Under poverty and conflict:Well-being of children living in the east of Turkey

Children living in armed conflict zones are often exposed to political violence and other risk factors that may be caused or exacerbated by the conflict, such as poverty and family violence. If left untreated, these experiences may cause psychological problems throughout life. This study investigated the psychological well-being of children living in the low-intensity armed conflict zone in Turkey in relation to their adverse experiences. We collected data from 409 caregivers for their children (236 girls) aged 5.5 to 18 years (mean [M] = 11.50, standard deviation [SD] = 3.65). Caregivers provided information regarding their children’s emotional and behavioral problems (internalizing, externalizing, and total problems; posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSS]), income, family violence, and armed conflict experiences. Caregivers reported moderate levels of problems among children. The prevalence of borderline/clinical (T ≥ 60) scores was 14.3% for internalizing, 12.6% for externalizing, and 14% for total problems and 7.9% for PTSS. Notably, almost all families resided in extreme poverty. The prevalence of family violence was 36%. Children were frequently exposed to conflict-related events. Hierarchical regressions showed that after controlling for the role of demographic variables and other risk factors, income predicted total problem level (β = -.10), and family violence (β's = .17 to .26) and armed conflict (β = .13 to .20) experiences predicted internalizing, externalizing, and total problems and PTSS levels. Our findings suggest that family violence and armed conflict pose a significant risk to children’s psychological well-being and inform intervention strategies and policy decisions to promote welfare in such disadvantaged contexts

Erken çocukluk gelişimine dair Türkiye bulgularına bakış

Erken çocukluk, beynin gelişiminin en yoğun olduğu, bilişsel ve sosyal becerilerin temellerininatıldığı bir dönemdir. Bu makalede, erken çocukluk döneminde ortaya çıkan becerilerinbağlantılarını ve gelişimlerinde rolü olan unsurları farklı örneklemlerde (tipik ve atipik gelişimgösteren çocuklar, tipik ve atipik gelişimsel bağlamlarda yetişenler) incelediğimiz araştırmalarımızıözetliyor, sonuçlarını diğer literatür bulgularıyla birlikte değerlendiriyoruz. Bulgular iki becerinin,alıcı dil ve yönetici işlev becerilerinin çocuğun psikolojik esenliği ve optimal gelişimi için kritikolduğunu ortaya koyuyor. Bu becerilerin gelişimine hangi unsurların nasıl etki ettiğini gösterenaraştırma sonuçlarımızı derliyor, uygulamaya dair önermelerini tartışıyoruz.Early childhood is a period during which brain development is at its highest and the social and cognitive skills start to develop. In this paper, we summarized our studies in which we investigate the skills that emerge in early childhood years, and the factors associated with the development of these skills in different populations (typically developing children and children with atypical development, typical and atypical rearing contexts). We examine our results in light of the findings of the previous literature. The results of our studies suggest that two skills, namely receptive language and executive function are critical for psychological well-being and optimal development. In this review we compile our findings about the factors influencing the development of these skills, the mechanisms of this influence. We also discuss the applied implications of our findings.TR - Dizi

The role of theory of mind, emotion knowledge and empathy in preschoolers’ disruptive behavior

Objectives : Research examining disruptive behaviors in clinical groups of preschool and school-aged children has consistently revealed significant difficulties in their emotion knowledge and empathy but intact performance in their theory-of-mind (ToM). However, it is largely not known if these difficulties in emotion knowledge and empathy as opposed to ToM are specific to extreme forms of disruption in clinical groups or rather represent broad deficiencies related to disruptive behaviors in general, including the milder levels exhibited by typically developing children. Milder disruptive behaviors (e.g., whining, arguing, rule-breaking and fighting) in peer contexts might relate to normative variations in socio-cognitive and emotional skills like ToM, emotion knowledge and empathy. To illuminate whether the same pattern of relations observed in clinical samples would arise in typical development, this study aims to examine the role of ToM, emotion knowledge and empathy in typically developing preschoolers’ disruptive behaviors.WOS:000510437900014Scopus - Affiliation ID: 60105072Social Sciences Citation IndexQ3 - Q4ArticleOcak2020YÖK - 2019-2

Seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii in quails (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) in Niğde province, Turkey

Bu çalışma, Niğde yöresinde Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi uygulama kümesinde yetiştirilen bıldırcınlarda (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Toxoplasma gondii’nin seroprevalansının belirlenmesi amacı ile yapılmıştır. Bu amaçla, 139’u erkek ve 5’i dişi olmak üzere toplam 144 bıldırcından elde edilen kan serumu örnekleri Sabin-Feldman boya testi (SFDT) ile anti-Toxoplasma gondii antikorları yönünden incelenmişlerdir. Bu test sonucunda incelenen 144 bıldırcın serumunun tümü T. gondii antikorları yönünden seronegatif bulunmuştur. Bu durum endüstriyel olarak üretilen bıldırcınların daha iyi yetiştirme koşullarına sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak bu çalışma ile Niğde yöresinde bıldırcınlarda ilk kez toxoplasmosis varlığı serolojik yöntemle araştırılmış ve seropozitiflik tespit edilememiştir.The aim of the present study was to investigate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii. Quails were obtained from Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University poultry. A total of 144 (139 male and 5 female) quails were used for collection of blood samples. The sera were tested for T. gondii antibodies using the Sabin Feldman Dye Test (SFDT). All of the 144 quail serum samples tested were seronegative for T. gondii antibodies. This situtation shows that the quails produced in a industrial way have better breeding conditions. In conclusion, this is the first serological study on toxoplasmosis in the quails in the Niğde province of Turkey and seropositivity could not be detected in this study

Left Atrial Function Is Improved in Short-Term Follow-Up after Catheter Ablation of Outflow Tract Premature Ventricular Complexes

Background: Association of premature ventricular complexes (PVC) with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and efficacy of catheter ablation treatment have been demonstrated in studies. The role of left atrial (LA) mechanics in the etiopathogenesis of PVC-induced cardiomyopathy (PVC-CMP) as well as changes in LA mechanics with catheter ablation have not been studied before. Methods: A total number of 61 patients (Mean Age 43 ± 3) with idiopathic outflow tract (OT) PVCs undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) were enrolled. ECG, 24 h Holter, and echocardiographic evaluation with left ventricular (LV) diastolic functions and LA volumetric assessments were performed before and three months after RFCA. Results: Along with a marginal increase in left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), improvement in diastolic functions and left atrial mechanics were observed in the study (LVEF 53 ± 7 versus 57 ± 6, p < 0.01) in short-term follow-up. The frequency of LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) decreased with catheter ablation (n = 5 to 0, p = 0.02). The overall LA function improved. Left atrium passive and overall emptying fraction (LAEF) increased significantly (0.32 ± 0.04 to 0.41 ± 0.04, p < 0.05 and 0.62 ± 0.04 to 0.65 ± 0.004, p < 0.05, respectively). Active LAEF decreased significantly (0.29 ± 0.005 to 0.24 ± 0.006, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study are indicative of "PVC-induced atriomyopathy" which responds to RFCA in short-term follow-up. Atrial dysfunction might play a role in symptoms and etiopathogenesis of LVSD

