Assessment of knowledge and attitudes toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) amongst Turkish medical faculty students

Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies are becoming increasingly  acceptable to the general public and are increasingly used around the world. The international rise in focus  on CAM and the increased incorporation of CAM into medical curricula make it important to gain insight into the knowledge and attitudes of medical students about CAM and its integration in the medical curriculum.Materials and Methods: In this present study, we attempt to investigate the Cerrahpasa medical faculty students’ knowledge, attitude and practices of the students on CAM. The study used a primary  cross-sectional data collection from students of Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, in  2012-2013 academic years.Results: Students’ knowledge of CAM between classes was also compared. There were also statistically  significant differences about the knowledge of those methods (acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, reiki, prayer, meditation massage, dietary, spa). Prayer was the most known modality in all medical classes’ students (first year students: 254, sixth year students: 192). The students who participated in the study stated that 433 (%59.4) have some knowledge about the acupuncture (first year students: 229, sixth  year students: 204). Acupressure was found to be at least known methods for CAM (first year students:  313, sixth year students: 282).Conclusion: Medical students in our faculty had limited knowledge about CAM therapies. Medical  students also have an understanding of the importance of CAM education in the medical curriculum, specifically how it will positively influence professional attitude and stimulate the doctor–patient relationship.Key words: Medical, Students, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Management of Extremity Venous Thrombosis in Neonates and Infants: An Experience From a Resource Challenged Setting

We aimed to evaluate the outcome of different treatment modalities for extremity venous thrombosis (VT) in neonates and infants, highlighting the current debate on their best tool of management. This retrospective study took place over a 9-year period from January 2009 to December 2017. All treated patients were referred to the vascular and pediatric surgery departments from the neonatal intensive care unit. All patients underwent a thorough history-taking as well as general clinical and local examination of the affected limb. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group I included those who underwent a conservative treated with the sole administration of unfractionated heparin (UFH), whereas group II included those who were treated with UFH plus warfarin. Sixty-three patients were included in this study. They were 36 males and 27 females. Their age ranged from 3 to 302 days. Forty-one (65%) patients had VT in the upper limb, whereas the remaining 22 (35%) had lower extremity VT. The success rate of the nonsurgical treatment was accomplished in 81% of patients. The remaining 19% underwent limb severing, due to established gangrene. The Kaplan-Meier survival method revealed a highly significant increase in both mean and median survival times in those groups treated with heparin and warfarin compared to heparin-only group (P < .001). Nonoperative treatment with anticoagulation or observation (ie, wait-and-see policy) alone may be an easily applicable, effective, and a safe modality for management of VT in neonates and infants, especially in developing countries with poor or highly challenged resource settings