Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in rural areas of the southwestern region of Turkey

SummaryObjectivesMost previous studies on the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have analyzed data obtained from blood donors and risk groups. Few studies have been conducted in the field in rural and urban areas of Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV and to investigate the association with risk factors.MethodsBetween January 2006 and March 2007, 2852 people aged 18 years and over were chosen in three districts using simple random sampling, and blood samples were drawn from them. The card test technique, which is highly sensitive, was applied to blood samples for the qualitative assessment of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-hepatitis B surface antigen antibodies (anti-HBs), and anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV). The ELISA technique was then applied only to positive samples for confirmation. In addition, participants answered survey questions on risk factors for infection with HBV and HCV.ResultsOur results showed that 71 (2.5%) were HBsAg-positive, 462 (16.2%) were anti-HBs-positive, and 29 (1.0%) were anti-HCV-positive. Further survey results showed that seropositivity increased with some of the risk factors.ConclusionsStudies on seropositivity that depend on field analyses reflect the true population more accurately. We conclude that such field studies and public education activities for hepatitis B and C are essential

Circulation levels of acute phase proteins pentraxin 3 and serum amyloid A in atherosclerosis have correlations with periodontal inflamed surface area

Objectives: One of the plausible mechanisms in the relationship between periodontitis and coronary artery disease (CAD) is the systemic inflammatory burden comprised of circulating cytokines/mediators related to periodontitis. This study aims to test the hypothesis that periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) is correlated with higher circulating levels of acute phase reactants (APR) and pro-inflammatory cytokines/mediators and lower anti-inflammatory cytokines/mediators in CAD patients. Material and Methods: Patients aged from 30 to 75 years who underwent coronary angiography with CAD suspicion were included. Clinical periodontal parameters (probing depth - PD, clinical attachment loss, and bleeding on probing - BOP) were previously recorded and participants were divided into four groups after coronary angiography: Group 1: CAD (+) with periodontitis (n=20); Group 2: CAD (+) without periodontitis (n=20); Group 3: CAD (-) with periodontitis (n=21); Group 4: CAD (-) without periodontitis (n = 16). Serum interleukin (IL) −1, −6, −10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, serum amyloid A (SAA), pentraxin (PTX) 3, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were measured with ELISA. Results: Groups 1 and 3 showed periodontal parameter values higher than Groups 2 and 4 (p<0.0125). None of the investigated serum parameters were statistically significantly different between the study groups (p>0.0125). In CAD (-) groups (Groups 3 and 4), PISA has shown positive correlations with PTX3 and SAA (p<0.05). Age was found to predict CAD significantly according to the results of the multivariate regression analysis (Odds Ratio: 1.17; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.08-1.27; p<0.001). Conclusions: Although age was found to predict CAD significantly, the positive correlations between PISA and APR in CAD (-) groups deserve further attention, which might depend on the higher PISA values of periodontitis patients. In further studies conducted in a larger population, the stratification of age groups would provide us more accurate results

Development of Attitude and Behavior Scale Towards Medical Wastes: A Methodological Study

Introduction: This study aims to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool that measures the attitudes and behaviors of healthcare professionals towards medical waste. Materials and Methods: In this methodological study, the item pool of the medical waste attitude and behavior scale (TATS) was first created, then the content validity of the 30-item scale was tested by taking expert opinions, and validity and reliability analyzes were conducted. The scale wa instrument s applied to 252 health workers working in a university hospital. Data were analyzed us hedef ing SPSS (22.0) and AMOS (24.0) programs. Results: After the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the scale showed a four-factor structure consisting of 24 items and the total variance explained was 69.09%. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, the goodness of fit values of the scale is within acceptable limits (χ²/sd= 2.97, RMSEA= 0.08, CFI= 0.90, SRMR= 0.05). There is a moderate positive correlation between the developed scale and the medical waste management evaluation scale (r= 0.55 and p< 0.001) and criterion validity are appropriate. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient is 0.94 for the whole scale and between 0.77 and 0.95 for the sub-dimensions, and the scale has a high level of reliability. According to the difference evaluation made between the 27% groups who got the highest and lowest scores on the scale, it was determined that all of the items on the scale were distinctive and valid. It has been determined that the scale has no floor and ceiling effect. Conclusion: The developed medical waste attitude and behavior scale can be used as a valid and reliable scale to determine the attitudes and behaviors of health-care professionals