COVID-19 in pediatric nephrology centers in Turkey

Background/aim: There is limited data on COVID-19 disease in children with kidney disease. We aimed to investigate the characteristics and prognosis of COVID-19 in pediatric nephrology patients in Turkey. Materials and methods: This was a national, multicenter, retrospective cohort study based on an online survey evaluating the data between 11th March 2020 and 11th March 2021 as an initial step of a detailed pediatric nephrology COVID-19 registry. Results: Two hundred and three patients (89 girls and 114 boys) were diagnosed with COVID-19. One-third of these patients (36.9%) were between 10–15 years old. Half of the patients were on kidney replacement therapy: kidney transplant (KTx) recipients (n = 56, 27.5%), patients receiving chronic hemodialysis (n = 33, 16.3%) and those on peritoneal dialysis (PD) (n = 18, 8.9%). Fifty-four (26.6%) children were asymptomatic. Eighty-two (40.3%) patients were hospitalized and 23 (28%) needed intensive care unit admission. Fifty-five percent of the patients were not treated, while the remaining was given favipiravir (20.7%), steroid (16.3%), and hydroxychloroquine (11.3%). Acute kidney injury developed in 19.5% of hospitalized patients. Five (2.4%) had MIS-C. Eighty-three percent of the patients were discharged without any apparent sequelae, while 7 (3.4%) died. One hundred and eight health care staff were infected during the study period. Conclusion: COVID-19 was most commonly seen in patients who underwent KTx and received HD. The combined immunosuppressive therapy and frequent exposure to the hospital setting may increase these patients’ susceptibility. Staff infections before vaccination era were alarming, various precautions should be taken for infection control, particularly optimal vaccination coverage

Evaluation of patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease: Preliminary results from the Turk-UIP study

OBJECTIVE: Differential diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is important among fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD). This study aimed to evaluate the rate of IPF in patients with fibrotic ILD and to determine the clinical-laboratory features of patients with and without IPF that would provide the differential diagnosis of IPF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included the patients with the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern or possible UIP pattern on thorax high-resolution computed tomography, and/or UIP pattern, probable UIP or possible UIP pattern at lung biopsy according to the 2011 ATS/ERSARS/ALAT guidelines. Demographics and clinical and radiological data of the patients were recorded. All data recorded by researchers was evaluated by radiology and the clinical decision board. RESULTS: A total of 336 patients (253 men, 83 women, age 65.8 +/- 9.0 years) were evaluated. Of the patients with sufficient data for diag-nosis (n=300), the diagnosis was IPF in 121 (40.3%), unclassified idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in 50 (16.7%), combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) in 40 (13.3%), and lung involvement of connective tissue disease (CTD) in 16 (5.3%). When 29 patients with definite IPF features were added to the patients with CPFE, the total number of IPF patients reached 150 (50%). Rate of male sex (p<0.001), smoking history (p<0.001), and the presence of clubbing (p=0.001) were significantly high in patients with IPE None of the women <50 years and none of the men <50 years of age without a smoking history were diagnosed with IPE Presence of at least 1 of the symptoms suggestive of CTD, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and antinuclear antibody (FANA) positivity rates were significantly higher in the non-IPF group (p<0.001, p=0.029, p=0.009, respectively). CONCLUSION: The rate of IPF among patients with fibrotic ILD was 50%. In the differential diagnosis of IPF, sex, smoking habits, and the presence of clubbing are important. The presence of symptoms related to CTD, ESR elevation, and EANA positivity reduce the likelihood of IPF

Social competence in children with autism

Objectives: This paper investigates the associations of social competence with cognitive representation and communication skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), by measuring these skills in an expansive way through assessing both mental and internal-state understanding, and verbal and non-verbal communication. Methods: The data were collected from 45 Turkish children (Mage=8.52 years, SD=3.05, min-max=3–14) with a diagnosis of ASD. Individual assessments were used to measure mental- and internal-state understanding. Teacher-rated scales were used to assess child’s verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and social competence. Results: The results showed that social competence, cognitive representation, verbal and non-verbal communication skills were all significantly associated, but over and above cognitive representation skills and verbal communication, non-verbal communication had a salient role in adaptive social relationships of children with ASD. Conclusions: These findings have important applied implications for intervention studies and suggest that improvements of non-verbal communication skills in children with ASD might be important for increasing their positive social relations.WOS:000451616200002Scopus - Affiliation ID: 60105072PMID: 34141321Social Sciences Citation IndexQ4ArticleUluslararası işbirliği ile yapılmayan - HAYIROcak2019YÖK - 2018-1