Genetics and genetic counseling: Practices and opinions of primary care physicians in Turkey

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the educational needs of physicians relating to genetics and genetic counseling in the Denizli region of Turkey. METHODS: Data were collected by questionnaire about physicians' approaches to genetics and genetic counseling. RESULTS: A total of 60 (60.0%) of 100 physicians working in Denizli province returned a questionnaire. Physicians described "their most knowledgeable subjects" in basic genetic information as chromosome abnormalities (41.8%), in genetic disorders as xeroderma pigmentosum (80.0%), and in genetic counseling as directing the parents of and couples with a risk for having a child affected by a genetic disease to an expert or a genetic counseling center (94.8%). Only 20.7% knew the ethical regulations and techniques related to genetic counseling. Physicians thought that they did not have sufficient knowledge about genetics or genetic counseling, and 83.9% would like to attend an educational course. CONCLUSIONS: As a result of this study, a genetics course is planned for physicians so they can actively participate in the prevention and early diagnosis of genetic diseases. ©2007The American College of Medical Genetics

Development of small intestines and large intestines in rats and distribution of gastrin cells

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the changes within the small and large intestine of rats during their development and to describe the distribution of gastrin cells. Material and Methods: Small and large intestines obtained from the fetuses of 3 Wistar Albino rats for each group on the 14 th, 16th, 18th and 20th days of gestation, as well as from 10 rats on the 2nd, 5th, 11th, 15th, 20th and 30th days of the postnatal period were examined under the light microscope. Results: On the 14th and 16th prenatal days, there was no structural difference between small and large intestine, and the epithelium included 2-3 successive cuboidal epithelial cells. A circular muscle layer could be observed. On the prenatal 18th day, the small intestines manifested a villi consisting of a single layer of prismatic cells, which included goblet and gastrin cells. There were villi-like structures in large intestine as well. After the prenatal 20th day, the length of the villi and the depth of crypts in the small intestine began to increase, and the villi attained the general characteristics seen in adults by postnatal day 15. The villi-like structures observed in large intestine disappeared by postnatal day 11 and were replaced by simple tubular glands. The number of goblet cells in small and large intestine increased with age. Gastrin cells in the small intestine showed a considerable increase in number especially after weaning. Conclusion: As a conclusion, the morphology of small and large intestine was observed to change with increasing age in the prenatal and postnatal periods. The differences between small and large intestine were identifiable during the early postnatal period. Increasing age and nutrition with solid food appear to be instrumental in determining structural differences. Copyright © 2005 by Türkiye Klinikleri

Assessment of proliferative activity in rat brain with AgNOR following exposure to magnetic field

Objective: Nucleolar organizer region (NORs) is directly related to cell cycle and is an indicator of cell proliferation. We explored, in the present study, whether there was a difference in proliferation between brain tissues subjected to magnetic field for different durations. Study Design: The study comprised 5 groups with six rats each. Groups A and B were exposed to magnetic fields for 2.5 hours/day and 2.5 minutes/day, respectively, everyday for three months. Sham groups for Group A (SA) and Group B (SB) were constructed and switched-off cellular phones were left in the same environment for the same duration as their corresponding experimental groups. Rat's brains were removed, placed in 10% formalin and 3 micron thick sections were obtained following routine histological methods. Sections were stained with AgNOR stain. The number of AgNORs for each 100 cortical neurons, hippocampal neurons, ependymal and choroid plexus cells were counted on every section with an immersion microscope objective. Results: Statistical analyses revealed that mean number of AgNORs was highest in Group A (3.69±0.54), followed by Group B (3.06±0.48). Even though there was no statistically significant difference between sham groups (SA=1.76±0.56 and SB=1.84±0.65, p=0.990), mean number of AgNORs in sham groups was significantly higher than the control group (1.29±0.42) (p≤0.05). Groups A and B differed significantly from the sham and control groups in terms of mean number of AgNORs (p≤0.001). Conclusion: Increased proliferative activity and protein synthesis in neuronal and glial cells of the brain tissue in response to exposure to magnetic field is demonstrated by AgNORs

Major congenital anomalies: a five-year retrospective regional study in Turkey

We examined the distribution and demographic characteristics of congenital anomalies in a Turkish province for five years. The records of 63,159 live births between 2000 and 2004 were examined retrospectively. Major congenital anomalies were classified according to year, organ system, gender, family relationship, maternal age, mortality rate, and method of delivery. There were 183 cases of major birth defects among 63,159 live births, giving a prevalence of 2.9/1000. Anomalies of the central nervous system were the most common defect (31%), followed by cleft palate/lip (19%), musculoskeletal system anomalies (14%), and chromosomal anomalies (13%). Among the infants with major anomalies, 14% did not survive, 56% were delivered vaginally, and 25% were miscarried. There was a significant increase in rate of major congenital anomalies during the five-year period

Evaluation of cancer records from 2000-2004 in Denizli, Turkey

Objective information about cancer incidence is important for planning control programs. We examined the distribution of cancer cases recorded in Denizli province, Turkey. A total of 2185 cancer cases reported to the Denizli Province Health Ministry's Cancer Early Diagnosis Center during the years 2000-2004 were evaluated for sociodemographic characteristics, cigarette use, family history, and organ systems. Among these cases, 56% were male and 44% were female; 45.1% of the patients had smoked cigarettes at some time and there was a 10-fold increase in lung cancer and a 4-fold increase in urinary cancers among cigarette smokers (P<0.001). We found that 34.4% of the cancer cases were diagnosed as localized, 27.9% had a more extensive distribution and 21.8% were in metastasis. The most frequent types were urinary cancers at 26.4%, gastrointestinal cancers at 19.2% and respiratory cancers at 18.9%; there was a significant increase in gastrointestinal, blood and skin cancers over the years. Lung (14.9%), breast (14.1%), bladder (8.0%), prostate (5.3%), and lymphatic (4.8%) cancer cases were the most common

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Factors affecting responsiveness to hepatitis B immunization in dialysis patients

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are widespread health problems all over the world and have high morbidity and mortality. Hemodialysis patients are more frequently exposed to these viruses as they have poor immune system and frequently undergo parenteral interventions. The vaccination against HBV prevents infection and it has been recommended for the prevention of HBV infection in all susceptible dialysis patients. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections and analyzed the factors affecting inadequate response to HBV vaccine in dialysis patients