A very interesting traditional method in the treatment of skin lesions: aqua regia and related complications

BACKGROUND: Aqua regia, a highly corrosive mixture of concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, is used to dissolve various metals such as gold and platinum that are not soluble in other types of acids. For the first time in the literature, we report the adverse effects that were observed following the utilization of this strong acid solution in the treatment of various skin lesions. METHODS: Between 2010 and 2013, 43 patients (55.8 % female) with a mean age of 40.2 years, were admitted to our hospital for scars, wounds or malign lesions related to the use of aqua regia on skin lesions. Sixteen patients reported to use aqua regia for treating wounds and 27 of them used it for their scars. RESULTS: Out of 43 patients, 9 patients developed necrosis, 12 had hypertrophic scars, 15 had scars and 7 had non-healing wounds resembling malignant lesions. The non-healing wounds were located in the facial region in five patients, in the cervical region in one and on the finger-tip in another. Histopathological examination of these non-healing wounds revealed basal and squamous cell carcinoma. The patients were admitted to the plastic surgery department approximately 6–24 months after aqua regia application with complaints of growing lesions. Secondary healing in the lesions with scar development in 55 % of the patients is an acceptable result. However, 27 % of the patients with hypertrophic scars and 16 % of the patients with malignant lesions required intervention. CONCLUSION: This present study showed that non-medical alternative treatments have major risks. Aqua regia application might have resulted in the development or rapid progression of malignant tumours in seven patients. In the literature, it has been reported that a number of physical traumas may cause skin cancer. Based on this information, the possibility of such an effect of aqua regia cannot be excluded

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

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the COPD exercise self-regulatory efficacy scale

Çetinkaya, Funda ( Aksaray, Yazar )Introduction: The concept of self-efficacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the development of self-efficacy in individuals are extremely significant. Increasing the self-efficacy level in individuals with COPD will contribute to the effective management of symptoms. Moreover, exercise is essential in COPD management and nursing care. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the results of the validity and reliability study of the Turkish version of the COPD Exercise Self-Regulatory Efficacy Scale (Ex-SRES) developed by Davis et al. Methods: This is a methodological study conducted with 160 patients diagnosed with COPD. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form and COPD Ex-SRES. Moreover, the Cronbach's α value was calculated, and the test-retest reliability was performed for reliability analysis. Results: The item total correlation scores of the Turkish version were between 0.608 and 0.853 points. The total score correlation coefficients of all the items in the scale were over 0.30. In this respect, the item total correlation values of the Turkish version of the Ex-SRES were at an appropriate level of reliability. In addition, the total Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was calculated as 0.96. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the Ex-SRES was found to have high validity and reliability and to be a precise tool that specifically measures exercise self-efficacy in the COPD patient group

Entrepreneurial Competences of University Students in the Digital Age: A Scale Development Study

19th International Symposium for Production Research, ISPR 2019 -- 28 August 2019 through 30 August 2019 -- 233539Advances in technology continue to affect our lives day by day. The new technological developments gaining momentum with the 4th Industrial Revolution have an impact on the working life, employment and unemployment in the 4th industrial revolution as in every industrial revolution. Every new technology that has emerged may adversely affect some sectors and business areas and cause unemployment. The ongoing industrial revolution is expected to contribute to the formation of new businesses and new jobs. This change necessitates the preparation of the individuals for the needs of the new age as well as the equipping of individuals for entrepreneurship activities. There is no doubt that the dynamos of the preparatory process will be universities. This situation increases the importance of monitoring the developments in entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of technology and in gaining competence in this field for university students. As a requirement of competition, state authorities care about the role of universities in entrepreneurship and have serious expectations. Public authorities support and promote the universities in this area significantly. The questions such as ‘‘How are the students, who are the main target groups of universities, taken into account in the university entrepreneurship ecosystem?’’ and ‘‘What is the impact of universities on students through training, incentives and support activities in the field of entrepreneurship?’’ have become a topic to be studied in the field of higher education. While looking for answers to these questions, determining entrepreneurial competences of university students has emerged as an important requirement. The aim of this methodological study is to develop a tool to measure the entrepreneurial competencies of university students based on Kailer’s Entrepreneurship Competence Model. For the study, a sample was used consisting of 415 students from Selcuk University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and Konya Technical University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences in Konya, Turkey. Content validity, construct validity and reliability studies were conducted at the development stage of Entrepreneurial Competences Scale of Students. The Data were analyzed on the computer using SPSS and LISREL package programs. According to the results of EFA, 25-item and two-dimensional Entrepreneurial Competency Scale was developed. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was calculated as.90 and the percentage of variance explanatory was measured as 42.28%. Subsequent CFA results showed that the scale had good fit values (X2/df: 2.39, RMSEA:.073, CFI:.94, NNFI:.94). It is concluded that the scale developed in this study is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to measure the entrepreneurship competencies of university students. It can be stated that the Entrepreneurship Competence Scale of University Students will be important for the universities that want to improve their student-based entrepreneurial-innovative features, public athorities and for the whole economy at macro level. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.2-s2.0-8507622991