associated with the demographic and lifestyle factors of pregnant women and their infants, especially for the different locations of Turkey

Anxiety states and knowledge of COVID-19 among pregnant women during the pandemic in Turkey – a cross-sectional study

Introduction. Infectious outbreaks have negative effects not only on the physical health of the society but also on the mental health. Aim. To evaluate the anxiety states and knowledge of COVID-19 during the pandemic in pregnant women. Material and methods. Cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital in Turkey. A total of 199 pregnant women were included in the study. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), two questionnaires to evaluate the knowledge about COVID-19, and COVID-19-related anxiety were applied to all the women. Results. The highest level of COVID-19-related anxieties were about their spouses or newborns contracting COVID-19, effects of drugs on fetus and contracting COVID-19 during delivery. There was a negative correlation between gestational week and the questionnaire of COVID-19-related anxieties (r=-0.152, p=0.037). STAI total score was 76.48±14.11, and STAI-T scores (42.39±7.66) were higher than STAI-S scores (34.09±8.77). Although their general knowledge about the disease was relatively good, their level of knowledge on issues that pertained specifically to pregnancy was low. Conclusion. These findings indicated more than four months had passed since the pandemic came to the country but, pregnant women were very worried and did not have enough information about the diseas

UV illumination effects on electrical characteristics of metal-polymer-semiconductor diodes fabricated with new poly(propylene glycol)-b-polystyrene block copolymer

Gokcen, Muharrem/0000-0001-9063-3028; YILDIRIM, Mert/0000-0002-8526-1802WOS: 000328801200002Au/poly(propylene glycol)-b-polystyrene/n-Si (D1) and Au/poly(propylene glycol)-b-polystyrene(HAuCl4 dispersed)/n-Si (02) diodes were fabricated and their response to UV illumination was investigated using current-voltage measurements in dark and under various illumination intensities (50-250 mW/cm(2)). Scanning Electron Microscope micrographs of the diodes were provided for morphological analysis. Main electrical parameters; such as ideality factor, barrier height and reverse saturation current, are calculated using Thermionic Emission and Norde's method, and it was found that they show dependence on UV illumination. Ideality factor values of D1 and D2 diodes in dark is 2.53 and 2.29 whereas they are 3.37 and 3.39 under 100 mW/cm(2) UV illumination, respectively. A noticeable effect of UV illumination is the considerable increase of current in the reverse bias region compared with current in dark such that current value increases by similar to 10(3) times with 100 mW/cm(2) UV illumination for both diodes. Furthermore, density distribution profiles of surface states in these diodes were also investigated. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Turkish Scientific Research CouncilTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110T884, 211T016]; Duzce University Scientific Research ProjectDuzce University [2011.05.03.068, 2011.05.HD.026, 2012.05.02.110, 2012.05.HD.052]; Bulent Ecevit University Research FundBulent Ecevit University [2012-10-03-03]This work is supported financially by Turkish Scientific Research Council (Grant Numbers: 110T884, 211T016), Duzce University Scientific Research Project (Project Numbers: 2011.05.03.068, 2011.05.HD.026, 2012.05.02.110, 2012.05.HD.052), and Bulent Ecevit University Research Fund (Grant Number: 2012-10-03-03)