Three Decades of Anti-evolution Campaign and its Results: Turkish Undergraduates' Acceptance and Understanding of the Biological Evolution Theory

Even though in the early years of the Republic of Turkey Darwin's theory of evolution was treated as a scientific theory and taught fairly in schools, despite all the substantial evidence accumulated supporting the theory of evolution since then, Darwin and his ideas today have been scorned by curriculum and education policy makers. Furthermore, Turkish students and academics have been faced with unprecedented creationist propaganda for many years. In this paper, we first provide a glimpse of the theory of evolution and creationism in Turkey, we then report the results of our survey study (N = 1,098) about the undergraduates' acceptance and understanding of Darwinian evolution and some of the socioeconomic variables affecting those measures. Our cross sectional study shows that acceptance and understanding of the theory of evolution is quite low. We criticize the current state of evolution education in Turkey and call for a change towards a scientific treatment of the theory evolution in schools

DNA repair gene polymorphisms in B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

WOS: 000351884000092PubMed ID: 25400036Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by DNA injury, and genetic and environmental factors are important in the etiology of the cancers. It is well known that there are association variabilities in DNA repairment and sensitivity against the cancer. The aim of this study is to look for some important gene polymorphisms associated with DNA repair in cases with B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL). Ninety-four cases with NHL and 96 healthy controls were included in this study. ERCC2 (Lys751Gln), XPC (Gln939Lys), ERCC5 (Asp1104His), and XRCC3 (Thr241Met) gene polymorphisms were studied by using Tm Shift Real-Time PCR Technology. ERCC5 Asp1104His polymorphism showed a protective effect against the B-NHL in individuals carrying this mutant allele (p = 0.009), and differences were more prominent in males (p = 0.001). When the patient and control groups were divided according to their smoking habit, the mutant allele of the XPC gene showed a protective effect in the nonsmoker group (p = 0.040). The mutant allele G of ERCC5 (CG) polymorphism was found to be protective against lymphoma (p = 0.010). There were no differences among cases with B-NHL and controls for ERCC2 codon 751, XPC codon 939, and XRCC3 codon 241 gene polymorphisms. DNA repair gene polymorphisms can affect the risk of lymphoma, and it will be useful to detect the DNA repair gene polymorphisms in cases with lymphoma in studies covering a higher number of cases.Turkish Medical Oncology Society; Cukurova University Research FundCukurova UniversityThis study has been supported by the Turkish Medical Oncology Society and Cukurova University Research Fund

Comparison of epidural and intravenous route for acute and chronic postoperative pain control in patients with gynecological malignancy

Objectives: This study compared the effects of patient-controlled epidural and intravenous analgesia on acute and chronic postoperative pain in patients who were operated on for gynecological malignancy

The effect of Kristeller maneuver on maternal and neonatal outcome

Objective: The use of fundal pressure in management of the second stage of labor is controversial. The aim of this study was both to evaluate the effectiveness of fundal pressure in shortening the second stage of labor and to examine the re- lated neonatal and maternal outcomes. Materials and Methods: Patients were randomly allocated to Kristeller maneuver (KM) intervention group (n = 145) and control group (n = 140). Umbilical artery blood gas analysis, creatinine kinase (CK), CK with myocardial specific isoform, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, lactate dehydrogenase and lactic acid were assessed. Vaginal laceration, cervical laceration, length of episiotomy and vagina before and after delivery and duration of the second stage of labor in minutes were recorded. Neonatal information included: Infant birth weight, Apgar scores, babies requiring pediatric help, and admission to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) were examined. Results: KM leads to elongation of episiotomy incision. Vaginal lacerations were similar between control and intervention groups; however the cervical laceration rate was higher in intervention group. Gestational week, Apgar scores, birth weight, NICU admission, babies requiring pediatrician help or healthy babies were not different between the two groups. Conclusions: The possibility of lacerations to the perineum and cervix is increased by using KM. On the other hand, fundal pressure seems safe for the fetus. [Arch Clin Exp Surg 2015; 4(1.000): 29-35

Real-world outcomes of pazopanib in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma: a retrospective Turkish oncology group (TOG) study

Aim: Description of patient characteristics, effectiveness and safety in Turkish patients treated with pazopanib for metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Patients and methods: This multicenter study is based on retrospective review of hospital medical records of patients (≥ 18 years) treated with pazopanib for non-adipocytic metastatic STS at 37 Oncology clinics across Turkey. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated with further analysis of data on the three most common histological subtypes (leiomyosarcoma [LMS], undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma [UPS], synovial sarcoma [SS]) in the cohort. Results: Data of 552 adults (57.6% women, median age: 52 years) were analyzed. DCR and ORR were 43.1% and 30.8%, respectively. Median PFS was 6.7 months and OS was 13.8 months. For LMS, UPS and SS, median PFSs were 6.1, 5.9 and 7.53 months and median OSs were 15.03, 12.87 and 12.27 months, respectively. ECOG ≥ 2 was associated with poor PFS and OS. Liver metastasis was only a factor for progression. Second-line use of pazopanib (vs. front-line) was associated with better PFS, its use beyond third line predicted worse OS. Adverse events (AE) occurred in 82.7% of patients. Most common AEs were fatigue (58.3%) and anorexia (52.3%) which were graded as ≥ 3 in 8.2% and 7.4% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: Pazopanib is effective and well-tolerated in treatment of non-adipocytic metastatic STS. Its earlier use (at second-line), good performance status may result in better outcomes. Worldwide scientific collaborations are important to gain knowledge on rarer STS subtypes by conducting studies in larger patient populations

Real-world outcomes of pazopanib in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma: a retrospective Turkish oncology group (TOG) study

AimDescription of patient characteristics, effectiveness and safety in Turkish patients treated with pazopanib for metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS).Patients and methodsThis multicenter study is based on retrospective review of hospital medical records of patients (>= 18 years) treated with pazopanib for non-adipocytic metastatic STS at 37 Oncology clinics across Turkey. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated with further analysis of data on the three most common histological subtypes (leiomyosarcoma [LMS], undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma [UPS], synovial sarcoma [SS]) in the cohort.ResultsData of 552 adults (57.6% women, median age: 52 years) were analyzed. DCR and ORR were 43.1% and 30.8%, respectively. Median PFS was 6.7 months and OS was 13.8 months. For LMS, UPS and SS, median PFSs were 6.1, 5.9 and 7.53 months and median OSs were 15.03, 12.87 and 12.27 months, respectively. ECOG >= 2 was associated with poor PFS and OS. Liver metastasis was only a factor for progression. Second-line use of pazopanib (vs. front-line) was associated with better PFS, its use beyond third line predicted worse OS. Adverse events (AE) occurred in 82.7% of patients. Most common AEs were fatigue (58.3%) and anorexia (52.3%) which were graded as >= 3 in 8.2% and 7.4% of patients, respectively.ConclusionPazopanib is effective and well-tolerated in treatment of non-adipocytic metastatic STS. Its earlier use (at second-line), good performance status may result in better outcomes. Worldwide scientific collaborations are important to gain knowledge on rarer STS subtypes by conducting studies in larger patient populations