SÜLEYMAN DEMİREL ÜNİVERSİTESİ DİŞ HEKİMLİĞİ FAKÜLTESİ ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN SOSYAL VE PSİKOLOJİK ÖZELLİKLERİ

Çalışmanın amacı Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Diş Hekimliği Fakültesi öğrencilerinin sosyal vepsikolojik özelliklerinin eğitim süreciyle ilişkisinideğerlendirmek ve bu özelliklerde sınıflar arasındafarklılıklar olup olmadığını değerlendirmekti.Kesitsel tipteki bu çalışmada, fakültede kayıtlı 176öğrenciden 150’sine ulaşıldı. Anket formunda öğrencilerin sosyodemografik özellikleri ile ilgilihazırlanmış sorular, Yaşam Sorunlarına İlişkinÇizelge, Genel Sağlık Soru Çizelgesi, UyarlanmışBeck Depresyon Ölçeği, Spielberger Durumluk veSürekli Kaygı Envanteri bulunuyordu. İstatistik analizde ki kare, Kruskal-Wallis testi, bağımsız iki gruportalamaları t testi, Mann-Whitney U testi, Pearson veSpearman korelasyon testleri ile lineer regresyonanalizi kullanıldı. Grubun tamamında, olası yaşamsorunları arasında en önemli yer tutan üç sorun,sınav ve ölçme-değerlendirme sistemi, başarısızlıkendişesi, ve sosyal yaşamdan hoşnutsuzluktu. Olasıyaşam sorunlarının sınıflar arasında algılanmaşiddeti farklıydı. Meslek seçiminden hoşnutsuzluk veiyi bir iş sahibi olamama endişesi ise yaşam sorunlarıiçinde önemli yer tutmuyordu. 1-2 kesme noktasındaruhsal bozukluk sıklığı %84.2 olarak belirlendi.Sınıflar arasında sıklık bakımından farklılık mevcuttu ve bu sıklık sınıf arttıkça artmaktaydı. Bu sonuçlaryükseköğretim kurumlarında psikolojik danışmahizmetinin verilmesinin ve bu hizmetin sürekliliğininsağlanmasının önemini ortaya koymaktadı

Physicians’ COVID-19 Phobia and Perceived Stress Levels in the Pandemic

Introduction: Healthcare workers are the riskiest group in the epidemic. This study aims to determine physicians’ coronavirus-19 phobia and perceived stress levels and examine the related factors during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 297 physicians were reached this cross-sectional analytical study. The descriptive characteristics form, the perceived stress scale (PSS), and the coronavirus-19 phobia scale (C19P-S) were used. In the statistical analysis, descriptive statistics, independent groups t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyzes (Backward LR method) were used in nonparametric conditions. Results: The total mean score of C19P-S and PSS were determined as 44.9 ± 13.5 and 27.9 ± 8.7, respectively. The predictors of COVID-19 phobia as being married, being over 30 years old, questioning the choice of profession, thinking that the behavior of the close environment has changed positively in the pandemic, and increased stress perception were determined. The predictors of perceived stress as female gender, questioning the choice of profession, thinking that she is not affected by being declared a “hero” in the media, thinking that the behavior of the society has changed in a negative way, and an increased phobia of COVID-19 were detected. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the increased stress level of physicians increases COVID-19 phobia and this relationship is bidirectional. Because of this mutually nurturing relationship, developing remedial attitudes towards both stress and phobia may provide multifaceted benefits to both healthcare professionals and the society they serve

The Gingival Crevicular Fluid Levels of Interleukin-11 and Interleukin-17 in Patients With Aggressive Periodontitis

Background: The balance (ratio) of anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory cytokines is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis. Moreover, the imbalance of anti-inflammatory/proinflammatory cytokines may modulate disease progression in aggressive periodontitis (AgP). This study aims to investigate the levels of interleukin (IL)-11 and IL-17 and their ratio in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in patients with AgP